Another afternoon passed idly by—it was time for dinner!
Li Zhu had been looking forward to this early on.
【Your Majesty, Your Majesty, eat quickly! Once you're done, it'll be my turn!】
Li Shengyuan shot her a disdainful look.
So shameless—getting this excited over a bit of food?
However, Li Shengyuan didn't realize that he was paying far too much attention to Li Zhu.
Ji An and Xiuyu noticed.
Ji An looked pleased, while Xiuyu's expression twisted slightly.
Li Zhu's attention, on the other hand, was entirely focused on the table full of dishes.
【The Cherry Meat looks so delicious! That Oven Roasted Duck is irresistible—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, it must burst with juices in one bite! And what filling is inside those plump, white buns?】
Seeing Li Zhu practically drooling, Li Shengyuan felt like laughing.
"Li Zhu, you shall taste the food for me." ？
Though puzzled, Li Zhu obediently took the place of the food-tasting eunuch.
Picking up her chopsticks, Li Zhu sampled each dish one by one—no, she was "testing for poison."
【This is delicious, and this one is too!】
Li Zhu's eyes lit up again and again, and when she tasted something she particularly liked, she would nod.
Li Zhu ate with relish, and her table manners weren't bad either. As she ate, her cheeks puffed out adorably, and it was clear she was fully immersed in the enjoyment of the food.
How to put it? Li Shengyuan felt that Li Zhu's way of eating was… appetizing.
Li Shengyuan wondered to himself, was tonight's meal really that delicious?
Li Zhu was nearly finished, sipping a bowl of Seafood Soup to fill the gaps.
Although she could only take one bite from each dish, there were over twenty dishes in total.
【Burp, I'm full! If only I could taste for poison every day.】
Li Shengyuan: She's actually enjoying this food-tasting duty.
【Food tasting is great—even the Emperor has to eat my leftovers, hehe!】
Li Shengyuan was displeased. This girl—she gets a good deal and still acts smug.
"Your Majesty, I have finished testing the food."
"Mm, step aside."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhu retreated to the side, standing to aid her digestion.
Li Shengyuan began to eat as well, and Li Zhu gradually noticed that the dishes he was eating seemed to be the ones she had liked the most.
【Hmm, it seems his tastes are quite similar to mine!】
Li Shengyuan paused his chopsticks mid-air, then changed direction to pick from another dish.
Ji An, standing nearby, clenched his hands excitedly—the Emperor was eating quite a lot today!
His gaze toward Li Zhu grew noticeably warmer.
After the meal, Li Shengyuan practiced a set of martial arts before returning to review memorials.
Li Zhu waited in the Veranda for another two hours.
"Sister Hong Yu, when does His Majesty usually retire?"
"If His Majesty rests in Qinzheng Palace, he usually sleeps around the beginning of the Chou hour."
The beginning of the Chou hour? 1 a.m.!
Xiuyu remained silent, but she looked down on Li Zhu for this. Why was Li Zhu suddenly inquiring about the Emperor's schedule? Who knew what ulterior motives she had!
Xiuyu was wary of Li Zhu—after all, the Emperor treated her too differently. She had never seen the Emperor indulge anyone like this before.
"And when does His Majesty rise?"
"At Yin Zheng (4 a.m.)."
Li Zhu's eyes widened. That meant the Emperor only slept three hours a day, sometimes even less!
What a miserable existence!
According to scientific research, humans have three basic desires: appetite, sexual desire, and the desire for sleep.
If any two of these desires are satisfied, a person can maintain balance. If only one is met, that person will suffer greatly.
Not only did he eat little and sleep little, but he was also impotent—Li Shengyuan couldn't satisfy a single one of these desires!
No wonder Li Shengyuan was so irritable.
"Why has His Majesty been sleeping and eating poorly? What did the Imperial Physician say?"
"The Imperial Physician couldn't find anything wrong," Hong Yu replied.
It seemed to be a matter of the heart.
Li Zhu carefully recalled the original book, which didn't detail what Li Shengyuan had experienced in the past or where his inner turmoil lay.
Li Zhu cautiously asked, "So we won't be able to rest until the Hour of the Ox (1–3 a.m.)?"
Hong Yu smiled. "That won't be necessary. His Majesty dislikes having Palace Maids attend to him. We can return at Xu Zheng (8 p.m.), and we just need to report for duty at Yin Zheng (4 a.m.) in the morning."
Li Zhu nodded. That was acceptable.
Finally, after enduring until Xu Zheng, Li Zhu was at last reunited with her bed.
～～
Waking up, Li Zhu felt fully revived.
Ji An looked at the energetic Li Zhu with a sly smile.
"Li Zhu, His Majesty has ordered that you serve him personally today."
"Personally serve him!?"
"That's right. You're the first one! You should cherish this blessing, Miss Li Zhu!"
What "first one"? Li Zhu only knew that the early bird gets shot!
Sure enough, Xiuyu was glaring at her with eyes dark enough to drip water.
"Could you advise me, Eunuch? What does 'personal service' involve?"
"Fetching tea and water, grinding ink, fanning him—just do whatever His Majesty orders."
It didn't sound difficult, but being in Li Shengyuan's presence made Li Zhu nervous!
Li Zhu still wanted to resist. "Eunuch, can I… not go?"
Ji An gave a forced smile. "What do you think?"
Li Zhu understood—there was no room for negotiation.
Entering the hall, Li Shengyuan was already reviewing memorials.
"Greetings to Your Majesty."
Li Shengyuan lifted his eyelids. "Rise. Grind the ink."
【Just arrived and already put to work. Life is so hard!】
Li Zhu's unhappiness brought Li Shengyuan comfort.
Having slept barely over two hours last night, Li Shengyuan was in a foul mood. Since he wasn't comfortable, he naturally couldn't stand seeing others at ease.
Although Li Zhu had never ground ink before, she had seen how it was done.
She picked up the ink stick and began grinding.
Li Shengyuan glanced up. Although Li Zhu's grinding technique was incorrect, her hands were beautiful.
As beautiful as she was—slender, pink, and white, they looked very soft.
Li Shengyuan knew Li Zhu was beautiful. Although he disliked interacting with women, he could still recognize beauty.
Li Zhu was beautiful.
However, Li Shengyuan only glanced before returning his gaze to the memorials.
Li Zhu ground for a while. 【Is this enough ink? Forget it, I'll grind a bit more. More is better than less. It's not my stuff anyway, so I don't mind wasting it.】
Li Shengyuan glanced over. The ink was already sufficient, but he had no intention of reminding her, deliberately letting her tire herself out a little more.
Keeping her head lowered for so long was tiring. Li Zhu wanted to stretch secretly, but as soon as she lifted her head slightly, she was captivated by the man's face.
【So handsome. A focused man really has charm.】
Li Shengyuan remained expressionless.
【Good looks and talent—what a pity.】
Li Shengyuan was taken aback. What was a pity?
【When heaven opens a window for him, it seals two doors. Dying so young is such a shame, tsk tsk.】
Li Shengyuan finally looked up. He didn't understand why Li Zhu was so certain he would die young.
Li Zhu was startled by the sudden eye contact.
"If you keep grinding, it'll overflow."
Li Zhu looked down. The inkstone indeed held a lot of ink, and her wrist was starting to ache.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my offense."
Li Shengyuan could tell—Li Zhu really wasn't skilled at serving others.
"Stand aside."
"Yes."
Obediently, Li Zhu stood to the left and slightly behind Li Shengyuan.
This time, Li Zhu saw his handwriting.
The strokes flowed like dragons and snakes, full of style.
Li Zhu was dazzled.
[Tsk tsk tsk, such exquisite handwriting!]
Li Shengyuan thought to himself, she does have some taste.
Li Zhu silently admired it for quite a while, satisfying her visual craving.
Half an hour passed, and Li Zhu felt her legs getting a bit sore.
[My legs are sore. If I move a little, he probably won’t notice.]
So Li Zhu slightly bent her knees.
Li Shengyuan thought to himself that she was delicate.
“The tea has gone cold.”
“Yes, this servant will go change the tea immediately.”
Li Zhu picked up the teacup and walked out.
Throughout the morning, whenever Li Zhu felt a bit tired from standing, she would go out to change Li Shengyuan’s tea.
Finally, finally, it was once again the lunchtime Li Zhu had been looking forward to the most.
When all the dishes were laid out on the table, Ji An asked, “Shall we have Li Zhu test the food for poison today?”