Xiao Wenyi looked at the slender arm on his own, which remained soft, moving with a natural and intimate grace, as if she did not treat him as an Emperor at all!
At the very least, he did not detect much fear in her.
He tilted his head to look at her, sat in the seat where she had been having her meal, and gently tapped her forehead, which had not yet lost its swelling. "Could it be that you like eating that Golden Silk Candied Jujube Cake?"
Zhang Wanrou rubbed her aching head and gave a silly smile: "Your subject likes it, and because I like it, I wanted to share it with the Emperor!"
"Since you like it, then have the Noble Consort prepare more for you. You are her younger sister; surely she wouldn't even let you have a snack?"
Zhang Wanrou shook her head. "Of course not! Elder Sister is very good to me! As soon as you promoted my rank, Elder Sister sent me two palace maids and two eunuchs; she has been so thoughtful and considerate!"
Xiao Wenyi looked at her innocent expression, but a trace of helplessness rose in his heart.
If she were truly good to her, why would she not give her the chance to dine together? What the Noble Consort said earlier clearly showed she did not want him to see Zhang Wanrou.
Harem women fighting for favor was the norm; he was tired of seeing it and did not want to watch it anymore, so he did not dwell on it with the Noble Consort.
Yet, looking at her now, this Yatou was as pure as a blank sheet of paper. How could she know the sinister hearts and hypocritical faces of this harem?
He looked at the meal on her table; there was only one meat dish, two vegetable dishes, and a soup. There was no dessert, and the staple food was steamed buns and white porridge.
Even a Talent had two meat dishes, yet she had been promoted to Jieyu and still only had one.
"Is this meal arranged for you by the Noble Consort?"
Zhang Wanrou was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with surprise. "Is the Emperor going to dine here with your subject? Does that mean I will be able to eat many delicious things?"
"How about tonight? I had rice porridge at noon, so I am not hungry anymore."
Xiao Wenyi chuckled and flicked her jade-like nose. "So, you are not only a crybaby but also a glutton!"
Zhang Wanrou wrinkled her nose, disagreeing with this. "Your subject is not a crybaby. Emperor, please do not wrong me!"
"Heh, not a crybaby? Then who was it that cried for half the day last night and couldn't stop?"
A look of embarrassment and shyness appeared on her face. She let go of his arm and turned to the other side. "That was because the Emperor was bullying people!"
Her tone was sweet and clear, not like the affected, delicate manner of other women. Her eyes were misty, as if she were truly angry at his excess last night.
He could not help but laugh, leaned his head closer to her, and said: "But, it was clearly someone who said that even if the Emperor bullies people, one must endure it! After all, there are not many people in this world who can be bullied by the Emperor, and some are quite willing, aren't they?"
"I... I..." She furrowed her brows, looking at him with eyes full of resentment, feeling incredibly wronged. "But, it really hurt..."
In truth, Xiao Wenyi's actions last night were not considered rough; compared to her previous life, he was quite gentle.
It was just that at that moment, she remembered all the things from her previous life... being deceived, being used, being framed, and in the end, all her closest kin being brutally murdered... Reborn once more, she was caught between great sorrow and great joy, and she simply could not help but cry!
Later, she discovered that the more she cried, the more tender and affectionate his gaze toward her became, so she went with the flow and pestered him a few more times.
Sure enough, she left a deep impression on him last night, to the point that he even came to see her after the morning court session today!
In her previous life, after she had attended the Emperor, he had never come to see her.
He saw the crystal-clear light in her eyes, yet she bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall, as if she wanted to prove that she was not a crybaby!
"Alright, alright, it is my fault. I will not laugh at you."
He pulled her into his embrace, but before he could even catch the scent of her, she had already escaped.
She sat to one side, looking at him with bright eyes. "Emperor, your subject has not bathed yet and smells a bit funky. I don't want to offend you! You should leave first. When I am all washed and fragrant tonight, you can come back, okay?"
Her words had the suspicion of soliciting favor, but to Xiao Wenyi, she did not seem like the type to have ulterior motives.
He asked with a smile: "You want me to come back, surely not just for my Imperial Meal?"
Her eyes darted around, and she denied it: "Of course not! I am not a glutton, how could I..."
Hearing this, he nodded and said with a straight face: "Then when I come tonight, I will eat your Jieyu meal; I won't have anyone add extra dishes."
"Ah?" Zhang Wanrou's face fell instantly. "There is nothing good to eat here to begin with, and I still have to share it with Qing Ning. If one more person is added, wouldn't we both go hungry?"
"Emperor, then you had better not come. Your subject is still a patient!"
"Hahaha!!" Xiao Wenyi laughed loudly. "You have quite the nerve to turn me away! Are you not afraid that I will have your little head chopped off?"
Qing Ning, listening from the side, was drenched in cold sweat, her legs nearly giving out as she almost knelt down.
Zhang Wanrou was not afraid at all and said with a smile: "As long as the Emperor brings the Imperial Meal, then your subject will not turn you away, and you won't need to chop off my little head either!"
Xiao Wenyi glared at her again. "So, it was for the Imperial Meal after all! And you said you weren't a glutton!"
"Are you not afraid that I will bully you again?"
Zhang Wanrou said with a grin: "When I was in the mountains, I heard my uncles say that the Emperor's Imperial Meal consists of one hundred and eight dishes! Each one is different! If I could eat such delicacies, I would be quite willing to let the Emperor bully me!"
Xiao Wenyi shook his head. "Silly Yatou, how could an Emperor's Imperial Meal have one hundred and eight dishes? How extravagant would that be? With so many people in this world who cannot even afford a meal, how could I be so wasteful?"
"Ah?" Zhang Wanrou was disappointed at first, but then she became happy again and said generously: "In that case, I will let the Emperor come and eat my Jieyu meal! I will eat a little less and let the Emperor eat more! That way, when you handle state affairs, you won't be tired or exhausted!"
...
When Xiao Wenyi left Yonghe Palace, there was an indelible smile on his face and an unshakable sense of comfort in his heart.
As he walked out of the palace gate, he remembered one thing.
"I was so distracted by that Yatou that I forgot!" He stopped his steps and called out: "Cheng Fang."
"This servant is here!"
"Go, have the palace servants responsible for Consort Zhang's meals caned twenty times, and have the Noble Consort oversee the execution!"
Cheng Fang was startled, then replied: "This servant obeys the decree!"
"Also, send some of that Jade Beauty Ointment from the Imperial Hospital to Consort Zhang."
What kind of look is it for a Jieyu to always have a bump on her head?
After Xiao Wenyi boarded the Imperial carriage, Cheng Fang gave a look to the young eunuch behind him.
The young eunuch was named Cheng Qi, Cheng Fang's godson, and he was the one who had come to announce the decree this morning.
After Cheng Qi left, Cheng Fang smiled beside the Imperial carriage. "Emperor, I have been with you for so many years, and it seems I have rarely seen you laugh so heartily as you did today!"
"It seems the Emperor likes Consort Zhang very much."
Xiao Wenyi remained silent, but these words made him ponder.
Like her?
It did not quite amount to that yet, did it? At most, he felt she was quite interesting—occasionally silly, occasionally bold, like a living person! Just for this, she surpassed the other palace consorts in this harem.
He had not had any feelings for the women in the harem for many years, and he was too lazy to interact much with those women.
Yet, for some reason, Zhang Wanrou's personality could always inexplicably touch his heart, making him feel happy and delighted from the bottom of his heart.
In the past, he probably would not have liked such a personality, but now...
Could it be that he is getting old?
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