Sheng Jinyan pouted, even more displeased.
"Are these two dishes not just for me alone?"
He hated favoritism the most!
What he wanted was all of the love!!! The kind that couldn't be shared with anyone else.
Shi Zhenxiang thought to herself that giving him a taste of the braised snacks was already plenty; did he think he could eat all the new dishes by himself?
But on the surface, she was very considerate. "You've always skipped the evening meal before, but today you've eaten a lot. Your subject is afraid that if you eat too much, you'll suffer from indigestion, so I didn't dare let you eat more."
"As for sharing it with the children, isn't that letting you finish the new dishes, then giving the leftovers to the children?"
"When the children see you rewarding them with leftovers, they'll love you even more."
These words indeed coaxed Sheng Jinyan back.
So she was worried about him getting indigestion.
That made sense—the braised snacks on the table were almost all eaten by him, and if he kept eating, he really would be stuffed.
It seemed Noble Consort Shi still loved him the most.
Even the children could only eat his leftovers.
This showed that in Noble Consort Shi's heart, he was the most important.
Sheng Jinyan looked at Shi Zhenxiang with drunken, hazy eyes; the more he looked, the more he found this woman pleasing to the eye.
Her features were naturally gentle, her facial features delicate and charming. Even though she had given birth to five children, she remained so radiant, as if she could never become ugly.
Sheng Jinyan couldn't help but touch her collagen-rich face. "Your skin is really good."
Like a peeled egg, white and tender.
Shi Zhenxiang thought to herself, if her skin wasn't good, could it have made a machine like you unable to resist kissing her many times?
She remembered that back in the bridal chamber, this dog thing had said just one round, but because of her figure and skin, he just kept going without stopping.
In the end, it was only when the eunuch reminded him that he gave up.
She even suspected that was how she got pregnant.
Like pounding rice cakes, forcing children on her—no skill at all.
Seeing his infatuated gaze now, Shi Zhenxiang felt he was about to do that thing. She immediately stood up. "Your Majesty, you've been drinking tonight, so it's not suitable to have sexual intercourse; otherwise, it will be bad for the fetus."
Because Sheng Jinyan had never managed to make any imperial concubine pregnant before, the imperial physicians had taught him a lot about fertility knowledge.
Thus he also knew that drinking was not good for conceiving a child, as it would make the child weak-bodied.
So he suppressed his restlessness and awkwardly explained, "I wasn't planning to do anything to you."
After all, her turn for serving in bed wasn't until next year.
He was a monarch whose word was law; naturally, he wouldn't break the rules.
So he stood up unsteadily. "I'll come again tomorrow."
But Shi Zhenxiang tugged at his sleeve. "Your Majesty~"
That soft, delicate call of "Your Majesty" made Sheng Jinyan's heart tremble.
His heart stirred with excitement, secretly thinking that Noble Consort Shi might be regretting it and begging him to stay.
Although they couldn't conceive a child together, sleeping on the same bed was not impossible.
So he suppressed the smile at the corners of his mouth and asked with a face of bestowing favor, "Speak."
If she begged him to stay, he would reluctantly agree.
Shi Zhenxiang met his bright, piercing eyes, as if guessing something, and felt a little guilty.
She cleared her throat. "Well, I heard that you're going to take me and the five princesses out of the palace? Is that true?"
Sheng Jinyan recalled this matter upon hearing it.
"Yes, I came today specifically to tell you about this."
"Pack properly tomorrow. Next month, I will take you and the princesses on an incognito visit."
Shi Zhenxiang wanted to know, "How many people do you plan to bring on this incognito visit?"
Sheng Jinyan said with pure innocence, "Since it's an incognito visit, naturally we'll only bring our family of seven."
Shi Zhenxiang's mouth fell open. "No guards? No nannies?"
Sheng Jinyan said matter-of-factly, "If I bring servants, then it won't count as blending into the folk."
Good deeds done that way wouldn't be considered his own, and thus wouldn't be recognized by the celestial phenomenon.
Naturally, he had to accomplish it alone.
Shi Zhenxiang couldn't hold back. "Not bringing guards is fine, but we have five children! We can't do without the nannies."
Sheng Jinyan didn't understand. "Why not? The five princesses are all well-behaved and sensible; even without nannies, they can take care of themselves."
When he was little, at seven or eight he could follow the general to military training at the border pass.
His princesses naturally wouldn't be inferior.
Shi Zhenxiang really wanted to punch him. "But our princesses are still young and have never survived outside. This is a huge challenge for them."
"How about letting the princesses stay in the palace, and we go by ourselves?"
She felt that dragging five children on a budget travel trip would be worse than going with the dog emperor alone.
As long as they didn't bring the children, they could tough out the hardships.
But Sheng Jinyan disagreed.
"No."
"The princesses have never been away from me since they were little. If they don't see me, they'll definitely cry."
Whoever's child it is, that person dotes on them; anyway, he didn't want the princesses' childhood memories to lack their father emperor's company.
Besides, "Are you really at ease leaving the five princesses alone in the palace?"
"Haven't you learned your lesson from the sterility soup incident last time?"
Even she, a noble consort, had been secretly harmed, let alone the five young and innocent children.
Originally, Shi Zhenxiang had thought of sending the children to the general's residence.
But thinking that her sisters-in-law also had many children to take care of, after consideration, it was indeed safer to keep them by her side.
However, without help, she really couldn't manage them all.
So she discussed with Sheng Jinyan, "Your Majesty, how about we bring three nannies?"
"After all, the nannies are strong, can cook, and can watch the children."
"When you go to do your good deeds, the children will be taken care of by the old nannies, and you'll be at ease, right?"
"Otherwise, our five princesses are so cute and likable—what if human traffickers steal them away?"
Sheng Jinyan only became alert upon hearing that the princesses might be stolen.
His five princesses were indeed exquisite like carved jade, very endearing.
Every time those clan women came to the palace to see the Empress Dowager, upon seeing the princesses they wished they could take them home.
Let alone those damned human traffickers.
Sheng Jinyan thought for a moment. "Then let's bring those nannies who are skilled in both letters and martial arts."
Previously, the nannies he had chosen for the princesses were retired from the dark guard.
Those who could serve as dark guards for so many years until retirement had top-notch skills and brains.
Moreover, they had been nannies for many years now and could no longer be considered dark guards. Bringing them along probably wouldn't affect the celestial phenomenon.
So he waved his hand and ordered those nannies to pack their luggage and leave the palace together.
Shi Zhenxiang, upon hearing that she could bring nannies out of the palace, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had originally wanted to bring a wet nurse as well, but Sheng Jinyan wouldn't allow it.
"If we have a crowd of servants, it won't seem like we're going to endure hardship and do good deeds. You'll have to feed the fifth child yourself."
Shi Zhenxiang...
So he really intended her to endure hardship?
She didn't want that at all.
Shi Zhenxiang felt like crying. "Your Majesty, your subject has a weak body. Feeding the child myself would hurt my health, wouldn't it?"
"Besides, the food outside the palace is poor. If I become weak from feeding, how will I conceive a prince?"
Sheng Jinyan looked at her slender yet supple figure; she didn't seem weak, but rather soft and boneless.
So he said with a straight-man remark, "I see that your complexion is rosy; you should be able to feed the child yourself."
"Besides, you love the children, so I believe you won't be like Mother Empress, who only left the children to the wet nurse."
Shi Zhenxiang...
Since you've said that, if she refuses again, wouldn't it seem like she doesn't love the children?
This dog emperor, unexpectedly quite passive-aggressive.
He completely blocked her idea.
But being able to bring three nannies was already quite an achievement.
She'd better think about the food and drink along the way.
She asked Sheng Jinyan, "For this trip, how long do you plan to go? How much travel allowance should we bring?"
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