Chapter 34: The Fire of Jealousy Seeing the Thoughtfully Designed and Unique Desserts...

Xuanye was overjoyed at the sight of the thoughtfully crafted and unique desserts. Xiuyu still had to wear Xuanye's general's uniform during the day, so she was now dressed in a rose-red Manchu dress, her long, straight black hair hanging loosely behind her head. She lacked some of the masculine air, but instead possessed a great deal of the feminine charm.

Of course, the one who can arouse Xuanye more than that horse-like snack is Xiu Yu.

"Liang Jiugong." Xuanye waved his hand and said, "You and Xiaotao should go have breakfast. You don't have to wait on us here."

Liang Jiugong certainly knew what his master meant. He and Xiao Tao looked at each other, exchanged greetings, and then retreated.

Xiu Yu was serving food to Xuan Ye, and without even looking up, she said, "You're used to using Liang Jiugong, so why are you sending him away now?"

Xuanye replied, "If I don't send him and your girl away, do I want them to stay and make fun of me?"

This time, Xiu Yu was even more surprised. "Laughing at you?" She raised her head and looked Xuanye in the eye. "Who would dare to laugh at you? Besides, it's just breakfast. What's there to laugh at?"

There were no other people in the room, so Xuanye felt more relaxed and at ease. "I think the joke is 'beauty is a feast for the eyes.'"

He spoke bluntly, and over the past few days, Xiu Yu had grown accustomed to Xuanye's bluntness. She pursed her lips slightly before smiling, "Then, aren't you afraid they'll think more about it after they get out?"

"They really have nothing better to do." Xuanye asked Xiuyu to sit next to him. He also picked up a piece of food for Xiuyu and said, "I can see that although this food is simple, you must have put a lot of thought into it." He picked up a golden 'ball' from the bowl and looked at Xiuyu. "Does it look like an eggplant?"

Xiu Yu was surprised: "Even after seeing this, you can still tell it's an eggplant?"

"The chefs in the imperial kitchen aren't all stupid. They sometimes put in some thought and use their brains." Xuanye took a small bite, and his expression changed from 'understanding' to 'surprise': "You actually put quail eggs in this?"

Xiu Yu nodded: "Not bad." Her eyes were still looking at Xuanye.

Xuanye tasted it and said with a smile, "There's some chicken in it."

The ingredients were all eaten, and Xiu Yu also picked up one and took a small bite. "The emperor is indeed the emperor, Yu'er admires him."

"When did you get up?" Xuanye put down his chopsticks and picked up the spoon to scoop a mouthful of soup. "You're making this elaborate meal and snacks. Didn't you sleep last night?"

"Don't you know whether I slept or not?" Xiu Yu quickly replied, "As an experienced practitioner, my hand speed is naturally very fast. It's not uncommon for me to take a nap between meals."

"No wonder I felt empty around me in my dream, but then I was able to hold you in my arms." Xuanye held Xiuyu's hand and said, "Thank you for your hard work. If you want to make such complicated meals again, you can ask me to come along and I'll watch and learn."

"You're learning this?" Xiu Yu raised her head slightly and said, "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not kidding." Xuanye said seriously, "I'm the Son of Heaven, and my words are golden. Once I say something, I never mean it as a joke. This has been a habit I've developed since I was eight years old. So, if that was a joke, I wouldn't have said it."

Xiu Yu was even more surprised: "So what you said is true? Why did you learn to cook? Not to mention how many chefs are serving you in the imperial kitchen, and..."

"Are you still here? I know." Xuanye glanced at the 'galloping horse' standing on the plate, but he still couldn't bear to eat it. "I'm already 'this age', and I can't learn your cooking skills. But I want to help you, cut the vegetables, arrange the dishes, I can do all that."

"You cut the vegetables?" Xiu Yu simply picked up a piece of vegetables with chopsticks and put it on the plate for Xuanye, shaking her head and said, "Forget it. Not to mention how good your knife skills are, if this matter gets to the ears of our ancestors, I will be in trouble." She raised her eyebrows, and her little mouth was slightly pouting, which was very cute.

Xuanye raised his arm, stroked Xiu Yu's long hair, and said, "It's okay. I just need to be a good emperor of the Qing Dynasty and not interfere in government affairs. As for what happened between you and me, the old ancestor is happy to turn a blind eye. No matter how old the old ancestor is, she is still my grandmother! What grandmother doesn't like to see her grandson happy?"

"That's quite true." Xiu Yu looked at the food on Xuanye's plate and said, "You'd better eat it quickly. If it gets cold later, don't say my cooking skills have declined."

"How could that be possible?" Xuanye said as he started to work. "It's just that next time you make a snack, try a different style. When I see something so meticulously carved and remember that it was you who carved it, I can't bear to use it."

"Okay." Xiu Yu didn't really want to go through so much trouble. Even though she was skilled with a knife, carving a galloping horse would take a lot of time and effort. "Then I'll make something simpler next time. Please don't be disgusted."

"As long as it's made by you, I will never dislike it, even if it's just steamed buns."

Xiu Yu was taking a bite of a steamed bun when she heard Xuanye mention the word "steamed bun". Looking at the ordinary bun in her hand, she said, "Actually, as long as I want, I can steam flowers out of the bun. Do you believe it?" She smiled sweetly and looked at Xuanye.

Those eyes were so beautiful that Xuanye wanted to keep looking at them, but he had to restrain himself: "I believe it. I believe everything you say."

In the Forbidden City, Chengqian Palace, Niuhulu Yanlan was having breakfast while reading the letter sent by her brother from the southern suburbs.

The hand holding the chopsticks was getting tighter and tighter. Niuhulu Yanlan's brother was a soldier, and even a rough man could see it clearly. That meant the emperor treated that beautiful girl really well.

"Why? On what basis?" Niu Hulu Yanlan crumpled the letter into a ball, her words stern: "Xiumei, have you seen that Xiu Nu? Is she really, really that unforgettable? Is it worthy for the Emperor, an emperor, to do this..."

"Master," Xiumei couldn't help but remind her, "Master, you are going to be the Queen. Besides, that princess from the Guoluo family is new to the palace. The Emperor's liking for her may just be a whim. But your position as Queen is real."

"On a whim?" Niu Hulu Yanlan snorted and laughed, "The emperor has always been deep and introverted. It's not like I haven't gone hunting with him in the southern suburbs. At that time, he..." Thinking of the past, Niu Hulu Yanlan felt love and hate in her heart: "Although he was very good to me, he never mentioned this like my brother mentioned in the letter. Xiumei, that concubine... My brother said in the letter that she was born with a beauty, even if she wore men's clothes, men would..." She really didn't want to continue.

Xiumei said, "Master, when you ascend to the throne, no matter how charming that concubine is, she will have to pay her respects to you. You are above, and she is below. In and out of the palace, you and the emperor will always stand together, and it will not be her turn."

"That being said, but..." Niu Hulu Yanlan frowned tightly, "People are never satisfied, who doesn't want more? Sharing a bed with the emperor, but having different dreams. Even if I stand next to him in the future, I'm afraid he won't see me as this..."

Xiumei added some soup to her master's bowl and said, "When the imperial physician took her pulse, he said that she was feeling depressed and prescribed a decoction to relieve it. If you keep doing this every day, I'm afraid the decoction will be wasted."

"I was born like this, so what? I also want to be more open-minded, but it's too difficult to do so..." Niuhulu Yanlan shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, he has always been particular about balance. He once told me that the previous dynasty emphasized balance, and the harem must also emphasize balance, so couples generally treat each other with respect. Why is it that when it comes to the princess of the Guoluo family, it's different! As for Guoluo, her father is just a captain..."

"Master, that's exactly what you said." Xiumei continued to persuade him, "Guo Luoluo's father is only a deputy commander. No matter how much the emperor likes her, she is restricted by her mother's family and can never be compared to you, Master. There's really no need for you to take a 'vase' seriously."

"You've never been married, so you don't understand." The more Niu Hulu Yanlan thought about it, the less she could eat. She simply stood up and stopped eating. "A woman's intuition is always right. The princess of the Guo Luoluo family is different, and she's not what you call a 'vase'."

Xiumei helped Niu Hulu Yanlan sit on the couch, and then said: "Then the master means..."

"Let's go for a walk." Niu Hulu Yanlan picked up the teacup, but put it down without drinking. "I can't say for sure right now."

In the southern suburbs camp, Xiu Yu, who was playing chess with Xuan Ye, sneezed for no apparent reason. She rubbed her nose, raised her head and asked Xuan Ye, "Your Majesty, are you cursing me in your heart?"

"What are you talking about? Why would I scold you for no reason?" Xuanye picked up a white piece and placed it on the chessboard: "I'm almost winning this game, there's no need to scold you."

"Are you about to win?" Xiu Yu's mind returned to the chessboard: "Maybe not!" As she said this, she raised the corner of her mouth slightly and made a good move.

Xuanye rubbed a black chess piece between his right thumb and index finger and said, "It's only been a few days since I last played chess with you, and your chess skills have improved so much? Yu'er, did you become Guo Bailing's master in your dream?"

"As for me, I worship Wang Jixin!" Xiu Yu's pretty face was slightly raised, her eyes flashing with the joy of impending victory: "Your Majesty, is it not time to make a move?"

Xuanye hesitated for a long time before throwing the black piece back into the chess box. "Forget it! Yu'er, you win this round! What do you want?"

"I beat you, aren't you angry?" Xiu Yu looked carefully at the black and white pieces on the chessboard again. It was indeed her who won. "I heard that anyone who dares to beat the emperor will risk being beheaded."

Xuanye said with a stern face, "Who is spreading rumors about me? I am not a petty emperor."