Chapter 179 The Heir Apparent of the Earl's Mansion 2

But today, all the obsequiousness and timidity in his eyes had vanished, replaced by composure.

"What kind of fragrance is Lord Ning wearing? It smells quite fresh."

How could Ning Yan know what kind of fragrance the original owner was wearing?

She raised her sleeve and sniffed, but found nothing. "I don't usually use incense. Perhaps the servants scented my clothes."

"When I return today, I will have them stop using the fumes."

Xiao Li closed his eyes. No, it wasn't incense at all. It was more like the scent emanating from his body. But do men have body odor?

The fragrance seemed to soothe even my headache.

"No need. Keep reading."

Ning Yan resignedly continued reading the memorial. Si Xi's pressing seemed to have no effect. Xiao Li sat up again and reviewed the memorial that Ning Yan had read.

At noon, when it was time for the emperor to have his lunch, the eunuchs carried a row of food boxes into the side hall.

"Come here and have lunch with me."

Xiao Li was now certain that Ning Yan's fragrance could indeed alleviate his headache, so he decided to let him stay with him.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After the eunuchs tasted the food for poison, the Emperor began to eat. Someone also specially served food to Ning Yan. Ning Yan looked at the food in her bowl, but her mind was racing.

The original owner of this body was knocked unconscious by Prince Su today and thrown into Taihu Lake to drown.

Should she lead the Emperor to the plum grove, exposing Prince Su to the Emperor, or should she hide in the plum grove herself to save her life?

His Majesty clearly had a poor appetite today; he ate as if swallowing medicine, at an incredibly slow pace.

"Your Majesty, do you not like these dishes?"

Xiao Li raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Ning Yan had really grown bolder, daring to speak while he was eating!

"No, I haven't had a good appetite these past two days."

Ning Yan said, "I have heard that eating many foods together can cause loss of appetite. Your Majesty, would you like to try changing the diet?"

Xiao Li's chopsticks had stopped moving. "Oh, how do I change it?"

Ning Yan immediately seized the opportunity: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, for my innocence."

Xiao Li: "Hmm, I forgive you. However, if you cannot satisfy me, watch your head."

Ning Yan immediately smiled ingratiatingly at the Emperor, "Your Majesty, my head is still useful, you should keep it for now."

Xiao Li: ...You're such a smooth talker!

"Guards, leave these dishes here, remove the rest, and go to the Emperor's small kitchen to get some steamed buns and a stove for cooking."

There were seventy or eighty dishes, and the plating was exquisite, with greens and reds. At first glance, it looked quite beautiful, but after seeing it every day, you would really get tired of it.

The key point is that the food is served by servants, and you have to eat whatever is put in your bowl, whether you like it or not.

Normal people wouldn't notice, but for someone with psychological issues and a bit of anorexia, wouldn't they be even less inclined to eat?

Xiao Li simply put down his chopsticks and bowl to see what tricks Ning Yan could come up with.

Soon, all the dishes except for the ones Ning Yan left behind were removed.

A small stove was also brought over.

Ning Yan directly put the steamed chicken, stir-fried mushrooms, and stir-fried dried tofu with green and red peppers on the table into the pot one after another. Soon, the aroma of the chicken, the flavor of the mushrooms, and the flavor of the green and red peppers were all brought out. In particular, garlic was added when stir-frying the green and red peppers, making the smell especially tempting. The Emperor's throat visibly moved up and down.

The food was almost cooked, so Ning Yan quickly put the dishes back on the plate. Then, she put the mutton and radish soup in the casserole directly on the stove to heat it up. "Your Majesty, please try it. It tastes really good."

As she spoke, she ladled out a bowl of rice, added some vegetables to the bowl, mixed it with her chopsticks, and began to eat.

The green peppers smelled so tempting, and the chicken tasted absolutely delicious. The bowls in the palace were small, so we finished the whole bowl of rice in just a few bites.

Just then, the mutton and radish in the casserole started bubbling away. Ning Yan ladled out a spoonful of soup and drank it; it tasted really good.

The emperor was tempted by her eating manners and became hungry.

"Aren't you going to serve me some food?"

Si Xi quickly stepped forward, "Oh, your servant is here."

Ning Yan immediately stopped her, "Your Majesty, let's not have anyone serve us today. Let's eat by ourselves. There are only three dishes on the table, it won't be tiring."

On the table now is a hodgepodge she made, a piece of braised meat sliced ​​as thin as paper, and mutton and radish still sitting on the stove.

Xiao Li: "...Si Xi, you should go have lunch too. You don't need anyone to wait on you here."

Si Xi: ...Well, it seems Lord Ning is going to steal his job too.

However, as long as the emperor is happy, he is happy too.

With a wave of his hand, all the servants in the hall withdrew.

Ning Yan immediately picked up a large steamed bun, broke it open, put in a few slices of braised meat, some dried tofu and green peppers, then put the two pieces of bun together and took a big bite. "Mmm, delicious! Your Majesty, you should try it!"

Xiao Li: I am the supreme ruler, and you not only make me eat three dishes, but you also make me eat steamed buns with my hands?

My upbringing and manners forbid it!

He picked up the bowl, took a piece of chicken, and slowly chewed it. To be honest, it tasted pretty good. At least it was hot and slightly spicy, and the aroma of the dish filled his nose.

Seeing Ning Yan serve himself another bowl of rice and mix it with vegetables, Xiao Li couldn't help but think to himself: This kid looks thin, but I didn't expect him to be such a big eater. In all his life, he has never seen many people who dare to eat like this in front of him.

Fifteen minutes later, Xiao Li took a sip of mutton soup and a bite of meat-filled steamed bun. Although he ate in a refined manner, he really did not show any of the majesty of an emperor in his current state!

Ning Yan turned her face away from the Emperor, afraid that she would laugh out loud. The Emperor's loss of appetite was because he had been pampered too much. Now she had changed to a rougher approach and corrected his bad habit!

This is similar to the modern approach of showing a naive young woman the world's splendor, or taking her on a carousel if she has experienced life's hardships.

"belch".

In the quiet side hall, the hiccup was all too obvious.

Ning Yan: ...Should I laugh or not?

"Your Majesty, when I came to my duty this morning, I heard that the plum blossoms in the Plum Garden have bloomed. I would like to invite Your Majesty to go and admire the plum blossoms. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to do me the honor."

Xiao Li glared at her, got up and walked out, but he didn't walk fast. As he passed Ning Yan, he snorted, "Follow me."

Ning Yan quickly followed after her.

As soon as the Emperor makes a move, Sixi will definitely follow. On the surface, there are only the three of them, but the secret guards are all hidden in the shadows, always keeping an eye on the Emperor's safety.

There's nothing we can do. The emperor is such a jerk. He's always beheading people for no reason, which has offended a lot of people. There are even people plotting to seize his throne. He's almost always assassinated every few days.

He's incredibly lucky to still be alive!

The Plum Garden is located southeast of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and also east of the Imperial Garden. Its location is a bit out of the way, otherwise Prince Su would not have chosen that place to meet with Consort Wu.