Chapter 72 Who is suitable to be the queen?

At dinner time, the atmosphere in Yanying Hall was as heavy as ice.

The imperial table was filled with jade plates of delicacies, and the aroma was lingering, but it could not dispel the invisible cold pressure at all.

Xiao Jin sat upright in the main seat, his silver chopsticks untouched, his deep eyes swept across the palace door, but there was no one there.

Zhang Fuan stood aside and felt the invisible chill crawling up his spine, almost freezing him.

He couldn't bear it any longer, so he bent forward with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice, "Your Majesty... Your servant... Your servant will send someone to urge Yun Shangshi again."

"Hmm." Xiao Jin hummed a cold syllable from his nose, which was considered as tacit consent.

Soon, the young eunuch came crawling back to report: "Your Majesty! Yun Shangshi...she went to the charcoal storehouse! She said that winter is approaching and the charcoal counts in various places are inconsistent. I need to check it myself..."

"Bang!" There was a light sound, which was the sound of Xiao Jin's knuckles knocking on the rosewood imperial desk.

The temperature in the hall dropped sharply!

He raised his eyes, a cold glint in them, and his voice was so cold it could break ice: "Go and pass on my order. Tell Yun Zhao that the dinner she prepared today is not to my liking! I have an unbearable stomachache! Tell her to come back immediately and confess her guilt!"

"Yes! Yes! I obey your order!" The young eunuch was so frightened that he rolled and crawled out.

In just a cup of tea, a slender figure appeared on the long corridor outside the hall, almost running.

Yun Zhao breathed slightly, a few strands of hair at his temples matted to his cheeks by sweat. He was filled with uncertainty and confusion: [Stomachache? How could this be! These are all warming and nourishing dishes, perfectly suited to the season! The cooking temperature and the ingredients have been carefully considered, there must be no mistakes!]

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, straightened her slightly messy clothes, and then slowly stepped into the hall.

She remained respectful, kneeling in greeting. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I heard you're experiencing stomach discomfort. Besides bloating, are you also experiencing burning pain or heartburn? I will immediately replace your meal and prepare a new one for you."

Xiao Jin waved his hand as if to drive away mosquitoes and flies.

Zhang Fuan was as if pardoned, and he quietly retreated with all the palace servants. The heavy palace door closed silently behind him.

In the huge hall, only two people were left, sitting in silence, and the air seemed to be frozen.

"Try the dishes." Xiao Jin's voice was calm, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk, locking onto Yun Zhao. "You, try it yourself. Try each one for me, and find out which dish is not to my liking!"

Yun Zhao bowed her head. "Yes." She picked up her spare silver chopsticks and walked to the imperial table, her expression focused, as if she were performing a sacred ritual. She took a small portion of each dish and savored it carefully. Steamed crab meat, shrimp with jade belt, bamboo shoots with chicken marrow, bird's nest soup... Each one was cooked to perfection, delicious, and warm and soothing.

"Your Majesty, I have tasted all the dishes." She put down her silver chopsticks, her voice clear and steady. "Nothing unusual, warming and nourishing. I have no stomach discomfort at the moment. I wonder... which dish did not please Your Majesty?"

[Why are you going crazy for no reason?! Every single one of these dishes was made with great care and careful consideration! What's wrong with that?!]

[He looks rosy and breathing steadily, how can he possibly be suffering from a stomachache?!]

[With such a large Imperial Chef's Bureau, do I, a fifth-rank Imperial Chef, have to do everything myself?]

[I'm so busy, but others have the time to gossip about me!]

Yun Zhao was complaining in his heart, but he didn't dare show it on his face.

Xiao Jin leaned forward slightly, and an invisible pressure surged towards Yun Zhao like a tide. His deep voice carried the power to penetrate people's hearts: "Yun Zhao, are you... dissatisfied with me?"

[Dissatisfied? Do I dare?!] Yun Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately said, "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no dissatisfaction!"

"Then why—" Xiao Jin's gaze was like an icy probe, piercing into her eyes, "Are you hiding from me everywhere?"

Yun Zhao's heart was filled with alarm, but he managed to put on a perfectly blank and innocent expression on his face. "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood! How dare I hide from you? Truly... the beginning of winter is approaching, and I need to personally take care of the charcoal expenses for each palace, the winter food reserves, the preparation of cold-weather soups... I'm too busy to handle everything..."

"You're lying!" Xiao Jin interrupted harshly. His voice was not loud, but it sounded like thunder in Yun Zhao's ears!

[Yes... I feel a little guilty... but it's also true that I'm busy! It's also true that I don't want to see you...] Yun Zhao felt a layer of cold sweat instantly break out on his back.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the panic in her heart, softened her tone, and said in a deliberately flattering tone: "Your Majesty, please calm down. It was my negligence. I promise that I will come to serve you on a certain day in the future. Your Majesty... Which dish would you like to have now? May I serve it for you?" She picked up the silver chopsticks and prepared to step forward with a respectful attitude.

Xiao Jin leaned back in his chair, his eyes brooding over her distant flattery. After a moment of silence, he suddenly changed the subject and posed a shocking question:

"Yun Zhao, those noisy memorials from the previous dynasty have piled up like a mountain." His fingertips casually tapped the table, making a dull sound. "They are all pressuring me to select concubines and expand the harem. What's more, they want me to quickly appoint an empress to strengthen the foundation of the country."

He paused, his gaze covering Yun Zhao like a substance, his voice filled with an indescribable temptation:

"What do you think about this?"

Yun Zhao’s head buzzed!

"What...what does this have to do with me?! The selection of a queen was a top priority for the imperial harem! If there's still no crown prince, then naturally they have to recruit concubines; if the position of Empress is vacant, then naturally they have to appoint a queen! What's so 'good' about this?!"

She felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet. She weighed each word carefully and answered cautiously, "Your Majesty, I believe... this is a family matter, as well as a state affair. Your Majesty should follow your wishes. As for the court officials' request..." She paused, then gritted her teeth and spoke the key points, "Daye's kingdom truly needs a crown prince to inherit the ancestral temple. This is the foundation of the country. As for the empress or the crown prince... Your Majesty may need to choose one first, so as to reassure... the hearts of all the civil and military officials in the court."

This answer is flawless, but it also... has no basis.

Xiao Jin didn't seem satisfied. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp as a torch, and with a deeper, almost interrogative tone, he unleashed his true killer move:

"Then who do you think—" He spoke in a low voice, emphasizing each word, "is suitable to be my queen?"

[Why should I think so?! I'm just a humble chef, and I'm tired of living, so I dare to interfere in the selection of the queen!]

Yun Zhao only felt his scalp tingling and his heart beating like a drum.

She immediately lowered her eyelids, avoiding that terrifying gaze. Her tone became increasingly respectful, even tinged with a hint of fear: "Your Majesty! I... I have only been in the palace for a short time. I have been buried in the kitchen all day, only trying to do a good job in the Imperial Food Bureau. As for the character, talent and virtue of the ladies in the palace... I really... know very little, so I dare not speak carelessly!

She paused, as if a flash of inspiration struck her, and carefully kicked the ball back. "If Your Majesty wishes to know which empress is worthy of the important task, why not...visit the harem in person and inquire more? Over time...you will naturally see the true heart of the people."

[I really don't know! Please forgive me!]

The corners of Xiao Jin's lips seemed to curl up in a faint, cold arc. He didn't let her go, but instead went a step further, leading the question to the more dangerous core: "You, the Yun family—" His voice was not loud, but every word was like a hammer, "You command a large army and are feared in the northern border. Don't you want to find some 'help' in this harem and maintain relations with the previous dynasty? Or..."

His gaze was like an icy chain, tightly wrapped around Yun Zhao. He slowly uttered his final words with a power that pierced through everything: "—Does your Yun family really not have... someone you want to 'maintain'?"