Chapter 132 Cooking Personally

His gaze swept over the few simple dishes on the table, then returned to Xie Nu'er's face, which was filled with panic. The smile on his lips deepened. Before Xie Nu'er could answer, he suddenly reached out and wrapped his arm around her slender waist, lifting her up in his arms with a slight effort!

"ah!"

Caught off guard, Xie Nuer let out a short cry of surprise, her body instantly suspended in mid-air!

She instinctively gripped the front of Pei Yan's dragon robe, her heart pounding like a drum, almost leaping out of her throat!

Pei Yan carried her and walked straight to the large armchair in the main seat. He sat down and then placed Xie Nu'er steadily on his strong thighs!

The movements were forceful yet natural, carrying an intimacy and possessiveness that left no room for resistance.

"I was reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study today, and I was extremely annoyed by it."

He lowered his head, his hot breath brushing against Xie Nuer's ear.

"Thinking of my beloved concubine, I miss her dearly after not seeing her for a while."

"Well, the adorable princess is doing well..."

Pei Yan changed the subject, his tone now carrying a hint of dissatisfaction and probing.

He tightened his grip on Xie Nuer's chin slightly, forcing her to lift her face and meet his eyes.

"The other concubines all know how to care for me, going to great lengths to prepare soups and snacks and eagerly sending them to the Imperial Study. Why is it that you, my beloved concubine... have never been there even once? Could it be... that you don't care about me?"

The last sentence carries a clear questioning tone and a hint of danger.

It's here!

Alarm bells rang loudly in Xie Nu'er's mind!

The emperor was indeed testing us!

It was common for women in the imperial harem to vie for favor and curry favor, but she deliberately avoided it because she didn't want to get caught up in the storm and just wanted to survive for the time being.

Now that the emperor has exposed this to his face, if he is not careful, he could be guilty of being arrogant because of the emperor's favor or having no loyalty to the emperor!

In a flash, two very natural blushes appeared on Xie Nu'er's face, spreading all the way to her small earlobes.

She lowered her eyelashes in a panic, her long lashes trembling violently like the wings of a startled butterfly. Her voice was soft and gentle, filled with shyness and self-doubt.

"Your Majesty...you...you've misunderstood me..."

She struggled slightly, seemingly trying to get off the emperor's lap, but the arms around her waist held her even tighter.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty has heard... that the food sent to the Imperial Study was all... made by hand by all the elder sisters..."

She bit her lower lip, as if unable to speak, her voice barely audible, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty's cooking skills... are truly crude and incompetent... even... not as good as the lowest-ranking kitchen helper... How... how dare I present this to Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I fear that if Your Majesty eats it... it will... harm your health..."

As she spoke, she lowered her head even further, revealing a section of her snow-white neck.

Pei Yan was slightly taken aback. Made it by hand?

He knew, of course, that most of the "gifts" sent to the Imperial Study were actually made by the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen; the concubines were merely using the title to gain a reputation for being virtuous.

He was merely using this as an excuse to see Consort Ru's reaction.

But she said... because her skills were too poor, she didn't dare to deliver it?

This reason... is novel yet reveals a touch of sincerity.

Just as Pei Yan was pondering this, Ren Dong stepped forward, curtsied, and spoke with just the right amount of heartache and urgency:

"Your Majesty! You have misunderstood the Empress! These days, whenever she has a spare moment, she immerses herself in the small kitchen! She's been secretly learning from the cook every day! She's even made quite a few cuts while chopping vegetables... The Empress always says, 'What delicacies hasn't Your Majesty tasted? If I don't actually make something decent myself, I can't present it to you... I dare not say I made it myself, for fear... for fear of displeasing Your Majesty...'"

Honeysuckle spoke very quickly, and towards the end, her voice even choked up, as if she was extremely aggrieved for her master.

Honeysuckle's words were like a boulder thrown into the center of a lake, stirring up huge waves in Pei Yan's heart!

He suddenly looked at Xie Nu'er in his arms!

Practice every day? Cut yourself while chopping vegetables? Afraid of being disliked by him for your poor skills, you would rather silently endure his questioning than tell him the truth?

An indescribable tremor and an unprecedented warmth suddenly surged into Pei Yan's heart!

Xie Nu'er was dumbfounded; she never expected that it could be said like that!

She was indeed practicing making desserts, but they were for the young lady, and she did cut her finger while cutting fruit...

The young lady's people are truly... amazing!

Pei Yan was naturally unaware of these inside stories.

At that moment, he was deeply moved by this sincerity.

Other concubines... only know how to use flowery words and other people's skills to curry favor.

Only she! She actually went and learned to cook, just like that!

He subconsciously tightened his arms around her waist, and with his other hand he suddenly grabbed Xie Nuer's left hand!

"Let me see!"

His voice carried a hint of urgency that he himself didn't even realize!

Caught off guard, Xie Nu'er was caught red-handed! Her delicate, slender fingers were forced to spread out in front of Pei Yan.

really!

On those once flawless, slender, white fingers, a fresh red scratch was clearly visible.

These scars stood out starkly against Xie Nuer's fair and delicate skin!

Pei Yan's gaze lingered on these wounds.

As the emperor, he had countless beauties in his harem, and many women were injured because of him, mostly through self-inflicted wounds and schemes to win his favor.

But never once did I stay because I wanted to cook for him!

“You…” Pei Yan’s voice softened unconsciously, carrying a hint of tenderness that he himself was unaware of. “Aren’t you silly? I was just saying it casually… You are my concubine, of the highest rank and most precious, why do you have to do such rough work? If you get hurt… it will break my heart.”

The more he looked at the woman in his arms, the more pleasing she seemed to him, and the more he felt affection for her.

Xie Nu'er, her hand held by him, looked up at the opportune moment, her eyes slightly red, glistening with tears, carrying a hint of shyness and grievance, her voice soft and sweet:

"Your Majesty, I do not wish to deceive you by relying on someone else's skills..."

Pei Yan was completely captivated by her shy, pitiful, and sincere appearance, and the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished.

He laughed heartily, his chest resonating, filled with joy and ease:

"Good! Good! My darling's intentions are the most sincere! Once you've mastered the skill, I'll definitely be the first to try it!"

He held the warm, soft woman in his arms tightly, feeling all the irritability of the past few days dissipate.

"Now, dine with me!"

The next day, the Emperor went to court satisfied. After the Emperor left, Zhi Xia quietly reminded him, "Consort Ru, it's time to serve the Emperor some food today."

Xie Nuer nodded slightly. In the small kitchen, the nanny in charge of cleaning was busy.

No one in the palace knew that the seemingly ordinary cleaning lady possessed culinary skills that rivaled those of the imperial chefs.

Today she made the recipe given to her by the young lady – boiled cabbage in clear broth.

Of course, if she said she would do it herself, then she would do it herself. Xie Nu'er wouldn't be lazy when it came to this kind of thing.

After all, if they were discovered, all their efforts would be in vain.

She enjoyed the delicious boiled cabbage soup herself, but she gave the one she made herself to Pei Yan.