Chapter 4 Eating Bowl

When Qin Jinzhi arrived at the Empress's palace, a young palace maid was already waiting anxiously at the door, occasionally tiptoeing to look inside.

Upon seeing Qin Jinzhi, she seemed to be refreshed by a spring breeze, instantly coming to life. She immediately ran over, exclaiming, "Princess! You're finally back! Feiyan has missed you so much!"

Qin Jinzhi joked, "Feiyan, how come you've become a fat swallow after three years?"

Feiyan was a maid specially chosen by the Empress for Qin Jinzhi.

She was always the one who served him while he was in the palace.

Three years ago, when she left the capital, Qin Jinzhi left the person in the Empress's palace.

When she left, she was as delicate as a willow in the breeze; now she's practically turned into a meat bun.

Feiyan immediately pouted, "Princess! You're making fun of me! I've been so worried about you, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

As he spoke, he ran towards the palace.

He ran while shouting, "Quickly, go and inform Her Majesty the Empress that Princess Jinzhi has returned!"

Qin Jinzhi smiled and ran towards the palace.

Upon entering, one sees a kind and gentle old woman being helped out of the main hall.

Upon seeing Qin Jinzhi, his somewhat gloomy eyes lit up.

"Golden Branch! My Golden Branch!"

"Royal Grandmother!"

Qin Jinzhi hugged the Empress tightly.

Three years ago, Qin Jinzhi was only fifteen years old and still looked like a young girl when she left.

Now his body has grown taller than the Empress's.

The Empress burst into tears the moment she saw Qin Jinzhi.

This is a child she raised from a tiny baby, and has never been away from her for such a long time!

"Good child, you've suffered!"

The Empress held Qin Jinzhi like a cub returning to the embrace of its mother.

"Grandmother, Jinzhi misses you so much."

The Emperor and Empress were childhood sweethearts. The former Empress was the daughter of a military general, and she had fought alongside His Majesty and the Prince of Zhenbei all the way through the battlefield.

Her chronic illness over the years left her childless after giving birth to her youngest daughter.

However, the little princess was born with a deficiency and died at the age of three.

Qin Ye entrusted Qin Jinzhi to the Emperor and Empress, which helped her gradually overcome the grief of losing her daughter.

The Empress looked at Qin Jinzhi's delicate features and tears welled up in her eyes again. "That damned old man! Why did he send my Jinzhi to that damned White Sparrow Temple? I raised that little sparrow-like child with great difficulty, and look how thin she has become!"

Qin Jinzhi said with a smile, "Grandmother, aren't you afraid that walls have ears and someone will tell Grandfather that you were cursing him?"

The Empress put her hands on her hips and said, "Why should I be afraid of him? He'd better not set foot in my house, or I'll beat him out with a stick!"

As he spoke, he pulled Qin Jinzhi into the hall.

Upon entering, the table was already laden with dishes.

Feiyan pouted and said, "Princess, Her Majesty the Empress prepared this for you very early this morning!"

The Empress pulled Qin Jinzhi to sit down and said with a smile, "Are you teasing our Little Flying Swallow?"

Qin Jinzhi also laughed and said, "Steamed buns are good too. They look festive, and you can even hang an oil bottle on your mouth."

The Empress tapped the tip of her nose, "You little rascal, quickly try the dishes your grandmother made for you. Look how thin you've become!"

Qin Jinzhi couldn't help but laugh as she looked at the familiar rice bowl in front of her.

Qin Jinzhi has a big appetite, an exceptionally big appetite.

Because from a young age, the Empress told her not to be like those young ladies from the capital, but to eat plenty of food so that she could grow up healthy.

It may be because he frequently faced assassination attempts and poisoning from a young age.

The Empress's greatest wish for Qin Jinzhi was that she live a healthy life.

So every day, he would prepare all sorts of different dishes for Qin Jinzhi in the small kitchen.

Before she was five years old, Qin Jinzhi was as chubby as the New Year's picture dolls that are displayed during the Spring Festival.

But it must be said that Qin Jinzhi's health was very robust thanks to the Empress's care.

When he grew up, he was much taller than those princesses and young ladies.

As the Empress picked up some food, she watched Qin Jinzhi eating with great relish and wiped away her tears again.

Look how hungry the child is!

Turning to Feiyan, he said, "Go and add another quilt. Jinzhi will stay with me today."

When the door is closed, the Empress no longer seems like the Empress, but simply a loving grandmother.

Feiyan couldn't help but wipe away her tears. "Her Majesty the Empress hasn't been this happy in a long time. After you left, Her Majesty was sad for a long time and even chased His Majesty away several times."

Qin Jinzhi laughed and said, "Grandmother is still the most powerful. But please don't be angry with Grandfather. I was the one who made a mistake, so it's only right that I get some punishment."

The Empress suddenly slammed her hand on the table. "It's all that Vice Minister Pei's fault! What a fine son he's raised! It's his good fortune that our Princess Jinzhi has taken a liking to him, yet he still dares to get engaged to someone else!"

Qin Jinzhi put down her chopsticks. "Grandmother, you don't look like the mother of the nation. You look more like a female bandit from Qihuang Mountain outside the city."

The Empress snorted coldly, "If it weren't for your damned grandfather, I might have really become a mountain queen. No way, I'll have that old man issue you an imperial decree to marry you off to the Pei family of Hedong!"

Qin Jinzhi immediately smiled and said, "Great! I'll try my best to give you a great-grandchild next year!"

I wonder how that person will react when they find out.

The Empress thought about it more and more and felt that this was feasible. Although she looked down on those noble families, the Pei family of Hedong had a face that Jinzhi liked. If she really gave birth to a little Jinzhi, who knows how beautiful she would be.

"What great-grandson?"

At that moment, the emperor walked in from outside.

The palace maids and eunuchs inside immediately knelt down, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing the emperor, the empress immediately let out a heavy, cold snort.

His Majesty said with a hint of helplessness, "Jinzhi is back now, how long are you going to stay angry!"

The Empress turned her body around and said, "If you want me to calm down, then you must quickly issue an imperial decree to the Pei family, so that the Pei family boy can marry our Jinzhi!"

The emperor frowned and said, "What nonsense are you spouting now? The Pei family and the Cui family are engaged. As the emperor, how can I break up the marriage of my subjects!"

The Empress slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "So what if I'm engaged! I was engaged to that prince from the Wang family back then, but you still managed to lure me here!"

The emperor coughed violently, and the palace maids and eunuchs didn't know where to look.

Qin Jinzhi watched the commotion with a grin, but when the emperor turned around, he saw her nonchalant face and immediately pointed at her, saying, "You rascal, you come back and cause trouble. I'll teach you a lesson!"

The Empress took a step forward and stood in front of Qin Jinzhi like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "You dare!"

Qin Jinzhi peeked out from behind the Empress and said with a grin, "You dare?"

The emperor immediately slammed his hand on the table and stood up, but after glancing at the empress, he sat down again. "I'm too old for you to stoop to your level," he said.

He then looked at the dishes on the table and rubbed his hands together, saying, "It's been so long since I've had my wife's cooking."

At this moment, a very beautiful palace maid came from behind and placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of the emperor.

Just as the emperor was about to pick up his chopsticks, he heard the palace maid's melodious voice.

"Your Majesty, you haven't washed your hands yet."

She then turned around, soaked the silk handkerchief she had prepared, and went to the emperor's side to gently wipe him.

The palace maid had very fair skin, a waist that could be encircled with one hand, and a perfectly proportioned fullness that could be seen when she lowered her head.

Qin Jinzhi glanced at the Emperor and Empress without showing any emotion. Seeing that neither of them paid any special attention to the palace maid, she said, "Oh, I haven't seen this lady before. When did the palace get a new lady?"

The palace maid smiled slightly and bowed, "Your Highness, I have been serving Her Majesty the Empress for two years."

She was poised and elegant, her demeanor more like that of a noble lady than a servant.

Qin Jinzhi left three years ago, so naturally she had never seen her.

After the palace maid finished speaking, she withdrew, but as she passed by, Qin Jinzhi smelled a special fragrance.

A faint scent of ylang-ylang.