Xi Xizhi had been waiting for these words for a long time, but there were rules for eating. Usually, before the emperor of a country had even picked up his chopsticks, who would dare to take the first bite?
"Take a bite first." Xi Xizhi said this purely for her own benefit, but the listener did not think so.
Hearing words that sounded like concern for the first time, An Honghan was stunned for a moment, then said, "I'm not hungry."
Xi Xizhi roared inwardly, "You're not hungry? She is! Her stomach is growling."
Xi Xi looked at An Honghan with a distressed expression and said almost pleadingly, "You...you should have a bite. That slice of meat seems pretty good."
Xi Xizhi casually pointed to a dish on the table, hoping to whet An Honghan's appetite.
But An Honghan didn't even glance at it, saying, "I don't want to eat it for now."
Hearing that same phrase again, Xi Xizhi felt utterly powerless.
I thought to myself, if you don't want to eat, you can't make over a hundred people go without eating.
Seeing that An Honghan hadn't touched his chopsticks, Xi Xizhi's stomach growled. Finally, unable to resist the hunger, she grabbed her chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat from the dish, and held it up to An Honghan, saying, "Just one bite."
An Honghan happened to hear his stomach growling at the worst possible time.
He lowered his head thoughtfully, looking at Xi Xizhi's little belly. "I see. But since you're so eager to feed me, I certainly don't mind satisfying you."
An Honghan opened his mouth and took the piece of meat into his mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately, exuding an air of nobility.
Seeing An Honghan finally take a bite, Xi Xizhi was about to step back when a voice came from behind her...
"continue."
Xi Xizhi was so angry that her shoulders trembled. She hadn't even taken a bite yet! Bastard!
Pretending not to hear, Xi Xizhi picked up her chopsticks and began to eat her favorite dishes with gusto.
Waaaaah!
What an amazing delicacy!
No wonder that when it comes to eating, drinking, and having fun, eating comes first!
"Continue." The two simple and monotonous words once again reached Xi Xizhi's ears.
On the high platform, there were not only An Honghan and Xi Xizhi, but also several eunuchs and palace maids serving them.
Their gazes had shifted from His Majesty to Xi Xizhi.
He was secretly puzzled. This little girl was really bold. His Majesty had said it twice, and she could still pretend not to hear it.
Just when everyone thought His Majesty would fly into a rage, An Honghan remained calm and composed, as if he had already guessed the outcome. "I'll say it again... Continue."
Continue... continue... don't you have hands?
Even having lunch requires someone to wait on you.
Even if she needed someone to serve her, there were so many palace maids and eunuchs standing around, why did she have to be the one to serve her food?
Xi Xizhi glared resentfully, pressing her rumbling tummy, inwardly cursing An Honghan for being too much. She hadn't even filled her own stomach yet, how could she be in the mood to feed others?
But the image of An Honghan's anger involuntarily surfaced in his mind. When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Who told Xi Xizhi to eat his food, live in his house, and sleep in his bed! If he didn't listen to An Honghan, he might not have anything to eat or sleep in the future.
Xi Xizhi slowly turned around and faced An Honghan again.
A smug smile flashed across An Honghan's lips as he reached out and pinched the child's cheek. "The bamboo shoots are good. Pick up a slice."
Their intimate interaction, oblivious to everyone else, was observed by all the ministers below.
Dongfang Youyu's deep eyes flickered, and a helpless smile appeared on his lips.
Originally, it was thought that An Honghan's doting on this girl was just for fun, but judging from his current attitude, it seems that An Honghan has developed real feelings. At least the kind of relationship between the two that no one can interfere with is very enviable.
The ministers seated below had varying feelings. Some were puzzled by the girl's identity, some were wary, and others were extremely jealous and envious.
The Fourteenth Princess and her concubines were all present, and upon seeing this scene, they were filled with mixed emotions.
Even the most favored princesses and concubines have never had the honor of personally feeding His Majesty!
Because of her brother's execution, Consort Ning's status in the harem plummeted. Now, no one in the Fan family or the court dares to speak up for her. She has also lost the emperor's favor, and those who used to fawn over her have gradually distanced themselves from her, making her a marginal figure in the harem.
She looked at the person who was the focus of the court officials' attention, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched uncontrollably.
Why……
He's just a child, so why does he deserve His Majesty's favor?
Xi Xizhi struggled to hold the two silver chopsticks, and whenever An Honghan named a dish, she would immediately wave her little arm to pick it up.
An Honghan seemed to be addicted to the food, calling out for each dish several times in turn.
Xi Xizhi's forearms ached, but she gritted her teeth and kept quiet, cursing An Honghan in her heart. He said he wasn't hungry just now, but look at how much he's eaten!
Her stomach was rumbling, and the long stretching and hunching had made Xi Xizhi a little tired; beads of sweat had already seeped from her forehead.
An Honghan noticed the child's state and knew that if he continued to tease her, she would soon give up and go on strike. He reached out and hugged her, letting her sit in his lap.
"I'm full."
Upon hearing those three words, Xi Xizhi felt as if she had seen the rising sun. The gloom in her heart dissipated, and she became sunny and cheerful. Ignoring the fact that she was still in An Honghan's arms, she stretched out her hand, grabbed the chicken leg of the roast chicken on the plate, and put it in her mouth.
Perhaps because he was used to being a ferret, Xi Xizhi thought that eating chicken legs was more enjoyable when done with your hands.
However, Xi Xizhi's unseemly eating manners appeared very unruly to the other ministers, and many looked disapprovingly at the high platform, extremely disliking the child's impolite behavior.
"This little girl is so unruly. Look at her hands, they're so dirty and greasy. I bet His Majesty will punish her."
"What kind of family raised this child? He can't even use chopsticks?"
"Exactly! That's His Majesty's desk! How dare she eat the chicken leg from His Majesty's desk?!"
"Just watch, His Majesty will definitely punish her..."
It's unclear which concubine said it, but everyone knows His Majesty is very particular about cleanliness and the cleanliness of his surroundings. Since this little girl dared to eat like this in His Majesty's arms, she will surely be punished.
The crowd waited and waited.
Everyone was waiting to see how the little girl would be punished, but a full quarter of an hour passed, and by the time the little girl had finished eating all the chicken legs, the aloof emperor hadn't said a single word.
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