Upon hearing Han Yiyi's words, Emperor Beichen's eyes lit up, but he still pretended to be reserved before speaking.
"Alright, in that case, let's just have a simple hot pot," she said, then whispered to Han Yiyi, "Do you have any novel or delicious things in your system? Get them out so I can try them! Oh! If you need any treasures, I'll have someone go back to the palace to get them right now!"
Since the last time the emperor raided the homes of several wealthy merchants, he hasn't been so stingy.
With Emperor Beichen present, Yun Xiao naturally could not dine with him. Therefore, in the flower hall, only Han Yi and Emperor Beichen were present.
Looking at the dazzling array of food before him, which he had never seen before, Emperor Beichen subconsciously swallowed.
With one bite, Emperor Beichen's taste buds were hit like never before, as if a new world had been opened to him. At first, he ate with some restraint to maintain his composure, but later he stopped caring and started shoveling food into his mouth without restraint.
Actually, I can't blame Emperor Beichen for this. The food cooked by the imperial kitchen is more about appearance than taste. Besides, the food they cook for the emperor is mostly light and nourishing. He has never eaten such heavy-flavored food before.
Han Yiyi looked at the person in front of her, who was spitting food into the corner of their mouth, and was really worried that they would choke, so she quickly spoke up.
"Your Majesty, please slow down, be careful not to choke. If you like it, you are welcome to visit the Princess's residence often!"
Upon hearing Han Yiyi's words, Emperor Beichen swallowed the mutton roll in his mouth before speaking.
"Of course not. As the ruler of a country, how can I indulge in the desires of food?" he said, picking up another beef ball and putting it in his mouth.
With one bite, the juice burst in his mouth, and the taste made Emperor Beichen squint his eyes slightly in enjoyment.
When Han Yi heard what Emperor Beichen said, she suddenly felt that being an emperor wasn't so easy. Look, even eating couldn't be done as one pleased. So, in order to let Emperor Beichen eat to his heart's content, she exchanged some more fruit from the system.
Watermelon, cherries, dragon fruit, bananas, oranges, peaches—the sheer variety was dazzling to Emperor Beichen.
Looking at what was in front of him, Emperor Beichen patted his bulging belly and couldn't help but sigh, "This thing should only exist in heaven; it's rare to taste it on earth!"
After eating and drinking his fill, Emperor Beichen, supporting his belly, reluctantly left the princess's residence.
However, the next morning, long after the court session had begun, Emperor Beichen was still unable to leave his palace.
As the time ticked by, his stomach continued to rumble and gurgle like thunder. He thought to himself, "It seems my mortal stomach can't handle the food of the immortals." Helpless, he could only clutch his stomach, his face pale, and send the chief eunuch to deliver the decree that he would not attend court today.
This was the first time since Emperor Beichen ascended the throne that he had not attended court. The ministers secretly inquired with the chief eunuch about what had happened. They were relieved to learn that he had only had an upset stomach.
Emperor Beichen suffered from diarrhea for a whole day and was almost exhausted. It was only after the imperial physician prescribed two days' worth of medicine that he felt better.
Han Yiyi had no idea that her food had nearly caused Emperor Beichen to collapse. Seeing that he had come again, she hurriedly prepared a large table of food for him.
After Emperor Beichen recovered, he went to the princess's residence again. In his opinion, since Chu Yun could eat "divine" food, how could he, as the emperor, not be able to eat it? He thought it must be because it was the first time he had eaten it that he was having this stomachache. He thought that if he ate it a few more times, he would not have an upset stomach again. Therefore, he showed off again.
What Emperor Beichen didn't know was that, with his eating habits, even a "god" would probably be exhausted. Han Yi was only thinking about letting him eat to his heart's content and forgot about this.
Whether it was because he ate more restrained this time, or because his stomach had become accustomed to his way of eating, he didn't have diarrhea after eating this time, which made him overjoyed. So he ate at the princess's residence for two more days before finally stopping.
Seeing that Emperor Beichen had only eaten for three days and then did not come again, Han Yiyi couldn't help but sigh. As expected of an emperor, his self-control was still very strong. However, what Han Yiyi did not know was that the reason why Emperor Beichen did not come again was because of the way he ate these past few days. He was surprised to find that his belt had become tighter.
Time flies, and before we knew it, it was the end of the twelfth lunar month. In just a few days, it would be New Year's Eve.
Because the two children wanted to spend the New Year with Han Yiyi, Han Yiyi naturally wanted to spend the New Year with the two children as well. Since Nangong Yuan was still at the border and had not yet returned, in order not to make the two elderly people feel lonely, Han Yiyi invited Nangong Ling and his wife to the Princess's Mansion to spend the New Year together.
The princess's residence was brightly decorated and filled with a festive atmosphere. Han Yiyi personally cooked a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for everyone.
Looking at the large table of delicious food in front of them, not to mention the two children, even Mr. and Mrs. Nangong Ling couldn't help but feel their mouths water. However, just as they started eating, an uninvited guest arrived.
Emperor Beichen looked at the delicious food laid out on the table and couldn't help but lick his lips, thinking to himself, "I knew I hadn't made a mistake coming here."
In the past, a banquet was held in the palace for the New Year's Eve dinner. Emperor Beichen, as the ruler of the country, would naturally attend the banquet with his ministers and concubines. Of course, there was also a banquet this year, but Emperor Beichen left early on the pretext of feeling unwell.
Because Emperor Beichen was present, everyone at the table, except for Han Yiyi and her two children, Yun Xiao and Nangong Ling, were so reserved that they hardly dared to touch their chopsticks.
At this moment, Yun Xiao really wanted to get up and go to Chu Yun's table, but when he turned around, he found that they were all wolfing down their food, and most of the dishes on the table were already gone. Thinking that he would definitely not be able to compete with them if he went over, he silently sat back down, giving Emperor Beichen a big eye roll in his heart.
Emperor Beichen was unaware that he was being disliked and ate with great relish.
After the New Year, the weather gradually warmed up.
March 25th was the day Princess Nan Jing married into Bei Chen.
There is only one princess in Nanjing who is still unmarried, and that is the youngest princess, Ruyue.
Princess Ruyue is only sixteen years old this year. She has a baby face, bright eyes, and a very lively personality. Naturally, she also loves food. Therefore, as soon as she entered the capital city, her carriage was filled with food that she had her maids buy.
Qiu Jin, who was standing to the side, couldn't bear to watch any longer. Worried that the Beichen people would think that their princess was uncultured, he quickly spoke up to comfort her.
"Your Highness, the best food in Beichen is all in the palace. If you eat your fill of these things, you won't be able to eat anything after you enter the palace!"
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