"Your Majesty, have you caught a chill? This servant will go and summon Head Physician Lin to take your pulse."
Seeing that the Emperor had been covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief for a long time without putting it down, Eunuch Ma quickly bowed and asked.
Xiao Jingzhao pressed his nose. "No need, I'm perfectly healthy."
Knowing he couldn't dissuade the Emperor, Eunuch Ma picked up a ladle and ladled out a bowl of venison soup, handing it to him. "Your Majesty, please have another bowl. Chief Physician Lin says that venison is a highly nourishing food, perfect for this season."
Deer are a treasure trove of resources, and venison is nothing compared to deer blood. Xiao Jingzhao had eaten it when he was in the military camp.
He looked at the exquisite soup bowl. "Did you put venison in the soup a few days ago too?"
Eunuch Ma glanced at the soup bowl and then secretly looked at the Emperor's expressionless face.
He tentatively asked, "Does Your Majesty not like venison?"
Seeing Xiao Jingzhao shake his head, Eunuch Ma immediately relaxed and bluntly said, "The nourishing soup from a few days ago didn't have venison; it was stewed turtle with roe."
The essence of Huang has the effects of replenishing vital energy, nourishing the heart and calming the mind, and strengthening the spleen and kidneys. The Emperor works hard day and night, and Chief Lin has put in a lot of effort.
"Cough cough..."
Xiao Jingzhao quickly swallowed the soup in his mouth and coughed violently.
Is he really that weak? They're actually going to great lengths to prepare nourishing soups for him.
No wonder I've been having so many erotic dreams lately.
Xiao Jingzhao stopped coughing and said in a deep voice, "Starting tomorrow, no more tonic soups are allowed on my table. If I see any more, I will hold you accountable!"
Eunuch Ma: "..."
What did Tang do to deserve this? Weren't we drinking it just a moment ago? He even had two bowls of stewed turtle with egg white that day.
"Do you understand? Starting tomorrow, I will no longer serve soup. I will just have tea after meals."
Eunuch Ma looked troubled. The Emperor's meals were decided by the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Chefs. How could he convey the message that the soup was being taken away so easily?
How could he dare disobey the Emperor's orders? After a moment of silence, he hurriedly bowed and said, "This servant has remembered. This servant will go and brew a pot of Yunwu Maojian tea for Your Majesty right away."
"etc!"
Eunuch Ma immediately stopped in his tracks. "What else does Your Majesty command? This servant is at your service."
Xiao Jingzhao looked out the window; the treetops were still covered in snow, and the whole area was a vast expanse of white.
"Has the Deputy Commander come today?"
Eunuch Ma bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, the Deputy Commander is still outside shoveling snow. The snow is too thick, and the broom can no longer sweep it."
Xiao Jingzhao glanced at the untouched dishes opposite him and said, "Summon him into the palace."
Eunuch Ma accepted the order and left. A moment later, Xiang Yang came in with droopy eyelids.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"You're quite honest; it's already noon and you're still shoveling snow. Come on over and have lunch with us."
"Your Majesty, I dare not, this is against the rules." Xiangyang glanced at the imperial meal. The dishes on the table were exquisite and tempting. Apart from the dishes in front of the emperor, the rest seemed untouched.
The commander and deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had an unusual relationship with the emperor, and this was not the first time they had been granted imperial meals.
Eunuch Ma, understanding the unspoken message, chimed in, "The Deputy Commander should obey the Emperor's will; otherwise, it would be considered disobeying the imperial decree."
"This servant will go and get a pot of hot tea right away." With a wave of his hand, Eunuch Ma sent the palace maids who were serving inside bowing and leaving.
With no one else in the hall, Xiangyang looked up, grinned, and chuckled, "Thank you for the meal, Master. I'm really hungry right now."
Xiao Jingzhao pointed to the opposite side, "Sit down and eat slowly. Drink the soup first; it's a good thing. It will warm you up after you finish it."
Xiangyang had eaten and slept with his master in the military camp before, so he was still a little unaccustomed to eating at the same table with his master now.
On the other side of the imperial study was a desk, and there were no other desks in the room.
Under Xiao Jingzhao's watchful gaze, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk to the other side to sit down.
He didn't dare to sit as casually as he did in the military camp; instead, he dangled half his buttocks over the edge of the chair.
"I'll accept your offer without further ado."
The imperial meal smelled so good that the master had already put down his chopsticks.
Xiangyang obeyed the emperor's will, took the soup bowl, ladled out a bowl of soup, and drank it all in one gulp.
After a bowl of hot soup, I felt much warmer all over.
Then he ladled out another bowl of venison and devoured it.
Xiao Jingzhao: "..." This person is really hungry.
Delicious! This meat is truly delicious. If it were imperial cuisine, the master would make him shovel snow every day. Unfortunately, the weather isn't cooperating; the sky is clear today, and it won't snow tonight.
In a whirlwind, the dishes on the table were all gone in no time, and the food, along with the nourishing soup, was swept away by Xiangyang.
Putting down his chopsticks, Xiangyang bowed, supporting his belly, and said, "Master, there is still a small section of snow on the palace road outside that hasn't been cleared. I'll go and continue shoveling it right away."
Xiao Jingzhao waved his hand, "Don't shovel it, it will melt in a couple of days."
Xiang Yang: "..." So he's been working for nothing all day. Why didn't the Emperor say so earlier?
...
After finishing his meal at the Su residence, Lin Xiangzhi hurriedly took his leave.
Su Jin and Su Nan saw him off at the gate of the mansion and saw Lin Xiangzhi walking briskly towards the palace gate.
Su Nan clicked his tongue a few times and said, "Brother Lin is truly a good official. He goes straight to the palace to attend to official duties after putting down his bowl. If Wanling had more ministers like him, how could the prosperous dynasty not flourish?"
“That’s right. He’s in charge of Wanling Kingdom’s treasury, so naturally he has a greater responsibility than others. Nan Nan, study hard so you can share the Emperor’s burdens in the future.” Su Jin said, patting his younger brother on the shoulder.
Su Nan shook her head vigorously, "I can't do it, brother. You don't know how many talented people there are in the capital. There are so many erudite and eloquent people in the top class. If I don't pass the exam, I'll go into business."
...
Inside the palace.
After dinner, Xiao Jingzhao wanted to take a walk to digest his food. With his mind preoccupied with other things, he wandered aimlessly through the Imperial Garden.
The snow crunched underfoot, and the afternoon sun shone through the thick clouds.
The remaining snowflakes on the branches glittered, and the plum blossoms shivered in the cold wind.
The sunlight felt no warmth on my skin.
The palace walls in the distance looked like they were covered with a thick layer of cotton, dazzlingly white.
A gust of wind blew by, and Grandpa Ma shrank his neck.
Everyone says that it's not cold when it snows, but it's cold when the snow melts; the Emperor's health is of utmost importance.
Seeing the emperor continue walking forward, he boldly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the snow is thick and cold; it would be better to return to the palace to rest."
Xiao Jingzhao stopped and nodded slightly, and Eunuch Ma immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as he sat down in the Imperial Study, a report came from outside the door:
"Lord Lin, the acting Minister of Revenue, requests an audience!"
"Come in."
His voice was as magnetic as ever.
Xiao Jingzhao, the eunuch, instructed: "Lord Lin has been working hard these days, quickly bring a pot of the best tea."
After entering, Lin Xiangzhi lifted his robe and knelt down with a 'plop'.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Rise, get up quickly. What's wrong with you today? I haven't even had a chance to say you don't need to stand on ceremony before you kneel down?" Xiao Jingzhao glanced at Lin Xiangzhi on the ground.
"If Your Majesty does not grant me one request, I will not rise."
"What could you possibly want?" Xiao Jingzhao asked, barely suppressing a laugh, seeing Lin Xiangzhi's aggrieved look.
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