Chapter 77: It’s rare to be unable to eat
Concubine Xuanhe felt that there had been a commotion, and Lu Haozhi was already in a bad mood. After listening to Rong An's report, he spoke for a while and said, "Let her in."
Rong An went out to pass on the message, and a moment later saw Meng Yan enter the hall.
Today she was wearing a navy blue robe with crane patterns and a long, light grey skirt with ripple patterns and silver threads. Her hair was neatly tied in a bun at the back of her head, and she wore a crown of seven treasures and kingfisher feathers. Her face was lightly made up, with only a touch of vermilion on her lips, and she looked very dignified and decent.
Lu Haozhi rarely saw her dressed like this. Meng Yan was born with a beautiful and charming temperament, and she always liked to dress up. Although her clothes and makeup had changed recently, they were always gentle and graceful. She had never been seen dressed like this except for the New Year's gifts.
Meng Yan is bright and beautiful. If someone else were to wear this outfit, it would inevitably make them look dull and old-fashioned. But she looks quite elegant and charming.
She walked slowly forward with golden lotus steps, and her pleated skirt moved with her. The silver threads on the silver-gray skirt sparkled like ripples on water.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor."
Meng Yan bowed lightly, her clear voice echoing in the Yangxin Palace.
However, Meng Yan became anxious as she didn't hear the emperor's order to get up for a long time.
I wonder how much of the bewitching words that Concubine Xuanhe said just now was heard by Lu Haozhi.
"Get up."
After another moment, the emperor's voice finally sounded.
"Did you hear everything?"
Meng Yan had just stood up when she suddenly heard Lu Haozhi asking.
She thought for a moment and then said carefully, "I just came here and heard Eunuch Rong say that the Concubine Dowager was talking to the Emperor in the palace. I didn't dare to disturb them, so I waited outside the palace."
The words were vague. He neither said he was listening nor he said he was not listening, nor did he mention when he came, leaving a lot of room for interpretation.
When did she become so cunning?
In the past, she always said whatever she wanted in front of him, but based on Concubine Xuanhe's few insinuations, given her temper, she should have made a scene long ago.
Thinking of her sudden change in temperament during this period of time, and the strange dream that night, the inexplicable panic surged up again.
Lu Haozhi grew up reading books of sages, and the imperial teacher was a great scholar of the time. He always scoffed at things like dream omens, supernatural powers, and so on.
But that dream kept disturbing his mind, so much so that he felt uneasy when discussing matters with court officials these days.
Looking at Meng Yan's indifferent, distant and erratic attitude, Lu Haozhi's thick black eyebrows frowned slightly.
"Come and talk to me."
Meng Yan didn't understand what was going on and subconsciously wanted to refuse, but the emperor's words were imperial decrees, so there was no room for rejection.
She took light steps and stopped a few steps away from Lu Haozhi.
"Your Majesty, if you have any instructions, I am here to listen..."
Lu Haozhi stretched out his long arms and pulled her close to him, and the faint fragrance immediately filled his arms.
Meng Yan was slightly startled and instinctively wanted to break free, but she realized that the man was extremely strong, so she quickly stopped.
He is the emperor, she bit her lip and warned herself in her heart.
Lu Haozhi picked her up and gently placed her on his lap. He frowned and said, "Why have you lost weight again? Are the meals in the imperial kitchen not to your taste? Or has the chef in your small kitchen been slacking off lately?" As he spoke, he suddenly lifted his brows and smiled, "I remember that you like to eat Jiangnan delicacies. Recently, a group of Suzhou imperial chefs have arrived in the palace. I would like to assign one of them to serve you in your palace."
Is Lu Haozhi... pampering her?
Meng Yan was full of suspicion. If this happened in her previous life before Lin Yanrong entered the palace, it would be fine. After all, she was still the favored Concubine Meng at that time.
Their relationship wasn't very good right now, having just had a fight not long ago, so why should she be spoiled by him?
With a slight change of mind, Meng Yan began to understand a little.
Lu Haozhi was probably laying the groundwork for telling her about his brother's expedition. According to his memories from his previous life, it only happened in the past two days. He was afraid that she would not be able to speak later, so he gave her two sweet talks first.
She lowered her eyes and smiled softly, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kindness. The two imperial chefs I have in my palace are quite good enough. I am only one person, so there is no need to mobilize so many people, lest the court officials talk about the emperor again."
Since this was the case, she pretended to be well-behaved to avoid being accused of being ungrateful.
"Why are you being so polite to me? When have you ever taken the opinions of those foreign ministers to heart?"
Meng Yan turned her head to the side and didn't look at her. Lu Haozhi's eyes fell on the slender white neck exposed at her collar. There was a hint of seduction in the soft and white neck.
Somehow, he always felt that Meng Yan would turn into a cloud of smoke and disappear from his sight at any time.
If I don't hold her tightly like this, I feel like I will lose her.
"In the past, I was truly too ignorant." Meng Yan's eyes were heavy as she spoke calmly, "As the Imperial Concubine of the Great Zhou, I should strictly abide by the palace rules and etiquette, diligently cultivate my virtues, and never again dare to act so recklessly as I did before. Let the past be let go. Your Majesty, please bear with me."
Lu Haozhi felt quite uncomfortable when he heard this.
Your Majesty, I, your concubine, it seems that there is only the distinction between the ruler and the subject between them.
She would no longer talk to him affectionately and laugh, nor would she call him Haozhi sweetly anymore.
Calling the emperor by his name is extremely disrespectful.
But this was a promise Lu Haozhi made to Meng Yan privately. Apart from the late emperor's empress dowager, she was the only one he could call her in this world, especially when the two of them were in the midst of passionate intimacy.
At this moment, Lu Haozhi suddenly wanted to listen very much.
"Are you feeling better? I heard that you rejected Xia Houyu."
He pressed his face against her soft back, inhaling her rich and sweet body fragrance.
Meng Yan straightened her back. She was not used to Lu Haozhi's intimacy. The ambergris on his body and the scent that belonged only to Lu Haozhi were all too distant memories for her, just like the sachet tucked under her pillow, which made her upset.
"Your Majesty, for the sake of diligence, you have hung up the green badges on the six concubines in the harem. This is not only a warning to yourself, but also an example to all the civil and military officials in the court. I and other concubines in the harem admire you deeply and have each closed our doors to cultivate our character. As a noble concubine of the Great Zhou, I wish to emulate the virtuous ladies of ancient times and dare not disturb your Majesty's affairs of state."
Meng Yan heard the hidden meaning in his words and immediately thought of an excuse.
This time, everything was flawless and Lu Haozhi shouldn't be able to find any mistakes.
"But I miss you."
Lu Haozhi gradually tightened his arms and held her closer to him. Only by feeling this soft and delicate body could he be sure that he had not lost her yet.
"Your Majesty has shown me favor. There are three thousand beauties in the harem, and I am but one of them."
Meng Yanzha couldn't struggle, so she just let him hold her, her heart as calm as still water and her expression peaceful.
Perhaps, it is only rare because you can't eat it.
When she was eight years old, she was visiting a relative and saw a little girl eating delicious rice krispie treats. She craved them. The Marquis's family strictly controlled their children, so they certainly wouldn't let her have such tooth-damaging treats. She'd been craving them for a long time. Finally, her brother, Meng Changyuan, was out on business and secretly brought some back for her. But the rice krispie treats she'd longed for tasted just ordinary, nowhere near the exquisite Suzhou and Hangzhou treats her family's chef had prepared.
In Lu Haozhi's eyes, she is now probably just that piece of rice candy.
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