Chapter 21 Eating Together
Ying Zheng's expression calmed down and he sneered, "Does the Queen Mother know who I am?"
A trace of panic flashed in Zhao Yuanxi's eyes. Damn it! Asking such a deadly question! If I really answer it, you will be unhappy again.
Seeing that she didn't answer, Ying Zheng confirmed his guess and raised an eyebrow, "I am Mi Qi, the Lord of Changping."
"I know, I know! How could I not know? Hahahaha——" Zhao Yuanxi laughed awkwardly, and now he wished he could hit himself to death with a piece of tofu.
Mi Qi was the son of a Qin princess and King Kaolie of Chu. He was the nephew of King Zhuangxiang of Qin and the cousin of King Ying Zheng of Qin.
The corners of Zhao Yuanxi's mouth twitched. She was probably affected by Queen Dowager Zhao's memory. Otherwise, why would she suspect that a man was Queen Dowager Zhao's lover when she saw him?
Nephew, I’m so sorry!
"Qi'er, why are you here? Did Zheng'er ask you to come to me for something?" Zhao Yuanxi tried hard to ignore the previous topic and his attitude became very enthusiastic.
Zhao Yuanxi wailed in her heart, what a wise woman she had been in her life!
"The Queen Mother just said—"
Zhao Yuanxi quickly changed the subject, "Stop! I have a bad memory and sometimes I talk nonsense. Qi'er, don't worry about it. Qi'er, have you eaten? How about eating first?"
Ying Zheng chuckled.
Soon, the lunch that Zhao Yuanxi had just made was placed on the table.
A pot of fresh bamboo shoots and pork ribs soup, three big bowls of fried noodles. Because there was an extra person, Zhao Yuanxi added a serving of stir-fried pork and scrambled eggs with leeks.
The Qin State adopted the system of separate dining. It was the first time that Ying Zheng sat around with others, and the food in front of him was all food he had never eaten before.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do.
Seeing him holding his chopsticks motionless, Zhao Yuanxi assumed he didn't like it. "This is oil-splashed noodles, made with wheat flour. Try it. If you don't like it, I'll have someone bring you a bowl of corn rice."
"Oil-splashed noodles are delicious. Uncle Mi, if you don't want to eat it, you can give it to me." Ziying was picking up the noodles in his own bowl, his eyes still fixed on Ying Zheng's bowl, his mouth stuffed with food.
"Other people eat from their bowls while looking at the pot, but you eat from your own bowl while looking at other people's bowls. Didn't I make sure you were full?" Zhao Yuanxi had no choice but to serve him a bowl of pork rib soup and also served a bowl for Ying Zheng.
Zhao Yuanxi noticed his discomfort and smiled reassuringly, "Don't be restrained, just treat it as a simple meal as a family."
Ying Zheng didn't say anything, his eyes fell on Zhao Yuanxi's right hand.
Ying Zheng remembered the scar on the woman's left index finger very clearly. It was caused by the Queen Mother accidentally injuring her hand while decocting medicine when he was sick.
Hasn't your body changed?
He lowered his head in thought, and imitating Ziying, he mixed the noodles evenly, picked up a piece and took a bite.
The strong aroma of onions accompanied by the pungent smell of mustard instantly spread to every part of his body. He was choked and couldn't help coughing, and his face turned red.
There were not many seasonings in the Qin State, so Zhao Yuanxi added all the seasonings he could. The oil was flavored with peppercorns, and the noodles were topped with a layer of chopped green onions and mustard seeds. The taste was salty, fragrant and spicy. For the Qin people who were used to eating boiled dishes, this taste was indeed unacceptable.
Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly and saw her laughing with her head down. Was she laughing at his own joke?
Seeing that he was unhappy, Zhao Yuanxi hurriedly said, "If you feel it's spicy, just drink some soup. I didn't add anything to this soup, so I guarantee it's the original flavor."
The milky white soup, with its light and fresh aroma, does indeed look harmless.
Ying Zheng only tasted it lightly this time. The moment the tip of his tongue tasted it, his eyes flashed with light.
It’s really good——
Ying Zheng didn't have too many requirements for food on a daily basis, but that didn't mean he had never eaten delicious food. He just felt there was no need to waste time on these things.
But for today's meal, he felt that asking the kitchen staff to improve their cooking skills might really make him happier.
After drinking the soup, he tasted the bowl of noodles again and felt that it was not unacceptable. In fact, it tasted better and better the more he ate.
For the first time, Ying Zheng felt a little bloated because he ate too much.
After Ziying had eaten his fill, he lay down on the mat, touching his stomach, feeling very satisfied.
Zhao Yuanxi wiped his face and patted his butt, "Get up, I'll take you for a walk later."
"Is Uncle Mi going too?" Ziying rolled over and rolled directly next to Ying Zheng.
The child was too close to him, Ying Zheng's body stiffened, and he subconsciously looked at Zhao Yuanxi.
One big and one small, they are obviously not biological children, but they look a bit alike. Zhao Yuanxi chuckled and grabbed Ziying by the scruff of the neck, "Do you think your uncle is like you, and can eat himself to excess?"
......
In the end, Zhao Yuanxi took Ziying and the extra "Changping Jun" to stroll around the Liyang Palace.
"Did Zheng'er ask you to come and see me?" Zhao Yuanxi held Ziying's hand with his right hand, and Ying Zheng followed on his left.
Ying Zheng spoke without blushing or breathing heavily, "The king said he missed the queen mother, so he asked me to come and see."
Zhao Yuanxi curled his lips and patted Ying Zheng's shoulder, "It's hard for you to cover up for him. It's good enough that he doesn't miss me to death. How could he possibly miss me!"
Ying Zheng turned his head slightly, looked at the calm Zhao Yuanxi, and said sarcastically, "Didn't the Queen Mother also miss the King?"
As soon as the words came out, Ying Zheng felt a little annoyed. Not to mention that this person was not the queen mother, even if the queen mother was really here, it would be good enough if she didn't want to kill him. How could she possibly care about him?
It was just because of this face that I forgot for a moment that the person in front of me was not the empress dowager. Fortunately, she was not the empress dowager.
Zhao Yuanxi blinked. "Are you upset about Zheng'er? There are many conflicts between Zheng'er and me. You should also know that many things cannot be resolved in a short time."
"But I feel more at ease knowing that Zheng'er has someone like you by his side."
Of course Zhao Yuanxi missed Ying Zheng, but she was more concerned about how much land and how many people her adopted son could give her.
She had never raised a child, let alone a child that old. She did not intend to have a close relationship with Ying Zheng until she was ready.
What if Ying Zheng found out that she was not his biological mother and he wanted to kill her with a knife? Wouldn't that mean she had lived her life in vain?
Zhao Yuanxi, unaware that he had been seen through, thought his vest was still in good condition.
"Doesn't the Queen Mother hate the King?"
Zhao Yuanxi sighed softly, "Zheng'er is my child. How could a mother hate her own child?"
Hypocrisy! Ying Zheng sneered, "But the king executed the Queen Mother's two children, exiled you to Yongcheng, and strictly forbade you from returning to Xianyang. Are you really not resentful?"
Zhao Yuanxi retorted, "That was my fault first. If I hadn't been blinded by male beauty and done something foolish, Zheng'er wouldn't have been in such danger."
In political struggle, it’s either you die or I die.
If it weren't for Ying Zheng's superior skills in suppressing the rebellion caused by Lao Ai, he would have been the one to die.
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