Chapter 24: If Nianxiang refuses to eat, who knows if he will find another way to make her...
The days of being confined to the palace were really boring, so Shu Yao asked Yunxiu to get some books to relieve her boredom.
Who knew this girl was such a simple-minded person?
Soon, he came in with two young eunuchs, panting and grunting, carrying a whole shelf of books, which filled up half of the side hall.
Shu Yao finished reading a volume while leaning against the window, but she still felt unsatisfied and wanted to find something new to read.
I looked up and saw an ancient book with a green silk cover on the top shelf. It looked like it had a history.
He stood on tiptoe and stretched out his fingertips to reach it, but the book seemed to be playing tricks on him and was always half a finger away.
Just as I was feeling frustrated, I suddenly saw a slender hand reach over my shoulder from behind and take the book away.
Shu Yao was startled and turned around quickly, her sleeves brushing against the bookshelf, making a slight noise.
Xiao Chengjing, wearing a jade crown and a green robe, lowered his eyes to look at the ancient book held in his left hand, and gently stroked the cover with his fingertips. "Although the description of 'Jiuzhou Fengwuzhi' is detailed, the content is a bit dry." As he spoke, he lightly picked up a blue-covered ancient book next to it with his right hand and handed it to her. "The writing on the side is very vivid in 'Miscellaneous Notes on the Journey to the South'. You should like it."
Shu Yao wanted to ask him why he was here.
The words were on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed them back, leaving only his eyelashes trembling, which made the pounding of his heart even clearer.
After all, the entire palace belonged to him, so of course he could come and go as he pleased. Asking this made her seem too ignorant.
A hint of resentment flashed across her eyes, but her lips formed a perfectly curved arc. She said with a respectful sigh, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty is so knowledgeable that you even know such a rare and interesting thing."
Shu Yao respectfully took the "Miscellaneous Notes on the Journey South" and saw that Xiao Chengjing was standing there with no intention of leaving.
She didn't know what to do for a moment. Her eyelashes fluttered twice, and she looked at him with a hint of doubt in her eyes, as if asking, "Your Majesty, why haven't you come yet?"
How could Xiao Chengjing not understand this expression? He just chuckled and sat down behind the large desk in front of the bookshelf.
As soon as he sat down, he saw Cui Jinzhong coming over with a pile of documents half a person's height, and piling stacks of sealed memorials on the table.
When Shu Yao saw this, she was stunned at first, and then thought to herself: Is he going to work here?
Then he lowered his eyes and bit his lip.
Being under house arrest was already uncomfortable enough, and Xiao Chengjing had to keep an eye on him.
How is this any different from seeing your boss's reflection on the screen while slacking off?!
On the other side, Xiao Chengjing sat upright, looking as if he was concentrating on government affairs.
Shu Yao's anger grew stronger and stronger, and she couldn't help but glare at him.
He was still focused on his work, just unfolding the scroll and marking it, without a trace of fluctuation between his brows.
I don’t know whether he really didn’t notice it, or he had already seen it but pretended not to know.
Shu Yao has never liked being controlled by others.
He simply made up his mind, turned around, walked towards the beauty couch by the window, and sat down.
What? Could it be that she couldn't even read with him around?!
I had originally opened the book with some anger, but after reading only a few lines, I was captivated by the lively words.
Sometimes he said that the red gauze of lychees from Lingnan was wrapped in ice, and sometimes he said that the Siamese people were dancing barefoot on fire.
She gradually forgot about her appearance and spirit after watching it.
When I turned to the Southeastern Restaurants section, the word "snail noodles" jumped into my eyes, and the author wrote:
The extreme odor can actually become a kind of Zen. The mystery in this cannot be seen with the nose but must be tasted with the tongue.
I didn’t expect that snail noodles also existed in ancient times.
Shu Yao couldn't help but burst out laughing.
He immediately realized his mistake and hurriedly lowered his eyes to hide his smile, but the corners of his lips had already curved into a crescent moon.
Xiao Chengjing was reviewing some unimportant memorials of greeting, and he was already losing interest.
Suddenly I heard a chuckle coming from the window and looked up.
Seeing Shu Yao leaning on the beauty couch, her shoulders trembling slightly, her lips tightly pressed together, her eyes full of an unconcealable smile, even the jade hairpin in her hair was shining.
"Why are you so happy?" He put down his red brush and brushed his sleeve across the paperweight on the desk.
Shu Yao showed half of her face from behind the book, and saw Xiao Chengjing's eyes move slightly, as if he wanted to call her.
His fingertips tightened on the edge of the paper, and after a slight hesitation, he finally picked up the travelogue and slowly approached.
"The book your majesty recommended is truly interesting." She gently rolled the pages with one hand and tapped on a line of small calligraphy with the other. "It talks about a dish in Lingnan that says 'the stench is so extreme that it becomes a kind of Zen.' This way of eating something that seeks fragrance through stench is truly fascinating."
Xiao Chengjing raised his hand to support the spine of the book, and saw her fair fingertips touching the ink characters.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes, and he said softly, "Are you greedy?"
If it were in modern times, if a colleague she didn’t know well asked her this question, Shu Yao might reply, “What’s it to you?”
But this happened in ancient times, and this person happened to be extremely powerful.
She gently put away her fingertips that were pressing against the pages of the book and quietly put them back into her sleeve.
He smiled faintly and said, "Isn't it tempting? How can one live without some thoughts?"
"Missing something?" Xiao Chengjing looked at her with a deep, burning gaze. "Yes, I do miss you."
He secretly grabbed the book she handed to him and refused to let her take it away.
When she turned sideways awkwardly, revealing a red neck.
Then he let go and let her take the book back.
His eyes followed her all the way to the beauty bed, and the corners of his lips raised slightly.
The sun's shadow outside the hall gradually sets.
Shu Yao was watching intently when she suddenly heard him say, "Speaking of which..."
She looked up at the sound and saw him holding a scroll of memorials. He glanced at it for a moment, then put his hand on the table and said to her, "The Honglu Temple reports that the envoys from the Kingdom of Li are on their way and will arrive in Beijing soon."
These words were clearly meant to test whether she would take advantage of the power of her homeland to develop a desire to leave.
The corners of Shu Yao's lips curled up ever so slightly as she spoke in a clear, resonant voice, "If Your Majesty is worried that I'll use my home country to cause trouble, I'm afraid you're worrying too much." She paused briefly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the page. "I know the strength of the Li Kingdom. I didn't dare to seek refuge there when I fled, so how could I have the delusion that the Li Kingdom would dare to challenge Your Majesty now?" She casually set the travelogue aside and continued, "Besides, this delegation is most likely here to pay tribute. I'm afraid they'd rather leave this hot potato of mine in Your Majesty's hands..."
As she spoke, she began to feel somewhat lost. She had no one to rely on and nowhere to go.
Do I have to rely on Xiao Chengjing for the rest of my life?
Thinking of this, I stared at the floor tiles in a daze.
Xiao Chengjing could hear the sadness in her words and thought that her wandering life had shaped her distant nature, making it difficult for her to understand his feelings. Although he disliked her always avoiding him like a thief, he also hoped that one day she would be able to stay with him happily.
Therefore, he spoke in an especially gentle tone: "They treated you coldly in the past. If you are resentful, I will seek justice for you during this tribute negotiation."
He always prided himself on being a wise ruler, and even though he had no such intention, he still said so because he really didn't know how to coax her.
The checks and balances in the court and the emperor's mentality of the past seemed to have lost their effect in front of her.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry," she replied quickly. "My personal grudge isn't worth bringing to court. Besides..." She gazed out the window at the sinking sun, a hazy light in her eyes. "It was Prince Li who betrayed me. What does this have to do with the people of Li?" Although she knew she didn't have the luxury of such a high profile, she still had to refuse. She didn't want ordinary people to become part of this awkward relationship.
Xiao Chengjing shook his head helplessly and chuckled: "You are so understanding of justice that I have no way to win you over."
"If Your Majesty really wants to win over this humble servant, it's quite simple..." Shu Yao's eyes suddenly lit up with a cunning light, and her voice became soft and gentle, "If Your Majesty is willing to release Chun Tao, this humble servant will certainly be grateful to Your Majesty."
She always bends and stretches in unexpected situations, which makes Xiao Chengjing laugh and cry.
Although he felt soft-hearted, he was still worried about indulging her too much, so he said calmly, "Wait a little longer."
Shu Yao snorted lightly, and without further ado, she picked up the book at hand and began to turn the pages.
There was no further news.
As dinner time approached, Xiao Chengjing was still sitting there, with no intention of getting up.
But Cui Jinzhong led several palace maids to arrange the cups, plates, bowls and chopsticks one by one.
Shu Yao watched coldly, her heart clear.
I'm afraid that when he was in the Secretariat, he was more restrained because of the difference between the emperor and his subjects.
Now that he had placed her in the palace, he became even more unscrupulous.
Just as he was thinking about it, Xiao Chengjing had already moved to the dining table.
Seeing that she was still there, Cui Jinzhong hurried over and whispered, "Madam, please take a seat."
As soon as Shu Yao sat down, Xiao Chengjing lifted the lid of the glass cup in front of her.
Suddenly, wisps of white steam rose up, carrying the fragrance of orange and the freshness of crab.
He raised his hand and pushed the glass cup half an inch closer to her. "Try this." His eyes were warm, filled with a subtle anticipation. "This crab and orange wine is unique to Liang State. It's probably not available in Jin. I wonder if it's ever mentioned in those miscellaneous books and travelogues you read?"
Of course Shu Yao had heard of this dish.
But because of her limited wallet, she, as a modern person, has never tasted it.
I figured since I was already here, who cares who gave it to me? I'd just taste it first.
Shu Yao picked up the silver spoon and took a sip. The orange fragrance permeated the crab fat, and the sweetness melted on the tip of her tongue.
She couldn't help but scoop another spoonful and sighed from the bottom of her heart, "It's so delicious." Her eyes narrowed unconsciously.
Xiao Chengjing glanced at Cui Jinzhong lightly.
Cui Jinzhong was so smart that he immediately understood and quietly retreated outside the hall.
As the bead curtain swayed gently, a vague word "appreciate" leaked in.
"I remember..." Xiao Chengjing suddenly spoke, his tone teasing, "When someone got drunk, they thought three hundred taels of gold was too little, and they shouted that ten thousand taels was more worthy of their worth." His eyes moved slightly, and the corners of his eyes raised slightly, "Blame me for being stingy."
Wow, he's hitting it right in the face?!
Shu Yao was so frightened that the silver spoon almost dropped from her hand, and she quickly grasped it with her right hand.
He clenched his left fist and pressed it firmly against his knee, rubbing it back and forth a few times before he managed to suppress his anger.
She lowered her eyes, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a few words from between her teeth: "Your Majesty remembers it so clearly, and you still say you are not stingy..."
He loved her like this.
Although his fingertips were shaking with anger, he still maintained a calm demeanor.
It's really interesting.
"I still remember..." He spoke slowly, his voice soft and gentle, "Someone called himself Bai Yueguang? Jiang Qing, do you know what Bai Yueguang is?"
Did she say that again?
Shu Yao just wanted to find a piece of tofu to kill herself.
"How can I remember what I said when I was drunk?" She felt aggrieved even though she said she didn't remember. She added, "Your Majesty is teasing me like this, so it's no wonder that I am on guard against you." At last, she snorted coldly and turned her face away.
If someone else did this, Xiao Chengjing would have reprimanded them a long time ago.
But she was not someone else, so he not only did not take it as an offense, but from the movement of her eyes, he could sense some liveliness.
He picked up a piece of green bamboo shoots with his chopsticks and dropped it into the white jade dish in front of her: "Jiang Qing, try this again."
The matter was lightly covered.
Shu Yao stared at the piece of green bamboo shoot on the plate, her hand holding the chopsticks frozen in mid-air.
I can't swallow this anger.
If she didn't eat, who knew if he would think of other ways to torture her.
The author has something to say:
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I really like writing about the male and female protagonists flirting with each other [smirk]
In two chapters, I will start to do some torture to please the audience, but I still can’t do it [panda head]
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