I stared at him blankly. Smoke was still rising from the golden beast. It was so quiet all around that I could hear every breath.
Yes, the more dazzling the power is, the heavier the responsibility behind it is, isn’t it?
Rather than saying that he is in a high position, looking down on everyone, it is better to say that he is appointed by heaven and shoulders the responsibility of the people.
I was speechless for a moment.
He seemed to notice my gaze and looked up at me: "What's wrong?"
"It is a blessing for the whole country of Songhua to have Your Majesty." I did not avoid his gaze and looked at him firmly.
He chuckled: "Why are you starting to imitate other people's speech?"
"Every word is sincere and comes from the heart."
He was stunned for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's just that I'm in my position and I'm doing my job."
I stopped talking and he continued to bury himself in piles of documents, coughing from time to time, but never stopping writing.
"There are books on that side of the bookshelf," he said suddenly, "but... they're not as interesting as the storybooks."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." I moved quietly to the side of the bookshelf and picked out a book that was easy to reach so as not to disrupt the order of the books.
Sitting back at the table and flipping through the pages, I saw words all over the pages: not the original text of the book, but neatly written review notes next to the original text. The handwriting was vigorous, but also restrained.
I sighed softly, ashamed of myself. I only thought I was high and mighty, with boundless glory, but I forgot that behind it was the accumulation and immersion day after day.
After a while, he heard the sound of a pen hitting the white porcelain. He stood up calmly and said, "Eat."
It happened faster than I thought. I quickly put the book away and took the tray out of the food box one by one. Fortunately, it was still warm. Just as I was thinking about whether I should tell Grandpa Afu to change the food box, he had already sat down and picked up the chopsticks.
Just as he was about to pick up the food, he stopped. I suddenly remembered that in some costume dramas I had watched before, the emperor would test for poison before eating. I was confused for a moment and didn’t know whether I should pick up the chopsticks to pick up the food first.
He turned and looked at me: "Did you not eat anything just now? These dishes are still so neatly arranged."
I wasn't expecting this question, so I hesitantly replied, "I ate some cakes... and I'm pretty full."
"You asked me to eat but you didn't eat yourself," he put down his chopsticks, "Mu Zhaoyi, you haven't fulfilled your duty well."
Before I could answer, he handed me another pair of chopsticks: "Try it."
“Thank you, Your Majesty…” I had no choice but to take the chopsticks and pick up a few bites of the dishes in front of me - they were obviously from the imperial kitchen, so why were his dishes so delicious?
He folded his arms on the table and looked at me: "Try them all."
I stared at him for a moment, so—he was still politely asking me to do a poison test, right?
Thinking of this, I relaxed and took some of the dishes every night. The more I ate, the more delicious they became. But after trying the last dish, I stopped eating in time and said to him, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I am in good health now. These dishes should be non-toxic."
He was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "I asked you to eat vegetables, not to test for poison."
"Are you full?"
I nodded.
He picked up his chopsticks and put some food into the porcelain bowl. "Although I have a cold, it shouldn't be contagious, but we should still be careful when eating together. That's why I asked you to eat first."
He ate very quickly but spoke very quietly, and his manners were still graceful. After all, he was a member of the royal family.
"If Song Yu hadn't gone to Donglin to suppress the rebellion and delivered the secret letter, I wouldn't have known they were tampering with the local exams." He put down his chopsticks. "They're really trying to cultivate their power."
When I heard about political affairs, I didn't dare to say anything, I just listened in a daze.
"Song Yu is more alert than I am in these matters," he smiled at me gently, then changed the subject: "The Imperial Envoy's birthday is coming soon, right? If you're interested, you can go back and see your father."
I was thinking about how to leave the palace, but I didn't expect to have such an opportunity. I was so surprised that I was speechless.
He coughed a few times and said, "You look so happy. Remember to come back on that day. I've been busy lately, so I haven't been to the harem much lately."
I quickly stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"It's just the two of us, no need to be polite." He seemed a little displeased, but hid it in a deep cough.
I couldn't help but frown. Why is this cold so severe?
"Why are you frowning so deeply?" He said in a low, hoarse voice, but still with a smile: "Are you worried about my illness?"
I pursed my lips and nodded: "Your Majesty, please take care of your country and your health."
"'Your Majesty' and 'Dragon Body' again..." He supported his ear with one hand and looked at me with his head slightly tilted.
I was speechless. He looked up and glanced out the window: "It's getting late. You should go back to Chenshuang Pavilion first. I don't think you will stay in Chengqing Palace now..."
The voice gradually became lower and lower, and I looked up at him: "Then your majesty should rest early, and remember to eat and take medicine on time."
He seemed a little helpless: "I know."
I put the book back where it belonged, and then went back to the table to tidy up the tray. He raised his hand to stop me: "Ah Fu."
Ah Fu came in upon hearing the noise and saw that the dishes on the table had been mostly eaten. He was delighted and said without hiding his feelings, "Your Majesty, what do you want from me?"
"Tell someone to send Mu Zhaoyi back."
"Yes," Ah Fu turned and came to me, his eyes full of gratitude and joy: "Mu Zhaoyi, please."
I tightened the laces of my cloak and followed him. Suddenly, Song Heng's voice came from behind me: "Wait a moment."
Ah Fu and I stopped at the same time. Ah Fu turned around and asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?"
"Go and get me my white crane cloak."
"Yes," Ah Fu went to the inner room and neatly brought out a light white cloak and handed it to Song Heng. Song Heng took it and stood up and walked to me: "Change into this one."
I was stunned for a moment, but still took off the purple and pink mandarin duck cloak on my body. To be honest, I did think that this purple and pink cloak was too bright, but thinking that it was just used to wrap myself to keep warm, I didn't care too much.
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