Chapter 93: Defeat the scheming boy and tease the sultry general (3)
"General Chu, thank you for your courtesy. Please stand up quickly. Ahem." Li Ziyan quickly stood up and helped Chu Heng up. "Please sit down quickly."
Chu Heng didn't hesitate to say thank you and sat on a stool beside him. In order to support him just now, the little prince leaned a little close, and Chu Heng could clearly smell the fragrance on the little prince's body. However, he was used to being rough, so he didn't know what kind of fragrance it was. He just felt that it smelled very good, which really matched Li Ziyan's temperament. It seemed to be there and not there, but it was enough to seduce him.
Caiwei prepared a cup of tea for Chu Heng as instructed by Li Ziyan, and she and Yunle stood not far away, serving him.
"Ahem, I wonder why the general came here today?"
"Your Highness, today the Emperor has issued an order for me to be your personal bodyguard and always be by your side."
"Ah?" Li Ziyan opened his lips slightly, his eyes widening considerably. His upturned, affectionate peach blossom eyes now looked like a pair of almond-shaped eyes, adding a touch of cuteness. "This is truly rude. General, please rest assured. Tomorrow, this king will go to the palace and ask the emperor to withdraw this decree."
"Withdrawn? Why?"
"General, you are a defender of the country and have made countless military achievements. How can you be so lowly as to serve me? It would be a waste of your talent and an insult to your abilities."
"Your Highness, your words are too serious. Serving the country is my duty as a minister." Chu Heng is indeed a rather dull guy. Or perhaps it's not dull, but to put it nicely, he's old-fashioned and honest.
Li Ziyan picked up the teacup and took a sip, his eyes etched with anxiety. Judging by Chu Heng's upright character, he was afraid this time would be truly difficult. Furthermore, their identities... a general and a prince, they seemed like a good match, but it was precisely their identities that would likely become the biggest obstacle.
"I will certainly thank the Emperor for this kindness, but... the General holds an important position and has military duties to attend to. I am afraid that I may delay the General's mission."
"It's alright. The rebels have been pacified for now, and there are no more important matters in the army. Please rest assured, Your Highness."
Now that things have come to this, if Li Ziyan refuses again, it will not only be a matter of being hypocritical, but he may also be disobeying the emperor's grace.
Li Ziyan simply nodded and stopped refusing, "Thank you, General. Ahem."
"It is my duty. Your Highness, I am sorry for your failure." Chu Heng looked at Li Ziyan. The little prince looked a little better than yesterday, but he was still very sick.
Li Ziyan was wearing a plain robe today. Compared with the court dress he wore yesterday, it was much more casual, but it also made him look thinner. With his head half lowered, he had a kind of seductive beauty.
Even Chu Heng didn't notice his distraction, his eyes were fixed on Li Ziyan's lips which were wet from the tea.
"General, General?"
"Hmm? I was distracted for a moment. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
"It's nothing," Li Ziyan waved his hand, not caring at all. "I just wanted to ask if the general has had lunch yet?"
“No.”
"Always." It was probably just after the court session. Chu Heng had probably changed out of his court robes and came here, his hair was a little messy. "General, if you don't mind, please use some of this with me."
"Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty."
"Ahem, Caiwei, go tell the small kitchen to prepare more food."
"Yes." Caiwei bowed to the two of them and walked out of the hall neatly.
Yun Le was a considerate person. He quickly took the fan in his hand and fanned Li Ziyan and Chu Heng. The weather was hot and humid, and Li Ziyan's breathing was easily difficult.
"Your Highness, why don't you go to the inner room to have your meal with the general?" Yun Le's tone was a little pleading, and his eyes were a little distressed. There were ice cubes and hand-cranked fans in the inner room, which could at least make Li Ziyan more comfortable.
Ice cubes are not something that ordinary people can have. Even the royal family uses them very carefully. After Li Ziyan came back, the emperor gave him a lot of them as a reward, but Li Ziyan was reluctant to use them and only kept a little in the inner room.
He has just returned, and a big tree attracts the wind. Although he has the emperor's protection, he can't help but have some thoughts. If someone reports him in the future, he really won't be able to bear it.
Chu Heng could see that Li Ziyan was feeling a little uncomfortable and frowned slightly. Most of the men he had met were strong and tough like him, but he had never seen anyone as crystal-like as Li Ziyan, who seemed like he would break if he exerted any force.
"Is your Majesty feeling unwell?"
"Nothing, it's just that the weather is so hot that I can't adapt to it for a while." Li Ziyan's forehead was covered with sweat. He looked at Chu Heng and said, "If the general doesn't mind, could you please come into the inner room and have dinner with me?"
In fact, it was not Chu Heng's turn to say no. If Li Ziyan had directly put on the airs of a prince and made a strong request, Chu Heng would have had no way to refuse. However, the other party had been so humble, and Chu Heng felt inexplicably comforted. He bowed and said, "I respectfully obey your command."
After hearing this, Li Ziyan smiled, but Yun Le was very happy and took care of the two of them into the house.
The decoration of the interior is much simpler, without so many fancy decorations or luxurious things, which is more in line with Li Ziyan's image.
Caiwei came up quickly with the dishes, including Longjing shrimp, roast goose, braised lamb trotters, goose buttocks, a lamb tripe dish with salty drum mustard, white blood soup with garlic and vinegar, steamed chicken with five spices, lamb bones with Yuan juice, kidneys with spicy vinegar, steamed fresh fish, crystal lamb corners, lamb with minced pepper, fragrant rice, garlic cheese, three-fresh soup, bean soup, and brewed tea.
There was a large table, which was not the usual amount of food for Li Ziyan. If it were not for his status here, Li Ziyan would probably only order three dishes for each meal.
Today, because Chu Heng is coming, I specially ordered preparations.
"I don't know what dishes the general likes, so I'll ask the staff to make more for you to try."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Chu Heng bowed and started eating only after seeing Li Ziyan start to use his chopsticks.
Compared to Caiwei who was serving food to Li Ziyan, Yunle was much more tired. After all, Chu Heng was a soldier, and he had a big appetite and ate very fast. As a result, Yunle's serving speed could hardly keep up with Chu Heng's eating speed.
Li Ziyan didn't eat much again. He was full after eating just a little. Although he ate a little more than breakfast, it was even more "tragic" compared to Chu Heng.
Caiwei hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Your Highness, please use some more."
"No." Li Ziyan shook his head, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Chu Heng secretly. The other party didn't like to eat heavy-flavored food, which didn't match his image. The fastest thing he ate was Longjing shrimp, and he finished the whole plate.
"Have you had enough, my Lord?"
"Well, don't worry, General. Just eat slowly."
Chu Heng frowned. No wonder the little prince was so thin. He must have eaten too little.
"Your Highness, please forgive me for my disapproval. Food is the most important thing for the people. Your Highness, why don't you use more?"
"I want to too, but..." Li Ziyan shook his head with a bitter smile on his face, which made Chu Heng feel a little distressed for some reason.
Although Chu Heng was dull, he was no fool. He stopped talking about it. He glanced at the unfinished meal in front of Li Ziyan and said, "Your Highness, do you mind if I use your bowl?"
"My bowl? Of course not, I'm just afraid the general will dislike it."
"Nothing."
Chu Heng shook his head, not disgusted, and took Li Ziyan's meal until he was full, then put down his bowl and chopsticks.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that you are an exceptional chess player. Could you please teach me?"
"General, you are too kind. It is rare for you to have such a refined taste. Pick some wild vegetables."
"Yes, I will prepare it right away."
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