Qin Ge: "..."
No, he didn't want to.
*
Whether Qin Ge wanted it or not, a table full of dinner was quickly served.
Inside the Dragon Palace, Qin Ge was granted the privilege of dining at the same table as the tyrant.
The emperor dining with his court officials has been a tradition since ancient times and can be seen as a sign of imperial favor. Therefore, Qin Ge was not too nervous sitting at the dining table, and her composed demeanor made Eunuch Xia glance at her for a moment.
This was the first time Qin Ge had dined at the same table with the tyrant since faking his death and leaving the palace.
However, for now, he is the ruler and he is the subject.
The palace servants laid out the dishes and lifted the gilded lids one by one, revealing a dazzling array of dishes.
Qin Ge was taken aback.
The only coincidence was that these dishes were the same ones he often ate when he was in the palace.
It is said that the lives of princes and nobles are extravagant, and that every meal in the palace is a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. But that is not the case. Each meal is simply prepared according to the rules set by the ancestors. It is just that the imperial kitchen makes different dishes every day, and there is no repetition for a month. That is why there is a saying that all the delicacies in the world are in the Forbidden City.
When Qin Ge first entered the palace, the imperial kitchen went to great lengths to please him, always serving him lavish meals of fish and meat. However, there were always one or two dishes he liked, and he would only eat what he liked, refusing to touch the rest. After the meal was served, the palace servants would distribute the food. It wasn't considered extravagant or wasteful.
Later, he lived and ate with the tyrant, and gradually all the dishes on the table became his favorites.
Qin Ge was surprised to find that he remembered these details very clearly. He couldn't help but look up at Jun Chenbi. This... was it a coincidence?
The top scholar looked over, and Jun Chenbi asked, "What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"
Qin Ge slowly said, "The imperial cuisine in the palace is naturally excellent, and these dishes happen to be all of my favorites."
"Is that so?" Jun Chenbi toyed with a silver wine cup with his long fingers. He looked nonchalant and had no hostility in his eyes. Instead, he looked like a dashing young nobleman. "My imperial concubine used to like to eat these dishes as well."
Consort Qin was posthumously granted the title of Noble Consort.
My Imperial Concubine.
When these words reached Qin Ge's ears, he felt as if he had been marked in some way.
Qin Ge froze slightly.
He didn't know why the tyrant suddenly brought up this—his other identity—in front of him.
Did you discover something?
However, Qin Ge quietly raised his eyes. The emperor's expression was unreadable, his long, dark eyelashes drooping slightly as he stared at the silver wine cup in his hand. It was impossible to guess his true thoughts, as if those words were just casual remarks.
Qin Ge calmed himself down, forcing himself not to overthink things, otherwise he would give himself away. "...Rumors circulate that the Emperor and Consort are deeply in love, and I have heard of it even while I was far away in Qingzhou."
Jun Chenbi: "So, last time at the theater, you went there specifically to listen to that play?"
"..."
Qin Ge's heart pounded violently.
The tyrant actually remembered that brief incident outside the palace!
In just a second, Qin Ge showed a perfectly timed look of surprise: "Your Majesty... I thought Your Majesty had forgotten, but I didn't expect Your Majesty to still remember this matter."
Faced with the established facts, he did not choose to play dumb.
"Indeed, Your Majesty, I did attend the performance of 'The Legend of the Imperial Concubine' at the theater that day. However, I accidentally bumped into you as I was leaving," Qin Ge said. "At the time, I didn't know Your Majesty's identity, but I already felt you were exceptionally distinguished and of extraordinary birth. I never imagined you were actually..."
At this point, the handsome and refined scholar smiled and said, "Speaking of which, it is quite a wonderful coincidence."
He acted like a virtuous and upright minister, as if he had never had a romantic relationship with Jun Chenbi. "It is my honor to serve Your Majesty, but... please accept my condolences."
Please accept my condolences.
The emperor savored the two words with amusement, then suddenly smiled radiantly: "If I do not wish to grieve in moderation, what do you suggest, my dear minister?"
"..."
What can Qin Ge do?
He feigned concern for the emperor, advising, "The dead cannot be brought back to life..."
Jun Chenbi's smile turned cold and hard, tinged with intense hostility: "What if... the Imperial Concubine isn't dead?"
He looked over at Qin Ge.
Her long, beautiful phoenix eyes faintly revealed a bright red color.
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