Steward Xue took a set of silver needles and said, “I know that Your Majesty is worried about the Emperor and is in a hurry to send him lunch. Since there is no longer a layer of verification, please allow me to use the silver needles to taste the dishes so that I can report back.”
Yun Qingluo looked at Steward Xue, whose eyes darted away.
Yun Qingluo withdrew her gaze, lowered her head to straighten her sleeves, and said in a calm voice, "Chief Eunuch Xue, His Majesty came to visit me today, and I noticed that he has lost a lot of weight. What is the reason for this?"
"The Imperial Kitchen never misses a meal, so why does the Emperor appear to have lost weight? Is this how the Imperial Kitchen serves the Emperor?"
"I haven't even punished you yet, and you're already acting like you have a grudge, coming here to throw your weight around. What? Isn't the Imperial Kitchen enough for you to order around? Not enough for you to show off your power?"
Upon hearing Yun Qingluo's words, Steward Xue's expression changed, and he hurriedly knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, I am aware that I personally deliver all three meals to His Majesty every day, but unfortunately, His Majesty does not eat them, and there is nothing I can do about it."
Yun Qingluo coldly looked at Steward Xue, who was sweating profusely, "So you're just going to let the Emperor go hungry because you have no other choice?"
Why don't you use your brain to think about sending some different dishes to the Emperor?
"Guards! Steward Xue of the Imperial Kitchen has been negligent in his duties regarding the Emperor's food. Drag him away and give him twenty strokes of the cane as a warning to others."
Steward Xue's face darkened. If he were really punished, how could he maintain his authority in the Imperial Kitchen?
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! Even if I had a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare to deceive the Emperor, Your Majesty!" Steward Xue kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Watching from the side, Eunuch Wu thought to himself: "The Empress is truly amazing."
Yun Qinglu frowned. "Oh? So you deliberately didn't do your job properly and intentionally harmed the Emperor's health? What were you thinking?"
Steward Xue hadn't expected Yun Qingluo to be so eloquent; he had thought she was just a weak woman and couldn't possibly have any skills.
It seems the Empress Dowager wasn't telling him the truth.
"Your Majesty, if you don't want me to inspect the food, just say so. Why punish me in such a roundabout way? I'm doing this for His Majesty's own good," Chief Eunuch Xue said angrily when he saw Yun Qingluo's persistent accusations.
Yun Qingluo turned her head, glanced at him, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Chief Eunuch Xue is overthinking things. I am fair in rewarding and punishing. I am punishing you today because you did not do your job well and caused the Emperor to lose a lot of weight. In addition, I am very happy and welcome your request to inspect the food. You can go in and inspect it after you have been punished."
"What are you standing there for? Drag him away," Yun Qingluo said coldly to the guard beside her.
The guards hurriedly dragged Steward Xue out, and when they saw Steward Xue shouting, they immediately stuffed a rag into Steward Wu's mouth.
Yun Qingluo realized it was getting late and that Achen was probably hungry too.
Turning back to Eunuch Wu, she said, "When I was cooking, I deliberately set aside some food. After Steward Xue is punished, I'll have him inspect it. Then I'll have Yunxin keep an eye on him. I suspect he might tamper with the food. If he really does, there's no need to alert him. I'm looking forward to his next move."
"I'll go deliver the meal to the Emperor first. Yun Tao can come with me." After saying that, Yun Qingluo turned around and went into the small kitchen to get the food box.
Yun Tao rushed in before Yun Qingluo and picked up the food box.
"Your Majesty, I'll take care of it. Let's go quickly," Yun Tao urged Yun Qingluo.
The Imperial Study.
When Yun Qing landed at the entrance of the Imperial Study, she was stopped.
"My lady is here to deliver lunch to the Emperor, why are you stopping her?" Yun Tao said unhappily.
After bowing, the guard said expressionlessly, "This is the Imperial Study. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."
Yun Tao was furious. "What? You dare to call my lady a nobody? Who sent you to work here? How can you be so blind?"
Yun Qingluo pulled Yun Tao back and asked the guard, "Are the other ministers still inside?"
The two guards gave Yun Qingluo a cold look before turning their heads away.
Yun Tao was furious. "Hey, my lady isn't going out, and these snobbish bastards are driving me crazy! I..."
Mo Feng happened to be patrolling and saw Yun Qingluo's back from afar. He thought to himself, "Oh no!" and hurriedly ran over without caring about his image.
The people following behind were completely bewildered. What was wrong with the leader?
Mo Feng walked over and bowed to Yun Qingluo, "This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. The Emperor is inside; I will go and inform him immediately."
Yun Tao snorted coldly and turned her head away. "I wouldn't dare. My lady is just some idle person. I'd better help her back so as not to delay your business."
Upon hearing this, Mo Feng's face darkened. He turned around and gave the two guards a cold look. "You two go down first. I'll punish you later."
He immediately turned around and said, "It's a misunderstanding, Your Majesty. It's all a misunderstanding. These days, those old ministers have been coming to the Emperor to talk about some old, trivial matters, but the Emperor has been bothered by them."
I found two stubborn people to guard the place, and they wouldn't let anyone in without their permission. I never expected the Empress to come so suddenly. I'll go and inform her right away.”
Yun Qingluo glanced at Yun Tao, who suppressed her resentment and lowered her head.
Yun Qingluo looked at Mo Feng, "Has the Emperor and several generals been discussing matters inside?"
Mo Feng nodded, "Yes, it's because the envoys from both countries are about to come to our country to congratulate the new emperor on his ascension to the throne, so the emperor asked a few generals to discuss some security issues."
Yun Qingluo nodded, indicating that she understood.
"Since His Majesty is busy, I won't go in. Here's the food I prepared. Take it in and give it to His Majesty, and make sure he finishes it." Yun Qingluo emphasized the last few words, remembering how heartbreakingly thin Mo Beichen was.
Mo Feng's eyes were filled with gratitude when he heard that Shi Yunqingluo had done it herself.
Recently, the emperor has lost his appetite. Several people have tried to persuade him, but he just ignores their advice.
He and Mo Yu had wanted to speak to the Empress for a long time, but the Emperor saw through their intentions and specifically instructed them not to disturb the Empress.
Unexpectedly, the Empress personally cooked and delivered the meal today. The Emperor has truly not spoiled the Empress for nothing.
After Yun Qingluo finished speaking, she turned to leave, but then she saw the door to the Imperial Study open.
A bright yellow figure flashed by, and Yun Qingluo looked up to see Mo Beichen already standing in front of her, with several generals behind him.
When Yun Qingluo saw that someone was there, she gave a slight curtsy to Mo Beichen, but Mo Beichen stopped her by pulling her hand.
"I didn't quite believe it when I heard from Eunuch Li that you had come. Why didn't you come in? You've been standing at the door all this time. It's so cold outside." Mo Beichen frowned disapprovingly.
Yun Qingluo smiled and said, "I heard that His Majesty hasn't been eating well lately, so I came to bring His Majesty lunch. I saw His Majesty discussing matters with several generals, and I didn't want to disturb them. Why did Your Majesty come out? Are you finished with your work?"
Mo Beichen's brows were so furrowed they could trap a fly.
He didn't like how Luo Luo addressed him or referred to herself.
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