As soon as Situ Rui entered Changchun Palace and arrived at the side hall, Xiao Douzi and the other servants saw him and were about to bow and call out when they were stopped by Eunuch Li.
What a joke! The Emperor said he wanted to come quietly. If these people shout and alert Consort Tang, wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?
Little Bean and the others were startled when they saw the emperor sneak in. They wondered if the empress had done anything out of line, or if her demeanor was proper.
As soon as Situ Rui entered, he saw the newly arrived Consort Tang sitting in the room, silently weeping. The emperor had imagined all sorts of scenarios, but he had never expected this.
Tang Baozhu pretended to be startled by the emperor's entrance, quickly wiped away her tears, and bowed to him, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"
Situ Rui didn't say anything and simply sat down in the main seat. To be honest, he was in a bad mood. No one expected that the newly arrived concubine would be secretly crying. How dissatisfied must she be with the palace to do that?
However, seeing her pretty little face, looking so pitiful after crying, made her even more endearing, so I decided to ask her to explain.
"Is Consort Tang dissatisfied with the palace?"
Tang Baozhu was genuinely a little frightened. Her calm voice and expressionless face were indeed somewhat intimidating, and most importantly, her aura was particularly terrifying.
Her legs went weak, and she knelt directly beneath the emperor. She didn't really intend to kneel; she was just terrified. Before coming to this world, she was just an ordinary person. The highest-ranking official she had ever seen was on television, let alone the head of a country in person.
"This concubine did not mean it, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me. I only cried because I felt wronged when I saw the dinner. Although my family is an ordinary family, the food we eat is better than here. I thought I came to the palace to live a good life, so I suddenly felt wronged. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Situ Rui hadn't expected his newly chosen concubine to be so naive. She was crying just because the food was bad. He wanted to see just how bad the food was to have frightened her like this.
He stepped down from his seat and onto the dining table, only to be startled by the three dishes and soup laid out. Were the concubines in his palace really eating so poorly? He called out, "Little Li, come in quickly."
Eunuch Li was standing guard at the door when he heard the emperor's shout, which carried an air of impending anger. He quickly entered and asked, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"Young Master Li, I ask you, is this what the food is like for those of noble rank?"
Little Li looked curiously at the table. He had long known that the people in the imperial kitchen were becoming more and more arrogant. He didn't expect that the concubine would dare to serve such simple food as soon as she entered the room. It seemed that they were unlucky. It just so happened that he had some personal grudges and could stir things up.
"Your Majesty, the food for a person of the rank of Nobleman is half a catty of meat and half a chicken every day, along with various vegetables. Every five or ten days, there is also mutton and beef. It should not be like this."
Situ Rui knew perfectly well that the servants in the imperial kitchen had been skimping on their food. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Has this always been the case? Have those who used to serve me also had their food cut?"
"Your Majesty, that's probably it."
"Take this food away immediately and order a fresh meal from the Imperial Kitchen. Also, investigate the Imperial Kitchen and send all the problematic dishes to the Censorate. Remember, don't let a single one go. You dog of a servant, if you dare to secretly let even one or two go, I'll settle the score with you."
"Your Majesty, this servant dares not. This servant is utterly loyal to Your Majesty. Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will certainly handle this matter well."
Situ Rui didn't say anything, just waved his hand to tell him to leave. Knowing that he had difficulty having children, he didn't care much about the women in the harem. Little did he know how hard they were living. It seems that he should treat them better in the future, at least to ensure that they can live a life without worry about food and clothing.
After dealing with the matter, he looked at Consort Tang, who was still kneeling on the ground, walked over, took her hand, and helped her up. "Get up! You're so delicate. You can cry just because the food isn't good. If you're not satisfied with anything in the future, just tell me, and I'll take care of it for you."
Tang Baozhu was simply nervous and frightened because it was her first time meeting the emperor. But now that she saw his handsome face and his pleasant and gentle voice, her nervousness dissipated.
She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not blaming me. I never imagined that the food in the palace would be like this. I thought it would always be like this. The thought of eating this kind of food every day in the future made me unable to hold back my tears."
When Situ Rui heard her complain about the food, he remained expressionless and said, "My dear concubine, your family is very well-off. Do you eat meat and fish at every meal?"
Tang Baozhu cursed the dog of a man in her heart, still suspicious at this moment. "The family's conditions are just so-so, but my parents dote on me. They save all the good things for me. There is meat in every meal, but that's all."
"Um."
When the emperor was in Changchun Palace, the imperial kitchen staff worked exceptionally fast, and a sumptuous dinner was immediately served.
The servants outside came in to help serve the food, and then they were not allowed to talk while eating, which made Tang Baozhu feel uncomfortable. Sure enough, when eating with the emperor, you can forget about eating comfortably.
After rinsing his mouth again after dinner, Situ Rui took Tang Baozhu outside to stroll around the garden to digest their food. They also felt that it was getting dark too slowly. After staying in the palace for so long, they felt impatient. They thought that in order not to make people think that he was ravenous, they should go outside and get some fresh air to cool down.
Tang Baozhu had no idea that the people around her were full of lewd thoughts. However, since the emperor was eating here, he would probably sleep here at night. She had to seize the opportunity and strike decisively.
This time, more than 20 beauties were brought in. If the emperor were to favor them all, it would take at least two months. After all, the emperor is not made of iron and definitely needs to rest. If he were to favor them all, it would be more than two months before they meet again. So, he might as well make a quick decision and have a baby in one go.
After strolling around the garden and seeing that it was getting dark, Situ Rui couldn't wait to pull Tang Baozhu into the house.
When Tang Baozhu was serving the emperor during his first time washing up, she was not very skilled and ended up getting herself soaked.
Summer clothes aren't thick to begin with, and they become even more see-through when wet. Situ Rui looked at the beautiful woman in front of him; her skin was so white it seemed to glow, and it felt like the finest jade to the touch. He thought he was lucky; he had managed to select such a stunning beauty in an ordinary talent show.
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