Chapter 18, Eleventh of the Imperial Kitchen
Shinjuku looked at the person's face and his mind went completely blank, as if struck by lightning.
This guy isn't... what's he doing here?! Wait, this outfit... he, the Emperor, he's actually the Emperor?!
Judging from the other person's attire, the black lining that overlaps with the silver-blue satin in the cross-collar, the five-clawed dragon pattern on the cloak, and the coiled dragon pattern on the winged crown on their head, all of these clearly demonstrate that they are of supreme status.
So... I was... forced to kiss the Emperor before?
Shinjuku dared not think any further and could only hope that the Emperor had already forgotten about this minor incident and that it would not affect this little world.
However, when Shinjuku looked into the King of Poison's phoenix eyes and caught a hint of a mischievous smile, Shinjuku, who had still held onto a sliver of hope, died.
"All of you, rise."
A cold, powerful voice rang out, and only then did the dignitaries raise their heads and return to their seats.
The servants rose a step later, while the head palace maid and the eunuch who had accompanied the emperor stood behind the carved dragon couch.
In this way, only Shinjuku was in front of the Emperor.
Although it was forbidden to look directly at the emperor's face, no one could help but steal a glance at the very top.
Then everyone saw a particularly handsome young man look up and ask the emperor something. After receiving the emperor's approval, he began to pick up food from the porcelain plate and taste it under the emperor's gaze.
Although the two were not very close and did not have much interaction, the atmosphere seemed to isolate them from everything around them, as if no one could intervene or disturb them.
The nobles seated below had different thoughts upon seeing this: some were wary, some were confused, some were clueless, and some even looked at him with resentment.
The one who reacted the most was Eunuch Lin Wu, who served Wang Yan's envoy.
When Lin Wufu saw Shinju put food into his mouth, he almost lost his composure, but fortunately he managed to cover his face with a handkerchief in time.
When did the process change? Why is the food being tasted now?! Wasn't the food tasted in the side hall when the meal was served? Lin Wu was shocked, realizing that all the arrangements he had made in the side hall were now useless.
What happened next made his vision go black. Lin Wu saw that Shinju's chopsticks were precisely placed on the poisoned dish, and he was eating one bite after another, far exceeding the small bite required to taste the dish.
But the Emperor showed no reaction to this, instead curving his lips into a faint smile, making Lin Wu wonder if he had misremembered and that the purpose of serving food was to sample this much.
...Wait a minute! Those dishes are almost all half-eaten! Stop eating! Leave some for the Emperor! You've already eaten all the poison!
As much as Lin Wu gritted his teeth, so much more enthusiastically Zhen Su ate, even becoming somewhat carried away with his pride. Fortunately, Zhen Su quickly recovered, pretending nothing had happened. With a serious and handsome face, he picked out several dishes that were no longer appealing but were not poisonous, and placed them one by one in front of the Emperor.
The emperor glanced at the dish that was misplaced on the plate, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Next comes the time to prepare food and test for the effects of the poison.
Mayu knelt back on the mat, secretly counting the great harvest of this time.
Lin Wu clenched the handkerchief in his hand. Taking advantage of Wang Yan's engrossed gaze at the person in the seat of honor, he quickly gave a wink to someone not far away and then secretly made a few hand gestures to pass on the instructions.
Before long, an eunuch carried a food tray and handed a bowl of Snow Cloud Soup to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, this is the leaked Snow Cloud Soup."
The Emperor glanced at the tofu soup topped with hibiscus flowers, then turned his gaze to Shinjuku, who was kneeling obediently to the side to digest his food.
Shinjuku met the Emperor's gaze, then looked at the dish with a puzzled expression.
How could it be missing? This dish isn't even on the menu. This is very strange; there must be something fishy going on.
Shinju closed his eyes and then opened them again, instantly using all six senses. However, the Snow Mist Soup was completely white inside and out.
What a pity. Shinjuku got up, took the silver spoon, scooped out a small amount, and put it in his mouth.
There was no strange taste. However, Shinjuku wasn't sure what kind of trouble might be involved, so he shook his head at the Emperor and then had the eunuch take the Snow Mist Soup away.
Shinjuku returned to his kneeling position.
At this moment, Wang Yan, the envoy from Feng Kingdom who was seated at the lower end, finally could not sit still any longer. He stood up, bowed to King Zhen, and said, "Your Majesty, we are deeply honored that your country always hosts such a grand banquet for us. On behalf of Feng Kingdom, I have brought you some small gifts."
The King of Poison loosened his wrist and nodded.
Having received confirmation, Wang Yan had two lacquered gold boxes brought in with a "clack, clack" sound.
He had the boxes opened and began to introduce the treasures inside one by one, "These silk fabrics are the work of thousands of embroiderers in our country..."
However, before he could finish his introduction, a sudden commotion broke out all around.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with Your Majesty?"
"It seems something went wrong with the meal service!"
"Could something have happened again?! Has the food been poisoned?"
Everyone moved back, trying to get away from the table. Fortunately, the emperor hadn't touched his chopsticks, so they hadn't touched the food yet.
The Emperor was the first to notice that something was wrong with Masakatsu. He noticed that Masakatsu's hands, which were resting on his knees, were clenched into fists and his whole body was trembling slightly, as if he was enduring something.
The emperor immediately leaned over the table and bent down to observe the situation of the monk.
As soon as the emperor made a move, the people below began to stir.
By the time Masakatsu realized he had alarmed the Emperor and everyone else in the hall, it was too late.
Faced with the emperor's ashen face, Shinju couldn't explain that he was perfectly fine, not poisoned, not sick, just angry.
Yes, he was trembling with anger just now.
Because he finally realized what conspiracy was hidden in that bowl of Snow Cloud Soup.
That was actually an antidote!! One spoonful completely neutralized all the unrefined poison he had collected during this food tasting! Not only that, it also cleared away a significant amount of the toxins from his root chakra, reducing them by a full ten or twelve percent! If he had refined all the food he had eaten, it would have been enough for him to break through to the mid-stage of the Poison Realm, but since it was neutralized, he now has to at least double his reserves.
"Aaaaah! How vicious! I'll fight you to the death!!" Masakatsu roared in his mind, not quite in his right mind at the time.
At this moment, Shinju could only ask with an innocent look, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The Emperor stared at Shinju for a long while, and seeing that he did not seem to be unwell, he relaxed his furrowed brows, and his cold expression faded away.
You even dare to ask him what's wrong?
The emperor suddenly felt a bit itchy to use his sword, thinking that if he had the Miao sword at hand, he would definitely use it to give this kid a good thrashing.
The commotion below continued, but the Emperor, always acting arbitrarily, disdained to explain such a scene. He simply leaned back on the couch, waved his hand, and signaled Wang Yan to continue. The crowd quieted down on its own.
Wang Yan felt a mix of emotions. From the moment he arrived at the banquet until now, he had been ignored by the Emperor. Even though he wanted to take this opportunity to lash out, he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the overwhelming presence of the man on the dragon-carved couch, and he eventually gave up the idea of lashing out.
They could only swallow their anger and reintroduce the gifts they had brought.
Among the high-ranking officials and princes, quite a few exchanged pleasantries with him, and they chatted happily.
The banquet hall became lively again.
Before long, Shinjuku was still unharmed, so the attendant eunuch raised his voice and announced, "Let the banquet begin!"
Lin Wu, sitting below, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, his posture returning to its leisurely and alluring state. He curved his fox-like eyes and glanced expectantly at the top of the hall.
The meal is fine, Your Majesty. You can eat with peace of mind.
A note from the author:
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The title "King Zhen" is not a prince or a titled king, but a special name used only by the author in the third person, and for the time being only Zhen Mo himself knows why he is called that.
Just remember that Zhenmo = Zhenwang = Emperor.
It shouldn't look too messy, right? (Scratching head)
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