Chapter 14 Grandpa Emperor, Your Cakes Have "Color"
The Imperial Study.
These three words made Mu Fang's heart, which had just settled, jump into his throat again.
Compared to the imposing grandeur of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Imperial Study is more like the lair of a sleeping behemoth.
Here, there are no officials, only the emperor's most private thoughts and unquestionable authority.
"Lord Protector, please come in. His Majesty is waiting for you inside." The old eunuch had a kind smile on his face, but there was a chill in that smile no matter how you looked at it.
Mu Fang glanced at his daughter, who was already dozing off in his arms, her little mouth still smacking, and she was even muttering "osmanthus cake" in her dreams. He tightened his arms around her.
He carried Mu Yu and stepped into that seemingly ordinary threshold, which could determine life and death.
A faint scent of ambergris permeated the imperial study. Emperor Chu Yuan was not wearing his dragon robe, but only a bright yellow casual dress. He sat on a soft couch, his face still pale, but his eyes were unusually sharp.
Steward Li stood to one side with his hands at his sides, and the entire space was so quiet that the faint crackling of the candlelight could be heard.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Mu Fang knelt on one knee, his voice steady.
"Rise." Chu Yuan waved his hand, but his gaze passed over Mu Fang and landed on the little person in his arms who was sleeping with a rosy face.
"Little Yu'er must be exhausted?" His voice carried a deliberately gentle tone.
Mu Yu was woken up by the noise. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, which were still moist with tears.
She looked around groggily, her gaze finally settling on Chu Yuan. She sniffed the air and mumbled, "Grandpa Emperor...hungry..."
"Hahaha..." Chu Yuan seemed amused by her appearance. "Li Fu, go and bring up the osmanthus cake and almond milk that the imperial kitchen prepared for the little princess."
"Yes, sir." Steward Li bowed and withdrew.
Mu Fang's heart sank. The more amiable the emperor's expression, the more dangerous the hidden danger.
"Minister Mu, you've had a hard day in court." Chu Yuan's gaze returned to Mu Fang.
"It is my duty to share Your Majesty's burdens," Mu Fang said, bowing his head respectfully, yet without a hint of rudeness.
Chu Yuan smiled noncommittally, then changed the subject: "I'm very curious, how...how did Xiao Yu'er see those...things?"
It's here!
Mu Fang's heart alarm bells rang, and she immediately replied, "Your Majesty, my daughter is young and speaks without thinking. Perhaps she heard some strange stories somewhere, but they should not be taken seriously."
"Don't take it seriously?" Chu Yuan's tone suddenly turned cold. "She pointed at Ling Lan and said he was a bad guy, and I vomited black blood! She told your father's knife to be faster than a candied hawthorn, and that evil Taoist Ling Lan was subdued by you in one move! She said that Chong Jin cannot be sent to the southwest, otherwise my golden light will be eaten away by black insects... Mu Fang, do you think I'm a three-year-old child, so easy to fool?"
The emperor's imposing aura swept over him, sending a chill down Mu Fang's spine. Yet, he remained defiant: "Your Majesty, you are wise. My daughter is utterly without evil; she is merely..."
"Daddy, Gao Gao!"
Mu Yu didn't care what they were arguing about. She smelled the sweet scent and kept wriggling in Mu Fang's arms.
Chief Eunuch Li personally led two eunuchs to place plates of exquisite pastries on a small table beside them.
The osmanthus cake was crystal clear, topped with golden osmanthus honey, and had a wonderfully fragrant aroma.
Mu Yu's eyes lit up instantly. She struggled to slide down from Mu Fang's arms, ran to the small table, reached out her chubby little hand, picked up a piece, and stuffed it into her mouth.
Her little face immediately puffed up with happiness, and she exclaimed indistinctly, "Delicious!"
Looking at her innocent and greedy expression, Chu Yuan's coldness faded slightly, and he softened his voice again: "Little Yu'er, tell Grandpa, why did you say that bad Taoist priest was a black worm hiding behind the pillar?"
Mu Yu was engrossed in finishing the second piece of osmanthus cake when she heard this and replied without looking up, "Because his body... is black! Like a stinky stone in a latrine, black and smelly!"
After she finished speaking, she pinched her nose with a serious expression, looking disgusted.
This description...
Even with Chu Yuan's deep and calculating nature, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
"Then... what about Brother Jinlong?" he asked again.
“Brother Jinlong,” Mu Yu finally swallowed what was in her mouth, her eyes sparkling, “He’s golden! The color of the sun! Bright, warm, and so handsome!”
As she spoke, she gestured with her small hands, which were covered in pastry crumbs, as if describing her most beloved treasure.
Chu Yuan's breath hitched slightly.
One was black and smelly, the other was bright and clean.
This child can really see "fortune"!
He looked at Mu Yu, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He knew his own body well; ever since that evil Taoist Linglan poisoned him with a slow-acting poison, his condition had deteriorated day by day.
The imperial physicians were at a loss, and he could even feel his life slipping away bit by bit.
But yesterday, the little girl just patted his knee, and that warm current made him feel light and refreshed, something he hadn't felt in a long time.
She is his lucky star! She is the lucky star of the Great Chu!
"Mu Fang." Chu Yuan's voice rang out again, this time with an undeniable authority, "You no longer need to cover for her. I know she is an auspicious omen bestowed upon my Great Chu by Heaven."
Mu Fang's heart sank to the bottom. A "lucky omen" that catches the eye of an emperor is never a good thing. It either gets elevated to a divine status, or... is ruthlessly discarded after its value has been squeezed dry.
"I will not harm her." Chu Yuan seemed to see through Mu Fang's thoughts. "I still need her."
He paused, then instructed the person outside the door, "Summon Princess Jianing to come and dine with the young princess."
Soon, a thin little girl wearing a faded old palace dress walked in timidly. It was Princess Jianing, who had been bullied by the lotus pond earlier.
As soon as she entered and saw the emperor, she was so frightened that she immediately knelt down, her small body trembling: "Your subject... Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Chu Yuan simply gave a faint "hmm" and then stopped looking at her.
Mu Yu recognized her, though she still had half a piece of almond cream in her mouth. She greeted her indistinctly, "Poor thing, you're here!"
Princess Jianing shrank back, not daring to raise her head.
"Come here, sit here." Mu Yu patted the small stool next to her, then picked up a piece of hibiscus pastry and shoved it into Jia Ning's hand without saying a word. "This is delicious too! Here you go!"
Princess Jianing held the delicate pastry, at a loss, and looked to Chu Yuan for help.
Chu Yuan didn't speak, he just watched quietly.
Mu Yu grew impatient. She took a big bite of the pastry in her hand, then leaned close to Jia Ning's ear and whispered a complaint: "Grandpa Emperor's food is not good at all. The dishes are not as good as my father's! Only these few pieces of pastry are okay. You should eat them quickly, or there won't be any left!"
Jia Ning burst out laughing at her joke, though she quickly stopped, her tense face visibly relaxed.
She carefully took a small bite of the hibiscus pastry, the sweet taste melting on her tongue, and her big eyes curved into little crescents.
Mu Fang stood aside, watching his daughter relax a reserved little princess with just a few words, feeling both proud and worried.
His daughter is like a ray of sunshine, easily shining into the softest part of people's hearts.
But being too dazzling in this deep palace is not a good thing.
Just then, Steward Li came in carrying a tray with a bowl of cherry jelly that was a beautiful pink color.
"Your Majesty, this is a newly made chilled cherry jelly from the Imperial Kitchen, to help the two young princes cleanse their palates."
The cherry jelly, served in a crystal bowl, was pink and translucent, making it incredibly tempting to look at.
Mu Yu's eyes were immediately glued to it.
Steward Li placed two identical bowls of cherry jelly in front of Mu Yu and Jia Ning respectively.
"Wow! Beautiful!" Mu Yu picked up a small spoon, ready to scoop a spoonful into her mouth.
Suddenly, her little movements stopped.
She blinked her large amber eyes, activating her "Eye of Fortune".
In her vision, the bowl of cherry jelly in front of her emitted a faint, natural white glow.
However, the bowl in front of Jia Ning, which looked exactly the same, was surrounded by a very faint, sickly gray mist.
The color was like the first phlegm coughed up by a sick person—sticky and disgusting.
There's something wrong with this bowl!
"Don't eat it!"
Mu Yu shouted, and before anyone could react, she swiftly reached out her chubby little hand and switched the bowl in front of her with the bowl in front of Jia Ning.
The entire movement was executed in one smooth motion, so fast it was dazzling.
Princess Jianing held the small spoon and looked at her blankly.
Mu Fang and Steward Li were also taken aback.
Only Chu Yuan, lying on the soft couch, narrowed his eyes slightly, a glint of light flashing across his face.
"Little Yu'er, what are you doing?" Mu Fang asked nervously.
Mu Yu ignored him. She pulled the bowl of problematic cherry jelly in front of her and said to Jia Ning righteously, "This bowl is lucky cherry jelly, you eat it! My bowl... I'll try it for you!"
After saying that, she looked like she was going to her death, scooped up a large spoonful of the grayish cherry jelly, and stuffed it into her mouth.
The moment it entered my mouth, an indescribable, strange taste exploded on my tongue. It didn't taste spoiled; rather, it tasted like some strange medicinal herb had been mixed in, both bitter and astringent.
"Pah!" Mu Yu's face instantly scrunched up like a bun. "It's awful! It's a rotten cherry jelly!"
She stuck out her tongue in disgust.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, a "thump" was heard in the hall, and a young palace maid who was in charge of serving food suddenly collapsed to her knees with her legs weak. Her face was as pale as paper, and her whole body was trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.
The entire imperial study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Chu Yuan's gaze, like two sharp ice blades, shot straight at the kneeling palace maid, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Did you handle this cherry jelly?"
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