Chapter 28 After Marriage
Jialuo wondered if she had been caught looking at him earlier.
But given her previous two interactions with him, she still stood up.
He walked towards the table, looking as if he was about to go and wait for someone to serve him his meal.
As she walked, she said, “Your Majesty, I was thinking that you are so devoted to the affairs of the country that you forget to eat and sleep. It is a blessing for the people of our Great Qing. However, you are still so young and need to nourish your body. You must eat well.”
"oh?"
Fu Lin casually rested his left hand on his bent left knee, leisurely observing Jia Luo, his gaze lightly falling on her.
"So the Empress cares about me this much?"
Jialuo finally sat down on the embroidered stool in front of her, and said solemnly, "My duty is to care for Your Majesty..."
"Of course, there's also peace in the harem."
"Your Majesty's health is naturally within my concern, and it is even the most important thing to me."
After she finished speaking, she put on a dignified and elegant demeanor.
Fu Lin just stared at her silently.
His gaze grew slightly somber, but he remained silent, simply staring at her.
This gaze made Jialuo slightly uncomfortable. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Then I will go..."
"Since the Empress has said so, then my usual meals will be arranged by the Empress."
Fu Lin withdrew his gaze and opened the book on the desk again.
He didn't look like he was reading some casual book; he looked like he was reading a commemorative document.
Jialuo was dumbfounded.
She stared blankly at him, a surge of resentment welling up inside her.
Why should she be in charge of his meals? She's neither his servant nor his personal chef.
Besides, after a while, someone will come to him to bring him meals.
Why would she go and join in the fun?
But it seemed a bit strange to refuse the emperor from such a distance.
She had no choice but to get up again, walk forward a bit, and sit down next to the boy, silently watching him.
The boy, seemingly oblivious, casually turned a page.
"Your Majesty, your meals are all recorded. I have no idea which of your dishes are safe to eat and which are not."
"Moreover, your health requires the combined care of the imperial chefs and physicians."
Fu Lin slightly raised his eyes, his extremely thin eyelids gently lifting to reveal his jet-black eyes.
"Look, Your Majesty, you speak so eloquently, don't you understand?"
Jialuo immediately shut her lips.
Fu Lin naturally turned his gaze away and continued reading the book in his hands.
The room fell silent once again.
But perhaps the two of them had become accustomed to the situation where they would run out of things to say to each other.
So even though the two of them suddenly fell into silence, there was a strange harmony to it all.
The security guard on the other side silently exhaled and quietly stood in the shadows.
Jialu pouted reluctantly and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I will definitely ask the Imperial Kitchen what meals they have prepared for Your Majesty every day."
"Okay, let's do it this way for now."
Fu Lin said casually.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jialuo saw Emerald leading a palace maid carrying food into the room.
Although she enjoys eating delicious food, she would never be extravagant or wasteful.
Each dish was the right amount, just enough for her to eat.
But today, Fu Lin is here, and Jade doesn't know what the Emperor likes to eat.
So each dish was prepared in the same quantity as the ones Jialuo and her brothers had prepared when they were together.
The table was laden with food, but Jialuo glanced at it and didn't pay it any mind.
On the contrary, Fu Lin raised his eyebrows slightly and his gaze fell on Jia Luo.
He glanced up and down, then looked away.
Jialuo: "?"
Although she didn't understand why Fulin looked at her like that, she didn't ask any further questions.
She turned around, took the serving chopsticks from the jadeite hand, sat down next to the emperor, and prepared to serve him food herself.
The distance between the two suddenly closed considerably, and Jialuo even smelled the unique fragrance emanating from the boy once again.
But at this moment, Jialuo had no interest in smelling any aromas. Looking at the table full of food, she was completely satisfied and wanted to eat.
"Your Majesty, this is a chicken with mushrooms. The mushrooms are the freshest and most tender, and when paired with a plump hen, there is also bird's nest inside. The taste is delicious, and the chicken is also very tender."
Jialuo picked up a piece and placed it in the Emperor's jade dish.
Then he turned to Fu Lin with a look that said, "Eat quickly, eat quickly."
Fu Lin had little appetite, but seeing the expectant expression on the woman's face, he picked up his silver chopsticks and took a bite.
"It's acceptable."
Upon hearing this, Jialuo glanced at him and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty will surely enjoy the next dish I prepare for you."
"You'll do it?"
Fu Lin raised an eyebrow, looked at the dishes on the table, and asked, "Which one did you make?"
Jialu chuckled and said, "I accidentally saw someone who really knows how to eat making this dish. He taught me the method, and later I learned it and made it for Abu and my older siblings. They all love it."
As she spoke, Jialuo used serving chopsticks to take a pancake from the plate.
He carefully laid them out on the plate in front of her, and then took out the braised pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, shredded cucumber, and white scallions from a plate.
He scooped out another spoonful of chili sauce, spread it on top of the dish, rolled it up with chopsticks, and then put it into Fu Lin's bowl.
"Try it, it's delicious."
Jialu pursed her lips, clearly wanting to eat some herself.
But Fu Lin seemed oblivious to her hopes, slowly picking up the rolled-up pancake.
After biting off half, slowly eating and swallowing it, I ate the other half.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of the taste and texture?"
Jialu asked repeatedly.
Fu Lin took a sip of tea and nodded slightly.
"good."
Jialuo then introduced him to the smoked pork that she had recently been enjoying.
The Emperor had eaten, and still nodded slightly.
Jialu then served the Emperor some of her favorite clear broth seafood dish.
Fu Lin didn't like it much; he took one bite and then stopped.
This process continued repeatedly, and Jialuo served almost half of the food to the Emperor.
Fifteen minutes later, Jialuo could no longer bear it and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it's not advisable to eat too much late-night snack; it can easily upset your stomach."
Fu Lin glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, and casually said, "Hmm, I see that the Empress has prepared so much food, she must be hungry. So there's no need to serve me any more food, you can eat by yourself."
Jialuo couldn't be bothered to look at his smug expression.
He breathed a huge sigh of relief, but still respectfully handed the serving chopsticks to the security guard beside him.
She then took the serving chopsticks offered by Jade and served herself the food.
When she finally put the pancake she had been craving all day into her mouth, wrapped with pork belly, Jialuo couldn't help but take a deep breath and even closed her eyes in bliss.
Next came the other dishes, and she took a bite of each one.
But standing clearly apart from her, the security guard would give Fu Lin a bite of each dish, and then stop.
Even in some places where Jialuofang has a lot of food laid out for Fulinbu, the security guards are all staggered and don't grab them.
Fu Lin also slowed down his eating pace. After waiting for Jia Luo to take a few bites, he actually finished his meal and put down his silver chopsticks.
"?"
Jialuo immediately stopped using the serving chopsticks she was using to pick up food and gave Fulin a suspicious look.
"You can eat it yourself, there's no need to worry about too many rules."
Fu Lin spoke.
The security guard then brought out tea for rinsing the mouth.
"Have you finished eating?"
Jialuo took a sip of water and asked.
Fu Lin raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Didn't the Empress just say that it's not advisable to eat too much for a late-night snack?"
Jialu choked up; that was just an excuse for her to want to eat.
Who would have thought that he really only ate this much?
There was still half a plate of meat on her plate. Jialuo paused for a moment, but decided to ignore it.
She decided to eat and enjoy herself first, so she said in a low voice, "I've only just started eating, and I'm not full yet."
Fu Lin casually said, "Do as you please."
He got up, went to the side to rinse his mouth, and asked the security guard to bring him the books he usually liked to read.
Jialuo glanced at the food, finished her meal, and ordered Emerald to remove it from the table.
While she was rinsing her mouth, the Emperor was still lying on the south kang (heated brick bed) reading.
Night had already fallen outside, and the palace maids stood on tiptoe, one by one, to light the palace lanterns.
At this moment, Jialuo had to remind him, "Your Majesty, it's late."
Fu Lin didn't even look up, and said in a low voice, "Hmm, is the Empress tired?"
Jialuo nodded slightly and quickly said, "Yes, I met with the newly arrived concubines during the day and studied the situation of various palaces in the afternoon, so I am quite tired."
Fu Lin grunted in response, but ultimately did not look up.
Galo didn't understand what he meant.
She said she was tired, so shouldn't he have left on his own?
Fu Lin seemed to finally realize what Jia Luo meant. He raised his eyes and looked at Jia Luo expressionlessly.
She said, word by word, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that today is the fifth day of the month?"
Surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs, Jialuo couldn't very well ask Chuwu directly what was wrong.
She silently watched the emperor's increasingly grim expression, when a sudden inspiration struck her.
Then it dawned on me.
She almost forgot that the Emperor would rest in the Empress's palace on the 5th, 15th, and 25th of each month.
Even on his wedding night, the Emperor stayed at the Qianqing Palace, so no one dared to mention the matter.
And Jialuo, of course, couldn't remember anything at all.
Until that night passed, tonight is the fifth day after they consummated their marriage for the first time in front of others.
After Jialuo suddenly realized what was going on, she faced the pressure of the Emperor's gaze, as well as the gaze that she might not know, but which was constantly watching her on behalf of the Empress Dowager.
Try your best to put on a happy look of sudden realization.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is actually going to stay at Shou'an Palace. I am overjoyed."
Fu Lin's eyes narrowed slightly, while Jia Luo felt reluctant because of these joyful words.
She didn't want to meet the boy's gaze, so she slightly averted her eyes, which made her seem genuinely shy.
"If the Empress is happy, that's good."
The gloom that had lingered over the Emperor's brow all night eased slightly at this moment.
The long night is destined to be hard to endure.
Jialuo then picked up the book that the Emperor had just been reading, flipped through it, and was just about to read it.
But then she heard a young boy's voice beside her: "Which concubines did the Empress meet today?"
Jialuo raised her eyes, her gaze meeting his.
"Yes, the five concubines are of extraordinary birth and outstanding appearance, each with their own unique beauty. Your Majesty is very happy."
She considered it for a moment before speaking.
Fu Lin raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly not caring whether the five concubines were truly beautiful.
"Have your fifth older sister and cousin come to pay their respects?"
Speaking of this, Jialuo was actually a little angry.
Fifth Sister Angrama has arrived, and she has already said that she wants to marry the most powerful husband.
There is no husband in the world more powerful than the emperor.
But how old is Angel?
Eight years old!
She felt disgusted whenever she thought about how eight-year-old Angel had become someone else's concubine.
The harmonious atmosphere between the two changed instantly when this matter was brought up.
“Your Majesty, Angel is so young, how can she enter the palace as a concubine?”
After saying that, she couldn't help but add, "Besides, you already have a favorite concubine. What will happen to Angel in this palace in the future..."
"Empress,"
Fu Lin called to her with a hint of warning.
Upon seeing this, the security guard glanced at the jade and agate on the opposite side and then led the group out in single file.
Jade glanced at its master, then retreated along with Agate.
"Angel? Which cousin of yours are you talking about?"
Fu Lin snorted coldly and said, "I didn't realize that the Empress was someone who cared for her sisters."
Fu Lin curled the corners of his mouth and said in a slightly sarcastic tone.
"What, is Angel going to suffer any injustice in this palace?"
Upon hearing this, Jialuo immediately stood up and was about to kneel down.
"You speak while standing!"
Fu Lin rose up in a rage, strode up to Jia Luo, and roared, "Don't think I don't know that every time you kneel, it's not out of genuine respect for me!"
"This is just one of your tactics!"
"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation."
Fu Lin looked at her, then snorted coldly and said, "What about your sister? Angelama, why don't you mention her?"
"Isn't that your real sister?"
Jialuo simply had nothing to say to him, and what difference would it make if she did?
She's already been chosen for the palace, and her fifth sister is already a few years older than her, so how could she possibly control her from serving the emperor?
If Jialuo truly refused Anglama's service in bed, it would seem rather strange of her to act this way.
Tianqi'er was chosen because the girl was truly naive and far too young.
But since the emperor had asked, how could she remain silent?
"Your Majesty, my fifth sister is older than me and has a gentler personality. With Your Majesty as both her husband and cousin in the palace, she is naturally living a very good life."
“Angel is too young. Even if she comes to the palace, she is happy to have an older sister who likes to accompany her son in the palace.”
"Your Majesty, I was afraid that she might offend you by speaking carelessly."
Fulin sneered and said, "Is there anyone in this world more daring to offend the emperor than you, Xin Sari, of the Borjigit clan?!"
Jialuo thought to herself, "Yes, this person is also in the palace, and she is your own mother."
But even if she had ten times the courage, she wouldn't dare to say that.
So they had no choice but to remain silent.
"What? You're speechless?!"
The young man asked in a low voice.
Jialuo wasn't exactly known for her good temper. She suppressed her anger, but still couldn't control herself, and said in a low but quick voice, "Isn't this because I was afraid of offending Your Majesty?"
Fu Lin was so angry that he almost fainted.
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Author's Note: Hehe, I updated today. I'll be updating a little later tomorrow because of the new release schedule. I'll update around 9,000 words at 11 PM! (Making a bold statement) Then I'll be doing a giveaway. Subscribers have a 100% chance to win!
Pre-order: Daiyu's Choice of Husband in the Nine Princes' Succession Struggle in the Qing Dynasty
When Daiyu first visited her maternal grandfather in the capital, she was invited into the palace without even entering his house, and was told that she was to become a little princess.
As soon as she entered the palace, the kind and gentle emperor pulled her in front of him and asked her to call him "Father".
Then, pointing to the brothers who were standing properly to the side, he called them "brother".
Daiyu felt timid, but she obediently called out.
This shout kept her in the palace for over ten years.
Later, the emperor said he would choose a prince for her as a husband.
Daiyu's gaze involuntarily fell on her brothers.
Her brothers treated her very well.
He was even willing to marry her as his principal wife.
...
The young master, her childhood sweetheart, looked at her gently and said, "Yu'er, you can choose for yourself."
The eldest prince, who was next door, smiled gently at Daiyu and said, "You and your brother grew up together, and your brother will protect you for life."
The gentle and learned Third Prince, holding the rare book he had searched far and wide for for her, said earnestly, "Little sister, you and I are the ones who can talk to each other the most. They are all brutes."
The aloof and arrogant Fourth Prince stood with his hands behind his back, his dark eyes fixed on her without uttering a word.
The wealthy young master, the Tenth Prince, with a dashing air about him, smiled and sighed, "They all care about their own power, but I, your younger brother, only care about my sister's desire to travel the world and see all its beautiful landscapes."
The handsome and youthful Fourteenth Prince walked up to her and said in a low voice, "Sister, your little brother is a lot of fun."
Daiyu twisted her embroidered handkerchief, looking at her brothers, but felt extremely angry.
"Who has been writing her love letters all this time?!"
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