As they walked, Shen Ling tilted her head and looked at Qing Qiu, who was walking ahead of her, with a meaningful look in her eyes.
Shen Ling's gaze was as if she had encountered an old acquaintance, but was unable to acknowledge him, feeling both puzzled and disgusted.
Gu Mu noticed that Qing Qiu was leading the way, and sometimes when she turned around, her gaze would drift over Gu Mu as if to say something, but when she looked at Shen Ling, her eyes were full of disgust.
Is this what they call backstabbing and scheming among girls?
After a long period of calm, Gu Mu seemed to smell a familiar scent again.
However, Qingqiu's disgust was even more deeply hidden. If Gu Mu hadn't obtained the "eagle eye" skill from the system to identify green tea bitches, he would never have been able to tell.
Then Qingqiu's eyes flickered, and she revealed a sweet smile: "We've arrived, Your Majesty and Your Highness. This is the most luxurious private room in our inn. The dishes are ready and are being kept warm on the stove. Your Majesty and Your Highness only need to wait a moment, and someone will come to serve the dishes."
The waiter following Qingqiu immediately pulled out stools for Gu Mu and Shen Ling, and served them bowls and chopsticks.
After that, a group of thinly dressed waiters stood in the private room.
Although they had their eyes downcast, their faces couldn't hide their shyness.
The local officials, seemingly afraid of not being able to provide adequate hospitality, did not take their seats immediately. Instead, they followed Gu Mu to his private room, bowing and scraping obsequiously.
Fortunately, the private room was large enough that even with so many people standing around serving, it didn't feel crowded at all; on the contrary, it still felt quite spacious.
With her cool and aloof gaze, Shen Ling swept her eyes over the thinly dressed waiters standing by, ready to serve them at any moment.
He frowned and asked, "Although the people of the South are known for their open-mindedness, and women can engage in business or find a job to make a living..."
"But this is the first time I've ever seen a shop that only hires girls and not boys."
The local officials instantly tensed up: They're here! They've finally arrived! The Empress's jealousy has indeed been unleashed!
Fortunately, they were prepared. One of the local officials immediately smiled obsequiously and said, "Our shop isn't all girls. The chefs in the kitchen are young men, and some of the people working in the back kitchen, doing mostly physical labor, are also young men."
"Is that so?" Shen Ling said indifferently, "I see that this shop is full of girls. If I didn't know better, I would think that you don't accept young men."
The officials all knew perfectly well: the Empress was ostensibly blaming them for attracting discrimination against the young man, but in reality, she was just jealous and couldn't say it outright.
However... although the Empress was extremely jealous, His Majesty didn't say anything, which probably meant he tacitly approved of their behavior and even felt quite happy about it.
Therefore, they had to appease the Empress and seek happiness for His Majesty.
The local officials, who seemed to see His Majesty with women on both sides and praising their hospitality, straightened their backs guiltily and said, "Your Majesty, we treat both young girls and young men equally. It's just that the young girls are more meticulous in their work and have sweeter tongues, making it easier for them to please our guests. This is also for the guests' benefit."
Shen Ling glanced at the officials briefly and then said nothing more.
The local officials glanced at Gu Mu discreetly, and when Shen Ling couldn't see, they gave Gu Mu a proud smile and gestured with their eyes, saying, "Your Majesty, we can not only help you this far, but we can help you much more. Your Majesty, please rest assured."
In Gu Mu's eyes, they were nothing more than a group of vulgar women posing and scratching at him, a group of chubby-faced, squinty-eyed women constantly squeezing at him with eyes that were already hard to see clearly.
Among this group of ordinary women, the only one who is presentable is probably Qingqiu, who is in the lead.
But for some reason, this Qingqiu always gave Gu Mu a bad feeling.
And this feeling wasn't just his; it seemed that Shen Ling, who was sitting next to him, also had it.
Because when Gu Mu's gaze occasionally swept over Qingqiu and Shen Ling, he could feel an unseen undercurrent surging within them.
Soon, a waiter brought the food over.
After the waiter finished serving the dishes, he picked up the wine pot, walked to Gu Mu's side, bent down slightly, and a fragrant aroma wafted into Gu Mu's nose.
Originally, because Shen Ling was very close to Gu Mu, the faint fragrance emanating from her was very pleasant.
However, the waiter seemed afraid that Gu Mu wouldn't be able to smell the fragrance on her body, so he applied a bit too much perfume, which immediately covered up the super pleasant and unique scent on Shen Ling's body.
At this moment, Gu Mu felt even more grateful for Shen Ling's kindness.
Unexpectedly, when the waiter poured wine for Gu Mu, he almost made physical contact with Gu Mu, and even looked at Gu Mu with affection in his eyes, giving him a flirtatious wink.
This waiter was quite bold, openly seducing Gu Mu right in front of Shen Ling.
However, in this era, the emperor's power is supreme. As long as she catches Gu Mu's eye, she has the opportunity to become a concubine in the palace.
So what if the Empress resents him?
This is why the waiter dared to go all out.
The waiter's actions were so obvious and bold that they naturally caught Shen Ling's attention.
Although she knew that the other woman was inferior to her in terms of physique, appearance, intelligence, martial arts, and so on, Shen Ling couldn't help but feel a little jealous when she saw other women so close to the man she loved.
But she was, after all, a lady of high birth, and even with a knife to her neck, she remained calm and composed.
At this moment, she only lowered her eyes slightly, looking somewhat downcast.
Unexpectedly, Gu Mu put his arm around her shoulder, took a deep breath on her neck, and whispered, "Those common beauties are no match for you..."
Shen Ling paused for a moment, then flashed a sweet smile.
Not far away, Qingqiu saw Gu Mu and Shen Ling being so affectionate, and unconsciously clenched her fists, her eyes gradually becoming deep and unfathomable.
However, Qingqiu quickly loosened her fist, her expression returning to its pure and endearing state.
"Your Majesty, I once wanted to spend my life with you, but I failed. Perhaps it was because of some bad things I did that caused you to misunderstand me."
"But now, I will get to know you anew in a new capacity. I wonder if Your Majesty will give me a second glance?"
Qingqiu took a deep breath, her eyes filled with a restrained madness and love as she looked at Gu Mu.
But she knew she had to restrain herself at that moment.
We need to plan step by step for her happiness.
Although Gu Mu was speaking close to Shen Ling's ear, whispering between them, the waiter pouring the wine was so close that I heard every single word.
Instantly, his face was edited to a liver color.
With trembling hands, he managed to pour the wine for His Majesty, then fled as if escaping.
She knew that her dream of becoming a royal concubine had been shattered.
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