Shen Yunxi was not surprised by Jun Xuan's appearance. It was reasonable for him to come here to see the Empress Dowager. After all, as the emperor, he should also pay attention to filial piety and could not pretend not to know when the Empress Dowager was ill and not come to see her.
Shen Yunxi moved quickly and gave a slight curtsy, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty and Your Highness."
Junxuan's gaze was indifferent. "Miss Chen, there's no need for such formalities. It's kind of you to come to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager so soon."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Yunxi slowly stood up.
At this moment, Junxuan's expression did not change much. Shen Yunxi thought that he should no longer make things difficult for her, which was a good thing.
Seeing Junxuan's calm demeanor, Shen Yunxi felt a sense of relief. As long as she no longer had to be with Junxuan, she could live a carefree life.
The Empress Dowager smiled weakly. "Why are you in such a hurry to enter the palace, girl? I thought you would arrive in the afternoon. Now that you're here, and the Emperor is also here, it's almost lunchtime, so you can dine with him. I can't dine with you today, so you can take my place. There's a new chef in the Imperial Kitchen, so you can try his cooking."
Shen Yunxi was taken aback. Could it be that the Empress Dowager was going to try to set her up with Jun Xuan?
Judging from the Empress Dowager's expression, she didn't seem to be trying to arrange a marriage for her. She must have misunderstood. The Empress Dowager knew her decision before leaving the palace and wouldn't have such thoughts now.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Shen Yunxi replied.
In fact, it was pretty much as Shen Yunxi had guessed. The Empress Dowager wasn't trying to set her up with someone; it was just that it was almost lunchtime, and Junxuan had come over after the morning court session and stayed until now, so he hadn't had lunch yet. She thought it would be great if Shen Yunxi could have lunch with the Emperor in her place.
Now that Shen Yunxi is no longer disliked by the Emperor, he probably won't refuse her.
Junxuan did not refuse. He knew that Shen Yunxi wanted to keep her distance from him. If the Empress Dowager had not brought it up, she certainly would not have taken the initiative to dine with him.
However, whenever he saw Shen Yunxi's indifferent appearance, he felt uneasy. But since it was in front of the Empress Dowager, Junxuan did not want to show any unusual expression.
"Very well, Mother, please rest well. I will leave after you have your meal," Junxuan replied calmly.
The Empress Dowager didn't think much of it. The two of them seemed so indifferent, and she knew there was no need to continue trying to set them up. From now on, they could just be nodding acquaintances.
It's always been like this. Feelings are something no one can control. If two people who have no feelings for each other are forced together, they will find that the other person is not accommodating and may become a resentful couple.
The Empress Dowager loved Shen Yunxi so much, so of course she didn't want her and Junxuan to end up like this.
"Xiao Anzi, have the Imperial Kitchen prepare lunch, and bring the Emperor's meal over as well," the Empress Dowager instructed.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Anzi accepted the order and left.
Before long, the meal was served at Cining Palace, and Shen Yunxi and Jun Xuan sat down at the table.
Fortunately, the dining table was large, and Shen Yunxi and Jun Xuan were quite far apart. The two remained silent, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere, but it was clear that neither of them intended to break the silence.
Shen Yunxi stared blankly at the table laden with food, suddenly realizing that it would be an extreme waste of resources for the emperor and empress dowager to dine together.
With so many dishes to choose from, Shen Yunxi was at a loss as to what to eat.
Fortunately, Shen Yunxi doesn't need anyone to serve her meals; she can eat by herself. Jun Xuan, on the other hand, has eunuchs serving him food. Being an emperor is truly comfortable; even meals are served by others.
In her previous life, Shen Yunxi had experienced the grandeur of Jun Xuan's meals, but none were this extravagant. It could only be said that the meals of the two most honored people in the palace were naturally extraordinary.
Junxuan noticed Shen Yunxi's discomfort and waved his hand to stop the eunuch from serving the food.
"Miss Shen, is the food in the palace not to your liking?" Jun Xuan suddenly asked.
What can Shen Yunxi say?
Can I say that I can't eat because I'm sitting next to you?
Left with no other choice, Shen Yunxi could only force a smile. "Your Majesty has misunderstood. I have never seen so many dishes before and I was at a loss for what to eat. I apologize for making Your Majesty laugh."
Junxuan's expression shifted slightly. "If you don't know what to eat, you can try this sour fish soup. I had it a couple of days ago, and it's a delicious and refreshing dish."
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Yunxi immediately expressed her gratitude.
However, she did indeed like to eat fish, and since Junxuan's recommendation couldn't be too bad, Shen Yunxi picked up her chopsticks.
The fish meat was very tender and fresh, with no fishy smell at all. What was even more surprising was that there were no bones. This was the most important thing. She had a fish bone stuck in her throat when she was a child and didn't eat fish for a while after that, but she couldn't resist her cravings again.
At this moment, there were no reservations about eating this kind of fish, and Shen Yunxi enjoyed it immensely.
Junxuan remained outwardly calm, but he was actually watching her actions. Seeing her happy expression after tasting the fish, he couldn't help but find it amusing.
It turns out that such a simple fish dish can make her happy. She squinted her eyes and enjoyed it immensely, like a well-fed and satisfied kitten, making you want to reach out and pat her head.
Of course, Junxuan couldn't touch Shen Yunxi's head. He could only silently place his left hand at his side, continue eating with his right hand, and keep glancing at Shen Yunxi out of the corner of his eye.
In the past, Junxuan would never have imagined that one day he would be so careful to secretly watch a woman, especially a woman he had always disliked.
It wasn't that I disliked her as a person, but rather that I disliked her relationship with the Empress Dowager.
To be fair, the Empress Dowager did not personally cause her mother's death, but she was not without fault. It was her failure to save her that led to her mother's death.
In Junxuan's view, it was nothing more than the Empress Dowager's tactic of vying for favor. She watched his mother die before his father would turn his attention to them.
For this reason, Junxuan loathed the Empress Dowager and found her disgusting.
More importantly, the Empress Dowager and her mother had a good relationship at the time, always addressing each other as "elder sister" and "younger sister." Who would have thought that these so-called sisters would turn their backs on her at the most critical moment?
It was clear that his mother would have been safe with just a word from the Empress Dowager, but she ignored it and let his mother die. Outsiders thought he was too young to remember, but they never imagined that he had kept it all in his heart.
Moreover, he overheard the Empress Dowager chatting with someone, so he knew everything clearly.
Junxuan's dislike for the Empress Dowager led him to dislike everyone associated with her, especially Shen Yunxi, a woman the Empress Dowager particularly favored.
Perhaps, Shen Yunxi will be the next Empress Dowager.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
