That farcical battle over "hiding snacks" ultimately ended with Lin Wanwan "taking the initiative to admit her mistake" and promising never to touch any "forbidden items" again.
However, Xiao Che's set of dietary restrictions, which he learned from the "Pregnancy Safety Manual" and which made him overly cautious, ultimately underestimated the power of pregnancy itself.
As her pregnancy progressed, Lin Wanwan's tastes became increasingly discerning. One day she might be enjoying a bowl of clear chicken soup, but the next day the smell would make her grimace and feel nauseous. What was even more tormenting was the sudden and overwhelming onslaught of morning sickness.
That night, around midnight, all was quiet.
Lin Wanwan was awakened from her sleep by a sudden wave of nausea. She covered her mouth, feeling her stomach churning, but she couldn't vomit anything. She felt so uncomfortable that her eyes turned red.
Xiao Che, who was sleeping next to her, was extremely alert. He woke up immediately as soon as she made a sound.
"What's wrong? Wanwan, are you feeling unwell again?" He immediately sat up, anxiously pulling her into his arms, gently patting her back with his large hand, his voice filled with worry.
"It's nothing..." Lin Wanwan leaned against him, and after a while, the nausea gradually subsided. She shook her head weakly, "It's an old problem."
Xiao Che looked at her pale face, his brows furrowing tightly. These past few days, he had watched her suffer from morning sickness, trying everything he could, but to no avail. He had tried every method recorded in those "Pregnancy Safety Manuals"—smelling orange peel, holding ginger slices in his mouth—with little effect. This once-unyielding emperor was experiencing for the first time what it meant to be "willing but unable."
"Would you like something to eat? Something sour?" he asked softly, trying to find something that would make her feel better.
"I don't want to..." Lin Wanwan subconsciously shook her head, but as soon as the words left her mouth, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning without warning.
That was a distant memory, from before she entered the palace. One summer afternoon, she and her maid secretly slipped out of the mansion and drank a bowl of chilled plum juice from "Li Ji Old Shop" at the busiest alleyway on the south side of the capital.
The taste was sweet, sour, and refreshing, with a faint fragrance of osmanthus. One bite seemed to dispel all the summer heat and worries.
Once the thought took hold, it spread like wildfire, impossible to extinguish. The sweet and sour taste seemed to linger on her tongue, making her mouth water and filling her with an intense longing.
"It's just... I suddenly have a craving for the sour plum drink from 'Li Ji Old Shop' in the south of the city..." She leaned against Xiao Che's chest and mumbled softly, unconsciously.
She just said it casually, and even she herself found it absurd afterward. It was the middle of the night, freezing cold, where could she find plum juice that was only available in summer? Especially at a well-established shop she had specifically requested.
However, her muttered words, as light as a dream, sounded to Xiao Che no less urgent than a supreme edict of state.
"Li's Old Shop?" he repeated, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"Hmm..." Lin Wanwan was already a little sleepy, and casually replied, "I was just saying, don't take it seriously, go to sleep..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt the man beside her abruptly throw off the covers and sit up!
Immediately following was the rustling sound of clothes being put on.
Lin Wanwan instantly woke up. She opened her eyes in astonishment and saw that, in the dim candlelight, Xiao Che was actually putting on that elaborately made dragon robe!
"Your Majesty, what... what are you doing?" She was so shocked that she was wide awake.
"Leaving the palace." Xiao Che's answer was concise and to the point, his movements without the slightest pause. As he fastened his belt, he said without turning his head, "I'll buy you some plum juice."
Lin Wanwan was stunned by his matter-of-fact tone. She grabbed his sleeve, both amused and exasperated, and said, "Are you crazy? It's the middle of the night! They've been closed for ages! Besides, it's freezing cold, where would you find any plum juice? Stop messing around, go to sleep, we'll talk about it when it's light."
Xiao Che turned around and looked at her with an unquestionable and extremely serious gaze.
"The taste changes when it gets light."
"What?" Lin Wanwan didn't understand.
“My Empress, right now, at this very moment, desires a drink.” He spoke each word with unwavering conviction, his logic so powerful it bordered on irrational. “Therefore, it must be served. As for whether the shops close or not, or whether the weather is cold or not, that is their business, not mine to consider.”
He paused, then, in an overbearing tone, uttered the words that made Lin Wanwan's heart skip a beat:
"If my empress wants to drink, that is of paramount importance and cannot be delayed."
After saying that, he ignored Lin Wanwan's attempts to stop him and strode out of the bedroom.
"Wang Dequan! Prepare the carriage! Issue another imperial edict, summoning a detachment of the Imperial Guards to accompany me out of the palace!"
...
In the southern streets of the capital, a curfew had been in effect since 9 PM, and now all was quiet except for the sound of the night watchman's clapper echoing in the empty streets.
Mr. Li, the owner of "Li's Old Shop," was already fast asleep. He was dreaming that a nobleman had taken a liking to his newly brewed plum juice and rewarded him with a hundred taels of silver. He was so happy that he almost snot bubbled from his nose.
Just then, "Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A deafening knocking sound, like a battering ram, suddenly jolted him awake from his sweet dream!
Mr. Li was jolted awake and jumped out of bed.
"Who...who is it? In the middle of the night!" He put on his clothes and muttered somewhat unhappily.
"Open the door! We're acting on orders! Open the door immediately!"
A powerful, cold, and ruthless shout came from outside the door!
Acting on imperial orders?!
Mr. Li's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down on the spot. He had been an honest small businessman all his life, and the highest official he had ever seen was a city patrol officer at the street corner. He had never heard of the words "by imperial decree".
He scrambled to the door, peeked through the crack, and was instantly terrified!
Before his small shop, torches blazed brightly, making it as clear as day! A troop of imperial guards, clad in heavy armor and wielding long halberds, surrounded his shop with menacing intent. The cold armor reflected a chilling light in the firelight, and every face seemed to say, "Keep out!"
Before the imperial guards stood a tall, upright young man in a bright yellow dragon robe, his hands behind his back, staring blankly at his shop entrance with a hint of impatience in his eyes.
That...that is...
The Emperor!
Mr. Li's mind went blank with a "buzz." He racked his brains but couldn't understand what he had committed that could warrant the Emperor himself leading his army to raid his home in the dead of night!
"It's over...it's over..." His face was ashen, his legs trembled like leaves, and he almost used both his hands and feet to slowly pull open the door bolt.
"Squeak—"
The door opened, and Boss Li immediately knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly before the pair of boots embroidered with golden dragons. His voice was filled with desperate sobs: "This humble subject, Li... Li Quanyou, pays his respects to Your Majesty! This humble subject does not know what heinous crime he has committed to alarm Your Majesty! But my entire family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, and we have never harbored any disloyal intentions! I beg Your Majesty to investigate! I beg Your Majesty to spare our lives!"
He thought that what awaited him next was the cold blade and the order to confiscate his property.
However, the expected thunderous wrath did not materialize.
A hand helped him up from the ground.
He cautiously raised his head and met a pair of deep, ocean-like eyes.
The legendary, ruthless emperor, in an extremely calm, even...ordinary tone, asked:
"Are you the owner of this place?"
"Yes...yes! That's me!"
"Very good." Xiao Che nodded, and then asked the question that Boss Li would never forget, "Let me ask you, do you still have any sour plum juice? My Empress wants some."
Sour... plum juice?
Mr. Li was stunned and completely dumbfounded.
He stared blankly at the emperor before him, then at the menacing imperial guards around him, and then replayed the words "My empress wants a drink" in his mind. He felt that it was all as absurd as a dream.
So it turns out... Your Majesty, in the middle of the night, you brought the army and made such a big show of things...
You came all this way just to buy a bowl of plum juice?!
...
Half an hour later, at Kunning Palace.
Lin Wanwan sat by the window, wearing a coat, feeling both worried and amused. She couldn't imagine how Xiao Che would manage to get a bowl of plum juice in the middle of the night.
Just then, the palace door was gently pushed open.
Xiao Che strode in, his clothes damp with the chill of the night dew. In his hands, he held a delicate white jade bowl steadily.
"You're back?" Lin Wanwan quickly went to greet her.
"Hmm." Xiao Che handed the bowl to her, a hint of pride barely perceptible on his face. "It's still a little chilly, drink it quickly."
Lin Wanwan took the bowl, and a familiar, sweet and slightly sour aroma wafted towards her. She lowered her head and took a bite, and the cool, sweet and sour taste exploded on her taste buds, instantly soothing all the churning and discomfort in her stomach.
This is the taste!
She squinted her eyes contentedly and finished the bowl of plum juice in a few gulps, feeling completely refreshed.
She put down her bowl and looked at the man in front of her, who would "crow like a rooster" in the middle of the night and disturb the peace of the capital just because of her word. Her heart was filled with a huge sense of happiness and warmth.
She smiled, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed his lips.
Xiao Che was pleased by her initiative to get close to him, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Lin Wanwan habitually looked up at the emoji area above his head.
There stood a cartoonish little emperor, dressed in a Superman cape, with his hands on his hips, chest puffed out, his face practically screaming "Praise me!", radiating an aura of pride.
[Look! My efficiency! Praise me! .gif]
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