The earth-shattering "sending lychees a thousand miles away" incident finally ended with Lin Wanwan "tearfully" eating a priceless tribute lychee, and Xiao Che reaping countless praises for "doting on his wife excessively" (as well as the angry but dared not speak out of the censors).
From then on, Xiao Che seemed to have completely unlocked his potential in "doting on his wife," and he carried out his principle of "doing whatever the Empress wants, regardless of morality or reason" even more thoroughly.
However, to his surprise, the real challenge had only just begun.
As her pregnancy progressed, Lin Wanwan's tastes entered a completely new and unpredictable phase.
Her taste buds seemed to have become two overlords taking turns ruling, one called "sour" and the other called "spicy," staging a fierce battle for the throne on her tongue every day.
At lunchtime today, a pot of sauerkraut fish with a golden broth and a tangy aroma was placed on the dining table in Kunning Palace.
This was something Lin Wanwan had suddenly requested last night. The head chef of the imperial kitchen received the order and worked through the night to prepare it with the freshest river catfish and pickled cabbage aged for three years in the palace cellar. The fish was tender and smooth, and the sour soup was appetizing. Lin Wanwan ate with a beaming smile, her appetite greatly whetted.
Xiao Che sat to the side, barely touching his chopsticks, simply watching her eat with a smile. His gaze was so tender it seemed to melt hearts, while the emoji area above his head was already a picture of pure joy.
A cartoonish, chibi-style baby wearing a prince's crown sat atop a pile of memorials, holding a vermilion brush and meticulously reviewing them. Above his head, a line of large, gleaming gold characters played proudly on a loop.
[My wife wants something sour, is it our son? Great, the family line continues! .jpg]
Looking at the meme, Xiao Che's lips unconsciously curved upwards even further.
Excellent, very good. My great Liang dynasty has a worthy successor! This prince, from birth, exudes a calm and composed air, deeply concerned with the affairs of state (and perhaps craving sauerkraut). He is destined for greatness!
However, his smugness did not last long.
When it was time for dinner, the head chef of the imperial kitchen thought he could use the same trick again and serve another sour dish, but Lin Wanwan waved it away with a look of disgust.
"Why is it sour again? It smells disgusting." Lin Wanwan wrinkled her delicate nose, pouted, and then her eyes suddenly lit up as she said to Ruolan, "Right now, I want something spicy. Like... um, stir-fried spicy rabbit pieces, with lots of chili peppers, the spicier the better!"
The imperial kitchen was thrown into chaos once again.
Soon, a plate of bright red, fragrant, spicy rabbit meat was served.
Lin Wanwan picked up a piece, her face flushed and sweat beading on her forehead, but she exclaimed how delicious it was.
Xiao Che still didn't eat much, but just silently watched her, his expression becoming subtle.
The golden "Crown Prince reviewing memorials" image above his head, which had been part of the meme-worthy imagery, had vanished. In its place was a heartwarming scene.
A cute, cartoonish baby girl in a pink princess dress, with two little pigtails, was clinging to his arm, calling out "Father" in a sweet, childlike voice. Her smile was so sweet it could melt ice and snow. Above her, a line of equally pink and adorable text was slowly floating by.
[My wife wants spicy food, is it our daughter? Great! My sweet little darling! .gif]
Xiao Che stared at the new emoji and fell into deep thought.
daughter?
That's...that's good too!
Like Wanwan, she is intelligent, beautiful, and a little mischievous. I will build the best academy for her, hire the best teachers, and make her the freest and happiest woman in the world. Anyone who dares to bully her, I will exterminate their entire family!
Thinking of this, Xiao Che's gaze towards Lin Wanwan softened even more.
And so, for the next few days, Xiao Che spent each day in this bittersweet tug-of-war between "ice and fire."
Lin Wanwan wanted to drink plum juice today, so the little prince on her head started practicing riding and archery diligently, preparing to expand his territory.
Lin Wanwan wants to eat boiled pork slices tomorrow, and the little princess on his head starts to obediently massage his back, calling him "Father Emperor" in a soft and sweet voice.
This plunged Xiao Che into an unprecedented, sweet kind of trouble.
He felt that having a crown prince who could inherit his great talent and ambition was a great blessing for the country and would help to stabilize the empire. He even began to plan in his mind the future candidates for the crown prince's tutor and junior tutor, and even scheduled lessons on the art of being an emperor until after the crown prince turned three.
But then he thought that having a daughter as sweet and adorable as Lin Wanwan would be the ultimate happiness in life. He even thought of a title for the princess: "Anle." He also wanted to build her a princess's mansion that was bigger than the imperial palace and collect all the rare treasures in the world, just to make her smile.
These two equally beautiful wishes, like two powerful forces, repeatedly pulled and collided in his mind.
Finally, after a week of agonizing internal turmoil, this emperor, who was decisive and authoritative in the court, went completely mad on the ultimate philosophical question of "having a son or a daughter."
At lunch that day, when the head chef of the imperial kitchen nervously served up what he considered to be a "just right" innovative dish—hot and sour soup—Xiao Che's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
"What is this?" he asked coldly.
“Your Majesty…” the head steward said, wiping away cold sweat, “This is…this is hot and sour soup, with both sour and spicy flavors. I’m sure…it will suit Her Majesty’s taste…”
"Insolent!" Xiao Che slammed his fist on the table, his imperial face contorted in fury. "Neither sour nor spicy, neither fish nor fowl! How are my princes and princesses supposed to behave?!"
The head chef of the imperial kitchen: "???"
How should the prince and princess conduct themselves?
He was completely dumbfounded and couldn't understand His Majesty's logic at all.
Xiao Che, however, was too lazy to explain his profound troubles to him. He took a deep breath and, in an unquestionable tone, as if issuing a fundamental national policy, gave the head chef his final and most insane order:
"By my decree! From this day forward, every meal of the Empress must be prepared in duplicate! One must be extremely sour, so sour it will make your teeth fall out; the other must be extremely spicy, so spicy it will make you breathe fire! My empire can accommodate a crown prince; and I can hold a princess in my arms! I want them both!"
"boom--!"
The head chef of the imperial kitchen felt a loud bang in his head, his vision went black, and he almost fainted on the spot.
You want...all of it?!
Your Majesty, are you eating or joking?!
Lin Wanwan, sitting next to him, was happily munching on a piece of pickled radish when she heard Xiao Che's boastful words and almost choked.
Looking at the man who was beaming with pride for solving the "problem of the century," as if he had just conquered the world, she finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.
...
Ever since Xiao Che issued the imperial decree for "the ultimate in sour and spicy flavors," the most peculiar scene in history has unfolded on the dining table of Kunning Palace.
On the left side of the table, there is always a row of daunting "sour feasts": peanuts in aged vinegar, pickled cabbage and pork belly, West Lake fish in vinegar sauce... Every dish is so sour that just smelling it makes your mouth water.
On the right side of the table was a fiery red "spicy hell": spicy hot pot, spicy diced chicken, chopped chili fish head... every dish was so spicy that just looking at it would make your scalp tingle.
Lin Wanwan sat in the middle of this table of contrasting "ice and fire" dishes, but she was enjoying herself immensely and eating with great relish.
She picked up a crystal-clear, tooth-sour pickled radish with her left hand, took a bite, and squinted her eyes as she ate.
Then, she reached out her right hand, picked up a skewer of spicy meat that was soaked in chili oil and looked bright red, took a satisfying bite, gasped for breath from the spiciness, but her face was full of happiness.
Sitting opposite her, Xiao Che watched her fawn over her, her expression shifting from initial confusion to a new kind of stunned disbelief, a mixture of shock and ecstasy.
He stopped worrying about it altogether.
Because a bolder, more exciting idea had surfaced in his mind.
It can handle both sour and spicy foods...
What does this tell us?
Is this a sign of Heaven's favor, bestowing upon him both the crown prince and the princess?
Lin Wanwan was enjoying her meal when she looked up and saw Xiao Che's expression, as if he had been struck by lightning. Curious, she followed his gaze to the area above his head covered in emojis.
There, all the struggles and difficulties in making choices vanished.
Instead, there is a huge, golden cartoon emperor.
This cartoon emperor sits on his dragon throne with a silly grin on his face, holding a cool little prince in a dragon robe in his left arm and a sweet little princess in a princess dress in his right. The two little ones are kissing his cheeks, one on each side.
At the very top of the screen, a line of large, almost blindingly bright, multicolored text was flashing across the screen.
[Could it be... twins?! .gif]
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