"Another dream from the goddess?"
Xiao Che's curiosity was piqued by Lin Wanwan's deliberately mysterious words.
His handsome face, which had previously screamed "I'm so annoyed," instantly transformed into one of interest, as if to say, "Oh? Tell me about it."
Back then, it was Lin Wanwan's "three disaster relief strategies" that came from a "dream of a goddess" that not only solved the floods in the south, but also won him unprecedented popular support and prestige.
From then on, the "divine woman appearing in a dream" became a tacit, all-purpose excuse between the ruler and his ministers to implement various "novel" policies.
Now, is the goddess... going to appear in my dream again?
"This is a long story." Seeing that he had taken the bait, Lin Wanwan deliberately kept him in suspense. "This is not the place to talk. When Your Majesty is done with your business, come to Kunning Palace, and I will... make some snacks and tell you the story."
After she finished speaking, she winked playfully at him.
Xiao Che's heart was instantly tickled by her little gesture.
Where is even a trace of the previous agitation?
He immediately pushed the troubling memorial aside, then, with a wave of his hand, announced to the chief eunuch beside him in an extremely lighthearted tone:
"Prepare the carriage for Kunning Palace!"
Chief Eunuch: "..."
Your Majesty, didn't you just say that the Ministry of Revenue was full of old scoundrels?
Didn't you just say that the national treasury is empty and you are feeling anxious?
How come you're not bothered at all when Her Majesty the Empress comes?
Of course, he only dared to think these things to himself and silently complain.
Then, a moment later, an extremely strange scene unfolded in the small kitchen of Kunning Palace.
His Majesty the Emperor sat upright on a small pearwood stool, like a large dog waiting to be fed.
Meanwhile, the Empress, wearing an apron, skillfully kneaded dough on the cutting board.
"Tell me, what dream did the goddess send you this time?" Xiao Che looked at her busy figure and finally couldn't help but ask.
"Your Majesty, please don't be in such a hurry." Lin Wanwan said slowly as she rolled the kneaded dough into a thin pancake. "This dream is a bit complicated. I need to think about where to start."
In reality, there was no such thing as a "divine woman appearing in a dream" in her mind at all.
She simply wanted to take this opportunity to completely get rid of one of Xiao Che's bad habits.
A... a deep-seated bad habit belonging to emperors.
That is—I'm too lazy to express myself.
Especially when faced with praise and compliments.
This emperor is so stingy with words that it's outrageous.
In the past, with the "emoji" real-time bullet screen, Lin Wanwan didn't think much of it.
Anyway, even if he didn't say it, she could sense his true feelings from the glittering "It smells so good" gif above his head.
But now... things are different.
Without the "cheat code," if he still maintains this old imperial habit of "I would rather die than praise someone," wouldn't she be plunged into the hellish mode of "guessing and guessing" again?
no!
Absolutely not!
Today, she's going to take this opportunity to properly "train" the voice function of her "Emperor-level Emoji"!
So she carefully developed a new type of dessert.
This dessert is an improvement on the common "wife cake," but she ingeniously added some sweet osmanthus and pine nuts to the filling, which neutralized the sweetness of the traditional filling.
Most importantly, she deliberately controlled her sugar intake.
The whole pancake has a fragrant, crispy, and delicious taste that is sweet but not greasy, with a subtle floral and fruity aroma—a truly sophisticated flavor.
She refused to believe that such meticulously prepared pastries couldn't pry open his precious mouth!
Soon, a plate of golden, fragrant "modified wife cakes" was freshly baked.
Lin Wanwan placed the cake in front of Xiao Che, a perfectly timed, expectant smile on her face.
"Your Majesty, please try my new cooking."
Xiao Che's gaze had long been drawn to the plate of pastries.
He looked at the golden-brown, crispy crust and smelled the sweet, enticing aroma in the air; his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
Without any hesitation, he reached out, picked up a piece, and put it in his mouth.
Lin Wanwan's eyes lit up instantly.
She stared intently at his face, not missing a single subtle change in his expression.
They're here! They're here!
The moment to witness a miracle has arrived!
However……
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Xiao Che's face was expressionless.
His handsome face remained unchanged, a poker face that never changed.
No, it wasn't because it tasted delicious that my eyes lit up.
No, she frowned slightly because it wasn't to her liking.
He just sat there, expressionless, silently eating the piece of bread in his hand, bite by bite.
The entire process was so quiet that it seemed as if some solemn royal ceremony was taking place.
Lin Wan's smile gradually froze.
No way?
What... what kind of reaction is this?
Her heart jumped again.
What happened?
Could it be... that it doesn't taste good?
Or was the taste so mediocre that he had no interest in commenting on it?
In the past, she could know the answer immediately just by looking up at such a situation.
She could see a huge "So delicious! My wife's pancakes are the best in the world!" .gif, or an ordinary "The taste is so-so.jpg".
But now, she can't see anything!
All she could see was a handsome, expressionless face, the face of an emperor whose thoughts she could never fathom.
A familiar feeling called "anxiety" crept into her heart once again.
Does he...do he like it or not?!
Just as Lin Wanwan was torn between her inner thoughts and was about to ask directly, Xiao Che on the other side suddenly made a new move.
He reached out and touched the remaining cakes on the plate.
Lin Wan's eyes suddenly lit up!
Time for my second piece!
This means... it means he still likes her, right?!
However, just as his fingers were about to touch the second piece of pie—
"Smack!"
Suddenly, a slender hand reached out from the side and precisely pressed down on his hand, which was about to "commit a crime".
Xiao Che was taken aback.
He looked up at Lin Wanwan, puzzled.
Lin Wanwan was looking at him with a serious expression.
That look in his eyes was more serious than ever before, and even carried a hint of... an undeniable sense of pressure.
"Xiao Che!"
She called him by his full name, her voice clear and firm.
"Give me a straight answer!"
Xiao Che was completely taken aback by her sudden serious tone.
He... he was a little confused.
"...What...certain statement?" he asked instinctively.
Lin Wanwan took a deep breath, mustered all her courage, looked directly into his eyes, and asked the "soul-searching question" that she needed to answer today.
"This pancake," she asked clearly, enunciating each word, "is it delicious or not?"
Xiao Che was completely speechless.
Looking into Lin Wanwan's stubborn eyes, which seemed to say, "Don't even think about getting a second piece until you explain yourself clearly today," his mind instantly went blank.
Delicious? Or not delicious?
Is...is it really that important?
If it's delicious, he'll eat a few more pieces. If it's not delicious, he'll eat a few fewer pieces.
Does this kind of thing really need to be said aloud?
Does an emperor have to act like a gourmet, commenting on and providing feedback on every dish?
This...this doesn't fit his public image at all!
However, faced with Shang Lin Wanwan's unwavering gaze, his old habits of imperial "reserve" and "inability to express himself" seemed utterly vulnerable at this moment.
His ears started burning uncontrollably from the question.
He remained silent for a moment, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
Finally, with extreme stiffness, he managed to squeeze out two words from his throat.
"...It's acceptable."
After saying that, he felt that he had made a huge concession, so he tried to pull his hand back and continue to take the cake.
But Lin Wanwan still held his hand tightly, refusing to let go.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she pressed for an answer:
What does "sufficient" mean?
Xiao Che was completely at a loss.
Looking at her persistent and unwavering determination to get to the bottom of things, the last line of defense that belonged to an emperor in his heart collapsed.
He practically roared it out, as if he had given up entirely:
"It means... to do more tomorrow!"
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