Refusing to Serve Me? Then Off With Your Head!

Chapter 14

I turned around and realized that he was only wearing a yellow inner robe. He was half-lying while facing me, his hair scattering while his chest exposed.

I laughed as I poked him in the chest; it felt sturdy like it always did. "I suddenly remembered something that happened 6 years ago. After you left the Great Chen, my father hit me until I was bed-ridden. He would secretly come to my room at night when he thought I was asleep; but no matter what, he wouldn't speak gently to me. That old man could be pretty ruthless if he chose to."

Feng Zhao Wen's eyes deepened, "The old General An was an upright and reasonable person; albeit a little bold." His dragged his voice before he continues, "What did you do to provoke him to that degree?"

I resolutely shook my head, "I don't remember. I only remember receiving his beating!" Some things were better left unsaid.

Feng Zhao Wen twist my nose and heavily harrumphed. "Do you need zhen to remind you? An Xiao Lang, you dared to kiss Yan Ping in Zhu Que Lane; should I admire your bravery or laugh at your stupidity?"

I straighten my neck, "Your Majesty cleverly spied the Great Chen; should I be praising you for being smart or despise you for being so crafty?"

Under his cold eyes, I regained my senses. The Great Chen was no longer there; my ability to do audacious things was gone along with my authority as a little general. I quickly laughed, "Your Majesty is alert and vigilant, even little things that happened in the Great Chen couldn't escape your eyes. No wonder you managed to rule over the mountains and rivers."

He knocked me in the head, "Such a sweet mouth!" His lips curls; clearly my fawning over him had lifted his mood.

After the war, I came into a conclusion: Feng Zhao Wen was a person who only likes praises and dislikes criticism. The more you fawn over him, the happier he becomes.

After I suffered the beating in the empress dowager's palace, I greatly benefited from my injuries. My meals everyday got better and better, breaking the emperor's habit of frugal meals. What makes me even happier was the emperor personally promised me that I could pick any food that I want. Such a blessing to my tummy!

Tian Bing Qing personally told me that the emperor had a relatively simple taste. After he became the palace's master, the imperial chefs had no chance to show off their skills because he likes to keep things simple. The empress dowager on the other hand believed that elderly women should follow their sons. She was also a Buddhist practitioner so she ate only vegetarian dishes. The most pitiful ones were the concubines; their meals couldn't exceed the emperor and empress dowager, so they could only suffer from grievance in the dark.

These past few days, the meals in Zhong Hua Palace had changed. The imperial chefs exhaust every single ideas they had in mind to come up with 18 precious delicacies.

After Feng Zhao Wen retired from his morning court, I expressed my deep gratitude towards him.

He was very discourteous, taking away the stewed pork hock I was gnawing at. He gave it a big bite, like a tiger.

I took away the rest of the pork hock as I wept, hiding away in the corner of the dragon bed and no longer coming out.

I heard this pork hock was made with eighteen different spices and honey; that was why it was so tender and fragrant. This was my favorite in the past. The one who made it now was a disciple of the imperial chef back then; he truly outdid his shifu.

That one big bite Feng Zhao Wen took just now was equivalent to three small bites from me. My heart aches ah!

Once I finished gnawing at the pork hock, a palace maid carried a basin of water for me to wash my hands into. While I did that, they changed the bed sheets. I rubbed my round belly as I lay back on the bed, "When will I be able to go out and play?"