Dong Gong Mei

Chapter 886 Spring Feelings

He Manzhi entered the palace, but was still far from reaching the emperor's presence.

Then a female official came forward quietly.

He Manzhi kept her head down all the way, not daring to look any more. When the female official led her to perform the ceremony, she bowed obediently: "Your Majesty, your concubine greets you. Your Majesty...Long live your majesty..."

There was a tremor in his throat and his back was shaking a little, he looked extremely terrified.

"No need to be polite." The emperor's voice came, "Come and have your meal."

"Yes." He Manzhi replied with her head down. The female official saw her nervousness and hurriedly helped her up.

It was said that the emperor summoned her to dine with him, but in fact, he just set up another table and just treated her as his companion.

Under the guidance of the female official, He Manzhi sat down.

Her seat was located at the lower right of the imperial desk, and she couldn't see above from this angle, but she still kept her eyes down, focusing her gaze only on the small space on the table.

The palace maids brought the meals one by one.

She dared to move her eyes slightly and saw a crystal clear bowl of cold cake dotted with red and green fruit shreds. After all, she was young, and her eyes lit up at a glance.

  "This is given to you by His Majesty." The female official smiled slightly.

"Ah..." He Manzhi's heart was beating wildly, and she only heard the female official explain softly: "This is rose cheese paste. Liang Di came in a hurry, so take this to fill your stomach before eating, so as not to hurt your spleen and stomach."

In a panic, she hurriedly looked up at the throne, and saw that Li Xuanye had not picked up his chopsticks, so he had to look at her leisurely.

Her ears suddenly turned red and she lowered her head: "Your Majesty..."

At this time, a breeze blew, lifting her wide pink gauze sleeves, like rising clouds, half covering her pretty face, which actually showed a bit of otherworldly beauty.

As the sleeves fluttered, the tender white arm was wearing a half-new gold bracelet.

The hairpins swayed at her temples, and the jade stones collided with each other, making crisp sounds.

Li Xuanye then looked at her head, which was covered with several head ornaments of different colors.

A gold bracelet, a jade hairpin, and a pink shirt.

Li Xuanye smiled and asked casually, "Who is in charge of your side?"

He Manzhi mustered up her courage and half raised her eyes: "In reply to your Majesty, I just moved here from the Eastern Palace and haven't been assigned a head aunt yet. I only have two maids from the He Mansion to serve me..." Then she felt like she was complaining, her cheeks flushed, and she said hesitantly, "...Actually, it's okay. I...I like quietness and am used to having few people..."

Li Xuanye said nothing more, but called Yuan Ce and said, "Go back to the storehouse and get some cloth and headgear to give to He Liangdi."

"Yes."

He Manzhi's heart almost stopped beating, and she thought there was something wrong with her ears.

The emperor actually wants to reward her? !

She was stunned for two breaths, then quickly stood up and prepared to bow, but saw Li Xuanye waved his hand, "Let's eat first, there's no need to be so formal."

"Yes..." He Manzhi sat down again.

After several conversations, although they were very formal, she felt a little relieved - the emperor was very gentle.

Only then did he dare to look up and see what dishes were on the table.

This sight made me dizzy.

Each dish is made with seasonal flowers and fruits as a supplement, and mainly contains delicacies from land and sea. Not only is it enjoyable to eat, but even to look at it is a pleasure.

There was a dish of shrimp with lotus core, a dish of shredded chicken with rose, a plate of lotus root slices with osmanthus, a plate of cherry tofu, a duck breast with red dates... and some dishes she had never seen before. There was a whole table full of them, as well as cold drinks, cheese, and various kinds of ice and snow crisps.

Looking at the dining utensils, silver chopsticks, jade bowls, and amber cups, each one was exquisite. He Manzhi suddenly felt as if she was in the clouds.

She was born in poverty. Her father was an honest official. Even after her family moved to the capital, she, a concubine's daughter, had never experienced what wealth and glory were. Every time there was a banquet held by a noble family, she was always the shabbiest one.

No one had ever treated her like this before.

Seeing that she was dressed shabbily, he did not comment or make sarcastic remarks, but instead wanted to reward her with something.

The young girl, who was just beginning to fall in love, suddenly gained courage.

With an uncontrollable expectation mixed with a hint of cautious admiration, she raised her head, her eyes met his, and then quickly drooped them like a mimosa.

With this glance, the emperor's true appearance appeared in her heart.

It was early summer, and the heat was biting. She ate at a separate table from the emperor, with fine wine and delicious food, and palace maids standing by her side.

In such a quiet atmosphere, she remembered the appearance of the young emperor.

He was dressed in black clothes with gold patterns, and his hair was tied up with a jade crown. The setting sun was reflected from the window, and his eyebrows and eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of gold powder. Especially when he held the jade cup, his noble and majestic demeanor was ready to emerge, and he also had an unparalleled handsome appearance.

At this moment, even though I knew that he was like an untouchable cloud, the inexplicable feeling was growing quietly in my heart like newly sprouted grass.

Neither of them had any appetite for this meal.

No one knew what the young new emperor was thinking. He just moved his chopsticks a few times, tasted a few bites of each dish, and then asked someone to clear the plates.

He Manzhi's heart was like a dream, in the clouds and fog. She forgot the taste of every bite and only wished that time could go slower, slower.

So, Li Xuanye had already cleared the table and was sipping a cup of tea, while He Manzhi was still unaware and was holding a bowl of cold cake, looking absent-minded.

Li Xuanye didn't urge her either.

After she had chewed the whole bowl of cold cake slowly, she was startled to feel something strange around her. She looked up and saw the palace lanterns were bright and incense was curling between the curtains.

The emperor was sitting on the throne carved with dragons and phoenixes, resting his eyes.

He Manzhi was so shocked that she put down her bowl.

I came to dine with the emperor, but I didn't know when the emperor had finished eating. This is really...

She wanted to kneel down and apologize, but she was afraid to disturb his sleep. Just when she didn't know what to do, he opened his eyes and asked, "Have you finished eating?"

The palace maid brought tea, and she hurriedly took it, took a sip, and wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Then she replied timidly, "Yes..." She was a little nervous and explained, "I should have served Your Majesty, but I didn't expect... I was impolite..."

"It's okay." Li Xuanye saw her shy and timid look and vaguely recalled the time in the Eastern Palace.

He was newly married at that time, and those coquettish cries and lingering tenderness were exactly the moments of a young girl's passionate love.

Suddenly, I felt a little lost, a little disappointed, and a little self-mockery.

Then he smiled and asked, "Is it delicious?"

He Manzhi was stunned. She clearly saw that his smile was a little cold, but in response to his questions, she couldn't think of anything more.

The young emperor, noble and handsome, treated her kindly. Even without smiling, she could still fall for him. This smile made her even more uneasy. She could only blush and reply hesitantly, "It's delicious..." She lowered her head and said timidly, "I have never eaten anything so delicious before..."

Li Xuanye smiled again. His smile was really beautiful. He Manzhi only took a quick glance at it and felt her heart beating fast. She quickly tightened her handkerchief and dared not look at him again.

Then he said, "If you like, ask the Shangshi Bureau to provide you with a dish of cold cake every day."

"Your Majesty..." He Manzhi looked up suddenly, his eyes misty.