Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 420 Getting Close

Zheng Chuwei personally handed her the chopsticks: "Here, eat your fill!"

A smile hiding a dagger! A rather cultured phrase popped into Nianyao's little mind.

Nianyao dared not refuse; she held her chopsticks and stared blankly at the rice.

If it were a child's small wooden bowl, with three loosely packed bowls of rice, she would definitely force herself to finish them in order to leave the palace. But three basins of rice, bigger than her face and as big as mountains, made her feel full just looking at them.

Zheng Chu remained gentle: "Why aren't you eating?"

There wasn't a single familiar face around, and none of the eunuchs and maids who usually served her were there, so she didn't even have a chance to cry for help.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Nianyao choked out, "I can't eat."

Zheng Chu raised his voice slightly: "Can't eat?"

Nianyao immediately felt a little scared and quickly added, "There are no dishes."

Zheng Chu patiently asked her if there was anything she wanted to eat, whether she was picky about food, and if she had any dietary restrictions.

In her panic, Nianyao didn't have time to play tricks. She said she wasn't picky about food and had no dietary restrictions, and added, "My dad always says I'm easy to take care of."

After Nianyao finished speaking, she looked at Zheng Chu guiltily. It's true that the more you say, the more mistakes you make. She just said she was an orphan, and now she's suddenly talking about a father.

Zheng Chu didn't pursue the matter, and the imperial chef quickly prepared four dishes and a soup: cherry pork, pearl dumplings, pork tenderloin wrapped in lotus root, shiitake mushrooms and bok choy, plus a sweet soup with white fungus.

There are salty and sweet dishes, meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, and soup dishes; there are white, yellow, and green dishes—all of them are dishes that children love to eat. Nianyao couldn't find any fault with them.

That bowl of rice was huge, so big that even though she tried her best to eat it, she only managed to eat a tiny bit after she was very full.

She didn't dare look at Zheng Chu, keeping her head down and letting the rice swirl around in her mouth until she felt like throwing up.

In the end, the late emperor returned to Ciming Palace but did not see her, so he came looking for her himself.

Nianyao looked up and saw the late emperor. Tears instantly rolled down her cheeks silently, filled with grievance and sorrow.

The late emperor found it both amusing and heartbreaking. He knelt down to wipe away her tears, took her back to Ciming Palace, and took the opportunity to urge her to be obedient and study hard.

Nianyao agreed verbally, but in her heart she was thinking that this wretched place needed to be escaped as soon as possible.

Three bowls of rice caused Nianyao to develop a grudge against Zheng Chu. After Nianyao learned that Zheng Chu was in charge of the imperial kitchen, she would often use the excuse of looking for food to wander around the imperial kitchen.

Nothing happened for the first few days, but once she got to know the imperial chef, she started sprinkling laxatives on the food.

Zheng Chu did not cook for the late emperor every day, but he would taste everything the late emperor ate first.

That day, Zheng Chu tasted a dish and felt that something was wrong with the taste. He thought it was a problem with the newly appointed imperial chef's skills, until he tasted all the dishes and confirmed that there was something wrong with the dishes.

The matter was quickly investigated and clarified. Zheng Chu was furious and wanted to beat her in front of the late emperor.

The late emperor shielded Nianyao behind him, saying, "She's just a little mischievous, but she's not a bad person at heart, so let it go."

Zheng Chu was adamant: "Your Majesty, if I hadn't tasted it today, it would be Your Majesty who has diarrhea. If Your Majesty doesn't care about your own health, you must allow me to care for Your Majesty's health."

Zheng Chu didn't hit her in the end. He just brought Nian Yao some dishes that had been laced with laxatives and told her to finish them. If she didn't finish them, he would throw her into the dungeon to keep company with rats and cockroaches.

That night, Nianyao sat on the bed in a state of anxiety, afraid to sleep, lest she lose control and poop all over the bed in the middle of the night.

Unexpectedly, when she woke up the next day, she was lying in bed perfectly fine, and Zheng Chu had just scared her.

She offended others, and the late emperor could forgive her if he spoke up for her, but that wouldn't work with Zheng Chu.

Those who understand the times are wise. From then on, Nianyao would take a detour whenever she saw Zheng Chu from afar, and the two never met face to face.

Who would have thought that, more than a decade later, she would return to the palace as the Crown Princess? The late Emperor was gone, and the head chef who had been in charge of the late Emperor's meals was now in charge of hers.

Fate is truly wondrous!

Nianyao turned her head to look at the courtyard and saw the late emperor, dressed in white, gazing at the starry sky, just like back then.

Nianyao stared blankly at the courtyard, unable to distinguish between dream and reality. Until her eyes throbbed with pain, she blinked and the late emperor vanished, replaced by Luo An, dressed in white.

Nianyao flew down from the roof and sat next to Luo An. Seeing that Luo An didn't move, she moved closer to him and put her arms around his.

Luo An finally reacted. He took Nian Yao's hand and gently stroked it. After a while, he suddenly asked, "What were you thinking about just now?"

Nianyao instinctively felt a little ashamed: "Actually... Mother spoils me quite a bit. No one in the palace dares to discipline me, except for Zheng Shangshi..."

Nianyao originally wanted to say that only Zheng Shangshi was not afraid of powerful figures, but that description seemed a bit strange.

Luo An understood, of course: "It seems the late emperor spoiled her quite a bit."

Nianyao chuckled: "Well, I should say that Mother trusts her quite a bit. I've heard a lot about her; she personally plans Mother's daily menus and cooks for Mother every three days."

Furthermore, since she became the head chef, her mother's meals had never gone wrong. Therefore, although her official rank wasn't high, her status in the palace was quite high, and even all the officials had to show her respect.

Leaving aside emperors, even ordinary wealthy families had to be careful with their food. Every meal required someone to test it for poison. The late emperor's tester was Zheng Chu. The late emperor was in poor health and needed careful attention to his diet three times a day. Zheng Chu played an indispensable role in the late emperor's ability to live for so many years despite his illness.

Nianyao could tell that Luo An respected Zheng Chu very much. Luo An owed Zheng Chu a favor, just as his father had taken care of Xu Sheng and the late emperor back then, and Luo An had also owed a favor in return.

Regardless of Luo An's outward appearance, the rumors circulating, or his attempts to deny the allegations, Nian Yao firmly believed that Luo An was a gentleman of great loyalty and integrity.

Nianyao asked softly, "What were you thinking about just now?"

Luo An said, "I'm wondering, what was she thinking back then?"

Nianyao blurted out, "What you're thinking is exactly what she's thinking."

Luo An turned his head to look at Nian Yao in surprise: "Back on Chongming Island, I wasn't familiar with you, and I always thought you were more manly than a man."

After we got married, I discovered you were both fragile and strong; now I think you're frighteningly sensitive and perceptive.

Nianyao smiled: "My father said something similar. He also said that my mother is like that too. She seems carefree but is actually very thoughtful. Only people very close to her can see that. Others don't understand."

Nianyao deliberately emphasized "especially close".

Luo An reached out and smoothed Nian Yao's hair, then gently kissed her forehead: "Indeed, we feel close."

Thinking about it carefully, Nianyao was actually more lonely than him, but Nianyao rarely got stuck in her thoughts like he did from time to time. She was always as resilient as a tough grass.

Xu Chengyou went to bed early and woke up early. When she woke up, she saw that Nianyao had taken her original seat. She sat up and glared at Nianyao angrily.

As if sensing each other, Luo An and Nian Yao opened their eyes at the same time. Nian Yao pushed Luo An away and turned to meet Xu Chengyou's gaze. When she sat up, she felt a little guilty: "Little princess, you're awake."

Xu Chengyou ignored her, crawled over Nianyao, then over Luo An, and got off the bed. The wet nurse, who had been waiting in the outer room, immediately came in and took her away when she heard the commotion.

Nianyao felt a little ashamed: "Is she angry?"

Luo An didn't care and reached out to pull Nian Yao to continue sleeping, since she hadn't slept well last night.

Nianyao dared not. If she slept in late in the palace with Luo An, not only would her aunt lose face, but she would also be accused of being a femme fatale who ruined the family and the country, which would be a great sin.