CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 36: SUCCESSFUL STEALTH (BONUS CHAPTER)

"I just wanted to take a walk after dinner to aid digestion."

Xie Zhixing did not take the sedan chair, telling others not to follow, and only took Ying Lu to find Attendant Lady Xi.

Prince Duan watched as the Emperor walked away, feeling a bit concerned.

His brother became restless halfway through the banquet and had only a few bites of dinner. How could he aid digestion on an empty stomach?

Prince Duan did not know that his brother was already full of anger.

...

In Attendant Lady Xi’s tent, there was a faint glow of firelight.

The flickering firelight caught Xie Zhixing’s eye as he entered with a stern face. A rich aroma hit him, making him subconsciously swallow, and when he saw what was in front of him, he couldn’t help but laugh out of anger!

Yun Jiao had set up a small stove with charcoal inside, and the palace maid held long skewers, roasting strips of meat over the fire. On a nearby table, a boiling pot sat next to several small dishes filled with dipping sauces. In the pot, the tender and melting lamb leg bones floated, and the smell of meat, carried along with the steam, shot straight to his head. The tent had three window openings, so there wasn’t a lack of oxygen or stuffiness, but Yan Chi people usually ate lightly and never filled a room with the smell of meat, so Xie Zhixing, with his eyes closed, really thought he had walked into the belly of a sheep.

"Greetings, Emperor!"

Seeing the Emperor arrive, Yun Jiao nervously shoved the hot lamb into her mouth and swallowed it whole, hastily kneeling to show respect.

The weather outside was still cold today.

Ying Lu watched in shock as Attendant Lady Xi bowed, with white steam coming out of her mouth.

"... You, bring the bronze mirror over."

At Xie Zhixing’s command, Xue Ya tremblingly offered a small bronze mirror.

He took the bronze mirror and walked over to Yun Jiao’s face.

Yun Jiao blinked: "Emperor!"

"Your mouth is steaming; don’t you know to let it cool before eating?"

Ying Lu, being considerate, brought over a fruit drink, allowing Xie Zhixing to help her drink it once he lifted her up. Yun Jiao obediently accepted the feeding, and just when everyone thought the atmosphere was becoming harmonious, she exclaimed in shock, "Emperor, how can you wait for hot pot to cool before eating? It’s all about the heat! My tongue has been through water and fire; true gold fears no furnace!"

"..."

Xie Zhixing hadn’t encountered someone so cheeky in a long time.

He couldn’t help it. He pinched Yun Jiao’s cheek, forcing her mouth open, and pinched her little tongue: "True gold fears no furnace? It’s actually soft when I pinch it." He noticed Yun Jiao’s tongue was shorter than others, much like a soft pink kitten’s tongue. He didn’t pinch hard, handling it gently.

"Uh-uh-uh..."

When he saw Yun Jiao trying to speak, he let go.

Freed, Yun Jiao said, "The Emperor is so handsome that even true gold is turned to soft around your fingers."

Xie Zhixing thought it would be better if she kept her mouth shut.

Yun Jiao didn’t know what the Emperor was thinking. She looked eagerly at him: "Emperor, if you don’t eat soon, the lamb in the pot will get overcooked."

Ordinary people are always cautious in front of the Emperor, maintaining elegance even if uncomfortable. Thus, except for his elders, Xie Zhixing rarely considered others’ feelings—since he understood things, he had at least eight eunuchs, palace maids, and nannies caring for him, fearing he may be cold, hot, in pain, or hungry, and his mother and father were adept at hiding their feelings; everyone he met was habitually reticent about their own feelings.

Xie Zhixing pulled her to the seat beside him:

"Sit down and eat."

While Yun Jiao even knowing that lamb would overcook bothered him.

Still, the interesting thing was, Xie Zhixing didn’t feel annoyed.

He thought, it was perhaps because it was too trivial, too childish—a tiger wouldn’t bother arguing with a kitten.

"Thank you, Emperor!"

Yun Jiao happily thanked him, swiftly picking up the lamb slices from the pot and dipping them in the sesame sauce, then turned to Xie Zhixing: "Emperor, this is especially delicious, have a piece yourself."

Xie Zhixing was disinclined to pay attention to her, but with the meat right at his mouth, he reluctantly ate it.

The rich sesame sauce blended with the thin lamb, truly tasting amazing.

The lamb from the Grassland was fresh, and Yun Jiao had people handle it ahead of time, leaving only the pure fragrance of the meat.

Yun Jiao watched the Emperor acting quite pretentious, needing someone to serve him while eating. She thought, he can eat it or not; even kids wouldn’t eat hot pot that’s been left to cool. But as he was a major boss of the Grassland, and she was cooking on the side, if the Emperor enjoyed it, he wouldn’t trouble her. So she diligently grilled lamb skewers, chest meat, and fatty wings, and seeing the Emperor enjoy them, she curiously asked, "Weren’t there numerous delicacies at the banquet? I thought the Emperor would have been full."

Better not to mention it. Once mentioned, Xie Zhixing remembered.

He glanced at Yun Jiao: "You sneaked to the corner of the banquet to watch from afar, and also wanted to eat the delicacies from the banquet?"

At that time, Xie Zhixing had instructed Ying Lu to find Attendant Lady Xi, and just after Ying Lu left, one of his adopted grandson quietly came over, asking what their ancestor should do?

Yun Jiao was curious about the performances at the banquet and wanted to take a distant look.

The road to the banquet was surprisingly smooth for Yun Jiao since she thought she had naturally mastered stealth skills while playing "Assassin’s Creed," but it was actually because everyone recognized this up-and-coming Attendant Lady and dared not stop her.

By the time she reached the heavily guarded banquet side, the eunuchs had already noticed her.

Seeing Attendant Lady Xi’s suspicious behavior, yet not seeming to do anything wrong, she crouched in a dark corner without moving. The eunuchs, fearing offending a favored concubine, only remembered her hiding spot and instructed the guard not to approach, before doing nothing else. It wasn’t until Ying Lu left that they asked the ancestor for guidance.

Ying Lu pondered, instructing them not to act rashly, and returned to report to the Emperor.

Xie Zhixing quickly understood the situation.

So Yun Jiao wasn’t caught by accident, nor was she wronged; she came to watch the performance!

She wanted to see the beauties perform, and once wasn’t enough, she had to come again!

At that time, Xie Zhixing held his forehead, feeling a faint pain in his temple, yet found it somewhat amusing. The Kesha Tribe was known for its exotic beauties with high noses and deep eyes, but they held little allure for him—impressive on the first glance, but lacking interest on the second. However, she thoroughly enjoyed watching.

"The Emperor knew?"

Yun Jiao was surprised.

"You thought you were well-disguised, but they just didn’t expose you,"

Xie Zhixing pinched her incredulous face: "And you shouldn’t be grilling things inside the tent, even if you can open windows, the smell will be hard to disperse, how will you sleep tonight?"

So be it, Xie Zhixing sighed: "You can rest in my tent tonight, and let them handle this."

If this is what the fairy desires, he would fulfill it.

"...Uh?"

Yun Jiao was confused.

If she said she truly wished to fall asleep to the smell of grilled meat and hotpot, would she be pulled out and blasted into pieces?