Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The braised meat balls that Geng Shuning saw had a pleasant name in the imperial kitchen, called "Harmonious Phoenix and Dragon."

Premium beef from the front leg of a cow, seasoned with a dozen spices and medicinal herbs, was carved using a decorative method to form a meat dragon, which would then encircle the inner Phoenix delight meatballs.

The so-called Phoenix delight meatballs were made from the firmest meat of free-range chicken, mashed and mixed with water chestnuts, longan fruit pulp, and glutinous rice, crafted with a secret recipe.

Beef boosts qi, chicken balances it, water chestnuts clear heat and reduce dryness, and longan nourishes the heart and enriches the blood.

The emperor, diligent in state affairs and exhausted, disliked drinking medicinal decoctions, causing the Imperial Physicians and the imperial kitchen great concern as they tried various methods to nourish the emperor.

However, this meant that whether it was the braised meat or the meatballs, to eat without staining the lips, one would need to slice them with a knife.

If the emperor were sober, Chief Su or the imperial kitchen would have sliced them in advance to ensure the emperor's convenience.

But it was the middle of the night, the location was inappropriate, and they dared not summon the imperial kitchen to assist, so the dish was prepared earlier without being sliced.

From the moment the emperor entered, he was filled with anger and directly ordered people out, not giving any chance to serve him.

Once the emperor started drinking, Chief Su didn’t dare to bring a knife near him, fearing harm to His Majesty’s sacred body.

This resulted in large chunks of braised meat and half-eaten meatballs.

The imperial kitchen's craftsmanship was excellent, and Geng Shuning had eaten quite a bit earlier.

Hearing the emperor’s slightly drunken command, Chief Su could only steel himself and reach into his boots, intending to use his protective dagger to slice the meat.

He couldn’t afford to let the emperor’s most trusted chief eunuch lose his mouth, could he?

*

Geng Shuning harbored deep resentment for this bastard.

Seeing Chief Su bend down, she swiftly grabbed the communal chopsticks and stabbed them into the meatball, her delicate, jade-like hand supporting it from below, presenting it before Chief Su.

Her face, flushed from the alcohol, smiled especially deferentially, "This servant offers to serve Chief Su, please."

Chief Su: "..." Is she trying to get rid of me?

Although Yinzhen's head was somewhat dizzy, he was not drunk.

Seeing Geng Shuning’s swift actions, he involuntarily narrowed his almond-shaped eyes, the bottom of his eyes flickering with slight displeasure.

Officially, all palace maids were his women.

Even if he disliked it, it was unreasonable to ignore him and serve a eunuch.

Chief Su knew his master well and sensed trouble, internally calling Geng Shuning ‘sir’ repeatedly, without any pride of a chief supervisor.

What pride could a eunuch have? His plea for mercy was sincerely humble.

"Miss Shuning flatters this servant. You are an imperial female official; I couldn’t possibly let you serve me..."

Yinzhen, having drunk alcohol, did not have his usual inscrutable expression, and his narrowed eyes were quite evident.

Geng Shuning noticed this too, feeling intimidated, and after frightening Chief Su, she didn’t dare to provoke the tiger further.

Holding the meatball in her hand, minding the distance, she slowly brought it to Yinzhen's lips, her voice softer and more gentle than before when addressing Chief Su.

"Chief Su is right to remind us. The emperor is the lord of the Qing Dynasty, excelling both in governance and in martial prowess. No one handles matters with more grace and precision than His Majesty."

"This servant is being presumptuous, please eat the meat, Your Majesty, so that I may reflect on how crude I am."

The meatball was held close to Yongzheng's thin lips. Because it was too near, he instinctively reached out and grabbed Geng Shuning's wrist, feeling even more displeased.

He had never seen anyone serve food so close to his face before.

This woman wasn’t just crude; she was terrible at her job.

Well, the girl had a point. As the ruler of the world, he should let others know their place.

Feeling somewhat dazed, he hummed and grabbed Geng Shuning's wrist, viciously biting into the meatball.

"Mm..." Geng Shuning bit the inside of her lip hard to stifle the cry, managing only a muffled sound.

It wasn't that Yongzheng had bitten her flesh; he had bitten into the meatball.

But his grip was incredibly strong.

With the alcohol in his system, his strength was uncontrolled. Geng Shuning's wrist felt like it was caught in a vice, on the verge of breaking from the pain.

She widened her eyes and gasped, thinking to herself, isn't it said that the Yongzheng Emperor had incredible strength?

This couldn't possibly be the strength of the weak Yongzheng Emperor. It was like an eagle catching a chick.

Yet, he didn’t seem to be putting in any effort at all, chewing the meatball slowly and elegantly, his noble and refined demeanor evident. His beautiful thin lips were slightly oily.

His dazed eyes and pale complexion gave him an almost intoxicating presence.

Geng Shuning cursed inwardly and yanked her wrist hard, her eyes turning red from pain, but he didn't move at all.

Su Peisheng, with his excellent sense of timing, had already discreetly stepped out, leaving the two in their stalemate.

Yongzheng seemed to have forgotten his earlier command.

After returning from Changchun Garden following lunch, he had been fuming, drinking half a belly of wine and hadn't eaten anything.

He hadn’t felt hungry while angry, but now that the anger had subsided, hunger set in. One bite of the meat wasn't enough, and seeing Geng Shuning struggle, his displeasure peaked.

Forgetting Geng Shuning’s status, he thought that he had never seen such poor service; he would definitely send her to the Xinzheku.

He applied a little more force, impatiently pulling her closer, lifting the chopsticks in her hand, and quickly ate the half meatball.

Geng Shuning was unprepared and almost fell face-first onto his legs.

She quickly braced herself on Yongzheng’s shoulders, stopping just in front of his legs, her forehead covered in sweat, her face pale.

Jade Spring Wine was smooth, but its potency was strong.

Geng Shuning, who had no capacity for alcohol but enjoyed it, had eaten more than she should have. Now, with the alcohol hitting her, her head was becoming dizzy.

Her instincts screamed a warning; the distance between them was dangerously close.

If she didn’t leave now, who knew what might happen.

Even if the emperor was too drunk to act, any struggle could still leave her clothes in disarray.

Geng Shuning bit her tongue to stay clear-headed.

Seeing that Yongzheng still hadn’t let go of her, still holding her wrist and using the chopsticks to stab at the sauce meat, she quickly spoke—

"Emperor, this servant will fetch water to help you wash up. You're about to get oil all over yourself."

Yinzhen stopped mid-bite, reminded by Geng Shuning of the situation.

At first, he was ready to scold Geng Shuning for not knowing how to serve him properly, but as he pressed his lips together, he tasted the savory oiliness.

Yinzhen's expression turned cold as he let go of Geng Shuning and fixed his intense gaze on her.

"Do I have to teach you how to wipe my mouth?"

Geng Shuning took a few steps back, bowed her head, and pleaded for forgiveness, thinking, "Just moments ago, you were ready to punish me for speaking out of turn, and now you want me to clean up after you?"

"Fool!" Yinzhen scolded in a low voice, "Handkerchief!"

He had always been particular about cleanliness. If he didn't notice, it was one thing, but once he did, the greasiness on his lips became unbearable.

Seeing Geng Shuning hesitate, Yinzhen grew more impatient. He stretched out his long arm and grabbed her already reddened wrist again, pulling her back stumblingly.

He was going to find the handkerchief himself.

Geng Shuning couldn't help but cry out, her face scrunching up in pain like a bun.

This man's grip was too strong; her wrist would definitely swell tomorrow. Damn him!

Her mind foggy from the alcohol, she thought about how their distance had already exceeded a safe boundary. If she didn't act quickly, who knew what might happen. She couldn't risk being caught in an inappropriate position.

Geng Shuning tried to clear her head, knowing she needed to act fast. Seeing that Yinzhen still hadn't let go of her wrist and was using chopsticks to stab at the sauce-covered meat, she hurriedly spoke—

Without thinking, she slapped his oily lips.

The air suddenly became still.

Geng Shuning's heart tightened, and most of her drunkenness wore off from fear.

She... had just slapped Yongzheng's mouth?

She felt a mix of fear and disbelief, almost laughing at the absurdity. This must be some kind of bizarre twist of fate.

While eating, Yinzhen hadn't forgotten to accompany it with wine, and now the alcohol hit him harder. He paused, and only then did the sound register in his ears, feeling a slight numbness on his lips.

Yinzhen thought slowly, who got hit?

Did he hit someone with his mouth? Something felt off.

It wasn't surprising that he didn't think about being hit; even if he lived several more lifetimes, he wouldn't expect anyone to dare be so bold.

As her drunkenness wore off, Geng Shuning's fear surged, and she knew she had to prevent Yinzhen from realizing what had happened.

Forgetting about propriety, Geng Shuning quickly used her palm to gently wipe at Yinzhen's lips.

Her voice was as soft as if she were coaxing a child, "Your Majesty, please forgive this servant. I've never served closely before... I was in a hurry to wipe your mouth..."

Yinzhen felt the soft pressure on his face and realized what Geng Shuning was doing. His face immediately darkened.

He disliked being touched, and even more so having someone wipe his mouth. This hand of hers had just touched who knows what.

The more he thought, the more intolerable it felt. Yinzhen, feeling like he might vomit, considered having Geng Shuning dragged out and beaten to death.

This woman was not only unruly but also a dirty slob. How could he have allowed such a woman to come near him?

He let go of her wrist, resisting the urge to vomit, and shouted lowly, “You are impertinent! Su...”

Geng Shuning felt a chill down her neck. She couldn’t let him continue speaking. She quickly interrupted, raising her voice—

“Your Majesty, it's getting late. You still have court tomorrow. Why not let Chief Su attend to you and head back to rest?”

Yinzhen paused, vaguely thinking it made sense. People's attention was especially easy to divert when they were drunk.

But he didn’t want to see her for another second and gestured toward the door.

Geng Shuning opened the door at an unprecedented speed and whispered to Su Peisheng, “Chief Su, His Majesty requests your service and to return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”

“If I don’t return soon, my absence will raise questions.”

Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng saw nothing unusual about Geng Shuning and knew nothing had happened. He didn’t think much of it and smilingly instructed Zhao Song to escort her back.

The time was approaching the middle of the Tiger hour, and court would begin soon. It was almost the third watch. Since His Majesty hadn’t sobered up yet, Su Peisheng didn’t dare waste any time.

Even if Geng Shuning hadn’t said anything, he would have knocked and reminded Yinzhen after the third watch.

When Geng Shuning collapsed on her kang, she didn’t even have the strength to wash off the alcohol. The effects of the Jade Spring Wine grew stronger.

*

Before falling into a deep sleep, she had just enough time to pray in her heart.

Bodhisattva, God, the Three Pure Ones, Maria, she hoped that Fourth Brother Yinzhen would black out from being drunk and not remember the slap.

Otherwise, no matter how much she struggled, her second life might be coming to an end.

The next day, Yinzhen endured until after court, his expression finally revealing his exhaustion.

Entering the imperial study, he lounged on the soft couch, supporting his head to recover. His head throbbed as if pierced by needles.

Su Peisheng had already instructed Zhao Song to use the pretense of requesting a pulse check and called the most discreet Chief Physician Chang to wait.

After checking His Majesty’s pulse, Chief Physician Chang remarked that a bowl of hangover soup would do the trick, given the alcohol and exposure to the wind.

Privately, the physician knew the emperor’s dedication to state affairs had come at the cost of his health. Anger hurt the liver, and insufficient kidney qi combined with alcohol and lack of rest caused the severe headache.

Medicine was out of the question, not even a prescription could be given. With the Retired Emperor’s people present in the imperial court, since returning from Changchun Garden and drinking liver-soothing decoctions, the implications were significant.

He could only add some nourishing herbs to the hangover soup.

Chief Physician Chang gave Su Peisheng a look and personally went to prepare the soup.

After sending the others out, Su Peisheng bent down to attend to his master.

He gently advised, “Your Majesty, this can’t go on. If Your Majesty falls ill, neither the Retired Emperor nor the Empress Dowager will forgive me.

“Would it help if the Imperial Physician prescribed some medicinal dishes for the imperial kitchen to prepare?”

Yinzhen didn't lift his head, and his discomfort left him in a foul mood.

No matter what, he wouldn’t let his health issues get in the way of running the country. He responded with a low grunt, acknowledging the concern without lifting his head.

After a while, having finished the hangover soup prepared by the chief physician from Changchun Garden, Yinzhen felt slightly better and only then did he recall the events of the previous night.

He had been disciplined since childhood and never allowed himself to lose control, no matter what he did.

He had been bottling up his anger, which could damage his well-being if left unchecked.

He needed to find a way to control his temper, no matter what it took.

The physical discomfort could be dealt with over time.

He hadn’t forgotten what Geng Shuning said last night or the thoughts that followed.

As for the situation at Changchun Garden and those troublesome brothers, he had already made up his mind and wouldn’t let his frustration build up anymore.

Maybe because he was so relieved to have found a solution, he ended up drinking more than usual, and his memory is now hazy.

But he still vividly remembered Geng Shuning wiping his mouth.

Just thinking about it made him feel like something slimy and greasy had brushed against his face, and his stomach started churning again.

He would deal with Geng Shuning, but he didn’t want anyone to know about his embarrassing state last night. There was no rush.

As Yinzhen thought, he pressed his thumb against his stomach and gave Su Peisheng a cold look.

"If I see anything inappropriate again, I’ll deal with it myself—no one else needs to get involved."