I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 466 Bad Taste

Yunhezhai's breakfast is among the top three in the entire capital, and it's always packed with customers; business is booming.

His Majesty the Emperor made this decision on a whim, and Commander Xie was put in charge of carrying it out.

Lord Xie, dressed in a red flying fish robe, personally rode to Yunhezhai. He originally intended to book the entire place, but seeing that there were many acquaintances among the diners and that the emperor had not made any special requests, he changed his mind and booked a private room instead.

The private rooms were already fully booked, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a notorious reputation, and Commander Xie was coming in person, so the manager of Yunhezhai had to build one for him even if it meant building one on the spot.

A carriage slowly drove out of the palace, and Chu Liuzheng was so excited that he tugged at the curtain to look outside.

She had thought she would never be able to leave the palace in her lifetime, but unexpectedly, the emperor was willing to take her out of the palace for breakfast. Although it was nothing compared to true freedom, Chu Liuzheng was very content in reality.

[I'm having breakfast outside the palace today. What if I get to travel to Jiangnan someday? It's not like there's no hope at all.]

She was humming a song softly. Xiao Jingfan listened intently for a while but couldn't recognize the tune, so he asked, "What tune are you humming?"

"I don't know, I heard someone sing it when I was a child and I remembered it." Chu Liuzheng lowered the curtain, picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

Xiao Jingfan said, "The music is good."

Chu Liuzheng snorted.

That's a legendary song from a past life, widely known and sung.

*
The carriage stopped at the entrance of Yunhezhai.

Upon seeing that the driver was Zhou Yuande, Xie Hui went out to greet him, respectfully addressing the handsome young man who alighted from the carriage as "Young Master," which drew the attention of all the diners in the hall.

What young master could have a commander of the Imperial Guards fawning over him like a servant?

The moment Xie Hui saw the person's face, some of his acquaintances sprayed soy milk all over the person opposite them, some choked on the shumai and rolled their eyes back, and some choked on food that went into their trachea and coughed so loudly that they almost passed out.

Why has His Majesty left the palace?!
Many people tried to stand up and bow, but Xiao Jingfan stopped them all with a single glance. They were so restless, as if a handful of nails had suddenly been scattered on their stools.

Xiao Jingfan, without glancing to the side, led Chu Liuzheng upstairs as if nothing had happened.

Chu Liuzheng suddenly remembered that it was the same when he went to the Prince of Shun's mansion before, and couldn't help but shake his head in his heart.

[Tsk tsk, what a tyrant's twisted sense of humor.]

Once the group disappeared at the top of the stairs, the acquaintances in the lobby rushed out of Yunhezhai as if fleeing in a whirlwind.

The manager of Yunhezhai scratched his head. Wasn't today a day off? Why are they all eating in such a hurry than usual?

In a private room on the second floor, the culprit was holding up a menu and asking the woman beside him, "What would you like to eat?"

"Let me see." Chu Liuzheng took the menu and, out of professional habit, quickly removed the dishes that the emperor didn't like or couldn't eat. Then he said to the waiter, "I don't want any of what I just said. Bring one serving of each of the rest, and two servings of crab roe buns."

Although Yunhezhai's food is delicious, it's expensive and the portions are small; one serving of each item would be about right.

The waiter noted down her request and took the menu to Xie Hui's table next door.

Xie Hui is a regular here, and his skill in ordering food rivals that of Chu Liuzheng. Luckily, the waiter has a quick mind, otherwise he would definitely get confused.

Chu Liuzheng picked up the flower tea that the waiter had just brought and poured a cup for Xiao Jingfan. "Young Master, wouldn't it be too late if we ate before leaving the city?"

"Young Master?" Xiao Jingfan raised an eyebrow, somewhat displeased with the title.

Chu Liuzheng readily agreed: "Young Master."

"..." Xiao Jingfan stared at her for a moment, then picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Young Master, please."

"Yes, young master." Chu Liuzheng poured himself a cup of flower tea. Xiao Jingfan said, "It's still early, it's best to have breakfast first."

Upon hearing this, Chu Liuzheng was no longer worried and began to sip his tea while looking around at the furnishings of the private room.

Xiao Jingfan was also busy, sometimes reaching out to brush away the wind-blown strands of her hair, sometimes feeding her tea, sometimes fiddling with her earrings. He was as restless as a three-year-old trying to attract a little girl's attention, which was simply unbearable to watch.

Commander Xie covered his eyes, thinking to himself, "Does it have to be this sticky? There are still people here!"
Eunuch Zhou was already used to his emperor's nonchalant attitude and sat upright as a mountain.

Chenxing, who followed her out of the palace, seemed to enjoy the sight quite a bit.

Before long, everyone's breakfast was served.

Chu Liuzheng tasted the crab roe steamed bun that even the emperor had heard was delicious.

[As expected, the price is justified. The skill is comparable to that of an imperial chef. No wonder the restaurant is packed despite the high price. There are definitely more wealthy people in the capital.]

Seeing that she was eating with relish, Xiao Jingfan unconsciously ate more as well.

Perhaps feeling that they couldn't afford to offend them, each plate on the table contained more food than in the main hall. Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Chu Liuzheng packed up all the untouched dishes to give to his elder brother as an extra meal later.

Thinking that Prince Xiao would like the taste of crab roe buns, she ordered ten extra portions, since the emperor would pay for them anyway.

When the carriage arrived at the city gate, King Xiao and his entourage were preparing to leave.

Chu Liuzheng eagerly handed the food box to his elder brother, asking whether anyone from home had come to deliver it, and whether he had brought everything. He was as concerned as an elderly mother.

Not far away, Pei Yunjian tugged at Ren Qingxia's sleeve, gestured with his chin toward Chu Liuzheng, and asked, "Don't you think this younger sister, Deyin, looks somewhat familiar?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Qingxia looked up at Chu Liuzheng, stared at him for a moment, and nodded: "He does look somewhat familiar."

“I remember now.” Pei Yunjian glanced at Yan Chengtong sitting on the other side, gestured for Ren Qingxia to come closer, and whispered, “It was the palace maid who accompanied the emperor to the Prince of Shun’s residence that day, the one standing behind His Majesty.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Qingxia remembered it, and her expression turned strange for a moment.

It was no secret among the officials in the capital that His Majesty had favored a palace maid for several months. Some people had already found out about Chu Liuzheng's family background. Ren Qingxia had also heard some things from her own father, such as that she was of lowly status, that her family ran a general store, and that she had an older brother and a younger sister in addition to her parents.

He had always known that Chu Shangming's family also ran a general store and had recently moved, but there were so many general stores in the capital, and he didn't know Chu Liuzheng's name, so he never thought of Chu Shangming.

I never imagined that the sorceress who was rumored to have bewitched the king was not only watching the spectacle from behind the same flower bushes as me, but was also my friend's sister. Tsk!

"What are you two whispering about?" Yan Chengtong asked listlessly, crossing his arms and glancing at him sideways.

Ren Qingxia shifted her foot and subtly touched Pei Yunjian's foot.

Pei Yunjian changed the subject before speaking, and blurted out, "Family matters."

Only after saying it did he realize what he had said, and it was too late to take it back.

A soft laugh came from above, and a foot stretched out annoyingly again.

Pei Yunjian's ears turned red, and he stepped on the ground expressionlessly, grinding it down hard.

Ren Qingxia was in so much pain she almost screamed, her expression contorted in a frightening way.

With their clothes obscuring their view, Yan Chengtong couldn't see what they were doing. He glanced at the expressionless Pei Yunjian, then at the contorted face of Ren Qingxia, and, realizing a certain possibility, gasped, "You...you...you're engaged?"

I was so surprised that I almost bit my tongue.

(End of this chapter)