The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 67 Taste
Just as everyone was about to bow, Emperor Yuanwu raised his hand to stop them.

"Come quick, come and catch me!"

Shen Qingwan was holding a sandbag. Jiang Wenlan raised his foot to grab it, but she threw it in front of Jiang Wenyuan before he could.

Jiang Wenyuan was too young to pass the sandbag around or hide it. He just held the sandbag in one hand, waving it around and laughing foolishly, occasionally getting hit in the face by the sandbag in his hand.

Wu Jixiang glanced at Emperor Yuanwu and saw that his brow was relaxed and his lips were upturned before he spoke: "The way the Empress stands with the prince and the princess is just like a child."

"The Empress is only 19 years old, she's still just a child, but..."

Emperor Yuanwu paused here.

However, ever since his serious illness, he had never seen the Empress display any childlike willfulness again.

Nowadays, no matter what we do, we do it in an orderly manner, calmly analyze things, and sometimes we can even see through the mystery in a single sentence, making witty remarks and endless fun.

She is no longer the willful, arrogant, and unruly empress she once was.

"Be careful, Your Majesty!"

Wu Jixiang cried out in shock. Emperor Yuanwu suddenly raised his hand and swiftly and accurately caught the sandbag flying towards him. His expression did not change at all, as if everything was under his control.

The eunuchs and palace maids around them were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive us."

Only Shen Qingwan glanced in the direction of the sandbag, but instead of kneeling down to pay her respects, she showed no intention of stopping. As Emperor Yuanwu tossed the sandbag back, she continued playing with the other children.

"Would Your Majesty like to join us?"

Emperor Yuanwu raised an eyebrow, smiling but saying nothing.

He watched from the side. Jiang Wenyuan was still young and remained the same as before. Jiang Wenlan and Jiang Wanying were obviously much more reserved, and they would even glance in the direction of Emperor Yuanwu every time they took a step, for fear of displeasing him.

Seeing this, Shen Qingwan tossed the sandbag into Jiang Wenlan's hands and walked towards Emperor Yuanwu.

Emperor Yuanwu looked at her flushed cheeks and the fine layer of sweat on her forehead, and asked with amusement, "Aren't you going to play anymore?"

“The Emperor doesn’t play with us. When the children see the Emperor, they become restless and stop playing.” Shen Qingwan took out a silk handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

"Oh." Emperor Yuanwu drawled, "So, Empress, you're saying I spoiled your and the child's fun?"

"Your Majesty, are you implying that I am guilty of disrespecting you?" Shen Qingwan frowned.

"Did the Empress not show any disrespect? When I came over, everyone knelt down to pay their respects, but the Empress saw it and pretended not to see it, and continued throwing the sandbags."

Looking at Emperor Yuanwu's current state, Shen Qingwan couldn't help but feel a little amused.

His arrogant expression seemed completely out of place with his imperial demeanor and age.

“Your Majesty, we are husband and wife, so we are naturally different from the palace maids and eunuchs. Besides, I was playing with your children at the time. If a wife and child are having a good time, and then they have to bow to their husband when he comes over, wouldn’t the whole family become distant? Didn’t you notice that the eldest prince and the eldest princess became very reserved after you came over? Does Your Majesty not want to be a loving father but a strict one?” Shen Qingwan said sullenly.

However, her words made Emperor Yuanwu fall into deep thought.

At this moment, he even had a slight moment of self-reflection, wondering if he had been too strict with the princes and princesses.

Especially... Jiang Wenlan... The two talked and chatted until they arrived at Kunning Palace.

As the weather grew colder, the flowers and plants in the palace were no longer as vibrant as before.

The courtyard of Kunning Palace was planted with quite a few ivy plants, adding a touch of green embellishment.

But those bamboo baskets placed on the ivy...?
When Emperor Yuanwu approached, he realized that they were dried chili peppers.

He said that his nose felt a little uncomfortable when he entered Kunning Palace.

"What is the Empress doing?" Emperor Yuanwu asked in surprise.

"Didn't His Majesty previously bestow upon me a pot with a cloisonné enamel pattern? The mutton hot pot is delicious, but no matter how I prepare the dipping sauce, it always feels like it's missing something. So I did some research and decided to sun-dry some chili peppers and make some chili sauce myself. I've already made some. Would His Majesty like to stay for dinner and try my fried chili sauce?" Shen Qingwan asked leisurely.

Emperor Yuanwu raised an eyebrow, ignoring Shen Qingwan's words, and instead asked her another question: "I remember the Shen family was originally from Jiangnan. It was only after you married me that you settled in the capital. Jiangnan cuisine tends to be sweet. I remember the Empress didn't eat spicy food when she first entered the palace. How come you're making chili sauce yourself now?"

Shen Qingwan: Uh…

Didn't Emperor Yuanwu never like the original owner of this body?
Given this, how could he possibly care about the original owner's daily life? Truly worthy of being a monarch, with meticulous attention to detail.

“People change. Just like before, the Emperor never set foot in Kunning Palace except on the first and fifteenth of the month, let alone sit on the same bench with me and dine face to face.” Shen Qingwan said seemingly nonchalantly, but only she knew that when she said these words, her heart was already racing like a thousand wild horses.

Emperor Yuanwu remained silent for a long time.

He had to admit that the Empress had indeed changed a lot since her serious illness.

But a person's temperament can change, their preferences can change, and even their makeup can change.

But this taste... can it be changed so easily?
Perhaps because Emperor Yuanwu had not spoken for a long time, Shen Qingwan glanced at him and asked, "Your Majesty, how are you?"

She thought to herself, "Give me a straight answer, whether you're going to eat it or not."

It's alright if he doesn't eat; she was genuinely hungry after running around in the Imperial Garden with the children for a while.

"Your Majesty can arrange it as you see fit." After saying this, Emperor Yuanwu sat down on the stool and picked up a book from the table to read.

The imperial kitchen quickly prepared the ingredients for the hot pot and brought them out one dish after another.

Shen Qingwan generously took out her own secret recipe chili sauce, prepared a dipping sauce, and placed it in front of Emperor Yuanwu.

To avoid making him too spicy, Shen Qingwan deliberately added less spice.

Emperor Yuanwu usually ate a light diet. The food that an emperor would eat was generally common and had a balanced flavor.

Otherwise, if the emperor suddenly remembers something that only exists in the summer in the dead of winter and can't make it, wouldn't he lose his head?

As for taste, spicy food is even more problematic. It irritates the stomach and intestines, and if the emperor eats too much and gets diarrhea, they cannot bear the responsibility.

Even though Shen Qingwan reduced the amount, Emperor Yuanwu, who rarely eats spicy food, was still sweating profusely after just one bite and had to drink several mouthfuls of tea.

(End of this chapter)