Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 195

Xie Jiu diligently peeled the sweet potato for him, but it was very hot from the roasting.

Before he knew it, he scalded himself and cried out in pain. He hurriedly threw the sweet potato onto the plate and kept blowing on his fingertips.

Seeing her disheveled appearance, Zhao Xingjin rolled up his sleeves and placed the plate in front of him.

"Alright, don't touch it if it's hot. I'll peel it for you."

Qingfang was about to step forward to help, but seeing that the Emperor was doing it himself, she retreated.

The joy of hands-on activities shouldn't be taken away.

Zhao Xingjin had never done this kind of work before, and his skills weren't much better than Xie Jiu's; he was also burning his fingers.

But as an emperor, he had to save face, so he tossed the sweet potato around in his hands until he finally managed to peel it.

It just didn't look very appealing, and I ended up with my hands covered in black stains.

Qingfang quickly brought water and a handkerchief to help the two masters wash their hands, while Chunrong brought a small silver spoon to arrange the sweet potatoes and place them on a new plate.

After washing his hands, Xie Jiu immediately took a bite and then began to flatter him.

"Mmm, as expected of the Emperor himself, it tastes absolutely delicious!"

"I merely peeled it; how could that change the taste?"

Zhao Xingjin watched her exaggerated performance with amusement, feeling no disgust at all. On the contrary, he thought this woman was really quite cunning.

Meanwhile, Xie Jiu was still relentlessly trying to deceive them.

"Of course it can change the taste! How many people in this world can eat roasted sweet potatoes peeled by His Majesty himself? I might be the first one. So, eating this roasted sweet potato is the taste of good fortune, the taste of happiness!"

As she spoke, she scooped up a spoonful and handed it to Zhao Xingjin.

"Your Majesty, please try it. Do you think it tastes better because I baked it myself?"

Looking at the woman in front of him, her beautiful eyes sparkling like stars, gazing at him, it was truly heart-melting that he couldn't refuse her.

So Zhao Xingjin took a bite from her hand.

"Well, it tastes really good."

"Is it the sweet potato itself that's delicious, or is it because I roasted it well?" Xie Jiu blinked and asked deliberately.

Zhao Xingjin looked at her, and the smile on his lips deepened involuntarily. He then raised his hand and gently pinched the tip of her nose.

"You're so cunning! Very well, very well, it's because you roasted it so well. How about I change your title to Consort Zhi?"

"炙" means roasting, and Xie Jiu immediately hummed and turned her face away.

"No! Your Majesty ate the sweet potatoes I roasted myself, and now you're making fun of me!"

"You're mischievous, but also domineering, not allowing others to joke around with you." After teasing her for a while, Zhao Xingjin's mood inexplicably improved, so he gently coaxed her, "Alright, what have I been doing all these days without visiting you? Where has Wenxi been?"

After laughing and joking around enough, Xie Jiu became more serious.

He answered while gesturing for tea to be served.

"What can I do? It's cold outside. I've been busy since the sixth day of the month, and I've been staying in the palace every day. Consort Liu came to keep me company for a couple of times. Since I have nothing to do, I embroidered a few sachets for Your Majesty and I'm also thinking of making a belt, but I haven't decided what to embroider yet. Wenxi went out to play with Princess Zhaoqing and Princess Lingyi today."

"They said they brought back a few snow foxes from the animal park this year. There was a heavy snowfall yesterday, and the children are excited to go see them."

Listening to her rambling, Zhao Xingjin drank a few sips of hot tea, feeling warm inside.

"Although the needlework is skillful, the patterns they embroider are always the same few, which is a bit boring. Your embroidery is much better."

Xie Jiu raised an eyebrow. "Your Majesty is good at coaxing people. You've made me dizzy with your sweet talk, and I'm even serving as your embroiderer." Zhao Xingjin smiled as she teased him.

"How could I bear to do that?"

After speaking, he put down his teacup and said, "By the way, I have another matter to discuss with you today."

"Your Majesty, please speak." Xie Jiu sat up straight.

Zhao Xingjin's eyes flickered. "Gao Sui just entered the palace to test me about the situation in Dingzhou. I estimate that the people of Xichi probably think that Dingzhou is already in chaos."

“Isn’t this perfect? ​​It aligns with His Majesty’s plan,” Xie Jiu said.

Zhao Xingjin did not respond immediately, but instead twirled the jade thumb ring on his hand, looking thoughtful.

Xie Jiu quickly realized from this that there was something else going on, so he took the initiative to ask her.

"Could it be that His Majesty has other plans?"

"It's nothing important. I want your father to go and sound out the Xichi people. I want to know just how big their appetite is," Zhao Xingjin said calmly.

Xie Mingshen knew something about the battle situation in Dingzhou.

During this time, Xie Jiu also had Xie Wei keep a close eye on him, for fear that Xie Mingshen would deliberately leak secrets.

Of course, if he gets caught leaking secrets, that would be a good thing, as it would be solid evidence of his crime.

However, Xie Mingshen, that greedy old fox, also had the same idea: to suppress first and then praise later.

Now, he deliberately acts cautiously in front of the Xichi people, making them think that Dajing is in big trouble and is just waiting for Zhao Xingjin to settle the Dingzhou matter in one fell swoop and put pressure on Xichi so that he can make a fortune.

So he's been staying home and hasn't taken any action. Even when Zhao Zaiyan invited him to meet, he didn't go.

Upon hearing Zhao Xingjin's words, Xie Jiu's eyes flickered slightly.

"Your Majesty wishes to have my father handle this matter?"

"Of course he went. He was personally appointed by me to be the official in charge of receiving the delegation from Xichi Kingdom." Zhao Xingjin's voice was calm. "What, you think it's inappropriate?"

As he said this, Zhao Xingjin's gaze fell on Xie Jiu, making Xie Jiu suddenly feel a tightness in his back and immediately become alert.

The harmonious atmosphere from before vanished instantly, prompting Xie Jiu to remind herself once again that there could never be the kind of relationship between her and Zhao Xingjin that was common between a king and his favorite concubine.

After making up her mind, Xie Jiu immediately shook her head.

"No." She denied it, lowered her eyes, and said in a low voice, "I was just thinking that if my father had any ulterior motives, wouldn't Your Majesty be giving him the opportunity to openly contact the Xichi people?"

To her surprise, Zhao Xingjin chuckled and said, "I'm afraid he's already been secretly in contact with the Xichi people for a long time."

These words startled Xie Jiu, and alarm bells immediately went off.

Could it be that Zhao Xingjin knew about Xie Mingshen and that Xichi man Zhao Zaiyan? Did Zhao Xingjin know that he had also discovered this matter and had kept it a secret?

The hand hidden under the sleeve tightened slightly, but Xie Jiu still tried to remain calm and didn't reveal any flaws.

She shouldn't scare herself until the very last moment.

So he feigned surprise and asked, "What has Your Majesty discovered?"

"The people from the Huitong Hall reported that this Zhao Zaiyan would find an excuse to go out every few days, saying he was going out for drinks, but he was probably meeting someone in secret. However, the person he met was more cautious and his identity was never discovered. He knew the roads in the capital so well, could quickly avoid being followed, and was familiar with the secret doors of various restaurants. He was a man from Dajing who came and went without a trace."

Zhao Xingjin's voice was deep, clearly indicating that although he had not yet found concrete evidence, he already had someone he suspected.

Thank goodness, thank goodness, Xie Jiu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He then said, "In that case, let's take this opportunity to try it out and find out."