He asked you to serve him in bed and become his concubine, how did you manage to win his heart and s

The palace had a wide variety of food, and even lotus seed soup had several different ways of being made.

Using expensive ingredients is one thing, and nourishing and beautifying is another, but using water chestnuts is indeed very rare.

Mu Xiaoci himself didn't realize that every time he came to Yaoguang Palace to see Li Ruolan, he would receive an unexpected surprise, and this surprise just happened to be one that he himself thought was good.

It was just a simple bowl of lotus seed soup; he could have easily refused.

But after smelling it, I couldn't help but drink half a bowl.

Li Ruolan was another person who discovered that he was different from others. She had long heard that the emperor was busy with state affairs and often forgot to eat and sleep. He was also very picky about food and would usually eat a few bites and finish quickly.

This was a common practice in the imperial harem. The concubines would symbolically prepare late-night snacks, but they wouldn't put too much effort into it.

It's a small matter if the emperor doesn't like it, but it's a big deal if he takes his anger out on me.

Even Li Ruolan didn't plan to prepare anything; she just asked Yunxi to symbolically choose some things to put on the table as a formality.

Anyway, the emperor wouldn't eat it.

But why is today different from what I've heard?

Could it be that she was really too busy to eat, and it just so happened that she happened to catch Mu Xiaoci hungry?

Li Ruolan wouldn't just stand by and watch; instead, she took the initiative to go and serve him.

"Does Your Majesty like this lotus seed soup? If so, I will personally deliver it to Your Majesty next time..."

"No need, I just happened to have a bit of an appetite."

Mu Xiaoci stopped what he was doing and tried his best to keep his tone the same as usual.

Looking back now, I realize I did eat a bit too much today.

The moment he picked up his chopsticks, he didn't even realize that he had done something he shouldn't have done that day.

When he was a prince, life was always fraught with danger, and he couldn't even eat in peace. This led him to develop the habit of suppressing his desires, even when he liked something. He would only eat a few bites of each dish, neither more nor less, making it difficult for others to guess his intentions.

Furthermore, one cannot reveal their preferences; all flavors, whether sweet, sour, bitter, or spicy, are roughly the same. To outsiders, one should say that they are just average and barely palatable.

Everyone says he's a picky eater, and nowadays the imperial chefs can hardly satisfy the emperor's appetite.

While this might sound like nitpicking, it was actually a good thing for him.

Only in this way will it be difficult for others to touch his food, let alone think of doing anything they shouldn't.

The throne is not as easy to sit on as one might imagine. Not only must he be wary of those around him, but he must also hide his preferences so that they are never discovered.

This bowl of lotus seed soup today has exceeded my expectations.

He couldn't explain too much, so he just made up an excuse and tacitly allowed Li Ruolan to serve him.

Soon, the perceptive man realized that he always seemed to find something he liked in Yaoguang Palace.

Previously, it was plum blossom pastry; now, it's lotus seed soup.

One event might be a coincidence, but when two events happen in the same place, things are probably not that simple.

The Li family might indeed have their own connections within the palace, allowing them to uncover his past and preferences.

But this was something he himself had never told anyone else. Was it really information that the Li family had found out?

Mu Xiaoci didn't try to guess, and didn't even really want to find out the real answer.

He is the emperor; his task is not to conquer others or gain their trust.

The true way of an emperor is to control his court officials, making them willingly devote themselves to him, even sacrificing their lives.

Instead of the other way around, being monitored and deceived by ministers, and even having one's own preferences controlled by others.

Meeting Li Ruolan's expectant gaze, he put down his bowl and began to scrutinize her.

"How did Consort Lan come up with the idea of ​​preparing lotus seed soup for me?"

“Eh…”

Li Ruolan sensed something was wrong, and the joy that had appeared on her face vanished. She didn't even know what to say.

No one can withstand the wrath of an emperor, let alone her.

She had thought she had broken the distance between herself and the emperor, but the sudden change made her feel uneasy and even a little scared.

She withdrew her expectations, lowered her head, and avoided his judgmental gaze.

"It was my arrogance that led me to presumptuously try to guess Your Majesty's preferences; it was my fault."

After saying that, he knelt down in front of Mu Xiaoci, looking completely innocent and pitiful.

Li Ruolan was not stupid; she knew when to advance and, even more importantly, when to retreat.

When she first entered the palace, Granny Gui told her that she should never challenge the imperial authority, and even more so, she should not do anything unnecessary in front of the emperor.

People should learn to lower their stance, and more importantly, they should know what it means to advance by retreating.

This is the palace; you have to stay alive before you can do anything else.

She always regarded these words as her lifeline. Even when facing Consort Su, she always maintained a sense of propriety in her scenes with her opponent and would never cut off her own escape route.

I never expected that my first act of showing weakness would be in this place.

She was terrified, but Mu Xiaoci in front of her didn't actually intend to make a move.

He merely raised an eyebrow, then stood up, suppressing his suspicions, walked over to her, and gently helped her up.

"It seems I didn't understand Consort Lan's intentions. It's my fault. Get up."

"His Majesty……"

Hearing these gentle words, Li Ruolan finally raised her face to meet his eyes, and the anxiety in her heart quietly subsided.

That moment was truly terrifying.

She didn't even know what she had done or said wrong, and she could feel that the other person's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

It's just a simple bowl of lotus seed soup...

What's so strange about that? Why get so angry?

Li Ruolan didn't understand, but she knew that she would have to be even more careful in front of the Emperor from now on.

There are some things that cannot be mentioned, nor can they be brought up proactively.

"Your Majesty, this lotus seed soup is actually something I enjoy eating myself. I had it prepared privately because I wanted to take advantage of Your Majesty's good taste and try it as a late-night snack..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, but she leaned closer and closer to Mu Xiaoci. "Your Majesty, do you know that I've been enjoying these sweets lately? My appetite is getting bigger and bigger."

I vaguely remember that pregnant women sometimes have a sudden increase in appetite, and she could take advantage of this to have a good talk with the Emperor.

In fact, only Li Ruolan was preoccupied with this matter. Mu Xiaoci didn't even think about pregnancy. Instead, he helped her back to her original position and let her eat the rest of the lotus seed soup.

Li Ruolan: "?"

"Since the maidservants around you forbid you to eat, you can eat without worry tonight while I'm here."

"emperor……"

"It's alright, I will keep this secret for you."

"..."

Li Ruolan finally understood what it meant to have a bitter pill to swallow.

She discovered that although the emperor was intelligent, he was actually quite clueless about many things, and even now he still couldn't understand her meaning.

Then she remembered why she had been begging to see the Emperor recently. Before she could finish her bowl of porridge, she leaned against Mu Xiaoci and took the opportunity to say that she couldn't eat too much, otherwise she would have indigestion and wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Tomorrow I will be going to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, and I dare not make any mistakes that might displease her."

Generally speaking, it should be the emperor who goes to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.

Hearing Li Ruolan say this, Mu Xiaoci looked over in confusion and asked her what was going on.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to blame Consort Su. She said that Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs these days, and the Empress Dowager has also returned. As consorts, we naturally have to go to the Empress Dowager to fulfill our filial duties on behalf of the Emperor..."

Every sentence speaks of Consort Su's hardships, but if you listen carefully, they all sound like complaints about Consort Su.

Was Li Ruolan filing a complaint, or was she accusing Consort Su of wrongdoing in front of the Emperor?

She only realized after she returned that the Empress Dowager was the most difficult one to deal with, and she herself didn't understand the Empress Dowager at all. If she really did something wrong, she was afraid that she would be punished before the Emperor even arrived.

Mu Xiaoci frowned. "This is indeed a bit ridiculous. You've only just entered the palace; how can you possibly replace all the other concubines?"

"That's right, that's right. I wouldn't dare speak for all of you sisters. Just thinking about it makes me nervous, afraid that I won't do a good job..."

Now that she finally had a reason to get closer, Li Ruolan snuggled into Mu Xiaoci's arms, practically hanging on him.

"Your Majesty, I am aware of what has happened these past few days. I am thinking of my father, who was a minister in charge of disaster relief, and the plight of the people in the Northwest who are still being robbed of their food in the winter. I feel so sorry for them and think that I should do something to help you share your burdens."

Seeing that Mu Xiaoci was about to push her away again, she deliberately said some things that he liked to hear.

Sure enough, he stopped moving and instead turned to the side, placing his hand on Li Ruolan's waist.

"Could it be that the beauty also has her own ideas about the war in the Northwest?"

"Your Majesty is joking. How would I know such things? I was just thinking of my cousin, who said he hates barbarian plundering and can't stand their banditry. If the country sends troops to suppress them, he will donate silver and grain free of charge..."

Li Ruolan finally revealed what she had written in her letter to Mu Xiaoci.

She said that the barbarians were rampant and caused unrest in the northwest, and she was willing to offer advice to the emperor.

But who in the world would dare to say they can make decisions in front of the emperor? She was merely using the Li family's connections to get the emperor's attention and to tell him that she could persuade her family to share the burdens of the royal family.

She is his woman, and the Li family will naturally become the emperor's right-hand woman.

This is what Li Ruolan wanted to express.

Mu Xiaoci came here today for this very reason. Based on Li Ruolan's previous complaints, he immediately understood what she meant.

A smile finally appeared on his face, and he even took the initiative to hug her.

"It is my blessing that my beauty thinks this way." After saying this, a rare tenderness appeared on his face. "You can go to the Empress Dowager's side tomorrow without worry. I haven't paid my respects to her for a long time. I will go and see her after the morning court tomorrow."

I can't say it too explicitly, but I've at least agreed to Li Ruolan's request.

With him around, even if the Empress Dowager makes things difficult, it won't be too serious.

He will protect her.

What else could Li Ruolan possibly be dissatisfied with?

Of course, she hooked her arm around his neck and started to act a little coquettish.

"I knew Your Majesty loved me dearly. As long as Your Majesty is here, I have nothing to fear."