Linque

It was the time of the Empress Dowager, and it was approaching the end of the new year. Except for the city lords of the aristocratic families who came to Beijing to celebrate their birthdays, and the princes of various places, some border generals who did not return to Beijing to report on their duties at the end of the year, and high-ranking officials above the third rank in various places also liked to take advantage of this opportunity to avoid bad luck. At the stall, I will give the emperor a greeting, talk about the customs, people's livelihood and peace under the rule, and say a few flattering words, so that the emperor will not forget them for a long time.

Of course, there are not a few people who hold this kind of thinking. Whenever the emperor's birthday or the end of the year is approaching, the Shangshutai will collect a bunch of such non-substantial notebooks.

But those who are qualified to invite Anzhe are not petty officials, and the Shangshutai cannot make the main reply, so they have to send them all to the Jingcheng Hall according to the place and category. There are a lot of clichés.

Chu Heng looked at it carefully at first, but then he scanned it at a glance, just remembering the name of the person, but even so, most of the morning was still spent on it.

The emperor's servant Mo didn't know how many "Zhen'an" he wrote for the unreasonable emperor. At the end of the time, when the bandit Gao came to ask where the lunch was, the lazy emperor finally had a conscience.

"Let's put it in the back hall." Ling Ye turned his head and asked Chu Heng after giving instructions to Gao Bandit, "I have a pot for lunch, come over to serve the meal, do you want red soup or clear soup?"

Chu Heng put down his pen, looked at the thick stack of memorials in his hand, and felt that His Majesty must reward himself, so he thought about it and said: "I want both, red soup needs butter, clear soup needs bone broth and Fish soup. The bone soup should be boiled with beef bones, and the fish soup should be stewed into milky white. Add some yam and tofu in it, um...or add a mushroom soup, put more chicken fir, matsutake and mushrooms. Eat a pot It would be good to go with a little wine, and another pot of aged Qiulubai."

He said a long list brazenly. Ling Ye just laughed after hearing it, and then turned to ask Bandit Gao: "Have you written it all down? Don't miss it."

Eunuch Gao is getting old, and his apprentice Zhu Geng follows behind.

Making soup pots in the palace is different from outside. Everything has to be precise and delicate. All ingredients and seasonings need to be prepared two or three days in advance. Simmer slowly overnight, so that it will be delicious and delicious with endless aftertaste.

Your Majesty is not a difficult master to serve, and you can only order one or two dishes when you eat a pot on weekdays. Occasionally, Qing Yan is there, so he will add a non-spicy clear soup for him to try.

Now two people are eating a pot, the one who is supposed to be served didn't say anything, but the one who was supposed to be serving the meal ordered four soup bases in one go, luckily the imperial dining room was prepared, otherwise it would have been a mess.

When Zhu Geng came to the study this morning to refill tea for His Majesty, he glanced at Chu Heng who was writing with a pen, only to notice that the Imperial Attendant Mo did not write on the booklets according to His Majesty's dictation, but dipped the imperial pen in vermilion ink. Presumptuously replying directly on the notebook.

Zhu Geng was taken aback, he almost couldn't hold the teapot firmly, if he hadn't been serving the imperial court for a long time, he had acquired the ability to not change his face in everything, otherwise, if anyone saw it, he might have to call out directly.

Except for the secret performances of all officials, other papers that can be sent to the Hall of Jingcheng must be written by high-ranking and powerful officials in the court. Even the prime minister has no right to write and approve directly.

According to the laws of the Dayin Kingdom, apart from the prince who supervises the country under the decree, only the empress can do such disrespectful things without proclaiming the decree to the world.

After what happened in the morning, now that Zhu Geng listened to Chu Heng's order of four pot bottoms, there was no ups and downs in his heart——

How could this be the treatment of an imperial servant Mo?

Not to mention the close ministers around the emperor, even the favorite concubine, I'm afraid they would not dare to be extravagant and wasteful, brazenly making a long list of demands in front of the emperor.

Zhu Geng felt that the words "Chu Shimo" had to be replaced sooner or later, and they all had to change their name to "His Royal Highness" in the future.

At noon, lunch is served in the apse.

Bandit Gao led the two of them over, and as soon as they stepped into the palace gate, the strong aroma of the pot rushed towards them.There are four small copper pots on the dining table. The red soup is spicy and spicy, the bone soup is mellow and oily, the fish soup is thick and nourishing, and the mushroom soup is sweet and delicious. The four pots are bubbling. Different fragrances are intertwined and float all over the hall.Thinly sliced ​​beef and mutton, mashed shrimp, pork tenderloin, quail eggs, lamb tripe, pheasant, scallops, bamboo shoots, fungus, mushrooms, cabbage, etc. On one side, the soup is boiling, and the meat and vegetables are all prepared, just waiting to be cooked in the pot.

Qing Yan didn't come over. After the Winter Festival, Dabai Tuanzi followed Gu Yanshi to the Zhen Guogong's mansion that night.Uncle Gu has always been spoiled by him, these few days Tuanzi is having fun outside the palace, and he doesn't even want to come back.

But fortunately, he didn't come over. He was still young and couldn't eat most of the dishes in the hot pot. Even if he came, he could only watch with tears in his eyes, greedy alone.

The serving lady came forward to serve the dishes, and after Chu Heng tasted all the four soup bases she wanted, she stopped letting the serving serving put vegetables in the other three pots.The red soup cooked in Yushanfang is just enough to make people feel spicy, but not too much to eat. The soup base is spicy and thick. No matter what you put in, take it out and eat it, it will be a fusion of spicy, salty and fresh. , mouth full of saliva, very pleased with him.

On the cold winter day, sitting around the table with the person you secretly like, eating a hot pot meal, accompanied by sweet and mellow aged autumn dew, delicious wine and coriander, the whole heart is warmed.

After eating this lunch for half an hour, at the end of the meal, they didn't call the waitress to serve dishes at all. The two of them put down their chopsticks and cooked it by themselves. The soup was boiling and the ingredients were floating and sinking. His Majesty, who was concentrating on catching shrimp meatballs for him, was full of satisfaction.

But extreme joy can easily lead to sorrow.

It was too late by the time Chu Heng felt the distending pain in his confidant in the afternoon.

He suddenly remembered that because Ji Wuyue was coming to the imperial capital, he had been taking Banmengtan for half a month. Although this medicine would allow him to return to Mahayana in a short period of time, it was harmful to his health. He took too much. Not to mention the splitting headache when taking the medicine, it will take a while to recover afterward.

Mu Xiyun had warned him, but after resting in the dew garden for two days, it didn't hurt to be fine, so he didn't take it too seriously.Today, when he returned to the palace, he was so complacent that he forgot even the most basic taboos. He ate spicy food and drank wine at noon. Now all the stamina left by Banmengtan came back, and his heart ached.

Drinking a cup of hot tea had no effect. Chu Heng endured it for a while, but couldn't sit still.Frowning, he put down the imperial pen in his hand, looked up at the emperor sitting next to him, stretched out his hand and tugged at his sleeve, frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I want to go back to the Hall of Martial Arts..."

"Huh?" Ling Ye responded, and said without thinking, "No, have you read the excerpt yet?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes moved away from the script, before he raised his head, he heard Chu Heng say again in a low voice: "Your Majesty, I feel bad..."

Ling Ye was taken aback by his sudden words—he was rarely in a daze, after becoming an emperor, Mount Tai collapsed before him and his face remained unchanged, and there were few things that could easily shake his emotions—but until Chu Heng snorted again, and Ling Ye came back to his senses: "Where is it uncomfortable?"

He hurriedly stood up, stepped forward to hold Chu Heng's shoulder, bent down and asked him, "Where does it hurt?"

Chu Heng's complexion was slightly pale, and he raised his hand to rub the position of his confidant.Ling Ye followed his hand and looked over. The place in his heart should be a stomachache. He pulled Chu Heng into his arms, frowned and shouted: "Gao Bandit—"

Eunuch Gao walked in immediately, bowed and obeyed: "Your Majesty?"

"Tell the doctor."

Bandit Gao was taken aback, thinking that the emperor was unwell, and when he looked up, he saw the emperor standing beside the imperial case with a sullen face, while Chu Heng was leaning against his arms on a round stool.

Bandit Gao was stunned, and immediately had a guess. He always knew that the person in front of him was extraordinary in His Majesty's heart. This discomfort was almost the same as the emperor's discomfort. He didn't dare to delay at the moment, and hurriedly used his legs and feet. The little eunuch quickly went to preach to the imperial physician, and called Zhu Geng in to serve him.

Chu Heng felt colic in his heart and stomach, buried himself in Ling Ye's arms, took a breath, stood up, and said wearily, "Your Majesty, I want to go back to the Hall of Martial Arts..."

When a person feels uncomfortable, he is particularly greedy for the bed. Of course, Ling Ye can't let him go back to sleep.

"Come."

He took Chu Heng's hand, walked around the imperial case and smoked cage, and Gao Bandit quickly came over to pick up the curtain. The side of the study was connected to a warm pavilion, which was a temporary resting place for the emperor to deal with government affairs on weekdays. , but the bed, couch, and clothes are all available.

It's not too far from the study to the Nuan Pavilion, you only need to go through a door and walk a few dozen steps.Walking along the road, Ling Ye just kept holding Chu Heng's hand. He didn't pay attention, and his heart was full of urgency and worry, and Chu Heng didn't notice it either. He only knew that it was safe to follow His Majesty, as for how he would get there. Yes, never noticed.So none of them noticed that it was inappropriate to hold each other's hands, nor did they realize that the other party had never refused, as if everything was natural.

Chu Heng came to this Nuan Pavilion once, after the fifth court meeting at the beginning of winter, he changed clothes for His Majesty here.But this time it's the other way around—

Ling Ye led him all the way to the bed, and said softly, "Raise your hand."

Chu Heng didn't think much about it, and just followed his advice.It wasn't until Ling Ye stretched out his hand to press the jade buckle on his belt that Chu Heng suddenly reacted and took half a step back: "Your Majesty?"

Ling Ye pulled him back, and continued to untie his belt, without raising his head, he said, "Take off your clothes and lie down on the bed, I will rub it for you."

Chu Heng was slightly taken aback, and turned his head to look at the bed. Although it was not the golden nanmu dragon bed in Mingcheng Hall, the bed in the Nuan Pavilion was also wide and soft, carved with dragons and phoenixes.Lying here, he always felt that there was something weird, but he couldn't tell for a while.

Bandit Gao followed closely into the inner room, but he didn't know if the emperor didn't pay attention, and he never asked them to come to serve him. From the belt to the outer shirt, the emperor just undressed Chu Heng with his own hands.

Bandit Gao stood watching from the sidelines, and couldn't help but secretly "tsk" twice in his heart.He has been serving the emperor since he was a child. Ling Ye used to be the prince, and later became the emperor. In 22 years, Gao Bandit has never seen his master personally serve anyone. Chu Heng is the first and only one.

And loosening his clothes was not enough, when Chu Heng lay down, the emperor covered him with the quilt and tucked in the corners with his own hands.Then he didn't leave, he turned around and told them to pour some soup, then he sat down beside the bed, stretched his hands under the quilt, and started rubbing and pressing Chu Heng's stomach, round and round, tirelessly.

This scene continued until the imperial doctor came.

When the emperor passed on the imperial doctor, only the head of the imperial hospital would come. The old imperial doctor Cheng, with a gray beard, walked slowly, and was invited by the eunuchs to be carried all the way in the sedan chair.

At first, the old doctor Cheng thought that the emperor was unwell. When he saw Chu Heng lying on the dragon bed in the Nuan Pavilion, and then glanced at the emperor sitting beside the bed, frowning, he felt that Princess Changning's worries were no longer a big deal. .

He checked Chu Heng's pulse, asked what he had for lunch, and after getting a reply, he immediately babbled at Chu Heng, and finally prescribed a prescription, telling the emperor repeatedly what Chu Heng needed to avoid, and kept A bunch of prescriptions for food supplements are enough.

As soon as the old doctor Cheng left, Ling Ye's face darkened: "Gao bandit, go and pass on my oral order. Those who are on duty in the imperial dining room today will all be rewarded with ten boards."

Bandit Gao was shocked when he heard this.

The emperor has always been lenient and restrained, rarely punished people, let alone vented his anger. On weekdays, even if the palace servants did something that displeased him, the emperor would only fine him a few months' salary at most, and would not reward him easily.

Today's behavior is obviously out of anger, because the imperial physician said that Chu Heng hurt his stomach by eating spicy food.

Gao Bandit suddenly realized that he had underestimated Chu Heng's weight in the emperor's heart before, and that he could easily shake the emperor's usual disposition, which probably wasn't a common concern.

Of course Chu Heng also knew that His Majesty was venting his anger, so he quickly stretched out his hand from under the quilt and pulled the emperor's sleeve, begging: "Your Majesty, please, it was me who caught a cold two days ago and accidentally forgot what to eat, not from the imperial dining room. Wrong." He thought for a while, and added: "The red soup hot pot is delicious, and I want to eat it next time."

Ling Ye's voice suddenly increased: "Is there a next time?"

There must be a next time... Chu Heng thought in his heart, but he didn't dare to say it after all.

He shrank back under the quilt, but he still hadn't withdrawn his hand.

Ling Ye looked at him coldly for a while, and finally waved his hands to signal Gao Bandit not to deliver the decree, then bent down and stuffed Chu Heng's exposed hands back under the quilt.

After Chu Heng had taken the medicine, Ling Ye didn't go back to the study, and directly ordered someone to bring the memorial and the three volumes of story books to the Nuan Pavilion. However, the division of labor between the two was completely different from that in the morning. The emperor sat aside to approve the papers, and Chu Heng Holding a stomach-warming Mrs. Tang in his arms, he lay on the bed and flipped through the storybook. If he ignored the pain in his confidant, he would be more comfortable than the emperor who was lazy in the morning.

As soon as the medicine was taken, some medicinal ingredients for sleep aid were added in it, Chu Heng flipped through the scripture book, his eyes gradually couldn't open.When the book in his hand fell to the ground with a "snap", Ling Ye raised his head following the sound and saw that Chu Heng had fallen asleep.

He was lying half sideways on the edge of the bed, his hand holding the notebook was hanging outside, his brows were still slightly frowned, and he didn't know that it was because of his stomachache and being crushed by Mrs. Tang under him.

Ling Ye put down his pen, walked lightly to the side of the bed, leaned down and hugged Chu Heng's shoulders to lay his body flat, his movements were very light, Chu Heng said "um" twice but did not wake up.Ling Ye moved Mrs. Tang away, put Chu Heng's hanging hand back under the quilt, and tucked the corner of the quilt for him.

After doing all this, Ling Ye picked up the scriptbook that fell on the floor, sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Chu Heng's sleeping face, those pale eyes of Xinghe were lightly closed at this moment, and the long eyelashes fell down, and the eyes were under the eyes. into a shadow.Chu Heng's brows were still furrowed, his lips were slightly pursed, his breathing was shallow and quiet.

Ling Ye sat on the side of the bed and looked at it for a while, reached out and stroked gently between his frowning brows, from the brow to the peak of the brow, and finally to the end of the brow, slowly and gently smoothing those raised arcs little by little, then bent down , and dropped a gentle kiss on Chu Heng's forehead.

He really wanted to kiss other places, Ling Ye's fingertips traced along Chu Heng's cheek to his lips, but Chu Heng was asleep, if he kissed him regardless of Chu Heng's wishes, Chu Heng would feel very offended.

Although as the emperor, the word "offend" should not exist for him, he can do whatever he wants, even if Chu Heng is awake, Chu Heng's wishes should not matter to the "emperor", But Ling Ye never thought about realizing these "shoulds" on Chu Heng - he clearly knew that whether Chu Heng was willing or not was very important to him.

Chu Heng, who fell into a peaceful sleep, didn't know what happened here. The faint fragrance between the bed and bedding was very familiar. It was the smell of incense on His Majesty's clothes. Perhaps surrounded by this reassuring atmosphere, he made a rare gesture. Dream.

In Qianxiang's lingering dream, everything was as he wished, he met the person he wanted to see, and then kissed this person presumptuously and boldly.

Fortunately, the owner of the fragrance did not refuse.