Chapter 29: Dessert

This extra chapter is sponsored by Pancake-cat who gave me 9 ko-fi’s! I love you so much!

Zhou Jing suddenly understood why Li Chengxuan had been so sulky these past few days.

He wanted to laugh, but he didn’t dare, so he had to hold it in with a grin on his face. 

However, he didn’t know how to answer Li Chengxuan’s question. 

From his knowledge of Song Jinning, he knew that she must have given Empress Dowager Song and Princess Jingle the same thing. How can his majesty have it alone? 

But his majesty has been sullen for several days. And Zhou Jing didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt that there seems to be a trace of resentment from the voice of Li Chengxuan….

After thinking about it, Zhou Jing answered carefully.

“This slave asked the maidservant who came to give this dessert just now.  She said that this dessert had just been made, and Her Highness didn’t have time to eat it, so she ordered someone to give your majesty a bowl first.”

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Hbsw Kkdt: …

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Gzps, bso okzz R ydpola uswa iwlpvksd?&dcpr;

Wsavwdyvlzu, Nk Ubldtmwyd eke dsv lxcyaaypp bkx.&dcpr;

Nk Ubldtmwyd kxxlekyvlzu rwv esod vbl xlxsakyz kd bkp byde yqvla pyukdt vbkp, yde alynble swv vs vyjl vbl tzypp csoz.

Zhou Jing understood. 

It seems that it will still be eaten.

He immediately handed a small silver spoon to Li Chengxuan. 

Li Chengxuan took it. After studying the dessert, which he had never heard or seen before, he began to eat.

He didn’t doubt the deliciousness of the dessert. In fact, he trusts Song Jinning’s taste very much in his heart.

But he never thought it would be so delicious!

Smooth and delicate. After putting it in his mouth, the caramel pudding seemed to slide down from his tongue to his stomach. 

Not to mention that it felt cool. 

After he took the first bite, he couldn’t stop eating at all. So it wasn’t long before the bowl of caramel pudding was finished.

To be honest, Li Chengxuan felt that he had not eaten enough and wanted to eat more.

After putting the empty glass bowl back on the tray, Li Chengxuan tapped his index finger twice on the table. 

“What is the Empress doing?”

Zhou Jing thought to himself: I’m not clairvoyant, how can I know this? 

But he has served Li Chengxuan for more than ten years, so he immediately figured out what he was thinking at the moment.

He bowed and replied: “Please punish this slave, your majesty. The maidservant from Weiyang Palace just delivered the dessert and left. This slave forgot to ask about the Empress’s condition.”

After apologizing, he immediately advised Li Chengxuan. 

“Your Majesty has not been to Weiyang Palace for several days. This slave thinks that the Empress misses your majesty in her heart. Why would she send someone to deliver this dessert to your Majesty? Her Highness’s intentions should not be ignored. If your Majesty is free today, why not come visit the Empress in Weiyang Palace?”

He didn’t even finish speaking when Li Chengxuan stood up.

“Go to Weiyang Palace.”

Zhou Jing: Huh?!

This slave is talking about your free time today, not now! Your Majesty, aren’t you too impatient?!

And these memorials on your table, you haven’t even read them yet! 

However, Zhou Jing had to obey orders, so he ordered servants to prepare the sedan chair. 

He didn’t expect that Li Chengxuan would see something that would make him angry when he arrived in Weiyang Palace. 

Song Jinning only planned to read medical books at the beginning, but it was just that her days were too idle and she needed something to kill the time. She didn’t expect that she would actually become interested in medicine! 

She couldn’t help but suspect that she was actually a Xinglin Master replaced at birth. 

Therefore, she was very serious when she read the medical books, and she was very sincere in learning about things she didn’t understand. 

After Song Jinning’s orders that day, Liu Lanxi started serving as her teacher. 

But although Song Jinning admired Liu Lanxi very much, she did not let Liu Lanxi teach her in Weiyang Palace every day.

She will usually write about the things she doesn’t understand, then she will pile them up and send someone to call Liu Lanxi every two to three days. 

After all, he is an imperial physician, not just her teacher.

Today is the day she has piled up the confusing topics that she didn’t understand, so she asked someone to call Liu Lanxi. 

Through these teaching sessions, Song Jinning discovered that Liu Lanxi not only speaks straightforwardly and concisely, but is also clear and organized. One sentence can often solve her confusion, and give her a sudden sense of relief.

Song Jinning is not sure whether she is a Xinglin Master who had been switched at birth, but she is sure that Liu Lanxi is definitely a Xinglin Master who is good at teaching. 

Song Jinning immediately felt respect for Liu Lanxi, and started calling him Liu laoshi¹老师 (lǎoshī)- Teacher.. 

When Liu Lanxi heard her calling him like this for the first time, he knelt down in shock. But after Song Jinning’s explanation and her persistence, even though he was not comfortable at first, he gradually became used to it. 

As for Song Jinning, she now considers Liu Lanxi her laoshi. 

So whenever Liu Lanxi comes over, she would personally greet him at the entrance of Weiyang Palace. After entering the hall, she would ask Liu Lanxi to sit down before asking questions about topics she was confused about, and then listened humbly.

She didn’t even know what this did to her reputation. Everytime Liu Lanxi goes back to the imperial hospital, he tells Zhou Yizheng about Song Jinning’s humble personality and her virtue, which in turns makes Zhou Yizheng tell others. 

Just like this, it passed on from mouth to mouth. And after she distributed the mosquito repellent pouches, she was even compared to the idiom Lǐ xián xià shì²礼贤下士 (Lǐxiánxiàshì)- A chinese idiom meaning only the courteous and worthy can obtain talents. It tells that we should be respectful to our teachers since only by respecting them can your own career be developed.. 

And at the same time, with the careful maneuvering of Empress Dowager Song, these sayings were spread to the common people, and everyone praised the Virtuous and humble empress that is a blessing to the country. 

As for the “Virtuous Empress” whom everyone praised, she was actually just asking Liu Lanxi for the topics she was confused about in medicine. 

Seeing that today’s teaching job was completed, Liu Lanxi got up to leave Weiyang Palace. 

But Song Jinning stopped him: “Liu laoshi, wait a minute.”

She called Gu Yu: “Go and bring a bowl of caramel pudding for Liu laoshi.”

Gu Yu responded with a yes, then turned to leave the hall. It wasn’t long before she came back, and on top of the tray in her hand was a white porcelain bowl. 

This white porcelain bowl is precious and rare, and even Song Jinning only has one at hand. But she still chose to let Liu Lanxi use this bowl to eat. 

But Liu Lanxi didn’t dare to take it, so he knelt down and declined: “Weichen doesn’t dare to receive this reward from the empress.”

Song Jinning asked someone to help Liu Lanxi up, and said with a smile: “What reward? Liu laoshi just taught bengong the confusing things about medicine. Didn’t bengong say that Liu Laoshi and bengong should treat each other as mentor and apprentice and not empress and official?”

Liu Lanxi thanked Song Jinning after hearing this, and accepted the bowl of caramel pudding.

Song Jinning told him to sit at the table and eat, while she sat down on the wooden couch next to the window to read more medical books. 

She is obsessed with medicine these days, and her mind is filled with information,questions, and theories. 

So when Li Chengxuan came over, he saw this scene:

Song Jinning was sitting by the window, reading a book in her hand, while a young man sat by a table not far away, eating caramel pudding with a spoon in his hand.

The early summer daylight gleamed through the window, and the picture looked quiet and peaceful.

Li Chengxuan never expected to see this scene, so he stood there for a while before finally reacting.

The first thing he did was to turn his head to look at Zhou Jing. 

Didn’t he say that this caramel pudding was only for him? How come an outsider is eating it?

Zhou Jing, who was lying innocently:…

I feel so wronged.

Li Chengxuan strode into the hall.

The maidservant standing outside saw him and hurriedly ran inside to report the Emperor’s arrival to Song Jinning.

Song Jinning just gave a hum and looked up.

She happened to see Li Chengxuan coming in.

The sunlight outside was very strong, and it was a bit bright when she looked at him, so she didn’t notice Li Chengxuan’s expression that was stained with ink.

“Your Majesty?”

Song Jinning’s voice was as lazy as ever. And because of her acquaintance with Li Chengxuan, she didn’t even get up to greet him, and still sat on the couch.

Li Chengxuan glanced at her, before his gaze fell on Liu Lanxi.

Liu Lanxi quickly got up and knelt down when he heard the maidservant’s report that the emperor was here. 

Although he has worked in the imperial hospital for two years and his medical skills are advanced, he is still not qualified enough to check on Li Chengxuan’s health. 

And Li Chengxuan is still young and strong, and he didn’t even get a wind chill throughout the year, so Liu Lanxi hasn’t seen Li Chengxuan yet.

Naturally, Li Chengxuan has never seen Liu Lanxi, but he still recognized the uniform of an imperial doctor.

He was angry just now, and when he noticed that Liu Lanxi was a young man, he didn’t even care about the clothes he was wearing. He just looked at him darkly. 

Without even asking who Liu Lanxi was, he frowned and asked Song Jinning, “Are you sick?”

How come no one told him?

Song Jinning knew that he had misunderstood, so she smiled and raised the medical book in her hand to show him.

“No. Chenqie has been reading medical books these past few days, and when chenqie is confused with any topic, chenqie asks the help of Imperial Doctor Liu.”

It turns out that she wasn’t sick, but actually just called the Imperial Doctor to answer her questions. 

Li Chengxuan felt slightly relieved. 

But at the next moment the anger that had temporarily disappeared rose again.

He’s just an Imperial Doctor, how come you’re giving him dessert too? And the white porcelain bowl she gave to this Imperial Doctor is obviously bigger than that glass bowl she gave him! 

In other words, the imperial doctor ate more caramel pudding than him!

Thinking of this, Li Chengxuan’s face sank even more.

The temperature in the hall seemed to drop by several degrees. It was clearly summer, but the wind blowing seemed to carry a chill that pierced through the bones. 

The palace servants all bowed their heads and held their breath, while Liu Lanxi knelt on the ground, not even daring to lift his head.

But Song Jinning didn’t notice it at all. Holding the medical book in her hand, she asked leisurely: “Your Majesty, the sun is scorching outside, how come you went here to Weiyang Palace?”

[TOC] For Advanced Chapters- TEWD