newbobooks Chapter 414 I have a favor to ask of you
Chapter 414 I have a favor to ask of you
"I just woke up too." Gu Jianchu lifted the quilt on her body, and Zhu Xia hurriedly called the palace servants in to help Gu Jianchu undress.
Zhu Xia helped Gu Jianchu tidy up his clothes while asking, "Your Majesty, the small kitchen has prepared bird's nests and red bean porridge. Would you like to have some, or wait for the Emperor to come and have some?"
"Wait a moment, I'm not very hungry." Gu Jianchu sat in front of the couch table with Qiutou's support.
Zhu Xia poured a cup of tea for Gu Jianchu and placed it next to her.
She fell asleep in the afternoon, but the emperor had not returned yet. She was afraid that he had something important to discuss with King Dongli. In addition to Xie Qingrou, there was now more trade between the two countries, so there were naturally more things to discuss.
It was only a rough verbal agreement before, and there are still many details that need to be discussed in detail.
Gu Jianchu took a few sips of tea and casually picked up a travel book from the table and started reading.
I find storybooks boring after reading too many of them, but this travelogue describes the landscapes, customs and folkways of various countries, which is very interesting to read for the first time.
After reading most of Gu Jianchu's script, Xie Ci'an came back in the night without changing his clothes. He was still wearing the dark robe he wore during the day, a jade crown on his head, and a bit of fatigue on his face.
After seeing him come in, Gu Jianchu put down the book in his hand and quickly stood up to greet him, "Your Majesty must be exhausted."
He was originally exhausted, but the moment he saw the queen, all the fatigue disappeared.
In the past, I didn't understand why those soldiers missed going home and their wives and children every day, because he was alone in the past, his mother died early, and those in the palace seemed to be his relatives, but none of them were his real relatives. None of the so-called imperial sisters could remember him. As for those brothers and stepmothers, because of power and the throne, they wished he would die on the battlefield in the northwest and never come back, so that no one would compete with them for the position at the center of power.
Now he could fully understand the hearts of those soldiers.
It turns out that seeing someone you love waiting for you to come back and having a meal together is such a happy thing. Even the depressed mood is swept away in an instant.
But he underestimated the King of Dongli.
I originally thought that he was a slow-tempered person who didn't know how to fight for things, but I didn't expect that he was such a calculating person. In the trade contract between the two countries, neither of them got any benefit.
Gu Jianchu didn't ask anything and just asked someone to serve the meal.
However, Gu Jianchu was still a little curious about whether King Dongli had mentioned Xie Qingrou.
If Prince Dongli was not a rash person, he would not have brought up such a matter when he met the emperor for the first time. After all, Xie Qingrou didn't know about this matter yet. Bringing it up directly would be equivalent to putting the emperor, Dajin and Xie Qingrou on the spot, forcing them to agree, instead of asking Xie Qingrou's opinion.
Try to get Xie Qingrou's consent.
Since he wanted to respect Xie Qingrou, he would not ask easily.
So there was no need for Gu Jianchu to ask.
Soon, palace servants filed in, bringing hot water for washing hands and dinner prepared in the small kitchen.
I don’t know what’s wrong with Gu Jianchu recently, but he especially likes to eat these spicy and sour meals. The chef requested by the Governor of Sichuan was directly transferred to Gu Jianchu’s small kitchen.
There were eight dishes on the table, at least four of which were spicy dishes, and the rest were prepared to cater to Xie Ci'an's taste.
In addition to these, there is also a can of sour orange syrup specially made by the small kitchen.
"I asked the Sichuan chef to prepare a few more spicy dishes today, but I forgot whether the emperor can eat spicy food." Gu Jianchu had the dishes swapped and placed the non-spicy dishes in front of the emperor.
They are all authentic Kyoto people. Kyoto people can't eat any spicy food, and they are no exception, but such exceptions are rare.
"Why can't I eat what Ah Chu eats?" Xie Ci'an never expected that he underestimated the spiciness of Sichuan cuisine.
He thought that Gu Jianchu was also a native of Kyoto and didn't usually eat chili peppers. Even if she did, it would only be slightly spicy, which he could tolerate. Even if she wanted to eat something while pregnant, she couldn't eat any spicy food.
Gu Jianchu picked up a piece of spicy diced chicken with chopsticks and put it into the bowl in front of Xie Ci'an, then picked up another piece with chopsticks and put it into his own mouth. The spicy taste and the aroma of chicken instantly spread in his mouth, which was extremely refreshing.
Seeing that Gu Jianchu was eating fine, Xie Ci'an picked up the chicken in front of him and took a bite. As soon as he took the first bite, Xie Ci'an was instantly choked by the spicy taste. He thought it would be spicy, but he didn't expect it to be so spicy. He started coughing the moment he choked, and his throat was a little uncomfortable because of the spicy taste.
Gu Jianchu quickly picked up the milk beside him and handed it to Xie Ci'an, "Your Majesty, please drink a sip of milk quickly. This milk can help relieve the spiciness."
Xie Ci'an quickly took it from Gu Jianchu and drank it in big gulps. After finishing a cup of goat milk, Xie Ci'an felt his throat felt a little better, but he couldn't eat the chili anymore because it was too spicy.
He really underestimated how well Gu Jianchu could handle spicy food.
"Your Majesty, please have some mutton. There is no chili in this mutton, and there are no stir-fried vegetables either. It's all my fault. I was so focused on eating myself that I forgot that Your Majesty can't eat it." Gu Jianchu looked at Xie Ci'an with some self-blame.
Xie Ci'an held Gu Jianchu's hand and said gently, "It's okay. Ah Chu couldn't eat it before, but now Ah Chu can eat it, so I can too."
"This is caused by my pregnancy, but Your Majesty, please do not be stubborn. Eating too much chili pepper will make you uncomfortable. If Your Majesty really wants to eat it, it is better to increase the dosage little by little to give your body time to adapt."
Gu Jianchu picked up a few more dishes without chili peppers for Xie Ci'an.
When Xie Ci'an ate something light, he would accompany Gu Jianchu to eat some chili peppers, which touched Zhu Xia and Qiu Tao, who were serving the meal.
The emperor clearly cannot eat spicy food, but he forces himself to eat it for the sake of his empress.
Other people's wives all obey their husbands, but the emperor obeys his own queen and even learns to force himself for his queen.
How can it not be touching?
Xie Ci'an would even drink half a cup of tea after eating for a while.
In the end, not much rice was eaten, but a lot of tea was drunk.
After eating for a while, Xie Ci'an put down his chopsticks and said, "Achu, I have something to ask of you."
This was the first time she heard Xie Ci'an ask her to do something so seriously. She must be asking for something big.
Gu Jianchu quickly put down his chopsticks and stared at Xie Ci'an seriously, "Your Majesty, if you have anything to say, just tell me. How can you not even ask for a favor?"
"When Prince Dongli comes to the capital, we must hold a welcoming banquet. Now that Ah Chu is pregnant, we have to ask Ah Chu to take care of such a stressful task. How can this not be considered a request?" Xie Ci'an held Gu Jianchu's hand on the table.