Chapter 62: 062 Dog Food

Many people were helping out.

Sang Yan discovered that there was still too little meat after it was cured and distributed; not much remained.

Xuanrao had not yet had her fill.

She had secured a small plate for herself early on and was now particularly protective of her food, “This is mine. Yun Qiao hasn’t had any yet. This isn’t enough for the two of us.”

Sang Yan: “…”

She had not planned on stealing hers.

“If only I had cured more.”

She sighed, originally thinking of doing a trial run, never expecting it to be so popular.

He Ying said, “If you want to eat, have someone cure more. The meat roasting method is simple. Just have them do it, and you can wait for them to serve it to you.”

Sang Yan could indeed just wait to eat.

But her stomach couldn’t wait!

Gurgle gurgle—

She covered her stomach awkwardly, looking pitifully eager, “I’m hungry. I can’t wait.”

He Ying shook his head helplessly and immediately had someone bring over some pastries.

Before that, Yun Qiao had returned with some lettuce.

Xuanrao followed Sang Yan’s instructions, wrapping a slice of meat in lettuce, adding two cloves of garlic, and then, turning around, stuffed it into Sang Yan’s mouth.

Sang Yan was taken aback, “Aren’t you?”

Wasn’t she being protective of her food?

“Shouldn’t you think of others before yourself?”

Xuanrao tapped Sang Yan’s forehead with her finger, chiding her like an older sister next door.

She wasn’t stingy and didn’t mind sharing with those people.

But before giving out rewards, one must fill their own belly first!

It was a good thing she had set some aside, or else it all would have been given away.

“Haha, I think of others, and you think of me.”

Sang Yan boasted with a smile, savoring the delicious meat in her mouth.

The roast meat paired with fresh lettuce and garlic cloves tasted even better.

Truly, hunger was the best spice.

“Thank you, Xuanrao.”

Scarcity makes things precious.

Xuanrao willing to share with her touched her deeply.

She clung to Xuanrao like an affectionate cat, giving her a big hug.

And like a cat, she almost buried her head in Xuanrao’s chest.

He Ying felt a bit awkward seeing their closeness, as if he was somewhat superfluous.@@novelbin@@

Annoyed by the sight, he cleared his throat with a few coughs.

This caught Xuanrao’s attention.

And she misunderstood—is the Emperor hungry? Waiting for her to feed him?

Although she was reluctant to feed him, he was after all the Emperor, and one not to offend!

Xuanrao wrapped a piece of meat in lettuce and handed it over, “Emperor, please enjoy.”

He Ying looked at the food offered to him, feeling a bit of appetite since it was quite late and he was hungry, but thinking that Sang Yan was hungrier, he said, “Let her eat it.”

Xuanrao: “…”

Alright then.

His heart ached for Sang Yan, and so did hers. They were on the same page.

She decisively stuffed it into Sang Yan’s mouth.

But Sang Yan stopped her, took the food, and stuffed it into He Ying’s mouth instead.

Xuanrao: “!!!”

If she had been from modern times, she would know she was being fed dog food right now.

Suddenly, the roasted meat in her hand didn’t taste as good anymore.

He Ying found it delicious!

Extremely delicious!

That roast meat was the tastiest thing he had ever eaten in his life.

“Actually, I am not hungry.”

“Let’s try something new. Emperor, don’t you think it’s a bit tastier wrapped with lettuce than before?”

“Um. Both are delicious.”

If only there weren’t any cloves of garlic.

He disliked the taste of garlic in his mouth, so he let Pei Muyang pour tea, and he rinsed his mouth several times.

Influenced by him, Sang Yan also followed suit, drinking tea to rinse her mouth.

Xuanrao watched as the couple echoed each other. She had intended to feed Sang Yan another piece but changed her mind, stuffing it into Yun Qiao’s mouth instead.

“They don’t care for it; let’s just eat our own.”

She and Yun Qiao ate until their mouths were greasy.

“Your Majesty—”

Sang Ruoshui suddenly arrived.

She gave her respects to He Ying and then turned to look at Sang Yan: “I heard Sister was grilling meat. Little sister came to ask for a bite too.”

Sang Yan looked at the bare grill, smiled awkwardly, “You’ve come too late. We’ve finished eating.”

Meanwhile, Xuanrao shoved the last two pieces of meat into her mouth.

It was clear she had no intention of leaving any for Sang Ruoshui.

Sang Ruoshui saw it all, immediately frowning: “Xuan Family, be careful you don’t choke.”

She had already learned that Sang Yan frequently visited the Cold Palace, treating Xuanrao like a sister. Although she didn’t much care about this sister in her heart, seeing this sister being nice to an outsider was also irritating.

She really wanted to ask whether she was truly a Sang Family’s daughter.

Or did she treat her as if she were dead?

The more Sang Ruoshui thought about it, the angrier she became.

Seeing that Xuanrao didn’t bow to her, Sang Ruoshui took the opportunity to pick a fight: “Xuan Family, have you forgotten something? Have you been in the Cold Palace for so long that you’ve forgotten the rules?”

Xuanrao knew Sang Ruoshui was picking a fight, but did not argue. She immediately knelt down to pay respects: “Greetings to Princess Consort Sang.”

Seeing Xuanrao kneel, Sang Ruoshui felt a little better inside.

Then, as if she had forgotten to allow her to rise, she turned her head to the Emperor: “Emperor, your concubine also craves some roasted meat.”

Her voice was coy, her demeanor both gentle and charming.

Due to Sang Yan’s presence, He Ying had always shown her favor. He said, “The marinated meat will be brought over soon. We will grill it again. Just wait a moment.”

Hearing this, Sang Ruoshui immediately smiled sweetly: “Thank you, Emperor. Your concubine will have the honor of tasting it.”

Saying this, she turned around, opened the food box held by Xiangxiu, and took out two dishes of washed and cut fruits, one melon and one watermelon.

“Returning a favor with a favor is an ancient courtesy. Your concubine thought after eating all that greasy food, the Emperor would surely like some fruit to cleanse his palate. Hence, I brought some over. I hope the Emperor will honor me by trying some.”

Her smile was tender, full of consideration.

He Ying couldn’t help but give her praise: “You are considerate.”

Afterward, he picked up a piece of watermelon and handed it to Sang Yan.

Sang Yan was helping Xuanrao stand up.

But Xuanrao refused, whispering, “Princess Consort Sang hasn’t given me permission to rise yet.”

Sang Yan had no choice but to look at Sang Ruoshui, reminding her, “The Emperor is still here. Mind your manners.”

Sang Ruoshui knew the Emperor always heeded her words, and she couldn’t very well start a quarrel in front of him, so she could only suppress her displeasure. She smiled and said, “Sister, forgive me. Seeing you with the Emperor, I was so happy I forgot everything. Xuan Family, I apologize for neglecting you, please rise.”

In her mind, if it were anywhere else, she would have made her kneel indefinitely.

Xuanrao knew full well what Sang Ruoshui was thinking.

Yet, she could only say, “Thank you, Princess Consort Sang.”

She stood up, saw her place had been taken by Sang Ruoshui, and could only silently step aside.

There was a time when she held the title of Imperial Concubine—

Enough.

It’s no use dwelling on the past.

“Xuanrao, sit here and join us for some fruit.”

Sang Yan invited her to eat the fruit together.

Xuanrao was about to politely decline—

Sang Ruoshui interjected: “Sister, in this Imperial Palace, hierarchy is paramount. With her status, how can she join the seat?”

Sang Yan frowned upon hearing this: “She and I are friends. Among friends, what’s this about status and ranking?”

Sang Ruoshui persisted, paying attention to the Emperor’s expression, softly said: “Sister, these words are improper. How you interact in private is none of my concern, but in front of the Emperor, there’s a clear distinction between the noble and the humble, and it must not be overstepped.”

Saying so, she looked towards the Emperor, seeking his support: “Emperor, what do you think?”

He Ying didn’t wish for Sang Yan to continue her close friendship with Xuanrao, so he nodded in agreement: “Princess Consort is right, there is a clear distinction between ranks, and it indeed should not be overstepped.”

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

Sang Yan hadn’t expected him to speak in favor of Sang Ruoshui. She felt both jealous and angry: “If the Emperor values rules so much, I would still be at the estate, living as a widow for my deceased husband!”

The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!