Chapter 112 - Lunch Time
Ni Qing is getting ready inside her room and waiting until Jin Yu is back from his morning meeting. Eunuch Li already bring back the draft for him to sign about the verdict of Jeong Ru Ya bestow marriage to Lord Ni.
Jin Yu is coming back from the morning court session for his morning tea break. He is sitting next to the silent Ni Qing and finding it weird.
"What happens with you, Qing?" He is taking the teacup with his hand and drink the hot tea.
"Can you take me to the concubine selection events? I want to see their beauty," Ni Qing is telling him and closing down her book.
"Why? I never ever meet with them until the official dinner at the spring festival. I will degrade myself if I walk there myself," Jin Yu is complaining to his wife.
"You can wait into the nearby gazebo and enjoy the scenery while I will look into the concubine selection," Ni Qing is finding the excuse to walk around the area.
"No…"
"Why?" Ni Qing is pushing her luck again.
"You will be with the empress who is holding a grudge against you, and I am not in there to prevent it. do you think that I will allow it to happen?" Jin Yu is telling her with his cold voice to reinsert his authority.
"I will be fine… Have you sign and stamp the edict?" Ni Qing is restraining herself to argue with her husband when his authoritative voice.
"You have to think about the baby. What will happen to my crown prince? Yes, I will do it now. Wang, bring me my stamp and pen," Jin Yu is instructing his loyal eunuch in the room to get his stamp in his office.
"Nothing will happen. I know martial art and can defend myself. I just play dumb last time to get your attention. I know you were angry with me," Ni Qing is coaxing her husband on the living area.
"You are playing dumb. I do not believe you," Jin Yu is eating his slice of fruit. He read the edict write in front of him and stamp it with his dragon seal stamp to validate his edict.
"Please…. Please…." Ni Qing is begging her husband.
"Wang, summon Jeong Ru Ya from the concubine selection here. Deliver the edict to the Jeong mansion to take the effect immediately. She will get married the day after tomorrow and take another edict for the rites office to cancel my concubine selection," Jin Yu is looking at his loyal assistant while handing the edict.
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In the area of concubine selection, Eunuch Wang is coming into the venue with his entourage in the events. The palace maid is kneeling in the presence of Eunuch Wang. He is the head of all the eunuch and palace maid in this palace as he is the loyal assistant of the emperor.
The area of selection is in the area of the garden courtyard in the front of the palace. The area surrounds with the beautiful scenery and all the girl is sitting and waiting for the committee to come. They are going to go for the body examination, the face examination, the fortune teller, cooking, embroidery and flower arrangement exam to showcase their ability. All the people in the gazebo is trying to sit in their best position and keep their best position.
"What Can I help you with your presence in this event?" The palace maid is asking him.
"Where is Jeong RU Ya? The emperor wants her to come with me to his palace," Eunuch Wang is telling the palace maid and he is looking around the candidates. They are sitting with their etiquette to show their best ability. However, they are talking among their selves when the only candidate got called into the emperor chamber. They have envied her.
Jeong Ru Ya is standing up and walking toward eunuch Wang. She does not have any more strength to go against her brother as his spy is everywhere in the palace. She is obediently following eunuch Wang back to the Emperor Palace.
As soon as they are leaving the area of concubine selection then the officer from the ministry of rites is bringing the edict from the emperor about the cancellation of the concubine selection. all the people in the selection are shocked to hear their opportunity lose on the way. They are really envying the lady from the Jeong family who got a diamond pass on the silver platter. The eunuch of the emperor is picking her up to serve the emperor.
Lord Jeong spy is reporting about the successful path from Miss Ru Ya makes him smiles in his office. He cannot imagine that his sister has her own way to enter the emperor palace. However, his plan and imagination are getting interrupted by the announcement of the emperor edict in his house. They are waiting for him to announce the emperor edict. He is rushing back home.
Inside the emperor palace, the eunuch Wang is escorting Jeong Ruya to the emperor chamber where there are Emperor, Ni Qing and Ni Sheng sitting in their dining room. They are looking to relax at the table and getting ready to enjoy their lunchtime.
"Come and Join us…" Ni Qing is standing up and walking to Ru Ya who is curtsying to the emperor. she takes her hand and sits to next Ni Sheng.
"Your highness, Lord Ni…. I do not understand," Ru Ya is talking politely in front of the emperor who keeps quiet on the table next to Ni Qing.
"Come eat with us…. Do not be scares…. You will be part of the family," Ni Qing is speaking with her without restrain.
"Stop it and eats your food," Jin Yu is putting some food in her bowl. She is so excited to see her brother girlfriend. She is beautiful and reserve in her behaviour.
Ni Qing is obediently eating the food in her bowl. Jin Yu is putting more nutritious food to her bowl. She is eating fish steam and some tonic soup for her health. Lately, she is not refusing any food serves in front of her. however, they serve the steam chicken in front of them when she starts to retch in the corner.
"Husband, can you remove the steam chicken or anything with chicken on the table? I can not bear the smell of it," Ni Qing is closing her nose and walks away from the dining table.
"Wang and Li quickly remove all the poultry dishes from the table. Change it to the seafood, fish and meat dishes. Ask the kitchen to prepare more vegetable dishes for noble consort Qing!" Jin Yu is instructing his eunuch to walk near Ni Qing and help her clean her face. He is attentively attending to his wife needs. Ru Ya really surprises to see the emperor do something like that to his wife.
The Eunuch is removing all the duck and chicken dishes on the table and change them into different dishes as instructed by the emperor. Ni Sheng is sitting at the table and seems does not to care about the surrounding situation.
"Do you not surprise to see this kind of situation? Is he really our scary emperor?" Ru Ya is sitting next to him and asks the question.
"You will see… my sister can be more shameless than this one and make the emperor and the warlord follow her like a dog," Ni Sheng is whispering to her.
"Are you serious?" Ru Ya is amused to see the other side of the palace life.
"you will see…. This is only a portion of it. tomorrow is our wedding day and, in the morning, you will see the emperor will spend his time in Ni Mansion," Ni Sheng is telling her.
As soon as the dishes change into completely new dishes, Jin Yu is escorting her back to the dining table. He is gently putting her in her seat. Normally, no one can join the emperor on his meal. However, he gets used to eating meals with his consort now. As her condition, he has to live as husband-and-wife normal marriage life inside their home.
"you are fine now or still feel unwell? Do you want me to summon physician He?" Jin Yu is asking her before he is putting some meat into her bowl.
"I am fine…. I am sorry for my rudeness… it just I cannot swallow or smell any poultry dishes…." Ni Qing is bowing to Ru Ya as a polite gesture.
"This is change sister… you never apologise before because of small matter," Ni Sheng is scooping some meat into Ru Ya bowl.
"I do not apologise to you, but I try to be polite to your wife to be. If it is only three of us, I will not be bothered to go away to throw up," Ni Qing is smirking to make her brother speechless. Ru Ya grows fond of this family and makes the emperor become a human rather than the image in society.