GTB Chapter 242

Chapter 244: Under the Whole Sky, There is No Land That is Not the Emperor’s

Shí Yan laughed, “It’s just been hyped up by scholars; it’s not as exaggerated as Master Jiang makes it out to be. Take it. I’m not interested in my own paintings. Leaving them here takes up space, and sooner or later, I’d just throw them away.”

Jiang Yuan looked at the wooden box, the desire in his heart to show off to his colleagues unable to be suppressed. In the end, he decided to accept it.

He raised his eyes to look at Shí Yan, feeling that this son-in-law of his was indeed worthy, no, former son-in-law. But why did this former son-in-law look more and more pleasing to the eye?

“That… Your Majesty, I really like this painting, but as for Jiuchu, I really can’t interfere.”

Although he was very satisfied with Shí Yan, he couldn’t force his own daughter onto the dragon’s bed! He, Jiang Yuan, couldn’t do such a thing of selling his daughter for personal gain.

“No need, Master Jiang is overthinking it.” Shí Yan said, pausing as if Jiang Yuan’s words reminded him of something. He turned to Jiang Yuan and said,

“There’s no need for Master Jiang to interfere with Jiuchu. It’s just that I might be entering and exiting the Jiang residence frequently, and I hope Master Jiang can allow it.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan thought it was a trivial matter. After all, if the Emperor wanted his daughter Jiuchu to forgive him, he would naturally have to see her, and to see her, he would naturally have to enter and exit his Jiang residence.

He picked up the wooden box he had put down and said to Shí Yan, “That’s only natural. Under the whole sky, there is no land that is not the Emperor’s. The Jiang residence is no exception. His Majesty can go wherever he wants.”

He said, pausing before continuing, “That is, uh… except for Jiuchu’s bed.”

“Cough cough… I, I’m not that kind of person.” Shí Yan really didn’t expect Jiang Yuan to say something like that. He didn’t know if it was because his painting had worked, making him so generous, or if he just didn’t trust him.

Jiang Yuan thought to himself, he was an experienced man. This wasn’t something that could be determined by whether or not someone was that kind of person. The Emperor was young and vigorous, and he didn’t have any other women around him to relieve his desires. What if he couldn’t control himself?

Therefore, he definitely needed some kind of guarantee.

Jiang Residence

Crabapple Courtyard, melodious zither music drifted out, as vibrant as all things in spring.

Jiang Jiuchu sat under the crabapple tree, playing her favorite tune. Gradually, as the zither music faded, the first crabapple petal of spring quietly fell.

She reached out and picked up the petal that had fallen on the zither strings, looked up at the warm sun hanging in the sky, and asked Yu Qin, “Why hasn’t lunch been sent yet today?”

Yu Qin felt that lunch was indeed late today. Usually, it would have been delivered by now.

“Is Miss hungry? How about I go urge them in the kitchen and bring it to you personally?”

Jiang Jiuchu nodded, “Go take a look. I didn’t eat much for breakfast, so I’m a little hungry. After we eat, we’ll go out and play.”

“Okay, good.” Yu Qin responded and quickly left the courtyard, heading towards the small kitchen.

Two quarters of an hour later, Jiang Jiuchu finished playing the tune again before seeing Yu Qin enter the courtyard carrying a tray.

She quickly sat down at the stone table next to her. Extremely hungry, she didn’t care about the somewhat unappetizing appearance of the dishes, nor did she notice the strange expression on Yu Qin’s face. She picked up her rice bowl and began to eat.

However, as soon as the food entered her mouth, Jiang Jiuchu immediately frowned.

“What new dish is this? Why is it sweet?”

“Ah? Sweet… sweet?” Yu Qin was surprised to hear this, thinking, she had only skipped tasting it once, how could it have become sweet?

Jiang Jiuchu looked at Yu Qin’s obviously disbelieving expression, “Of course, would I lie to you? Try it yourself.”

Jiang Jiuchu said, picking up a chopstick of food and putting it into Yu Qin’s mouth, “How is it? Isn’t it awful?”

“Did the residence hire a new cook? It’s too awful.”

Yu Qin’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch. Before, they had all been too salty. This time, the Emperor had deliberately reduced the salt, and because there wasn’t enough time, she hadn’t tasted it, but she didn’t expect that sugar had been added by mistake.

Yu Qin looked at Jiang Jiuchu, thought for a moment, and said, “Miss, the residence hasn’t hired a new cook, but Miss has been given an exclusive cook.”

“Bah, bah, bah, I misspoke. How can the Emperor, a man, be called a cook?”

“What?”

Jiang Jiuchu looked at the dishes on the stone table again, and asked in disbelief, “You’re saying that this food was made by the Emperor?”

“He’s cooking in our Jiang residence kitchen?”

“Yes, yes,” Yu Qin nodded, then looked at Jiang Jiuchu and said, “Miss, I think the Emperor really seems to know he was wrong. It’s rare for him to cook for Miss.”

Jiang Jiuchu lowered her eyes and paused for a moment, then noticed the corner of a robe peeking out from outside the courtyard gate and deliberately said:

“Making this young lady hungry until now, and eating a mouthful of sweet dishes, that’s called rare?”

She angrily put down her chopsticks, “Whoever wants this rarity can have it. This young lady can’t afford it.”

She said, standing up and saying to Yu Qin, “Let’s go, Miss will take you out to eat at a restaurant.”

Shí Yan, upon hearing this, immediately stepped into the courtyard, glanced at the dishes behind Jiang Jiuchu that were basically untouched, and said to Jiang Jiuchu:

“Is it that my cooking isn’t good? How about trying these two plates, Jiuchu?”

Jiang Jiuchu glanced at the blister on the back of Shí Yan’s hand holding the plates, suppressed the heartache that was about to surface, and coldly laughed:

“What is His Majesty doing? Is he using the imperial arts he learned since childhood on me, intending to use a pity play to win my sympathy?”

Shí Yan’s expression stiffened, his eyes staring blankly at Jiang Jiuchu.

Jiang Jiuchu avoided the expression welling up in Shí Yan’s eyes. She didn’t like his exhibited attentiveness, feeling that it was all self-righteous and for his own benefit.

But she couldn’t ignore the hurt and stunned look in his eyes, because she felt that his expression was more genuine than those things.

“Your Majesty should go back and review your memorials, don’t bother putting your mind to doing these things. I don’t like them at all, so no matter how much you do, it will only be a waste of time.”

After she finished speaking, without looking at Shí Yan’s frozen expression, she lifted her foot and walked past him, heading out of the courtyard.

Yu Qin, while stepping to catch up with Jiang Jiuchu, turned her head and saw Shí Yan’s stiff back. She couldn’t help but say to her young miss:

“Miss, do you… really not like the Emperor anymore?”

Jiang Jiuchu’s eyes paused, not answering Yu Qin’s words, but instead saying:

“He’s a dignified emperor staying in the Jiang residence kitchen to cook. If those officials find out, our Jiang family won’t be impeached to death.”

Yu Qin, upon hearing this, thought to herself, as long as their Jiang residence didn’t have any gossipy women, even if there were, no one would dare to say it.

Therefore, it must be that her young miss was feeling sorry for the Emperor.

However, the words her young miss said were so decisive, without any room for maneuver, that even she believed them.

“Miss, weren’t your words a little too harsh? What if the Emperor takes them seriously?”

Were her words… harsh?

Jiang Jiuchu felt that if he didn’t come looking for her because of this, it would be a good thing. He could also go back and properly be his emperor, and she would be spared the mental turmoil caused by his appearance.

However, what she didn’t expect was that her words had no lethality at all.

In the room, the candlelight was bright. Jiang Jiuchu, who had just finished taking a bath and went to sit at the table, suddenly felt a furry thing rush past her feet, scaring her to cry out in surprise and immediately lift her foot to look under the table.

“Meow meow…”