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墨書 Inktalez
Thinking of Mei Ru wearing a phoenix crown and a bright red palace gown, every gesture and smile exuded grace and composure. Even if she were to act, she probably couldn't reach even a fraction of that elegance.
"Empress" is not just a title; it requires more than merely putting on airs and flaunting the authority of an Empress. The key is to manage the vast harem well for the Emperor.
Imagine, with three women, there’s already a drama; how could an inexperienced person like her manage so many women? Just thinking about Consort Chen, with her shrewdness and the surprise and defiance in her eyes, was enough to give her a headache. She might as well take a break.
"Life is short; instead of scheming, it's better to focus on practical matters," Mei Shuang said lazily.
"That's right," Lin Tian'er nodded in agreement, lowering her voice. "To say something that shouldn't be said, how to become the Empress is what you should practically consider. Otherwise, you'll just be waiting to walk in circles in this beautiful garden..."
Lin Tian'er glanced at the sky and before leaving, she encouraged Mei Shuang one last time. "Lin Shoutong, don’t underestimate yourself. If the Empress Dowager says you can do it, then you can! I believe in you; don’t let me down!"
Watching Lin Tian'er stride out of the garden with determination to pursue her grand ambitions, Mei Shuang smiled bitterly. Everyone has the freedom to choose their own path, but she felt she had none! What kind of world is this!
Damn it, even Lin Tian'er could see that if she didn't agree to become the Empress, this beautiful place would likely turn into her prison.
...
Lin Tian'er glanced back at the pensive Mei Shuang and smiled with satisfaction. The old Empress Dowager was indeed formidable; after such a barrage of persuasion topped off with a final "reminder," it was clear that Lin Shoutong had been shaken.
Recalling her earlier comment that Lin Shoutong not wanting to be the Empress was "crazy," Lin Tian'er stuck out her tongue and bowed towards Mei Shuang apologetically. "Lin Shoutong, I’ll go on an impromptu trip and come back to celebrate with you."
As soon as Lin Tian'er left, Mei Shuang felt that the vast palace was as empty as a square. Aside from a few maids coming and going, there was hardly any sound; it felt as oppressive as being in prison.
She wanted to chat with a few maids but found that they only nodded or shook their heads in response without any real conversation. They were all like beautiful wooden dolls!
Mei Shuang lay on the Beauty Couch, staring blankly at the blooming silk tree outside while listening to the noisy cicadas nearby. She reminisced about her days outside the palace—though thrilling, they were relatively free. She thought that if this continued for another week, she would surely fall into depression.
Fortunately, in the afternoon, Li Gonggong arrived, bringing a message from the Emperor for Mei Shuang.
"The Emperor knows you can't sit still, so he specially sent me to let you know to go to the Imperial Kitchen to make Sour Plum Soup," Li Gonggong said with a smile.
Thinking to herself, this future Empress is quite impressive; she can win the Emperor over with just a bowl of soup. Instead of capturing his heart, it’s better to capture his stomach. Among everyone in the palace, only this unique Miss Mei Shuang has managed to catch the Emperor's attention.
It seems the Emperor understands himself well enough; he didn’t give her time to feel depressed. Mei Shuang replied, "There's no need to go to such a fancy place for that. We can make it right here in the Small Kitchen."
Li Gonggong quickly smiled and explained tactfully, "Well, you see, tomorrow night the Emperor is hosting a banquet for the Foreign Envoy, and there will be quite a few guests. So, we might need a larger quantity..."
Upon hearing this, Mei Shuang thought, wow, so they’re sending me off to the Imperial Kitchen as a cook?
But then she reconsidered; staying there was still better than being cooped up here.
So, Mei Shuang happily agreed.
This took Li Gonggong by surprise; he had expected her to refuse or feel displeased about lowering her status by helping in the Imperial Kitchen. Instead, she turned out to be quite agreeable.
"However," Mei Shuang said, "this is my family’s secret recipe. You can use it, but not for free."
Li Gonggong looked at Mei Shuang in shock as she seriously held up two fingers and began to outline her terms. "There are two options: either you buy the recipe outright and do it yourselves with my unlimited guidance; or you buy my Sour Plum Soup by the bowl."
This was a new situation, and Li Gonggong hurried back to report.
On the way back, he pondered how to present this to the Emperor. No one had ever dared to bargain with him before; when a ruler commands their subjects, they must comply. Asking for a bowl of Sour Plum Soup from someone else was an immense honor. Yet this Miss Mei Shuang was directly asking for money.
Xiao Luo was reviewing documents when Li Gonggong approached him nervously and reported everything. He expected the Emperor would fly into a rage or perhaps even seek punishment. To his surprise, the Emperor didn’t furrow his brow at all and calmly said, "Since it will be needed in the palace anyway, let’s go with the outright purchase."
Li Gonggong was very worried that the Emperor had not heard clearly, and hurriedly reminded him, "Your Majesty, she said the buyout requires one thousand taels of silver!"
Xiao Luo stopped writing with his vermilion brush and thoughtfully said, "If she likes jewels, take her to the library to choose. If she prefers silver notes, just give them to her directly."
Incredible!
Li Gonggong approached Mei Shuang again and laid out what he had on the table: a key to the library and a ready-made silver note for one thousand taels.
Mei Shuang unhesitatingly picked up the latter, carefully checking the amount before smiling slightly at Li Gonggong, "Li Gonggong, let's go."
In the Imperial Kitchen, Mei Shuang took out the recipe she had prepared earlier and handed it to the head chef.
The chef looked at it and immediately clapped his hands in approval. "Indeed, it's an ancestral secret recipe—simple yet effective. Dried black plums, dried hawthorn slices, aged tangerine peel, licorice, and cane sugar. I never expected that just these five ingredients could have such remarkable effects."
Mei Shuang quickly humbly replied, "Just master the proportions and cooking time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask; I will handle the follow-up service."
In fact, even her rudimentary cooking skills could accomplish this task; it was nothing for a royal chef. Why should she worry about it?
The initial battle was a success!
That night, lying in bed, Mei Shuang deliberately looked at that thick silver note more than ten times. It was not because she doubted its authenticity but because through this silver note, she discovered a market with enormous potential.
The Emperor's needs were the palace's needs. And who does the palace represent? The government!
This meant that in just one afternoon, she had successfully completed a "government procurement" task.
However, she had this convenient condition and did not need to go through the bidding process.
Mei Shuang suddenly felt a surge of tears in her eyes. She remembered how hard she had worked to stay at that glamorous big company, running under the scorching sun with her superiors during her internship. That was when she truly understood what it meant to have "difficulties entering and a difficult face to show." Just for a government procurement contract, she had painstakingly prepared the bidding documents, and even then, she was almost offered as a gift by the company...
Enough said, Damn it, she finally found some balance here.
Mei Shuang calculated in her heart that if she could make a few such deals, she would have enough money for her future expenses after leaving the palace. She could also repay the two thousand taels of silver she had stolen from Nangong Nuo, achieving a clean slate financially...
The Emperor of the Great Qin Empire, Xiao Luo, paused by the window, watching Mei Shuang leaning against the bed with her legs crossed, lost in thought over the silver note. He didn't analyze her expression; he mainly noticed her delicate feet swinging leisurely, clearly indicating that at least she was satisfied with her daytime dealings. He didn't expect this woman to have quite a business mind.
However, her demand for cash and silver notes displeased him. It also conveyed a signal: what she cared about was probably not how much silver she received but rather preparing for her own escape route. After all, no matter how precious the treasures in the palace were, they couldn't compare to silver as hard currency.
Recalling her previous request to the Empress Dowager to leave the palace made Xiao Luo angry. Damn it, did she think that leaving meant severing ties with him?
No wonder the Empress Dowager said that women should be somewhat restrained; after just a few days outside the palace, she couldn't keep her heart in check.
Heart! She had no heart! If she had any heart at all, wouldn't it be obvious that he felt differently about her?
In truth, he had never intentionally tried to keep a woman before; now he found himself having to set aside his status as Supreme Ruler and willingly pull out silver notes to buy her services.
Thinking of this stirred up a complex feeling within him. Damn it, if I don't manage to tame you properly, then being an emperor is all for nothing.
Seeing that the emperor who had just visited her was back again made Mei Shuang nervous. No way? This frequency is too high; after all, the marks of their intimacy hadn't completely faded yet.
She quickly tucked the silver note under her pillow and lay down quickly, pretending to be weak and covered herself tightly with a silk blanket. In a delicate voice, she feigned weakness, "Your Majesty, I'm not feeling well today and cannot serve you. Please return."
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes earlier outside, he might have been fooled by her act. Xiao Luo walked straight to the bed and fixed his deep gaze on Mei Shuang. "What's wrong? You earned my silver but can't even spend some time with me?"
A single question left Mei Shuang wide-eyed and speechless, momentarily making her think she had arrived at Miaochun Tower. Even more sadly, she instinctively blurted out, "Actually, I sell my skills, not my body."
"......"
As soon as the words left her mouth, seeing the man's suddenly furrowed brows and the cold hardness flashing in his dark eyes, Mei Shuang wished she could slap herself hard with her shoe.
To outsiders, this was evidence of her past "fall from grace."
"Your Majesty," Mei Shuang chuckled awkwardly, glancing at Xiao Luo's expression while quickly forming words in her mind. "What I meant was, I engage in fair trade... Of course, I know Your Majesty is a reasonable person who wouldn't want me to toil too hard, which is why you bought me out all at once to save me the effort... I originally intended to thank you, but I didn't expect you to come personally. Please have a seat, Your Majesty..."
Changing her tone faster than flipping a book is sometimes a skill in itself. Her soft words and sincere little face truly made it hard for him to scold her for her insincerity.
Xiao Luo's anger diminished significantly. Although his expression remained unchanged, there was a clear flash of heat in his gaze as he looked at Mei Shuang. "So how do you plan to thank me?"
"......"
Under that scorching gaze, Mei Shuang's heart skipped a beat. After pondering for two seconds, she decisively pulled out a silver note from under her pillow and waved it in front of Xiao Luo. "How about a fifty-fifty split?"
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