Duoduo put the food into her mouth, and her expression instantly turned complicated.
She chewed the dish with difficulty before swallowing.
The Emperor saw her reaction and deliberately put on a stern face.
“What? Is the Imperial Kitchen’s cooking so hard to swallow?”
Duoduo blinked her big, watery eyes.
“Imperial Grandfather, do you want the truth, or do you want nice words?”
A flicker of amusement passed through the Emperor’s eyes, though his face remained impassive.
“What? Are you thinking of lying? Don’t you know that deceiving the emperor can get you beheaded?”
Duoduo blinked her eyes again.
“Me not lying!”
The Emperor clearly didn’t believe her.
“Then tell me, what would the nice words be?”
Duoduo glanced at the dish, thinking for a moment.
“The Imperial Kitchen prepares the food very carefully, both in color and flavor—it’s all very refined.”
“This entire table of dishes is a delight to the eyes.”
“Clearly, they put a lot of thought into it.”
Duoduo’s words made the Emperor quite pleased.
“Oh, then I’d like to hear what the truth is,” the Emperor said, intrigued.
Duoduo tilted her little head.
“Looks good, doesn’t taste good.”
Duoduo’s five short words made the Emperor pause for a moment, then he burst into hearty laughter.
“Right! Changle is absolutely right!”
“Xiao Lizi, did you hear that?”
“Even Changle says so—now do you understand why I eat so little every day?”
Eunuch Li beamed with a flattering smile.
“Your Majesty, I’ll give them a proper scolding when I return!”
“The Princess Changle is truly clever—she’s pinpointed the problem at once!”
The Emperor nodded, looking at the dishes he had eaten for decades with a hint of reflection.
In the past, he had thought they were passable.
Now, he felt even a dog wouldn’t touch them!
“Changle, where did the cook at the Prince of Pingyang’s mansion come from?” The Emperor suddenly had an idea.
“Father says the mansion is too poor to afford a cook,” Duoduo said, blinking her big eyes.
“The servants in our mansion are all household-born.”
The Emperor’s gaze toward Duoduo turned a bit more probing.
Duoduo looked back at him openly and honestly.
Xiao Yi hadn’t stopped telling her that the mansion had no money.
She wasn’t lying!
The Emperor said nothing, just picked up a piece of Lüdou cake with his chopsticks.
The pastry was small, about the size of a single bite, and looked quite charming.
The Emperor put the Lüdou cake into his mouth, and the rich flavor of Lüdou immediately spread across his tongue.
It wasn’t cloyingly sweet—just a faint, natural sweetness from the Lüdou.
The Emperor nodded slowly.
“This pastry is well made!”
It was rare for the Emperor to find something he liked.
A smile appeared in Duoduo’s eyes.
“Imperial Grandfather, please try this peach blossom pastry—it’s Changle’s favorite!”
The Emperor, advanced in years, didn’t usually care for sweet pastries.
But the Lüdou cake had given him the courage to give it a try.
He picked up a piece of peach blossom pastry and took a small bite.
The pastry was crisp and crumbly, melting on the tongue, and to the Emperor’s surprise, it was savory-sweet, not overly sugary.
The Emperor couldn’t help but nod, finishing the rest in one mouthful.
Duoduo looked at him with anticipation. “Is it good, Imperial Grandfather?”
The Emperor swallowed the pastry, a faint peach blossom aftertaste lingering in his mouth.
“Hmm, very nice! Did you buy this at some time-honored shop?”
The Emperor thought to himself that he would have Xiao Lizi go out of the palace later to buy some more.
He felt that it would be perfect to have a bite or two when he stayed up late reviewing memorials.
Duoduo beamed at the Emperor, her eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Grandfather, this was made by my maid.”
“Lüdou, come here!”
Lüdou, who had been shrinking against the wall like a quail, hurried over and knelt down.
“This servant pays respects to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years!”
The Emperor looked at Lüdou, who was prostrate on the ground, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
“Changle, lying is not a good habit!”
In the Emperor’s heart, he believed that Duoduo must be trying to win his favor, so she deliberately did this.
Duoduo probably never considered how serious the consequences would be if he exposed her lie.
Duoduo stood up and knelt beside Lüdou.
“Grandfather, Father often drilled into me that one must never lie in life!”
“If you don’t believe me, Lüdou can make it right now for you to taste!”
“She has learned so well from the kitchen maid, Li, in our household!”
“I was also planning to open a pastry shop with her!”
The Emperor looked at Duoduo, pondering her words.
Lüdou prostrated herself lower. “Your Majesty, this servant is willing to try.”
Eunuch Li, seeing that the Emperor had no objection, led Lüdou out.
The Kunning Palace already had a small kitchen.
Because time was short, Lüdou decided to make osmanthus rice cakes.
Eunuch Li had someone fetch the ingredients Lüdou needed and bring them to Kunning Palace.
After the Emperor and Duoduo finished their meal, Duoduo tidied away the food container herself.
The Emperor watched Duoduo, his eyes flickering slightly.
“Grandfather, didn’t you want to see the peonies?” Duoduo washed her hands and walked over to the Emperor.
“Very well!”
The Emperor gladly stood up and offered his hand to Duoduo.
Without hesitation, Duoduo took the Emperor’s hand.
The Emperor felt very satisfied deep down.
He had many children and many grandchildren.
But there were few who dared to be so close to him.
The Emperor, holding Duoduo’s hand, went to the garden.
Today, the sun was mild, not scorching as usual.
They walked slowly, and on a whim, the Emperor asked Duoduo about her studies.
Duoduo blinked her eyes. “Changle cannot meet the Grand Tutor’s requirements.”
The Emperor chuckled.
The Grand Tutor’s requirements were very high; it was hard to meet them.
Even he, in his youth, had been scolded by the Grand Tutor.
At that thought, the Emperor gave a light snort.
“You are still young. There’s no need to be too harsh on yourself.”
Duoduo showed a sweet smile. “Changle will work hard!”
Soon, they arrived at the peony garden.
The Emperor caught sight of an ink-black color and stopped in his tracks.
Duoduo was the first to exclaim in surprise. “Huh? It looks like they’re about to bloom!”
Duoduo tugged the Emperor’s hand and ran over to the peonies.
Indeed, a few peony plants had already sprouted buds.
The largest flower was on the verge of blooming, its ink-black petals already showing.
“Wow—this flower is so unique!” Duoduo curiously leaned in to observe.
The Emperor, hands clasped behind his back, walked slowly to the peonies.
The peonies that had once withered and died were now all revived.
The Emperor’s expression as he looked at the peonies was strange.
Duoduo’s hand brushed over each bud, and they swayed as if greeting her.
“You must bloom quickly! Grandfather has come to see you!”
As Duoduo touched each flower and talked to them, a breeze blew through, making all the peonies sway in the wind.
The Emperor’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
For he saw that the largest peony was slowly beginning to open.
He couldn’t help but glance at Duoduo.
Duoduo also saw it.
Her mouth fell open, and she stood there stunned.
“Grandfather! It bloomed! I’ve been watching it every day, and it never bloomed! But the moment you came, it just opened up!”
