Chapter 2

When I lifted the lid, fragrance spilled everywhere.

Worried that the tyrant might not get his fill, I even stuck a ring of flatbreads around the inside of the pot.

Qi Yin didn’t seem impressed by the presentation. His brows remained drawn together.

After Eunuch Gao tested it for poison, Qi Yin picked up his chopsticks and tried a mouthful—

The man’s eyes lit up.

With food to keep him happy, the tyrant seemed considerably less temperamental.

Sweeping back his sleeves, he sat down beside the pot and began eating. He even called me over to join him.

Gnawing on a goose leg, he asked, “Noble Consort Gao, what is this dish called?”

I gnawed on a wing beside him. “Iron-pot goose stew,” I mumbled through a mouthful.

“Can this pot stew anything else?”

“Such as—”

Qi Yin gave me a casual glance. “Iron-pot pork knuckles?”

I choked on my own saliva.

“That… should work too.”

To save my life, I began boasting that my one pot could stew anything—

Fish, ribs, chicken…

Anything could go in. A different meal every time.

Qi Yin wolfed down a bowl of rice mixed with pickled cabbage, waved his hand, and spared my miserable life.

That night, he turned over my name tablet.

It was my first time attending an emperor in bed, and the emperor in question was an unpredictable tyrant. I was terrified.

I fed him late-night pastries with the utmost care, brought him warm tea, and waited until he’d eaten and drunk his fill before helping him undress for bed.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem interested in sleeping with me.

But as soon as I lay down, Qi Yin rolled toward me.

A large hand landed at my waist. With the slightest effort, he lifted me over to the inside of the bed.

He put an arm around me and settled into a comfortable position.

“Go on.”

What?

In the few seconds of silence that followed, I mentally reviewed every mistake I’d made recently.

Was it the extra couple of looks I’d given the handsome Physician Zhou today?

Or had he caught me sneaking pork knuckles?

I was trembling, almost ready to kneel and confess, when his voice came from above my head again.

In the quiet of the night, it sounded a little husky.

“Hurry up. My bedtime story.”

“…”

After a long silence, I asked cautiously, “Has Your Majesty heard the story of Snow White?”

His Majesty shook his head.

Confident at last, I told it to him.

When I finished, his eyes were still wide open. He looked positively refreshed.

I was wondering whether I should try Thumbelina as well when he suddenly turned his head toward me.

Candlelight flickered through the chamber. My head rested on his arm, and his face was only inches away.

Our eyes met. I wasn’t going to say whose heart skipped.

Honestly, the tyrant had a very good face.

At the very least—

Put Physician Zhou, whom I’d sneaked so many looks at today, beside Qi Yin, and the physician’s good looks would instantly fade.

I licked my lips. Nervously, I was about to ask whether he hadn’t liked the story when he spoke.

“Noble Consort Gao, tell me. Who is the handsomest man in Qi?”

I lowered my eyes and delivered my flattery without missing a beat. “You, Your Majesty. Of course it’s you.”

The tyrant gave me a satisfied look, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.