After I got into the drama, I led the plot astray

The area of ​​the imperial kitchen is about half the size of the small house I live in. If it weren't for the eunuchs and palace maids constantly shuttling back and forth, I'm afraid the sound of me eating and drinking soup alone would be heard.

Zheng Xian asked us to sit down. As soon as we sat down, the eunuch came to report that Du Changfeng had arrived and was waiting outside the hall.

Zheng Xian glanced at me and seeing that I didn't react, he waved his hand and asked the eunuch to bring the person in.

After Du Changfeng came in, he first saluted Zheng Xian, then saluted Gongsun Wen, and then took out a secret letter from his sleeve and handed it to Zheng Xian.

Zheng Xian did not open it to read, but handed it to Wei Yi, then said to Du Changfeng: "Since you are here, let's have dinner together."

Du Changfeng never thought that he could dine with the emperor. He was so excited that he bowed and thanked him immediately, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet.

After everyone sat down, Wei Yi asked someone to serve the dishes.

Although Zheng Xian was usually frugal, he had obviously put a lot of thought into tonight's meal.

A total of forty-eight dishes, including cold dishes, hot dishes, and desserts, were served before they stopped.

Looking at this table full of dishes, it feels a bit like eating a full banquet.

I didn’t expect that I didn’t have the chance to eat such a luxurious imperial meal when I was alive, but I got to eat it after I died.

After the dishes were served, the little palace maid behind us began to serve us.

Although there were many dishes, everyone ate very carefully. They almost only ate the dishes in front of them, and chewed them slowly and carefully. No chewing sound could be heard at all.

Looking at these people eating, I suddenly felt that the food was not delicious anymore.

The palace maid only picked up one piece of each dish for me with her chopsticks, and only picked up another one for me after I finished eating it. But it was gone before I could taste it.

There was a small copper pot in front of each person, but they only gave a small dish of mutton, and only a small bite of it after it was cooked. There were no side dishes for the hot pot, so it was not satisfying at all.

As I was eating, I put down my chopsticks.

Zheng Xian looked at it and couldn't help asking me, "But the food doesn't suit your taste?"

I sighed and said, "It's so tiring to eat like this. There's no communication between us, and we can't decide what dishes we want to eat. We eat whatever they pick up, and we can't throw away the food we don't like. It's not fun to eat like this, and I've lost my appetite."

Gongsun Wen and Du Changfeng, who were eating in silence, couldn't help but look up at me.

Gongsun Wen's eyes were full of mockery, while Du Changfeng's eyes were full of disbelief.

They were all waiting to see how Zheng Xian would punish me, because no one had ever dared to speak to His Majesty like that.

But Zheng Xian thought about it seriously, and then asked me: "Aman, how can you have fun eating?"

After hearing this, Gongsun Wen raised the corners of his mouth, as if he had expected it.

The meat on Du Changfeng's chopsticks fell into the bowl. He thought that the emperor sitting in front of him was a fake emperor. Du Changfeng could never imagine that Zheng Xian could be so easy to talk to.

I said, "I don't need them to serve me meals. I can just pick up what I want to eat. Also, prepare more mutton and slice it thinner, so it can be eaten right after blanching. Also prepare some vegetables that can be eaten right after blanching. If you eat too much meat, you need some vegetables to relieve the greasiness."

Zheng Xian smiled and said, "This is easy."

After Zheng Xian finished speaking, he waved to Wei Yi, who quickly ordered his servants to prepare.

Not long after, a group of palace maids came in carrying plates of paper-thin mutton slices and vegetables.

There were no decent vegetables in the winter. In front of me was a plate of Chinese cabbage, a plate of potato chips, and a plate of white radish. Not a single green leaf could be seen.

It turns out that even in the palace, it is not easy to eat some green leafy vegetables in the cold winter.

Forget it, I didn’t make things difficult for them. It’s pretty good to have these dishes with the hotpot.

The palace maids behind me were also removed, so I could eat whatever I wanted. It was a great feeling of freedom, and I ate until my mouth was full of oil.

Zheng Xian seemed very happy to see me eating happily, and unknowingly ate half a bowl of rice. He did not put down his chopsticks until Wei Yi had to remind him softly.

However, Gongsun Wen was very disgusted with the way I ate. He originally sat next to me, but when he saw me eating so happily, he couldn't help but quietly move to the side. He also said that he was afraid that I would splash oil on his clothes, and that he looked like he deserved a beating.

Du Changfeng ate in silence. He looked at Zheng Xian and I talking and laughing while eating and drinking. What appeared in his eyes was not envy, but fear.

When we were almost full, Zheng Yan came.

Gongsun Wen and Du Changfeng hurriedly saluted him.

Zheng Xian was in a very good mood tonight. When he saw his son coming back, he asked someone to clear away some of the food, served some hot dishes to Zheng Yan, and asked him to sit down and eat.

Zheng Yan was also very excited. He didn't expect that he solved a major case just by going to Mingyue Temple.

Zheng Yan's hand holding the chopsticks was shaking with excitement. He said to Zheng Xian happily, "Father, you will never imagine how much silver I found in Miaoyin's adulterer's house."

Zheng Xian didn't want to disappoint his son, so he had to ask, "How much did you search?"

Zheng Yan's eyes sparkled as he said, "The silver is still being counted. When I came back, I had already counted out 80,000 taels of silver and 5,000 taels of gold."

"Eight thousand taels of silver and five thousand taels of gold?" Zheng Xian couldn't help but be surprised when he heard it.

Zheng Yan nodded desperately and said, "Yes, Father, I was shocked when I saw that the whole wall was made of silver bricks."

Zheng Xian smiled coldly and said, "This Miaoyin is really good at making money. In just a few years, in addition to the silver paid as tribute to the court, she has also embezzled so much."

Zheng Yan's cheerful face suddenly darkened, and he said, "But Miaoyin has ruined the reputation of Mingyue Temple. When I returned to the city, I heard many people scolding Miaoyin, saying that she would do anything dirty and vulgar to make money, and even hired thugs in the temple to not let pilgrims who refused to buy incense leave, and, and..."

Having said that, Zheng Yan looked at Zheng Xian with some hesitation and did not dare to say any more.

Zheng Xian glanced at Zheng Yan without changing his expression and asked, "And what?"

Zheng Yan glanced at his father and saw that he was not angry, so he stammered, "And those people even cursed my father, saying, saying it was my father, my father..."

Having said this, Zheng Yan didn't dare to continue.

Zheng Xian had already guessed what it was, but he was not happy with his son's way of speaking. He scolded him, "If you have something to say, just say it. You are a real man and you will be the ruler of a country in the future. You are hesitating like a little girl and making people laugh at you."

Zheng Yan's face turned pale after being scolded. He gritted his teeth and shouted loudly, "Those people said Miaoyin must have had an affair with my father. Otherwise, we would not allow such a big tumor to grow and become a local tyrant who is lawless."

After Zheng Yan finished speaking, he prepared himself mentally to be scolded by his father.

But Zheng Xian not only didn't scold him, he even laughed.