After the death of the host: the tyrant cried red eyes

Shen Lingxue was startled by his sudden nervous behavior, and a confused look spread across her delicate face. "I coaxed you for a long time just now, but Your Majesty didn't want to taste it. Now that I drink it myself, why does Your Majesty seem so anxious?"

There was a hint of confusion in her words, but her energetic appearance showed no signs of poisoning, which was reassuring.

Seeing this, the anxiety in Xiao Yi's eyes gradually dissipated, as if he understood something at this moment. He turned his head and his gaze inadvertently swept across the dew behind him, and a hint of complex emotions flashed in his eyes.

Lu Zhong suddenly realized that he had misunderstood the situation before. His cheeks flushed with shame and he lowered his head even deeper, not daring to say another word.

Shen Lingxue felt the subtle change in the atmosphere between the two of them, and when she thought of Xiao Yi's previous puzzling words, the fog in her heart gradually dissipated, and tiny cracks began to appear on the edges of the smile that she was barely maintaining.

She asked in a deep voice: "Your Majesty...are you worried that I might harm you?"

This question is both an inquiry and a confirmation in a sense.

Being hit directly in the heart, Xiao Yi subconsciously avoided her gaze, scooped himself a bowl of chicken soup with a slightly stiff movement, and sipped it gently, trying to hide his inner turmoil.

Although he didn't say anything, his evasive attitude said it all.

Shen Lingxue felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet and rushing straight to her forehead. She tightly grasped the porcelain bowl in her hand and felt her heart as cold as ice.

He turned to look at Lu Zhong, his voice trembling with disbelief: "Lu Zhong, what about you? Do you think so too?"

Lu Zhong's face was pale, her lips trembled slightly, and she stammered, "My lady, I misunderstood. I accidentally saw you sprinkle some powder on the dishes..."

"So, even if I drink some soup, I will be suspected like this, all because you suspect I have bad intentions."

Shen Lingxue said with a sneer, a layer of mist covered her gentle eyes, and the porcelain bowl in her hand was placed heavily on the table, making a dull sound.

"Xiao Yi, am I really so unbearable in your heart?"

Xiao Yi's body stiffened slightly, hesitating to speak, but the words that finally came out of his mouth were like a sharp blade: "Have you done enough shameful things?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to be shocked by his own impulse. He hurriedly looked at Shen Lingxue, wanting to explain, but was deeply attracted by her eyes full of pain.

The corners of Shen Lingxue's lips trembled slightly. She stood up in disbelief. The mist in her eyes became thicker, condensing into crystal tears, as if silently accusing: "So, you have never let down your guard against me, and you have never really let go of the past. In your heart, I have always been the same as before, an unforgivable sinner... Is that right?"

There was so much sadness in her words, as if her heart had been completely torn apart.

Seeing this, Lu Zhong, who was standing by, could no longer remain silent and could not help but speak up to defend himself: "Your Majesty, it's not like that! The Emperor—"

"Yes."

Xiao Yi's voice was icy cold, interrupting Lu Zhong. At this moment, that majestic face became like a snowy mountain in winter, making people feel an unapproachable coldness.

His answer was decisive, like an invisible sword, piercing Shen Lingxue's heart.

Shen Lingxue took two steps back, the tears in her eyes finally rolled down, the corners of her eyes turned red, and she looked pitiful.

"I understand."

Finally, it was her pride that supported her to raise her hand and wipe away the tears that were about to fall. "Since Your Majesty is so wary of me, I will take my leave first, so as not to annoy Your Majesty."

After saying this, she raised her chin, did not look back, and strode away from this place full of embarrassment and misunderstanding.

"Empress! Empress!"

Lu Zhong wanted to catch up anxiously, but he stopped after taking a few steps, looking back at his master worriedly, hesitant, "Your Majesty obviously doesn't think that way, why do you say that?"

Outsiders may not be able to understand the twists and turns, but Lu Zhong’s heart is as clear as a mirror.

If Your Majesty was really wary of the Queen, why would he wait so long to have dinner with her?

Xiao Yi sighed deeply, rubbed his brows with a headache, and ordered in a calm tone: "You can leave first."

"……Yes."

Lu Zhong pursed her lips and obediently stepped back.

The food on the table had long lost its temperature, and silence enveloped the entire space like a thick curtain.

Half an hour later, Xiao Yi finally raised his head, looked at the sumptuous meal in front of him that was no longer warm, slowly picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

The taste of every bite of food was as familiar as in his memory, awakening certain memories deep in his heart.

His black eyes flickered as he looked at the carefully prepared dishes in front of him. He suddenly remembered that in the past, he always pestered Shen Bingning to cook for him.

And she, the woman who always finds troublesome, often needs him to coax and persuade her for a long time before she can have a warm meal with her.

"This mizuna is the most complicated thing to do. I won't make it for you next time!"

Whenever she was dealing with the complicated water vegetables, she would always stare with her lively eyes and emphasize. Although she complained all the time, her hands never stopped for a moment.

"got it."

He always responded with that obedient look, but every once in a while, he would return to his old ways and beg her to cook again.

When you take a bite of mizuna with chopsticks, you will taste the crispness with a barely noticeable bitterness. But after you swallow it, a faint sweet aftertaste will appear on the tip of your tongue. The texture is crispy, tender and delicious, awakening every cell of your taste buds.

Xiao Yi unconsciously picked up another piece of water spinach with chopsticks and looked at it carefully, as if he could see the past years and the figure who once accompanied him, both troublesome and extremely gentle.

In the imperial kitchen, mizuna is a common dish that frequently appears on the royal table. However, those mizuna dishes prepared by court chefs, despite their skillful cooking methods, always have an unignorable rough texture and coarse fibers, which makes people feel regretful when chewing. They are far from being comparable to the fresh and refined mizuna dishes in front of them.

Shen Bingning showed amazing delicacy and patience when cooking this seemingly simple dish.

Not only did she carefully select the freshest water spinach leaves, she also put a lot of effort into every detail, even taking the trouble to meticulously remove the fibers at the root of each water spinach that affected the taste.

This is a meticulous job that requires extreme concentration and time, and is beyond the reach of ordinary people. However, she silently persists, just for that ultimate refreshing taste.

Xiao Yi's gaze slowly fell on the plate of water vegetables in front of him, and ripples appeared in his heart.

He began to recall every meal Shen Bingning had prepared for him in his memory. It turned out that every mizuna was like this, and hidden behind it were her countless unknown moments of hard work.