The cold emperor reigns supreme, the arrogant empress begs for a truce.

Chapter Seventy: A Bowl of Tomato and Egg Noodles

Unbeknownst to Leng Yuling, her words were overheard by Mo Zhen, who had been following her. Upon hearing them, Mo Zhen turned and left.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late. Where would you like to have dinner tonight?" Li Quan asked, noticing that Mo Zhen was in a bad mood.

Normally, Li Quan would directly ask if they were going to Jingling Palace, but now that he had figured something out, he changed his approach and asked instead. However, this made Mo Zhen very unhappy.

"Shangqian Palace." Mo Zhen flicked his sleeves and strode towards Shangqian Palace.

Li Quan followed behind, sighing as he hurried to catch up. Having served Mo Zhen for so many years, he naturally understood his temperament.

Mo Zhen's patience and tolerance towards Leng Yuling had exceeded Li Quan's comprehension. However, this empress from the Northern Desert had repeatedly angered Mo Zhen, which made Li Quan feel that she was somewhat ungrateful.

On the other hand, after saying those words that told Bai Xiaozi not to feel guilty, Leng Yuling felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

During dinner, Ziyan peeked out as usual and, seeing what was happening, asked, "Your Majesty, are you waiting for the Emperor?"

Caught off guard, Leng Yuling awkwardly withdrew her head and said nonchalantly, "I was just worried that if he came after I had started eating, he would definitely say that I didn't know the rules."

Actually, she was just used to having Mo Zhen accompany her for dinner every night, so not seeing him at dinner time tonight made Leng Yuling feel a little uncomfortable.

Ziyan poured her tea while saying, "Your Highness, are you going to wait for the Emperor to come now?"

Leng Yuling glanced at the sky; it was still bright. Judging that Mo Zhen was probably still in his study reviewing documents, she nodded and said, "Let's wait a bit."

She waited and waited, propping her chin up at the dining table, until she fell asleep. Her arm slipped and she suddenly woke up, looking out the door to find that it was already completely dark.

It's already this late, and Mo Zhen still hasn't arrived. Usually, even if he doesn't come, he'll send someone to let us know, but today we can't see a soul in sight.

Ziyan, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but speak up: "Your Majesty, it's already getting dark, and the Emperor hasn't arrived yet. Should we send someone to inquire?"

Leng Yuling looked at the sky, then at the now-cold food in front of her, and suddenly stood up and said, "No need, just take all this food away."

She knew that Mo Zhen was doing it on purpose, because no matter how busy he was, he would always have someone notify him, but today she waited for so long and he didn't come.

"But, Your Highness, you haven't had your dinner yet."

Leng Yuling waved her hand without saying a word. What's the point of eating? She's already full of anger!

She was in a rare good mood and waited for him to have dinner together, but this was the result she got. How could she not be angry?

After Leng Yuling entered the room, she picked up the vase on the table, intending to smash it, but then she remembered that it was from the palace and must be very expensive, so she hugged the vase to her chest and touched it, saying, "Never mind, what if he makes me pay for it?"

Unable to afford the compensation, she could only obediently put the vase back in its place, then kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, straddled the blanket, and used it as Mo Zhen's face, punching it repeatedly.

"I hate waiting for people the most, and you actually made me wait for so long! You, Mo Zhen, just wait and see how I deal with you!" Leng Yuling snorted angrily before lying down on the bed.

Unlike Leng Yuling's anger, Mo Zhen in Shangqian Palace had a slight smile on his face, especially after hearing Li Quan say that Leng Yuling had been waiting for him at the dinner table for a long time.

"But Your Majesty, the Empress..."

Before Li Quan could finish speaking, Mo Zhen interrupted him: "What's wrong with her?"

This was the first time Li Quan had seen Mo Zhen so anxious that he interrupted him before he could finish speaking. He was taken aback at first, and then said, "Your Majesty, the Empress couldn't wait for you, so she had the food taken away and went back to her room alone."

Has she eaten?

"Of course not." Li Quan shook his head and sighed helplessly in his heart. Why do these two people who clearly care about each other have to cause all sorts of trouble before they are satisfied?

Upon hearing Li Quan's words, Mo Zhen frowned, but he couldn't bring himself to go to Jingling Palace again.

Li Quan knew Mo Zhen well. Seeing the anxious expression on his face, he knew that Mo Zhen was worried about Leng Yuling going hungry. So he said, "Your Majesty, you have been reviewing documents until this late without having dinner. Why don't I send someone to Jingling Palace to tell you that you will come over later?"

Li Quan was giving him a way out, and Mo Zhen hesitated for a moment before nodding.

However, when Ziyan told Leng Yuling that Mo Zhen was coming over, she was unhappy.

Leng Yuling hugged her pillow, sat cross-legged on the bed, and looked at Ziyan with a mournful expression: "What are you coming for? The food has all been thrown away. What's the point of eating? Let him starve to death."

No sooner had she finished speaking than her stomach rumbled loudly. Ziyan suppressed a laugh as she looked at her, while the latter deflated like a punctured balloon, rubbing her stomach and saying pitifully, "If it weren't for him, would I have let myself go hungry?"

As she spoke, she got out of bed, put down her pillow, and walked towards the door. Ziyan hurriedly followed, saying, "Your Majesty, what are you going to do..."

Leng Yuling paused, turned back to look at Ziyan, and said unhappily, "We need to fill our stomachs."

If the imperial chefs were to cook again, it would definitely take an hour or two. However, she was indeed hungry, and Mo Zhen was arriving soon. Knowing his temper, he would definitely throw a tantrum if he arrived and couldn't eat.

and so……

"I'm going to cook myself!"

“Your Majesty…” Although Ziyan knew that Leng Yuling had lived in the countryside since childhood, she was now the Empress of Southern Chu. It would be unseemly for someone of her status to be cooking.

However, Ziyan was ultimately just a servant girl, and naturally couldn't stop Leng Yuling, who suddenly became interested.

Leng Yuling stood in the kitchen, glanced at the ingredients available, and finally decided to make the simplest thing—tomato and egg noodles.

Before long, two bowls of tomato and egg noodles were ready. Looking at the noodles that looked and smelled delicious, Leng Yuling couldn't help but feel smug: "Even without natural gas, I, Leng Yuling, can make tomato and egg noodles perfectly."

Zi Yan didn't know what the 'natural gas' Leng Yuling was talking about was. She knew, though, that the noodles looked very appetizing, but...

"Your Majesty, is it appropriate to serve this noodle to His Majesty?" After all, Mo Zhen is the Emperor, and he eats delicacies every day. It seems inappropriate to just serve him a bowl of noodles.

But Leng Yuling didn't think so. Instead, she said, "If he thinks eating this bowl of noodles is beneath him, then he can go hungry!"