Lu Wanning sat in front of the emperor with a beaming smile. As she served the dishes, she explained, "Eggplants absorb a lot of oil, so I deep - fried them twice first and then drained the oil before cooking. They'll be softer and taste better this way."
The emperor took a bite and said approvingly, "It really tastes good. Is this your method?"
Without further explanation, Lu Wanning picked up a chopstick - full of potatoes and said, "This is dry - pot potatoes. Your Majesty, please have a try. They're soft, glutinous and delicious. Do you like them?"
The emperor nodded repeatedly. "What did you call it? Dry - pot potatoes?"
Lu Wanning nodded and pointed at the mushrooms. "These were sent from the manor this morning. They're very fresh. I wasn't sure if the palace had them or if the cooks here knew how to prepare them like this, so I brought them in. These are king oyster mushrooms. They're very soft when you bite into them."
Seeing Lu Wanning talking non - stop, introducing one dish after another, the emperor couldn't help but find it amusing. He ordered a servant to serve Lu Wanning some rice. "Zhaoyang, accompany me in having this meal."
Lu Wanning nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."
The servant said cheerfully, "Your Highness the Princess may not know. His Majesty has had a poor appetite these days. It's really rare for him to eat so much today..."
The emperor gave him a sidelong glance, and he immediately shut up with an embarrassed smile.
Lu Wanning's eyes curved into crescent moons. "Your Majesty, if you don't mind, may I come to the palace every day to accompany you for meals?"
The emperor burst into laughter and tapped her on the head. "I'm busy with state affairs. If I spend as much time on meals as I do today every day, how can I attend to the national affairs?"
Lu Wanning pouted. "Man is iron, and food is steel. If you miss one meal, you'll be hungry. Your Majesty is the king of the country, the Son of Heaven, and the father of the people. It's true that you need to attend to state affairs, but you should also combine work with rest and take proper breaks to govern the country better, right? Food is the paramount necessity of the people. Although Your Majesty is the king, as long as you're a human being, you should also value food. It only takes half an hour for me to accompany Your Majesty for a meal. It's not a long time."
The emperor was greatly amused. He pointed at Lu Wanning and said to the servant, "Look at her. She's so eloquent. How can I argue with her?"
The servant smiled. "The princess is filial and always concerned about Your Majesty's health."
The emperor turned to look at Lu Wanning and asked, "Did your father send you here?"
Lu Wanning pouted. "My father is such a stick - in - the - mud. He would never be so considerate. Does Your Majesty think that I wasn't caring and considerate before?"
The emperor shook his head with a smile. "The period of mourning is over. I'll issue an imperial edict tomorrow. All subjects no longer need to eat a vegetarian diet."
Lu Wanning stopped smiling and asked, "What about Your Majesty?"
The emperor looked at her without saying a word.
Lu Wanning asked again, "Can Your Majesty stop eating a vegetarian diet tomorrow?"
The emperor was silent for a while but still answered her question. "She's my mother. Others don't need to observe mourning for a whole year because they're not her children. How can I do the same? I've heard that in ancient times, people observed mourning for three years. Can't I even observe it for one year?"
Lu Wanning gave a soft laugh. "Is eating a vegetarian diet the only way to show filial piety? When a mother passes away, her son mourns. It's natural for him to be so sad that he has a poor appetite and doesn't want to eat meat. But grief will eventually pass. When it's over, it's time to return to normal. Why force yourself to do something against your physical nature?"
The emperor squinted at her.
Lu Wanning continued, "Your Majesty used to live a life of luxury and pay attention to health preservation. Now, with the busy state affairs and a vegetarian diet for nearly four months. The other day, I heard from my father that Your Majesty was so over - tired that you almost fainted. The imperial physicians and sorcerers have been researching medicinal food and pills every day. But Your Majesty must have heard the saying that all drugs have side effects. There are people who eat a vegetarian diet, but for those of us who aren't used to it, suddenly starting to do so will only harm our bodies. If Your Majesty's body is harmed, I'm afraid that the late Empress Dowager in heaven won't be able to rest in peace."
The servant nodded repeatedly. These days, he had tried every means and spent a great deal of effort but still couldn't persuade the emperor. He watched as the emperor's health was getting worse day by day. After the court session that day, he casually mentioned it to the Prince of Zhennan.
Unexpectedly, the prince remembered it, and so did the princess.
Lu Wanning went on, "I don't have any other intentions. If Your Majesty insists on eating a vegetarian diet, for the sake of Your Majesty's health, I'm willing to come to the palace every day to develop recipes for you and accompany you for meals."
A smile finally appeared on the emperor's face again. He reached out and stroked Lu Wanning's head. "Silly girl, since you've said so, how can I be so stubborn? Filial piety doesn't lie in this. Starting tomorrow, I won't eat a vegetarian diet anymore. I won't let you, a growing girl, suffer with me. Is that okay?"
Lu Wanning nodded with a smile. "That's great. Your Majesty may not know that before Prince Yu left..."
Halfway through her words, Lu Wanning realized her slip of the tongue and quickly covered her mouth.
The emperor looked at her half - smiling. "What did A Yu say to you?"
Lu Wanning pouted. "I made a mistake. It was... well, it was the late Empress Dowager who told me to persuade Your Majesty to moderate your grief."
The emperor didn't say anything else. It was getting late, and he still had many memorials to read. He waved his hand, bestowed a lot of treasures, and ordered someone to escort Lu Wanning out of the palace.
Back in the Hall of Diligent Government, the emperor didn't start reading the memorials immediately. He just leaned back in his chair and thought for a while before asking, "Did Zhaoyang mention A Yu just now?"
The servant pretended to be stupid. "The princess made a mistake."
The emperor had a faint smile on his lips. "She didn't make a mistake. No matter what, I'm still his father..."
The servant looked at the thick stack of memorials on the table and said carefully, "Your Majesty, you haven't been feeling well these days. You might as well take a rest. These memorials... Prince Chen can also help you take a look..."
The emperor gave him a cold glance. "Prince Chen? Humph! I'll read them myself."
The servant immediately lowered his head and respectfully retreated.
Before Lu Wanning could leave the palace, a palace maid came and said that the queen invited her to the Kwan - Ju Palace. Lu Wanning just looked at the maid quietly and showed a smiling face.
"Please go back and tell Her Majesty that I'm really tired today. My parents are waiting for me at home, so I can't stay long. Another day when my mother enters the palace, I'll visit Her Majesty the Queen with my mother."
The palace maid's face stiffened a bit. She whispered, "Your Highness the Princess entered the palace but didn't come to pay respects to Her Majesty first. Now that Her Majesty has invited you, and you still don't go. Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"
Lu Wanning didn't say much. She just turned around and greeted the servant who was leading her out of the palace. "Auntie, could you please report to His Majesty? His Majesty said before that I could move around freely in the palace without paying respects."
The palace maid's face turned pale. "Your Highness the Princess, I didn't mean that. I just thought... You're the niece of Her Majesty the Queen. When you enter the palace, you should pay respects."
Lu Wanning still had a good attitude. She nodded and said, "But I've already explained to you, sister. I'm just a bit tired because I got up early today. Is there a problem?"
The palace maid quickly shook her head. "No... there's no problem..."