Chapter 876: The Young Empress (13)

The System suddenly spoke.

【Host, is there something special about this Jing Cheng...?】

Then, as though a bolt of lightning had struck him, he remembered something.

A shrill scream echoed in Tang Guo's mind.

【Host! Is he that person?!】

Looking at Tang Guo's smiling eyes, the System recalled how she had previously remarked that Jing Cheng looked especially handsome when practicing swordsmanship.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

No wonder the Host had been so happy after confirming that Jing Cheng had never done anything to wrong her.

No wonder she had deliberately reviewed the plot regarding the Jing family.

The Jing family had always been absolutely loyal to the Empress.

Back then, the very first people Nanyun Chuan and the others had wanted to eliminate were the members of the Jing family.

The young Empress might have been inexperienced, but she had never been foolish.

After detecting traces of the conspiracy, she had chosen to play along.

Following the enemy's expectations, she stripped Jing Cheng of his position as Imperial Consort and dispatched General Jing to the frontier under the guise of guarding the borders.

That was likely the final thing the young Empress had been able to do for them.

As for what happened afterward, Jing Cheng had joined the army and gone to war.

General Jing, meanwhile, had seemingly never abandoned the idea of avenging the Empress.

Unfortunately, the plot ended there.

Everything beyond that point no longer belonged to the protagonist's story.

This world concluded with the heroine's death.

A tragedy from beginning to end.

“Imperial Consort, what kinds of food do you like?”

Tang Guo set down her teacup and rested her chin in her hand as she asked.

Jing Cheng nearly dropped the cup he was holding.

Recovering himself, he hurriedly answered,

“This subject is not picky.”

“Oh?”

Tang Guo's eyes curved.

“So that means you like everything?”

“Yes.”

That was true.

As long as it was edible, he could eat it.

Since he practiced martial arts every day, his appetite was also considerably larger than average.

“Then the Imperial Consort must be very easy to raise.”

Tang Guo smiled happily.

“Doesn't that mean I've made a profit?”

For once, Jing Cheng genuinely couldn't maintain his composure.

The Empress was acting far too strangely.

When lunch was finally served, Jing Cheng initially behaved with great restraint.

Even though he wanted to eat, he forced himself to remain reserved.

The Empress's meals were undeniably luxurious.

Far superior to what he normally ate.

The dishes looked delicious.

Naturally, they tasted delicious as well.

“Imperial Consort.”

Tang Guo looked at him curiously.

“Didn't you say you weren't picky? Why aren't you eating?”

She had secretly observed him eating before.

Although his table manners were elegant and pleasant to watch, he certainly wasn't usually this restrained.

He ate quickly.

And he ate a lot.

Jing Cheng found it increasingly difficult to maintain the act.

“This subject has a rather large appetite.”

He hesitated before continuing.

“I worry that if I eat too much, I might offend Your Majesty.”

“It doesn't matter.”

Tang Guo smiled.

“Eat.”

Then she added leisurely,

“I enjoy watching you eat.”

Jing Cheng's hand trembled violently.

He nearly dropped his bowl.

At the same time, he also knew with absolute certainty that the Empress would not punish him for such a thing.

Carefully, he began eating a little faster while secretly observing her expression.

To his surprise, she genuinely seemed delighted.

At first, he only tested the waters.

But the food was simply too delicious.

Every dish suited his tastes perfectly.

Combined with an entire morning spent practicing martial arts, he was genuinely hungry.

Before long, his true nature emerged.

Not only did he eat quickly, but somehow he still managed to look elegant doing it.

Tang Guo only took a couple of bites herself.

The rest of the time, she simply sat there watching him.

The palace servant standing behind Jing Cheng turned deathly pale.

He desperately wanted to intervene.

Unfortunately, a single glance from Tang Guo silenced him completely.

The servant looked utterly despairing.

He had been one of the old retainers who entered the palace alongside Jing Cheng from the Jing household.

Watching his young master devour food so enthusiastically in front of the Empress made him want to faint on the spot.

Young Master!

Slow down!

Eat less!

The Empress is watching!

Unfortunately, Jing Cheng had already relaxed completely.

For a while, it almost felt as though the person seated beside him was not the Empress of an empire, but an ordinary companion.

By the time he finally ate his fill, a sudden realization struck him.

His entire body froze.

Slowly, he looked down at the nearly empty serving dishes.

Then he glanced at the pale-faced servant beside him.

Instantly...

He couldn't smile anymore.