Beloved Empress

"Why are you here?" Jun Qian Che’s voice is cold as he asked.

Mo Qi Qi quickly put the tray on the table while smiling warmly, "Your Majesty, chenqie personally made you this porridge. Hope you will like them." After that, she turns to the servants imposingly before saying, "Bengong will personally serve His Majesty breakfast. All of you retreat."

"Yes." The servants immediately retreat.

There is only Mo Qi Qi and Jun Qian Che in the hall now.

Mo Qi Qi sits next to him with a brilliant smile, "Your Majesty, how is your tongue? Chenqie knows your tongue hurts and cannot eat these foods, that’s why I deliberately cooked this porridge. You won’t have to chew them, you can swallow them directly."

Jun Qian Che looks at the porridge on the table ridiculingly, "How thoughtful of you."

"Serving Your Majesty is chenqie’s responsibility. Chenqie dare not slack. Here, let chenqie feed you." On one hand, she is holding the bowl, on another, she is scooping up porridge for Jun Qian Che. Now that she did all these, he ought to give her face and not tell this to others.

After tasting her porridge, Jun Qian Che is a little startled, "You cooked this?"

Mo Qi Qi proudly shows off, "Of course! Delicious, isn’t it?"

Jun Qian Che gives her an eye roll, "Not really."

Mo Qi Qi has the urge to hit the table, but didn’t have the guts to. She can only bitterly say, "Right, Your Majesty is the emperor. You are used to everything luxurious since you were young. Chenqie’s porridge is not good enough for your taste. Since Your Majesty didn’t like them, then don’t eat them."

She put the bowl on the table in displeasure.

Jun Qian Che is too lazy to argue with her. He picks up the bowl and continues eating. The bowl turns empty pretty fast.

Mo Qi Qi looks at him quizzically, "I thought Your Majesty didn’t like them..."

"Zhen didn’t want to work with empty stomach." What he is trying to imply is since his tongue is injured, he can only eat porridge. No matter how unappetizing they are, he can only force himself to eat them. But the truth is, he likes the porridge. He purposely angers her because he didn’t want to see Mo Qi Qi getting all arrogant over that.

Seeing him drinking the porridge, all the anger within her disperses. She laughs as she looks at him, "Your Majesty, how is your tongue? Show chenqie...."

"No need!" Jun Qian Che’s face darkens. Remembering last night, anger rises in his stomach.

"Aiya! What are you embarrassed for? Come! Open your mouth for me to see!" Mo Qi Qi inches closer to him as she smiles beautifully.

"Zhen said no need!" he pushes her away.

Mo Qi Qi insists, "Just open it for a moment! If you won’t open, I will use my hand to force open them!" She takes out her hand to intimidate him.

Jun Qian Che icily threatens her, "Try it if you dare."

"Complying to Your Majesty’s order!" Mo Qi Qi takes that opportunity and shamelessly pulls his cheeks.

Jun Qian Che didn’t think that Mo Qi Qi would actually do that, he angrily reprimands her, "Mo Qi Qi, are you tired of living?"

"Your Majesty, you were the one who told chenqie to try. Open your mouth."

"Get out!"

One is pushing and one is pulling, in the end, the two people engage in a scuffle.

Mo Qi Qi’s rotten temper flares up. She originally wanted to tease this iceberg. Seeing him angry satisfies her. But since he refused to give her face, she will not back down. Amidst the scuffle, she ends up sitting on his laps as she tries to force his mouth open. Lucky Jun Qian Che is sitting on the dragon throne that can accommodate heavy weight. If not, both of them would have fallen by now.

Neither of them realizes how ambiguous their position is; how disorderly they appear.

"Mo Qi Qi————–"

"This official greets the emperor, the empress." A sweet-sounding male voice can be heard. He looks at the throne, tongue-tied.

Mo Qi Qi turns around. It is Chu Ling Xiao. She has no idea when he entered the hall.

Chu Ling Xiao looks at the two people, purposely looking embarrassed as he asks, "Did I interrupted Your Majesties good thing?" His eyes are actually filled with interest.

Good thing? Mo Qi Qi originally has no reaction, but when her eyes falls on Jun Qian Che’s ice cold face, she finally realizes that she is sitting on his laps. Her face immediately reddens like crayfish as she puts some distance between them. She busily fixes her own clothes, "Bengong was just playing around with His Majesty." But why does her explanation sounds wrong the more she thinks about it?

A charming laughter is formed on Chu Ling Xiao’s face.

Mo Qi Qi cleverly turns the table back on him, "The morning court has just ended and yet the prime minister is already looking for the emperor. Your relationship with him is really good."

Why did he always comes looking for Jun Qian Che in his resting palace? Seems like their relationship really isn’t that simple. Don’t tell her the two of them are really engaging in the romance of broken sleeves? Haha, Jun Qian Che unexpectedly eats both men and women!

(TN: Romance of broken sleeves is love between men and men.)

"This official has an important thing to report to the emperor." Chu Ling Xiao smiles elegantly.

Mo Qi Qi nods, "Bengong understand. Undertand..." Important? Affection is indeed important. "Your Majesty, then chenqie shall not bother you and Prime Minister Chu’s important thing. Chenqie leave first." She leaves the hall with a secretive smile.

Seeing Mo Qi Qi, Chu Ling Xiao looks at Jun Qian Che wonderingly, "The smile the empress had before leaving was pretty weird."

"No need to pay attention to her." Jun Qian Che’s face is really bad.

Chu Ling Xiao laughs nastily, "Your Majesty, what happened just now? Was the empress always this persistent and forceful? She actually—– forced herself on Your Majesty. No wonder you avoided her like plague every time you meet her."

Danger flashes in Jun Qian Che’s cold eyes.

Chu Ling Xiao quickly comforts him, "But the empress is a lot prettier now than in the past. She found the most suitable make up for herself."

Jun Qian Che didn’t make any sound.

Afraid to have invoke the emperor’s wrath, he expertly changes the topic, "Your Majesty, this official have investigated that thing you asked me to."

The cold air surrounding Jun Qian Che finally weakens a little, "How is it?"

"It is just as you expected." Chu Ling Xiao hands him a folder.

Light flashes in Jun Qian Che’s eyes after he reads the folder.

"Your Majesty, do I need to inform General Han?"

Jun Qian Che puts away the folder, "You can inform him later. Zhen has something else to talk to you, let’s go to the Imperial Study."

The two of them make their way out of the hall.

After leaving the hall, Mo Qi Qi did not immediately leave. Her coming to check on Jun Qian Che was just an excuse. Her main aim is to go to Yu Jing Palace’s toilet. She had been checking the rest of toilets in the palace these past few days and she still couldn’t find the way to go back. So now, she is putting her hope in Jun Qian Che’s toilet.

In the past life, she went to that toilet to find ways to punish that cold-hearted Jun Qian Che; but in the end, she accidentally time-travelled to this place instead. So she thinks the way to go back must have something to do with the ancient era’s Jun Qian Che. The toilet he used is most promising place.

Mo Qi Qi takes out Yu Jing Palace’s map. When she spots the location of the toilet, her face is filled with delight. She looks at the hall where Jun Qian Che ate his breakfast earlier on. After that, she sneakily made her way to the toilet.

Unfortunately, to go to the toilet, you need to pass the dining hall so when Jun Qian Che and Chu Ling Xiao walks out, they bump into the sneaky and thief-like Mo Qi Qi.

Translator’s Note: Chapter 37 is sponsored by Lauren!