PFC Chapter 1019 Such Care
Chapter 1019 Such Care
With no other options, Zhuang Rui had to carry his food box into the palace and ask to see Gu Mengzhen.
In order to make the performance more realistic, he was very respectful and bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, your nephew Zhuang Rui, respectfully wishes the Emperor His Majesty good health."
It was rare to see Rui'er so polite. Gu Mengzhen was surprised and delighted. He stepped forward, helped him up, and comforted him to sit down.
"Why bother with such a grand ceremony? Sit down quickly."
He accompanied his beloved nephew and sat on the side.
"I heard you were coming. Put down the memorial and see you immediately."
"Whether it's court affairs or the officials and the people, in my opinion, none of them are as important as you."
"Have you calmed down? Do you like the gift I gave you?"
Zhuang Rui was very respectful.
"I left without saying goodbye, but my uncle the Emperor not only did not mind, but also rewarded me with gold, silver and jewelry. I was deeply moved and my anger has long since subsided."
Gu Mengzhen's eyes were filled with love.
"That's not right."
"You left a message, not just leaving without saying goodbye."
"My Rui'er is the most sensible and well-behaved. It is my blessing to have a nephew like you."
Zhuang Rui lowered his eyes.
"Uncle Emperor, when you say this, I feel ashamed and embarrassed."
Gu Mengzhen praised it with admiration.
"Listen, I just said a few words of concern, and you feel guilty."
"My Rui'er is indeed considerate."
He is kind and gentle, especially gentle.
"From now on, when you come to see the Emperor, you don't need to perform formalities. At most, you just need to go through the motions. I have repeatedly told you that we should get along like friends. There is no need to be formal."
Zhuang Rui kept his eyes lowered.
"Uncle Emperor, please respect me. I dare not do that."
Seeing his pitiful appearance, Gu Mengzhen's dragon eyes were filled with worry.
"What's the matter with you? Why are you so uneasy?"
"What happened in the mansion? Did your father lecture you again?"
"That's not right. My dear brother heard that there is a doctor outside who can cure my old illness, so he left the capital to seek a doctor and medicine."
"Is it Wei'er who bullies you and uses force to force you to observe etiquette?"
"Alas, I have emphasized to him many times that you don't like being bound by etiquette."
"Don't be afraid, Rui'er. I'll take care of it for you."
"Someone is coming..."
Hearing him calling out to the palace maids loudly, Zhuang Rui hurriedly stopped him.
"Uncle Huang, please be patient."
"I am uneasy, not because of my brother, but because I am worried."
The palace maids came quickly upon hearing the noise. Gu Mengzhen waved his hand and asked them to leave. Then he asked his nephew.
"What's on your mind? Tell me."
Zhuang Rui felt lost and helpless, and reflected on his mistakes.
"I misled the Emperor about attending court, nearly causing a disaster. After much reflection, I feel I was too willful."
"I, your nephew, feel guilty and want to know how to make amends to your uncle. After much thought, I finally came up with a solution."
He picked up the food box, opened the lid and showed it to him.
"In the evening, I will take Madam back home and ask her to teach me how to cook."
"After all the hard work, I finally managed to make two dishes. I think they taste pretty good, but I wonder if the Emperor will like them."
"Therefore, I, your nephew, am extremely worried and fearful of being disliked by your uncle the Emperor."
Looking at the food box, Gu Mengzhen was delighted.
"I am already ecstatic that you have this heart. How could I possibly despise you?"
"I know very well that you have no cooking skills and have never been in the kitchen. You hate cooking over a fire."
"I'm deeply grateful that you're willing to cook for me."
Zhuang Rui added a few words with great emotion.
"Uncle Huang, don't worry."
"This isn't the first time my nephew has cooked."
"A few days ago, my nephew practiced cooking several times and made some progress."
"I originally wanted to present this gift to you with my filial respect to please you. However, I accidentally made a mistake and now I have no choice but to change my filial gift into an apology, begging for your forgiveness."
Gu Mengzhen affirmed it.
"As a family, what is there to forgive or not forgive?"
"Your dedication is filial piety to me."
Zhuang Rui is humble.
"Uncle Emperor has given so much as a reward, and I, your nephew, only offer two dishes as a filial tribute. It's really nothing."
Gu Mengzhen was generous with his kind words.
"No matter how much I reward you, it is still your possession. You cannot bring it with you when you are born, and you cannot take it with you when you die."
"Your filial piety is incomparable. It makes me feel like I'm bathed in spring breeze. Even if you die in the underground, I will feel happy."
His eyes showed expectation.
"I'm just hungry. Please take out the delicious food. I'm eager to taste it."
Seeing that things were going well, Zhuang Rui smiled happily, set out the jade bowls and plates, and handed over the chopsticks with both hands.
"Yes."
"Uncle Huang, please."
Not wanting to ruin his nephew's exquisite dish, Gu Mengzhen carefully used his chopsticks and took a sip.
The dishes smelled even worse after they cooled down. Zhuang Rui could imagine without even trying them that they must be hard to swallow.
Gu Mengzhen savored it carefully and smiled in satisfaction.
“It’s delicious, it’s simply delicious!”
His words seemed to come from the heart and there was nothing wrong with them. Zhuang Rui couldn't believe it and thought he had heard it wrong.
"Are you serious, Uncle Huang?"
Gu Mengzhen spoke with a firm tone and a powerful voice.
"It's true."
He spoke slowly and praised it highly.
"I had thought that since you were a beginner, your cooking skills might not be very good. I didn't want to see you depressed, so I thought about how to encourage you."
"I never expected these two delicacies to be so delicious, even better than the royal chef's. I don't need to praise you against my will, because you are already excellent and impeccable."
"It's so rare! My beloved nephew is actually a culinary genius!"
Zhuang Rui was embarrassed by his praise.
"Thank you, Uncle Huang, for the compliment."
Gu Mengzhen half asked, half ordered.
"When you have time, go to the imperial kitchen and give some pointers to the imperial chef."
Zhuang Rui was surprised.
"How dare your nephew show off? If I go and give instructions, won't I be laughed at?"
Gu Mengzhen frowned.
"If anyone dares to laugh at you, I will never forgive him."
He regained his kind expression, unwilling to scare his beloved nephew.
"Don't refuse. I speak from my heart."
"I've changed the imperial chefs several times, but I still can't find a single chef in the whole world that satisfies me."
"You know, my old illness mainly affects my stomach. Normally, if I eat a little more, I will feel nauseous. I feel uncomfortable during the day, can't sleep at night, and am irritable and angry."
"I feel very comfortable eating these two dishes of yours. My throat doesn't hurt, my heart feels warm, and my stomach doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. Even my mood has improved."
"If I hadn't exhausted you with worry, I would have kept you in the imperial kitchen to take care of my daily meals."
Zhuang Rui still couldn't believe it.
"Is it really so delicious?"
Gu Mengzhen didn't understand.
"That's a good question. Didn't you taste it yourself when you were cooking?"
Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Zhuang Rui quickly concealed the guilt in his eyes.
“I have.”
"Before presenting it to the Emperor, I will taste the dish and make sure it tastes good before sending it to the palace."
"However, I feel that the taste of the dishes is ordinary and cannot possibly surpass the skills of the royal chef."
Gu Mengzhen smiled sincerely.
"It's normal for people to have slightly different tastes."
"I really like your craftsmanship."
"From now on, if you have time, please cook more and bring it to me for me to enjoy."
Zhuang Rui responded.
"Your Majesty obeys your order."
Faced with the delicious food, Gu Mengzhen didn't care about his manners and directly picked up the jade bowl and started eating in big mouthfuls.
In the end, nothing was left, and the jade bowls and plates looked as good as new, as if they had been cleaned.
For a moment, Zhuang Rui didn't know whether to be happy or upset.