Chapter Thirty-Five: Do You Intend to Starve Me?

After a moment of silence, Qin Zhi Yi suddenly gave another instruction, “The child of Zhao Xi—his formal name, courtesy name, and any titles will all be chosen by me. You are not allowed to interfere!”

“Why not? I’ve sacrificed so much for this child!” Shen Fu Yu protested, unwilling to accept that Qin Zhi Yi thought her naming skills were poor. When she named her pets, didn’t she just pick the most amusing names she could think of? What did that have to do with a child? “I’m still a maiden, yet for this child I pretended to be pregnant, risking my reputation...”

“Enough,” he said.

“Tch.”

Thankfully, the attendants of Crescent Moon Palace were all outside at the moment; the words exchanged within would not reach their ears. Qin Zhi Yi decisively ended the conversation and called for the meal to be served.

“Oh, it smells wonderful!” Shen Fu Yu’s eyes narrowed with pleasure as she gazed at the array of dishes. Eating was one of her few hobbies, and the treatment she received now that she was ‘pregnant’ was indeed different—the food appeared all the more exquisite. Coyly, she said, “Your Majesty, I want to eat shrimp peeled by your hand~!”

“You don’t,” Qin Zhi Yi replied without a second thought.

“But I do!”

Shen Fu Yu leaned towards him, “The baby in my belly says he wants the shrimp peeled by his father! Your Majesty, do it for me, or I won’t eat!”

“Your Highness, let me peel the shrimp for you,” Bai Lian, who stood nearby, stepped forward with a gentle smile. “His Majesty is precious; how could he do such trivial things? Allow me.”

With that, Bai Lian delicately rolled up her sleeves, exposing a pale half of her arm. After washing her hands, her slender fingers took a shrimp from the plate, removing its head with a graceful pinch, her fingertips gently exploring the shell and peeling it away bit by bit. As she worked, she stole a glance at Qin Zhi Yi, her face adorned with a smile, every movement exuding the very essence of tender affection.

“Are you trying to starve me?”

Startled by the sudden remark, Bai Lian dropped the half-peeled shrimp, which landed with a plop on the table. Flustered, she stammered, “Forgive me, Your Highness, I did not mean to…”

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In just two exchanges, Bai Lian’s eyes had reddened as if she had suffered great injustice.

“It takes you half a stick of incense just to peel one shrimp. If I had to rely on you, I’d rather count on Qin Shi Huang to serve me.” Shen Fu Yu glanced at Bai Lian—did the girl think Qin Zhi Yi was some foolish young master? Did she imagine that any man would soften at the sight of a woman’s tears?

Bai Lian shook her head repeatedly, thin cheeks streaked with tears. “Forgive me, Your Highness, I did not mean any harm. I only wished to serve you and His Majesty well.”

“I do not need fools by my side,” Qin Zhi Yi remarked, casting a look at Chang Fu. Chang Fu immediately began to serve the food, making it clear: anyone serving the emperor must be shrewd and capable. What use was a servant who couldn’t even do their tasks properly? Was the master supposed to accommodate them?

On hearing this, Bai Lian wept all the more bitterly.

After a few bites of rice, Shen Fu Yu glanced at Bai Lian, feeling quite pleased. “Enough, stop crying.”

“Your Highness…” Bai Lian’s hope flickered, tears ceasing abruptly. Shen Fu Yu had always favored her; after all, Bai Lian had come as her personal maid, brought in as part of the dowry. Surely Shen Fu Yu wouldn’t embarrass her now.

“Do you think you haven’t shed enough tears, or is your makeup as tough as mud on a wall?” Shen Fu Yu said with distaste, “You’re so ugly it hurts my eyes.”

Bai Lian opened her mouth in disbelief, but Chang Fu stepped forward with a clear intent to drive her out. “Go at once, lest you disturb the emperor and consort’s meal. Do you wish to be punished?”

At the mention of punishment, Bai Lian trembled, hastily covering her face as she hurried out. She recalled how Green Tea had only just recovered from a previous flogging, and a shiver of fear ran through her. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel resentful.

Green Tea was stupid and failed to win the emperor’s favor, but Bai Lian was different—she was prettier, gentler than the Lady of Virtue. Back at the residence, so many attendants and guards had vied to please her. She believed men simply preferred women like herself. The Lady of Virtue was nothing by comparison, so why did the emperor never notice her at the side of his beloved consort? She was so much better!

She refused to believe she could not win the emperor’s favor.

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She pulled a small mirror from her sleeve and glanced at her reflection. Her makeup was already smudged. She hurried back to her room, fetched water to wash her face, and began to redo her makeup.

“I find the maids assigned to Crescent Moon Palace quite satisfactory,” Qin Zhi Yi said with some disdain as he placed a piece of meat on Shen Fu Yu’s plate. Just thinking about that maid, whose manner was as irritating as Shen Fu Yu’s own, soured his appetite. One was enough; any more and he would lose his temper. “Now that you are my favored consort, such servants will only tarnish your reputation. Since they came from the Shen household, why not send them back when you have the chance?”

Compared to them, Silver Bell, who busied herself with caring for both people and dogs, was much more capable than either Green Tea or Bai Lian.

“How could you say such a thing, Your Majesty!” Shen Fu Yu’s expression changed at once. Those were her after-dinner fruits! She couldn’t bear to part with two maids as resilient as cockroaches. “These maids have served me since childhood, as close as sisters! Even if they have faults, they mean no harm. Can’t you be more forgiving? Are you, as emperor, so narrow-minded?”

“I find your sisterhood rather cheap,” Qin Zhi Yi retorted, thoroughly unimpressed. Suddenly realizing her words, he became angry. “You know I am emperor, yet you expect me to tolerate two servants who do wrong? Tolerating you is one thing, but do you expect me to indulge your every whim?”

That was exactly Shen Fu Yu’s intention.

Where women gather, disputes arise; where women gather around a single man, disputes multiply.

“Why are you angry, Your Majesty? Have I done something wrong?” Shen Fu Yu blinked innocently. “Shouldn’t you praise me? I am not the jealous type at all! Since these two came as part of my dowry, when I cannot attend you, naturally I should recommend them to serve my lord.”

“If I were truly to favor your maids just after your supposed pregnancy, I imagine the Shen family would be quite displeased.” Qin Zhi Yi wished he could slap her. Not to mention he had little interest in women at the moment, and even if he did, his harem was filled with noble-born ladies. How indifferent would he have to be to settle for those two climbing, greedy maids!