The Reticent Blade-Chapter 184 - Pear Blossoms Bloom (Part Seven)

Wang Lihua stepped out of her room and noticed, to her surprise, that a table and two stools had been set up in her temporary courtyard. On the table were a pot of wine and several small plates of snacks. As she took a few steps forward, the aroma of the food and wine drifted toward her on the breeze.

She sniffed the air, swallowed, and turned her head away, but her stomach betrayed her as it growled in protest.

Chen Kaiming walked right behind her and heard the sound clearly. He chuckled and said, "I noticed you didn’t eat much tonight before you left, so I had the imperial chefs prepare some food for you to fill your stomach."

Wang Lihua looked away, ignoring his words.

Chen Kaiming didn’t mind. He simply took a seat and patted the empty stool beside him.

"Come over before it gets cold, or it won’t taste as good. Haha... don’t tell me you still think I’d poison you?"

Wang Lihua’s cheeks flushed slightly. Whether from him guessing her thoughts or from remembering the nonsense she had said at their first meal at Leaping Carp Lake. With a flick of her sleeve, she walked over and sat at the table, ignoring Chen Kaiming as she picked up her chopsticks and began eating with gusto.

Chen Kaiming poured himself a cup of wine and took a sip, humming a tune as he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, looking quite content with his eyes half-closed.

Wang Lihua frowned, tapping her chopsticks on the edge of her bowl.

"Stop that racket. It’s awful."

Chen Kaiming paused awkwardly and scratched his chin. "Well..."

With a piece of pastry in her mouth, Wang Lihua glanced at him sideways. "Hmm?"

Chen Kaiming tilted his head back, downed his cup of wine, and then told her, "I have appointed Xu Jin as an Inspector and ordered him to go to Qizhou himself to clear out the bandits. I’ve also allocated three hundred thousand taels of silver from the national treasury. With this money, combined with the wealth confiscated from those corrupt officials, Qizhou should be able to recover quickly."

Wang Lihua paused in surprise, her chopsticks lingering over a dish for a moment before she gave a quiet hum of assent.

Noticing her subdued response, Chen Kaiming looked somewhat disappointed. He asked again, "Now you shouldn’t be able to find any faults in my actions, right? Wang Lihua, are you satisfied now?"

Wang Lihua sighed, setting down her chopsticks. She reached out a finger and prodded Chen Kaiming’s chest.

"Tyrant, do you still not understand? I, Wang Lihua, am just an ordinary woman. Why should it matter if I’m satisfied? You, Chen Kaiming, are the Emperor. These are your responsibilities to your people to begin with. Why do you need to ask me if I’m satisfied?"

Chen Kaiming was speechless, unable to respond for a long time.

Chen Kaiming coughed twice. Seeing that Wang Lihua ignored him, he refilled his wine cup and held it out to her.

"You may be right, so I offer this cup as a toast... I invite you to drink with me."

Wang Lihua was feeling a bit parched from finishing a plate of pastries, so she took the cup and drank it in one go.

"Not bad with wine, are you?"

Chen Kaiming, seeing her unexpectedly cooperative, laughed, his mustache twitching with his smile.

Wang Lihua wiped the wine from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, giving Chen Kaiming a sideways glance.

"Certainly better than you."

Chen Kaiming chuckled. "Little girl, your words sure are bold."

Wang Lihua waved her chopsticks in the air and smoothly retorted, "Old Emperor, your age is getting older and older, but your heart and mind still haven't matured."

Chen Kaiming’s face darkened. Even though he was thirty-nine, he was still in his prime! Where did this talk of being old come from?

"Well, tonight I’ll have to test you and see if your drinking capacity is as big as your words."

Chen Kaiming beckoned to a guard and instructed him to bring more cups and fine wine.

By the time the guard returned with the items, Wang Lihua had already downed three cups of wine, yet her face showed not a hint of blush. Chen Kaiming clapped his hands and laughed,

"Well done, Wang Lihua! So you’ve been hiding your true talent... In that case, tonight let’s see who gives in first. What do you say?" frёeωebɳovel.com

Wang Lihua picked up a peanut, tossed it into her mouth, and snorted lightly. "Ever heard of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk?"

Chen Kaiming laughed, reaching out to brush her cheek.

"A thousand cups without getting drunk? Looks like you’re tipsy already."

"Hey, hey!" Wang Lihua tapped his hand away with her chopsticks. "We’re drinking, so keep your hands to yourself!"

Chen Kaiming sheepishly pulled his hand back, poured himself a cup, and held it up to her.

"Wang Lihua, consider this cup... a toast from me to you."

Wang Lihua gave him a sidelong glance, clinked her cup against his, then downed it in one gulp.

Chen Kaiming held his cup and asked, "Aren’t you curious why I’m toasting you?"

Wang Lihua pursed her lips and replied, "Curious about what? I taught you so much. If it's about what happened before, not only should you toast me, but you should’ve promoted me to a high-ranking position."

Chen Kaiming burst into laughter, his eyes watering from the mirth.

"Alright! What position would you like? Tell me, and I’ll grant it to you."

Wang Lihua refilled her cup and drank it in one go. Perhaps emboldened by the wine, her eyes sparkled. "Well, if you must know," she said with a smirk, "I want to be the Emperor."

Pfft!

Chen Kaiming spat out his wine.

"You want to be the Emperor?" Chen Kaiming asked in astonishment, fumbling to wipe his chest. "This... this... tsk tsk."

Watching his flustered expression, Wang Lihua sneered. "Oh my, who was it who just thumped their chest and swore so confidently to give me the position I desired?"

Chen Kaiming chuckled awkwardly. "You sure have an appetite, woman. But even if I were willing to give it to you, can a woman become the Emperor? By the way... why do you want to be the Emperor?"

Wang Lihua propped her chin on her hand, gazing up at the moon.

"Me... why do I want to be the Emperor? Because... I want everyone in the land to have enough to eat, and for everyone to have a place to live... Oh, and I’d lock up all the corrupt officials, and make sure that only those who truly understand the people’s hardships can hold office..."

"Ha..." Chen Kaiming tilted his head back, as if to laugh, but he couldn't force it out. After a while, he lowered and slowly shook his head. "Being the Emperor... it’s not as simple as you make it out to be..."

Wang Lihua chuckled, giving him a sidelong glance. "Who knows? Anyway, I’m a woman, so I’ll never be the Emperor."

Chen Kaiming looked at Wang Lihua, squinting as he studied her, and then realized with surprise that although her face wasn't flushed, she was already quite drunk.

Chen Kaiming laughed in exasperation. "So all this time, you’ve been spouting drunken nonsense."

Wang Lihua’s eyes widened. "You’re the one who’s drunk! I, your Emperor, am as sober as can be!"

She spoke with such bravado that Chen Kaiming couldn’t help but laugh.

"And you boasted about drinking a thousand cups without getting drunk..."

Chen Kaiming shook his head, walked over, and scooped Wang Lihua up in his arms, carrying her back inside.

Wang Lihua’s smooth, lotus-like legs dangled from Chen Kaiming’s arm as he carried her. Her eyes were clear, but she continued muttering nonsense.

"I’m telling you, Chen Kaiming, you’re a terrible Emperor... you failed to take care of the people, and you failed to keep your officials in line... In the end, you needed a woman like me to teach you how to be the Emperor... If I were the Emperor..."

Chen Kaiming placed Wang Lihua on the bed, and softly reminded her, "You’re a woman. You can’t be the Emperor."

Wang Lihua raised her hand and declared, "Then... then I’ll have a son, and I’ll raise him to be the Emperor... and he’ll take the throne from you, you tyrant..."

Chen Kaiming was taken aback. He looked down and found Wang Lihua gazing up at him with wide, watery eyes.

The two of them gazed at each other for a long time. Chen Kaiming exhaled softly, slowly leaning down and whispered into her ear...

"Then give me a son..."