56: Long Yang Was Watching Her Every Move

Long Yang Was Watching Her Every Move

Seeing how Aunt Zheng still had the audacity to try and talk her way out of the situation, he sneered, suppressed his anger, and said coldly, "I'll deal with you after we return." 2

Aunt Zheng's face turned deathly pale with shock and her lips trembled, but she did not dare to say more.

Soon, Zhao Qian retrieved the Southern Seas pearls and handed them to Lu Liangwei personally, his words freighted with importance, "Second Miss Lu, this is the only string of Southern Seas pearls in the entire Great Shang Kingdom. Please keep them with care."

When his master had ordered this string of Southern Seas pearls to be rewarded to Second Miss Lu, Zhao Qian was shocked—he wondered if his master had become attracted to the young woman.

However, noticing that his master did not seem to be feeling as unwell as earlier, he instantly came to a realization.

The bowl of longevity noodles presented by Second Miss Lu was not just any bowl of noodles. It was clearly a decoction that could cure his master's illness.

She had only called it longevity noodles as a cover-up.

Second Miss Lu was really shrewd. Despite helping the master, she chose to keep the matter to herself. It was no wonder his master rewarded her generously.

After figuring out what was going on, Zhao Qian became decidedly more cheerful.

He found Second Miss Lu to be a rather bright and lovely person.

Sensing Zhao Qian's overeager gaze, Lu Liangwei raised her eyebrows and took the box from him. "Thank you, Butler Zhao."

Zhao Qian shook his head with a smile and returned to wait on the Emperor without another word.

As soon as Zhao Qian left, Lu Liangwei lowered her head to examine the box in her hand.

It was a box made of nanmu [1]wood, and the workmanship was very intricate. 

If the box itself was already so valuable, it was not hard to imagine how precious its contents must surely be.

However, Lu Liangwei was not in a hurry to open the box.

After giving it a once-over, she stowed it away.

Seeing this, the other women who had been eagerly waiting to glimpse the Southern Seas pearls scoffed disdainfully in their hearts.

Was it not just a string of Southern Seas pearls? Lu Liangwei was acting terribly stingy—she was clearly not suited for such grand occasions.

Lu Liangwei remained composed in the face of their jealous and envious gazes.

The banquet only officially began after all gifts had been presented.

A variety of delicacies and fine wines were brought up and served by the palace maids.

Dancers from the Royal Academy entered swiftly from outside the hall.

Right then, vocal music blared out of nowhere, and the dancers dressed in beautiful muslin dresses started dancing gracefully within the hall.

Lu Liangwei tucked into her meal while watching the dancers perform in the hall.

After watching for a while and deciding that the performance was not to her taste, she opted to just focus on her food.

This was an imperial banquet full of delicacies prepared by the imperial chef of the palace.

Nothing more needed to be said about the taste.

For a foodie like her, good food was always irresistible.

At first, Lu Liangwei was somewhat reserved and put on an elegant front by chewing her food slowly.

Eventually, she darted her eyes across the hall and, seeing that nobody was looking at her, she dug into the feast to her heart's content. 

Little did she know, the person sitting on the imperial throne had been watching her every move from the beginning.

Zhao Qian could not help but chuckle, "Second Miss Lu has a rather slim figure, but her appetite seems to be quite impressive."

The corners of Long Yang's thin lips curved upward slightly. Seeing that Lu Liangwei had finished the plate of food in front of her and was still looking somewhat unsatisfied, he pointed at the two untouched dishes in front of him and instructed Zhao Qian, "Bring these two dishes to Second Miss Lu."

Zhao Qian was stunned for a moment but composed himself quickly. Carrying the two dishes indicated by his master, he descended the jade steps with a beaming smile.

Lu Liangwei had just finished a serving of fish lips soup and was indulging in the aftertaste.

It was unmistakably food prepared by the palace's imperial chef. The taste was amazing, though unfortunately the portion was a bit small.

At this moment, a serving of fish lips soup was placed on the table in front of her.

Her eyes lit up in delight. The moment the desire to taste this dish again entered her mind, the palace maids brought it to her timely.

She was about to express her thanks when another serving of hemp venison was placed on her table right away.

[1] Nanmu is a precious wood that is unique to China and South Asia, and was historically used for boat building, architectural woodworking, furniture, and sculptural carving in China.

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