Qingli hasn't sleep ever since she died and the reason is simple. Because dead people don't need sleep. But now that she is in a human body, she has no choice but to succumb to the needs of a human body. She will need to eat, drink and sleep in order for this body to function.
She actually dislikes sleeping because she felt that she was wasting away those hours and many things can be done during those hours. If not for the fact that the body is frail and weak after coming back from death, she would have stayed awake throughout the night to maybe sneak a peek at her dear little sister's suffering.
The moment Qingli woke up, her maidservants tended to her. They helped her bathe and put on her dress before escorting her out to the dining table which was laden with dishes. Qingli is the eldest young miss of the Qian family and she is also heavily favored by her Lord Father which explains why her table was filled with delicious aromatic food. There was a huge variety from healthy vegetables to all kinds of meat and a piping hot pot of soup at the side.
These dishes can be compared to when I was still alive as the Empress. Is the Qian family throwing a mini banquet here?
Qingli gawked at the spread laid out before her. If this is what Qingli ate every day when she was alive, how could she stay so slim?
"Young miss?" One of her maidservants looked at her in question.
Qingli snapped back from her thoughts before she sat down on her seat. She slowly picked up her chopsticks and started eating slowly. The food was extremely delicious and Qingli let out a little smile. It has been a while since she could enjoy food. There wasn't really a need to eat back in the demon world but that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy eating.
Back when she was still alive, she used to pass time snacking on rare delicacies that were gifted to her by other countries as tributes. It had been one of the things the cold-blooded Empress enjoyed and this fact was known to many. Hence, many people would offer her rare recipes and food items when they try to curry favor with her.
And it was also because of this little hobby that she developed a sensitive nose and tongue. Qingli's body was weak and she rarely exercised. This is because she is a noble lady. A noble lady's duties were to learn the rules of high society and household management so that when they marry out, they will be able to help their mother-in-law manage their household. Their duties do not include strengthening their bodies. In fact, the ladies try to avoid such labor so as to not damage their hands or tan their skin.
When she was the Empress, she had detested being such a weak being. To solely depend on her husband for survival was not her style. She took on martial arts lessons from her Father and trained with her brothers. She read war strategy books while she practiced her arts and music. She could be considered a genius but she was able to master everything because she had put in her share of hard work. To be honest, if not for her being willingly poisoned by her husband, would she not be able to avoid that tragedy? But that is all in the past.
Now that she is in Qingli's body, her strengths and her special traits are bought over and merged into her current body which she felt was a blessing because the moment she held her spoon of soup to her lips, she paused slightly.
If it was the previous Qingli, she wouldn't have noticed the slightly bitter smell coming from the soup. This soup is supposed to be sweet but the cook made it extra sweet so as to hide the slight bitterness.
"Was this soup always this sweet?" Qingli asked the servants behind her.
The servants all glanced at each other in confusion before her head maidservant spoke, "this soup was originally not sweet but because young miss said that this soup is too bland and needed an extra sweetness that the cook added more sugar than normal."
Qingli glanced at her head maidservant. Her name is Yu Ling and she had stayed with Qingli ever since she was 4 years old. She can be considered Qingli's childhood friend as they had played together when they were young. Yu Ling was Qingli's nanny's daughter and that gave her special status compared to the rest of the servants.
"Did I," Qingli pondered.
In her memories, there was once when the Duchess and Qingle came over for lunch and the same soup was served. The Duchess had commented that the soup had tasted a bit bland and Qingle echoed her sentiment. Qingli had accommodated to their taste by asking the cook to add more sugar in this soup for her Mother and Sister and ever since then, the cook had always added extra sugar into this soup.
This particular soup was one of Qingli's favorites which meant that it was served frequently and as time passes, Qingli had gotten used to the sweetness. She did not know that there was a hidden plot behind this extra sweetness in the soup. This kind of child's play couldn't hide itself from the current Qingli.
She gave a bemused smile before she sips the soup little by little before frowning in distaste.
"Young miss?" Yu Ling glanced at her master in worry.
"It's nothing major, just that this soup is a bit too hot for me. Let it cool down on the table and I'll drink it later," Qingli set aside her spoon as she continued eating.
"Understood," as Yu Ling went to set the soup to one side, Qingli noticed one of her maidservants was staring at the soup nervously. As expected there was a spy planted among her people. Maybe by the Duchess or Qingle. Qingli doesn't know nor does she care. Now she has found out what is the problem with her host's body.