The three women stared at the people in the room with fear . They were trembling. They couldn't take it anymore, and went down on their knees.
" Your Majesties, We know our wrong. " They chorused.
The Emperor turned his head to their side.
" That's good. The medicine valley master has been too lenient on you. You couldn't even take on a little heat? What were you supposed to do when the temperature changed?!!" He asked coldly.
The women trembled . They couldn't even look up .
" We…were supposed to protect our bodies with Qi. " The black haired woman answered. She was the most brave among them.
" You didn't perform your duties. You know the consequences, don't you? " The Empereor's Uncle asked.
This time, the women had resigned to their fate. There's no way for them to escape their punishment. These two were very strict. Now that it concerns someone very close to them, they would never be able to escape from their wrath.
" I am hungry." A low voice muttered.
The two men turned around to see the woman on the bed with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
" Yi'er, did something go wrong? Why is she behaving like when she was having mood swings during pregnancy? " The
Empereor's Uncle pulled his nephew to his side, and asked quietly.
The Emperor just looked at his uncle with a bored look.
' He doesn't even know that his mate's way of making him do something for her , is this. This uncle of his….'
The Emperor slowly escaped from his uncle's grasp, and turned towards his mate.
" I will get it ready for you. You two, follow me. " He turned around, and left the room. The three women went after him.
" He has changed . I still remember the time he just couldn't express himself to us. " The Emperor's uncle smiled, as he heard what his mate said.
.
.
.
The Emperor walked out of the pavilion with the girls trailing behind him. His gait was silent as he advanced. They soon arrived at an extravagant , big, hall. It was the kitchen, with people in it. As soon as the Emperor entered, all heads bowed in greeting.
" Welcome, Your Majesty." They chorused.
" Hmm. Stand up. " They all stood up . Their posture was straight, like soldiers waiting to receive the command for battle.
" The prince has been born. We would be having guests from the clans. Make sure to prepare well. " He said as he walked further into the kitchen.
" Congratulations, Your Majesty. "
They responded in happiness.
' Thank goodness. Now the pressure from His Majesty has reduced. This is the first time he spoke such lengthy words to us. And he even encouraged us. ' That was the thoughts in the minds of ninety percent of them, as they looked at the Emperor in awe.
" Come here, and watch what I want to do. "
Hearing what the Empereor said, they all snapped out of their thoughts, and walked up to the table the Empereor was standing behind. They rounded the table orderly, making up ten.
The empty table instantly got filled with vegetables, celery, fruits, tubers, Meat of high level. The Qi wafting out was very thick , and pure. It was definitely the high grade . The Emperor always cooked with tremendous ingredients.
He picked three ginger, and garlic. He held a knife in his hands, and threw both spices up in the air. With the speed of sound, he chopped the spices . It landed on a board, with the same shape.
He picked the meat, and placed it on another board. He raised the knife up , coating it with fire. The knife descended on the meat. With speed, he chopped it into cubes.
He took out papaya from the fruits, and peeled it. He cut it into two equal halves, and carefully removed the seeds before chopping it like the others. He chopped albernero pepper, tomatoes, and onions.
On the stove, a pot with water was at its boiling point. He poured the chopped ingredients in it and a spoonful of vinegar, before going back to preparing other foods.
He took out angelica roots, and sliced them. He chopped another set of ginger, and poured it into another pot with the sliced angelica roots and red beans. He placed it on one side of the table.
He picked longan, red dates, and goji berries into a jade bowl. He set it on a large jade tray.
The soup on the fire was done. He picked it , and placed the next pot on it.
He poured the soup into a white jade bowl, and placed it on the tray next to the arranged fruits.
In two minutes, the other soup was ready. He picked it and poured it into another jade bowl before putting it on the tray.
He raised his head up to see the people around him drooling.
" Ginger, angelica roots , and red beans provide warmth. Longan promotes sleep. Red dates nourish blood. Goji berries enhance Qi, and tonify the blood. Foods that provide all those are what you should be preparing for her. And I hope you learnt something from what I did. " He said coldly. His voice snapped them out of their stupor.
With a swipe of his hand , the tray with the food vanished along with the Emperor.
He appeared in his uncle's room, and placed the tray on the table.
" Yi'er…." His uncle called out.
" I know. I won't do anything to her. You should take care of my aunt and cousin."
After saying that, he left. Literally, he disappeared.
He appeared in front of a door. He pushed it open and walked in. It was a room. There was a table at the centre, and a queen sized bed at the edge of the room.
A woman was lying down with a dazed look. She had a sculptured figure which was twine -thin. Her waist was tapered and she had a glossy skin. A pair of arched eyebrows looked down on sweeping eyelashes. Her hair was mercury- red and it tumbled over her shoulders. She had ruby-red eyes, that gazed into nothing.
" Xing Mei. " He called out. Her name rolled out of his mouth with care.
Hearing her name , she snapped out of whatever it is she was doing. She scrambled to get up from the bed, but was stopped.
" Don't. You are still injured."
The Emperor helped her back to her earlier position.
" Master...."
She whispered in a dolcet voice as sweet as any songbird.