Wondrous Intent - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

My father brought me to the Lantern Festival Palace Banquet with the intention of letting me broaden my horizons.

Who could have guessed that I would eat from beginning to end, my mouth never stopping for even a moment?

It made all the prim and proper young ladies from noble families, who were eating with such restraint, glance over at me again and again.

My father was this close to covering his face with a handkerchief.

Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager looked at me and chuckled. “The young lady from the General’s Mansion is just like a greedy little cat. The moment she sees food, she can’t tear herself away.”

She pointed at the bowl of curd cheese in front of her. “Go on, give that to Miss Su. This child makes eating look like such a pleasure.”

I quickly stood to thank her for her grace. Looking at the delicacy before me, my eyes nearly disappeared from smiling.

But very soon, I could no longer smile.

After eating that bowl of curd cheese, my stomach began to hurt.

The imperial physician arrived quickly and discovered that someone had drugged the bowl with rhubarb root.

The Empress Dowager was advanced in years, and her stomach and intestines were already frail. That dose of rhubarb root would have been enough to kill her.

The Emperor flew into a rage and ordered a thorough investigation.

As for me, because I had eaten such a chaotic variety of food that night, and because my stomach was full of oil and grease, I somehow managed to turn the rhubarb’s medicinal effects into a bowel-cleansing package.

One trip to the privy… then two, then three…

By the time I was done running back and forth, my legs had gone weak, but at least my stomach no longer hurt.

My only regret was that all those delicacies tonight had basically gone to waste.

I returned to the hall with a pale, hollow expression, only to hear His Majesty say he intended to reward me for my merit.

“Minister Su, your daughter is quick-witted and courageous. If she had not tasted that bowl of curd cheese first today, the consequences would have been unthinkable.”

My father secretly lifted his eyes to look at me. How was that quick-witted and courageous? It was simply… that I could eat a lot and digest quickly.

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s favor. It is the Empress Dowager who is blessed by the heavens. Fortune favors the worthy.”

The Emperor looked at me. “Miss Su has rendered meritorious service in saving Our family. Tell Us, what reward do you want?”

My eyes lit up. “Anything at all?”

His Majesty looked kindly at me. “Anything. Miss Su, speak freely.”

With a shy expression, I looked toward Xiao Yanci, who was seated near the head of the hall.

He was the current Empress’s nephew and the Crown Prince’s cousin. Handsome and elegant, he carried himself with a bearing as noble as jade and as striking as a dragon among phoenixes.

Everyone saw the way I stole glances at him. They all assumed I would seize this rare opportunity to ask His Majesty to bestow a marriage.

Even His Majesty wore an understanding expression as he asked, “Is Miss Su’s wish related to Minister Xiao?”

My face flushed, and my voice softened unconsciously. “Yes-”

The very next second, I heard my personal maid’s inner voice:

[No way! No way! Miss isn’t thinking of asking His Majesty to grant her a marriage with Xiao Yanci, is she?!]

I frowned. Why was Qinghe speaking up at a time like this?

But when I turned to look, her face was expressionless, and her mouth had not moved at all.

[Has Miss not seen the disgust all over Xiao Yanci’s face? The one he likes is Chuntao, the maid who grew up by his side. The two of them already have a child together.]

What?