"Hmph!"
The Empress Dowager cast furtive glances at the items Leng Ruo Li held, huffing twice.
"Imperial Grandmother, please don't be angry. These two pizzas are the result of a long time I spent learning. The aroma is truly exquisite."
Leng Ruo Li deliberately tempted the Empress Dowager.
"Very well, seeing as you've brought me delicious food, I shall deign to forgive you this once."
The Empress Dowager, clearly craving the pizza in Leng Ruo Li's hands, affected an air of aloofness.
"Hehe, then Li'er thanks Imperial Grandmother in advance."
At this, Leng Ruo Li mischievously winked at the Empress Dowager, her bright, clear, almond-shaped eyes sparkling.
Seeing her playful demeanor, the Empress Dowager burst into hearty laughter.
This granddaughter-in-law was truly her source of joy!
"Li'er girl, what delicious treats has the Empress Dowager brought for this old woman today?" the Empress Dowager asked, her gaze fixed on the white bag in Leng Ruo Li's hand.
"Imperial Grandmother, these two large flatbreads I'm holding are called pizza. It's a delicious new delicacy I've just learned to make. I'll open them now and cut a piece for you to try."
As Leng Ruo Li spoke, she opened the paper box holding the pizza, donned disposable gloves, picked up a prepared knife and fork, and cut a small slice of the roast meat and bacon pizza, placing it into the Empress Dowager's mouth.
As she ate, the Empress Dowager praised how delicious the pizza Leng Ruo Li made was.
"Li'er girl, this large flatbread is truly delicious."
Seeing the Empress Dowager eating with such delight, Leng Ruo Li then used the knife to cut a piece of fruit pizza and offered it to the Empress Dowager.
"Mmm... Li'er, this fruit-flavored pizza you made is also very delicious. It's sweet and sour, a perfect palate cleanser. However, I still prefer this roast meat-flavored pizza."
"Then Li'er will make meat-flavored pizzas next time."
"Yes, yes!"
The Empress Dowager nodded repeatedly, then asked Leng Ruo Li to cut another small piece of the roast meat and bacon pizza for her to eat.
The Empress Dowager also invited Leng Ruo Li to sit down and eat pizza with her, and the grandmother and granddaughter ate with gusto.
One twelve-inch pizza was quickly reduced by a third.
The servants in the Longevity Palace, seeing the Empress Dowager and Leng Ruo Li eating the fragrant flatbreads, couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
This scene was precisely what Leng Ruo Li noticed. She generously cut small pieces of both roast meat and fruit pizza for the palace maids, wet nurses, and other servants in the hall to satisfy their cravings.
But just as the Empress Dowager and Leng Ruo Li were halfway through their pizza, a sharp, cackling voice echoed from outside the hall.
"The Emperor arrives!"
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruo Li quickly put down her knife and fork, tidied her attire, and stood straight with the palace maids and eunuchs to welcome the Emperor into the great hall.
Subsequently, the Emperor strode into the Empress Dowager's hall.
"Your daughter-in-law pays respects to Imperial Father!" Leng Ruo Li bowed respectfully.
"Rise quickly!" The Emperor waved his hand at her.
Leng Ruo Li immediately stood upright.
"I heard that when you entered the palace, your maid was carrying something fragrant. Have you brought more delicacies for your Imperial Grandmother?"
The Emperor flicked his hand, lifted his robe, and plonked himself down beside the Empress Dowager, his gaze fixed on the pizza on the table before her.
"Yes, Imperial Father. Today, Li'er has made two pizzas for you and Imperial Grandmother to try."
"Are these the fragrant large flatbreads?"
The Emperor pointed.
"Hehe, yes, Imperial Father! These two large flatbreads Li'er made today are very delicious. However, they are not called flatbreads; they have a lovely name: pizza."
As she spoke, Leng Ruo Li quickly cut a small piece of roast meat and bacon pizza and offered it to the Emperor.
The Emperor hesitantly accepted the pizza from Leng Ruo Li's hand, but ultimately could not resist the temptation of the delicious food and popped the slice Leng Ruo Li had cut for him into his mouth.
As a result, after eating one small slice, he asked Leng Ruo Li to cut him a second, third, and fourth slice...
Until the Empress Dowager protested.
"Your Majesty, can't you leave a morsel for this Empress Dowager? Li'er girl and I only ate a third of this pizza. After you arrived, you ate more than half of my roast meat pizza in one go, and now only a small piece remains."
The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor with displeasure and said.
"Uh..."
"Mother, this flatbread Li'er made, oh no, this pizza, is truly quite delicious. I couldn't stop eating it, I'm afraid."
Empress Dowager, Leng Ruo Li: "..."
Leng Ruo Li: She found that when the Emperor was in front of the Empress Dowager, he was like a child who had not grown up. Sometimes he was truly amusing, showing no imperial bearing at all.
Empress Dowager: After hearing the Emperor's words, she thought that next time Leng Ruo Li brought her delicious food, she would have the palace servants divide the delicacies evenly in advance. Then, even if the Emperor came, he wouldn't be able to snatch away what others were holding.
"Imperial Father, if you wish to eat more, Li'er will make pizzas for you and Imperial Grandmother next time I visit the palace." Leng Ruo Li said with a chuckle.
"Good, you must remember to bring two pizzas for your Imperial Father next time you visit the palace."
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Leng Ruo Li's words.
Then, the Emperor changed the subject from pizza.
"Mother, why did you order Anle Princess to be beaten earlier?" the Emperor asked the Empress Dowager with some curiosity.
"What, are you feeling sympathetic? Is it not allowed for this Empress Dowager to discipline her own granddaughter?"
The Empress Dowager retorted to the Emperor with evident displeasure.
"No, Mother, your son knows you always handle matters with discretion. Therefore, I do not question whom you wish to discipline among the princes and princesses. However, ordering Anle to be beaten fifty times today does seem rather heavy." the Emperor said earnestly.
"Hmph, if Your Majesty knew what Anle said to this Empress Dowager just now, you wouldn't be speaking like this."
The Empress Dowager replied to the Emperor with annoyance.
"Then what exactly did Anle say?"
The Emperor asked with some curiosity.
"Palace wet nurse, come and repeat everything Princess Anle said to this Empress Dowager just now for the Emperor to hear."
The Empress Dowager turned her head and instructed the palace wet nurse.
"Yes, Empress Dowager!"
After the palace wet nurse responded, she immediately recounted to the Emperor what Princess Anle had said earlier, repeating it verbatim.
Upon hearing the palace wet nurse's words, the Emperor was furious on the spot.
"This Anle is truly infuriating! To sow discord between the Cold King couple and the imperial family, and to slander her own sister-in-law, it's truly outrageous."
He now felt that the Empress Dowager's order to beat Anle fifty times was too lenient; she should have received twenty more, he thought. Leng Ruo Li and his Han'er, one a Phoenix Star and the other a Ziwei Star, and Anle actually wanted to create a rift between them and the imperial family. This was simply unbearable...