Little Guizi said, "The Empress had a steamed cake for dinner and also some shrimp dumplings. Miss Xuan from outside the palace sent over two dishes, one was braised goose feet, the other was osmanthus fish fin. The Empress tasted some of each."
He Ying listened and asked, "Were those two dishes tested for poison?"
He was not reassured about the safety of food from outside the palace.
Little Guizi, picking up on the implication, hurriedly said, "The Emperor can be at ease, they were all tested before we dared to let the Empress take a bite."
He Ying let go of his concern and, raising his hand, said, "Let's go."
He led his entourage back to Qingning Palace in a grand manner.
Inside the palace,
Incense smoke curled lazily in the air.
Warmth suffused the room.
After her bath, Sang Yan wore a thin gauze dress, sitting on the bed reading a book.
The book had been given to her by Xuanrao a couple of days ago.
Its title was "Great Love Record."
