chapter 12

The emperor's poisoning, the third prince's scandal and then barbarian tribe's visit . Everything happened in a short period . and here it is Ming in the imperial garden drinking tea peacefully and appreciating it's stunning beauty, and while he is drown in that view he turned his gaze at his good friend the physician Jian to see the grumpy inempressesd look he has.

" Why the hell did you call me here (⁠눈⁠‸⁠눈⁠) "

" Hey uncle Jian, chill a bit , it was a tiring months we need to relax , that's why I brought you here to enjoy the view with me , my imperial physician Jian "

Ming said leaning on his chair and looking at the physician with sleepy smile .

" I told you hundred times, DON'T CALL ME UNCLE! , and when did I became your imperial physician!? "

" My treatment is almost over but I don't see any signs that you are preparing to leave so...I thought ... you must have decided to stay as my imperial physician? " ( Fake innocent smile)

" No!! , I didn't decide to stay. I was just....I have to make sure my patient is in his best conditions before I leave.. .. that's it " ( avoiding eye contact)

Ming chuckles under his breath, he looks amused with the doctor's tsundre behavior . And After a while of enjoying the peace of the garden, Ming's expression turned to one of excitement when the maid puts dessert plate and some traditional appetizers on the tea table . Many people didn't know this but , Ming was a man of a big stomach who had a lot of passion for food , whenever a new type of food is put in front of him, he bouces at it Like a rabbit who discovered a new burrow under the tree trunk in the middle of autumn .

A few minutes passed and Ming was completely lost in a sugary paradise. He bit into a soft tangyuan, the black sesame filling spilling out like a warm hug from the heavens. "Heavenly," he muttered, eyes closed, savoring every chew. In front of him lay a platter of mooncakes, red bean buns, and a towering stack of almond cookies, which he eyed with the focus of a man on a mission.

The imperial physician sat across from him, frowning as he sipped his bitter herbal tea. "Your Majesty, this is your fourth mooncake. You'll turn into one at this rate."

Ming, blissfully ignoring him, took a generous bite of an egg tart, crumbs spilling down his robes. "If the empire is as sweet as this, let me reign forever!"

The physician groaned, watching as the emperor devoured a lotus seed cake like a man starved for weeks. "Yeah...😑.. but at this rate, you'll be ruling from a stretcher 🤨 "

Emperor Ming suddenly slowed down mid-bite, the last piece of lotus seed cake hovering near his mouth he held it there and stare at it for a short moment . Before expression changed completely to one of boredom and inempression .

" That's all....done ..."

The physician, noticing the sudden change in mood, raised an eyebrow. "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Is the cake not to your liking?"

Ming sighed deeply, setting the cake down as if it suddenly held no joy for him. "No, it's not that... It's just... sometimes, I miss the food from... a long, long time ago." his bored expression turned to one of longing and voice cracked with nostalgia.

Uncle Jian frowned, puzzled :

"What food could possibly compare to this spread, Your Majesty?"

Ming leaned back, his eyes distant. "You wouldn't understand. There was something called... pizza. A heavenly circle of bread, melted cheese, and toppings so sinful that drives you deep into the deep abyss . And burgers... ah, the feeling of sinking your teeth into soft bread, juicy meat, crispy lettuce..." He trailed off, his voice heavy with longing.

Uncle Jian blinked, baffled:

"Pizza? Burgers? What kind of madness are these?"

"And ice cream!" Ming continued, ignoring him:

"Cold, sweet, creamy... a flavor that melted on your tongue and made you feel like the world stopped spinning for a moment. And... and crêpes!"

His voice wavered now, as if on the verge of tears. "Thin, delicate pancakes wrapped around anything your heart desired... strawberries, chocolate... endless choices!"

The physician stared at him, speechless. Ming, clearly emotional, wiped at the corner of his eye. "I'll never taste them again... All I have are these—" He gestured to the pile of traditional desserts, suddenly seeming so small in comparison :

"I mean, they're good... but they're no pizza."

" ....." Uncle Jian was speechless, not that he felt any sympathy or emotion because of Ming's dramatical speech but, because of how stupid and pathetic is the view in front of him now, which is supposed to be called wise and intelligent emperor .

Ming was there, biting his lower lip , fist clenched and eyes closed as if he was grieving or something.

Uncle Jian sight heavily then said indifferently.

" Just order the royal chef to prepare it for you 😑"

The colors returned to Ming's dead eyes upon hearing this sentence. Jumping out of his chair with excitement and calling for the maids:

" Call the chef Liao Muu here now !"

" It's better to call him to your room 😑 "( uncle Jian said boredly)

" That's right , I have to write the recipe for him ! , call him to my chamber "

Leaving the emperor Ming chasing after his stomach desires, physician Jian was still drinking his tea peacefully in the imperial garden , eyebrow raised

" Finally got rid of him , where did he came with these strange food anyway? ... What a weird king "

Said with a frown and confusion

" Nothing like the rumours, right Buddy ? "

He shrugged his shoulders grinning as he looked at the parrot who was standing on the perch . Yeah he was there all the time never leaving their side, Just forgot about him.

________________

* Some days later*

" No !! Not like this ! "

Emperor Ming sat at the head of the grand kitchen table in front of a collection of bizarre-looking dishes. The chef's hands trembled as he presented his latest attempt at recreating Ming's mystical "21st-century dishes."

Ming narrowed his eyes. "Chef, I asked for pizza. This... looks like a flattened mooncake had an accident."

The chef, wiping his brow nervously, gestured to the dish. "Your Majesty, I tried! You said it's bread with toppings, so... I flattened the bread and added some rice, cabbage, and... a boiled egg?"

Ming blinked in disbelief. "Rice? On pizza? What, are you trying to start a war with my taste buds?"

The chef chuckled weakly, pointing to another disaster on the table. "But Your Majesty, I did make this... what you called a 'burger'."

The chef nearly sobbed, gesturing frantically to another plate. "Your Majesty , rather than a salty plate how about a sweet one , there's this 'ice cream' you spoke of! It's cold, and I added some sweet lotus syrup for flavor!"

Ming stared at the bowl. Instead of the creamy, smooth texture of the ice cream he remembered, there was a chunk of frozen milk with hard chunks of lotus seeds poking out awkwardly. It looked like a piece of the Great Wall.

"Ice cream? This looks like you froze a rice porridge and gave up halfway," Ming said, rubbing his temples. "It's more 'ice' than 'cream,' chef."

The chef, now panicking, pointed to the last dish. "And the... 'crêpes'! I made thin pancakes like you asked, Your Majesty!"

Ming stared at the sad, floppy thing on the plate. It was thick, lumpy, and had the texture of a leather sandal. "This looks like a failed jianbing that was stepped on by a horse."

The chef's face paled, his spirit broken. "But I followed your instructions! Bread with toppings! Cold sweet things! Thin pancakes!"

Ming dramatically leaned back, placing a hand over his heart like he was about to faint. "You've butchered the sacred food of a glorious future! I feel like I've been betrayed... not by a man, but by my stomach itself!" He looked skyward as if pleading with the culinary gods. "How can I rule a kingdom when I cannot even get a decent slice of pizza?"

The chef dropped to his knees. "Forgive me, Your Majesty! I will try again—"

" No , that's enough, stop torturing my favorite food ... they does deserve it ..... it's okay....I think it's the time to give up in tasting pizza again .."

Uncle Jian and the parrot was there watching all the scen with such bored expression.

Physician Jian: " seriously?...all This over food ?….. pathetic "

The chef Liao Muu was trembling in fear because of the interaction in front of him , it seems like the physician is seeking his death, but inexpectedy, the emperor Ming continued his drama not angry at all.

Ming: you don't understand , one you taste that food , you won't be able to forget ! .. it's.. it's a piece of joy from the depth of memories "

Emperor Ming leaned on the table, his hand supporting his face , he was making that annoyed face as of nothing in the world meet his expectation .

" I can't believe that even the imperial chef who's supposed to be the best cook in the whole empire can't make this dishes!! "

The chef Liao Muu stepped out of the corner that he was in and said:

" Aamm.... your majesty.... it's a great honor for this lowly servant to be considered as the best cook in the world by your deity but....."

( He was blushing stupidly then added)

" There is so many chefs better than me around the country, chefs who travel and are looking for new dishes to explore new horizons "

Ming's eyes lightened up hearing the chefs sentence.

" Many..chefs. . around the country.."

Doctor Jian " sh*t ! Here we go again "

Mr . parrot : " again?..?"

Doctor Jian : " yeah...His look doesn't bode well at all "

Ming was in deep thinking about what he just heard from the chef , his eyes saw something that no one else can figure out.

("So many other cooks , means so many other people who can try and make pizza for me!! ")

Ming jumped off his chair in excitement

Doctor Jian: " amm..... your majesty !??.."

" Imperial palace !! prepare yourselfs because I will be holding a cooking competition!! "

" What the hell!! " Expression , Was on everyone's face one time again , what are Ming thinking about this time?..and what is the relationship between this and his longing for pizza ?.

Some days later, all the palace was talking and preparing for the cooking competition .