493: Night Meal Appreciation

"When you go back and see your partner, deliver a message for me." Shang Wan Ning's eyes glinted with a hint of teasing. "Just tell her that I've returned her Dao Companion completely unharmed, and she can decide what to do."

Niu Mengmeng's face instantly turned crimson.

That pretty face, flushed with color, paired with her Vajra-like physique, presented quite a striking image.

"Your, Your Majesty..." She stammered a few words, finally managing to squeeze out, "Subordinate takes her leave." With that, she dragged Ma Sanqiang, who was still pondering his new spear, and fled the hall as if escaping.

Shang Wan Ning watched the swaying beaded curtains and chuckled softly.

The two divine artifacts she had just bestowed.

The Heart of the Earth Veins and the Netherworld Soul-Snatching Spear were both exchanged from the System Mall. Their price was considerable, costing a full eighty billion incense points.

But it was worth it.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face were veteran elders of the Underworld, both top-tier in loyalty and strength. Now that they had broken through to the seventh rank, it was precisely the time they needed suitable weapons.

Bestowing divine artifacts not only enhanced their combat power but also served as a statement—follow me, and you will never be mistreated.

Shang Wan Ning retracted her thoughts, her gaze falling back to the desk.

Jade slips were piled half a foot high, all daily affairs reported by various departments today. She randomly picked one, unrolled it.

It was an urgent report from the Underworld Market Administration, stating that recently, several groups of rogue cultivators from the Human Realm had infiltrated the Underworld Market through special channels, disguised as ghost merchants, and were extensively acquiring low-grade 'Gathering Yin Talismans' and 'Soul-Soothing Incense' and other basic magical artifact raw materials.

They attempted to hoard and manipulate prices, causing the prices of incense, candles, and talismans used for daily offerings by some deceased souls to skyrocket, leading to widespread complaints.

Shang Wan Ning scanned the price fluctuation chart attached at the end of the report, then with a stroke of her vermillion brush: "Approved. The Security Department is to intervene and investigate, identify the involved cultivators, confiscate their illegal gains, impose a ten-fold fine, and permanently prohibit them from setting foot in the Underworld Market and all affiliated Underworld industries."

She added a note: "Notify all cultivation sects in the Yang Realm that any further disruption of the Yin-Yang market order will be considered a provocation against the Underworld."

She set that one down and picked up the next scroll.

The Security Department requested instructions, stating that among the Human Realm cultivators arrested, two were from a certain medium-sized righteous sect. Their elders had sent talisman messages to negotiate, requesting leniency on the grounds that 'their disciples were young and ignorant, and they were willing to compensate double,' and hinted at offering generous gifts.

She took up her brush: "Denied."

"The involved cultivators are to be dealt with according to law. The involved sect's lax supervision is to be punished by increasing their offerings by 30% for three years, as a warning. Any further impertinent requests will be recorded in the Department of Judges' ledger of demerits for that sect."

The next one.

The Fengdu City Public Security Department reported that due to the inflated prices of basic raw materials in the Underworld Market, several incidents had occurred where deceased souls gathered to quietly complain because they could not afford their daily incense offerings. Although no major disturbances arose, it affected the stable atmosphere of Fengdu City.

It was suggested to allocate a batch of affordable supplies from the Underworld's public treasury and set up 'Peaceful Supply Points' in various districts for limited purchases at fair prices, to quell resentment.

Shang Wan Ning's brush tip paused, then she wrote: "Approved. The Logistics Department and the Fengdu Civil Affairs Department are to handle this collaboratively, completing the setup within three days."

"The required supplies are to be drawn from confiscated funds, not from the standing public treasury."

One after another.

The rustling sound of cinnabar on jade slips was exceptionally clear in the silent hall.

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. The "night light" of the Netherworld was already dim, and now it deepened even more, as if covered by a thick layer of grey silk.

The palace lanterns in the corridor lit up one by one, their warm yellow glow casting hazy patches on the ground through the window paper.

Shang Wan Ning finished the last scroll, set down her brush, and leaned back into her chair.

Her neck felt a bit stiff.

She raised a hand to rub the back of her neck; the skin her fingertips touched was slightly tense. Several consecutive days buried in documents, even a divine body couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Just as she was wondering whether to summon a maidservant to brew a fresh pot of tea, the hall door was knocked.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Your Majesty." It was the maidservant's voice, soft and slow through the door. "The Secretary-General sent someone to deliver something."

Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow: "Come in!"

The door opened, and the maidservant entered, carrying a red sandalwood tray. The tray was covered with plain white silk cloth, beneath which a rounded outline bulged.

The maidservant gently placed the tray on a corner of the desk, curtsied, and said: "The Secretary-General said that Your Majesty has toiled today, so she specially had the Imperial Kitchen Department prepare a few pastries and sent them over. She also instructed that Your Majesty must eat them while they're warm." With that, she lifted the silk cloth.

Warm steam, mixed with a sweet fragrance, wafted towards her.

Three celadon dishes were arranged on the tray.

One dish was amber-colored osmanthus glutinous rice lotus root, the lotus slices cut thin and even, filled with translucent glutinous rice in the middle, topped with thick, glossy syrup, and sprinkled with finely crushed golden osmanthus flowers.

Another dish was snow-white almond tofu, perfectly square and trembling slightly in a shallow bowl, drizzled with a spoonful of amber-colored honey, and garnished with two bright red goji berries at the edge.

And the last dish was golden-fried, crispy sesame balls, perfectly round, their surfaces covered with white sesame seeds, subtly revealing the dark red bean paste filling inside.

They were all her favorite foods.

Shang Wan Ning stared at the plates of pastries for a long time without speaking.

The maidservant waited by her side, and seeing her motionless, gently reminded her: "Your Majesty, the pastries will get cold."

"Mm."

She responded, picking up the silver chopsticks.

First, she picked up a slice of osmanthus glutinous rice lotus root.

The lotus slice was soft and glutinous in her mouth, the glutinous rice fully absorbed the syrup, sweet but not cloying. The faint scent of golden osmanthus perfectly balanced the richness of the syrup.

She then scooped a spoonful of almond tofu.

It was as smooth and tender as solidified fat, melting on her tongue with a slight press. The refreshing sweetness of the honey slid down her throat, comforting her entire body.

Finally, the sesame ball.

Biting through the crispy exterior, the warm red bean paste filling gushed out. The aroma of sesame mixed with the scent of beans, filling her mouth with a solid sense of satisfaction.

Shang Wan Ning ate slowly, the expression on her face gradually relaxing.

AQi was always like this.

Even when she herself was swamped with work, she could still spare a thought for what Shang Wan Ning liked to eat and when she should rest.

Those mountains of scrolls, the endless requests from various departments, the Research Institute's money-burning projects... all were managed by the Secretary-General, meticulously organized.

She, the Empress, had instead become the most leisurely one.

[It's just like the jokes netizens complain about. Other people's CEOs are busy with a myriad of tasks, while my CEO, besides signing documents, is pondering what to eat today.]

Shang Wan Ning self-deprecatingly tugged at the corner of her mouth.

She picked up another slice of glutinous rice lotus root.

The sweetness spread in her mouth, and along with it, most of the vexation in her heart dissipated.

The maidservant watched from the side, and seeing Her Majesty's brows relax, spoke at the opportune moment: "The Secretary-General also asked me to convey a message."

"Speak."

"The Secretary-General said, 'The pastries were made with newly harvested honey from this year, which is mild in nature and not cloying. If Your Majesty feels tired, you may rest for a while; the remaining scrolls can be approved tomorrow, it's not too late.'"

Shang Wan Ning's movements paused.

The silver chopsticks hovered in mid-air, and the syrup on the glutinous rice lotus root slowly dripped down.

She looked up at the maidservant: "Is AQi still at the Secretariat Office?"

The maidservant bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Secretary-General is still handling official business."

"When someone was sent to deliver the pastries just now, this servant saw that the Netherworld candles in the Secretariat Office were still lit, and a stack of material lists was piled on the desk. She is probably verifying the final dispatch details."