A meal at noon, Granny Gu and Gu Jian had almost eaten with stiff faces. They neither dared to talk much with the Emperor nor appeared too eager, fearing that Daohua would detect something and then investigate the Emperor's identity.
The Emperor also found the meal quite disagreeable. In the palace, he mostly dined alone, accustomed to the silence during meals. Faced with the enthusiastic and chatty Daohua, who incessantly engaged him in mundane conversation, he really felt somewhat overwhelmed.
Especially since this girl was playing mind games in front of him. During idle chatter, she occasionally beat around the bush to inquire about his identity, which made him both amused and exasperated, reminiscent of the mental fatigue of matching wits with the officials at court.