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He Yu truly admired Xiao Yao's various theories, leaning back on the pillow and laughing helplessly. Xiao Yao, feeling embarrassed and angry, picked up a soft pillow and threw it at He Yu. "I'm thinking about your son's future happiness! And you're still laughing!"
He Yu caught the soft pillow thrown by Xiao Yao and, taking the opportunity, pulled Xiao Yao into his embrace. "How can it be my son? Isn't he your son too?"
"Hmph, the son has your surname, not mine!" Xiao Yao turned her head angrily and ignored him.
He Yu helplessly replied, "Alright, alright, my son, my son. Then I thank you, my lady, for your efforts for our son."
"..." Xiao Yao turned her head and glanced at He Yu from the corner of her eye. "Do you realize your mistake?"
"I realize my mistake. I beg you, Daughter-in-law, to pay attention to this poor husband of yours." He Yu put on a pitiful expression, causing Xiao Yao to laugh despite herself as she leaned against him. "Okay, enough teasing. Tomorrow I'll go to Wenjin Pavilion to talk with the Consort."
"That's good. It's better than always being cooped up in the house; going out more is beneficial."
"Mm."
As the saying goes, one steals half a day's leisure.
He Yu leaned against the pillow reading while Xiao Yao was beside him stringing bracelets. They each engaged in their own activities; occasionally He Yu would look up to check on Xiao Yao's work and exchange a few words. Xiao Yao would also glance at his book now and then and ask a couple of questions.
They were both comfortable and at ease with each other, creating an atmosphere of tranquility.
As the sun began to set, He Yu put down his book, stretched lazily, and wrapped his arms around Xiao Yao's waist. "Noble Princess, what shall we have for dinner tonight?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yao wanted to laugh but held it back. She poked He Yu's cheek with her slender fingers and said irritably, "Since I'm the noble Princess, I shouldn't have to consider these mundane matters; it should be something lofty."
"Even lofty people need to eat and drink." He Yu replied matter-of-factly.
"...Can't you let me be noble and elegant just once?" Xiao Yao said helplessly, casting a disdainful look at He Yu.
"But mine is the truth." He Yu said innocently.
Xiao Yao was completely out of patience and didn't intend to continue this childish conversation with He Yu, so she cleverly changed the subject, "What do you want to eat?"
"The question of food belongs to the inner household, not under my jurisdiction," Xuanping Wang replied. Xiao Yao rolled her eyes and said, "This afternoon, Consort had someone bring over a few wild ducks. How about we make a soup?"
"Sure, whatever you say," He Yu agreed readily.
So, Xiao Yao called for Yun Zhu and instructed, "Make a duck soup and prepare two dishes, something light will do. Just rice for the staple."
"Yes," Yun Zhu replied. "Does the master have any other instructions?"
Xiao Yao thought for a moment and added, "Cook the rice with both white rice and millet; it's better for the stomach."
"Understood."
"That's it. You can go ahead and serve the meal."
"Yes, I take my leave."
After giving instructions about the meal, Xiao Yao sent Zhao Hezhong to find those two boys who had been playing outside and bring them back home for dinner.
Zhao Hezhong accepted the order and hurriedly went out.
Little did he know that on his way, he encountered Cai Zhong, the personal eunuch of the Fourth Prince. Cai Zhong was quite slippery, and Zhao Hezhong was reluctant to deal with him, but it was unavoidable to ignore him on the road.
"Oh, isn't this Zhao Gonggong? Not serving by the prince's side? Where are you off to?" Cai Zhong asked in his usual ambiguous tone, his voice loud.
Zhao Hezhong did not intend to engage much with this person, simply saying, "The Princess asked me to find the Master and handle some matters."
"Oh? The Princess? Aren't you Zhao Gonggong, someone close to the Prince? Why is it that the Princess is giving you orders?" Cai Zhong said with a half-smile.
If it were someone else, they would surely feel embarrassed by this. After all, the Prince is the Head of the Family, and a Servant by his side is naturally of a higher status; even the Princess cannot command a Servant close to the Prince, especially someone like Zhao Hezhong, who is a personal Servant.
Zhao Hezhong just smiled, "Oh, our Prince, all matters within the inner residence are decided by the Princess, even the Prince himself. Since I am a Servant of the Prince, I naturally follow the orders of the Princess."
Cai Zhong was momentarily speechless due to Zhao Hezhong's response. Suddenly, he chuckled twice and said, "I, Zhao Gonggong, can eat any food, but I cannot speak carelessly. If this gets out..."
"The Prince is aware of this," Zhao Hezhong replied calmly. "If Cai Zhong does not believe it, you can let this message reach the Prince."
At this moment, Cai Zhong's expression slightly changed, then he smiled and said, "Well then, since that's the case, Zhao Gonggong, you should hurry and handle your matters. It would be bad if you're late."
"Thank you for the reminder, Cai Eunuch," Zhao Hezhong also smiled and said. "I was so busy rushing that if it weren't for your reminder, I might not have noticed. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you can forgive me."
On the surface, this statement seemed to acknowledge his own fault; however, its underlying meaning was that if you hadn't stopped me, I wouldn't have wasted time.
Cai Zhong gritted his teeth and forced a smile after a while. "Look at what Zhao Gonggong is saying; I'm not that kind of person. I also have matters to attend to for Fourth Prince, so I'll take my leave first."
"Safe travels, Cai Eunuch." Zhao Hezhong waved with a smile and leisurely enjoyed watching Cai Zhong flee in embarrassment before he set off to find his own master.
The evening's dish was clear duck soup with some pickled vegetables added to remove part of the duck's gamey taste and some ham for flavor enhancement. Besides the duck, fresh bamboo shoots were included in the soup, making it very appetizing for both Cub diners.
However, for Xiao Yao, the most surprising dish was one called Towering Vegetable. This dish reminded him of his past life when he had only tasted it occasionally; after growing up, it seemed impossible to find again in markets.
As its name suggests, Towering Vegetable has a shape resembling a pagoda—plump and white. This dish has a texture somewhat similar to yam; it doesn't have much flavor on its own but takes on whatever taste it's cooked with. Tonight's preparation involved stir-frying it with pork; taking a bite revealed a salty and fragrant softness that was truly delightful.
Xiao Yao tasted a flavor reminiscent of her childhood. He Yu watched her eat with delight and smiled, "Is it good?"
"Yeah, not bad," Xiao Yao nodded.
She remembered how her grandmother often made this dish when she was in the countryside, and other families in the village frequently ate it too. At that time, this Towering Vegetable was quite common. Back then, her grandmother's family called it Yuhuan Cai because its shape resembled a stack of white jade rings. Xiao Yao used to enjoy eating it piece by piece, finding endless joy in it. Looking back now, she realized how easily satisfied she was as a child.
In any case, the family was very satisfied with dinner.
After dinner, He Yu and Xiao Yao held hands and strolled around the courtyard to help with digestion. Their evenings usually consisted of drinking soup, so Xiao Yao didn’t force them to exercise. After visiting Yang Ning in the afternoon, she decided to read in the study that night.
As they wandered in the courtyard for a while, she said, "In a few days, the Eldest Princess will return to court."
"Yes," He Yu replied with a smile, "but thankfully Brother-in-law is reliable; I haven't had to worry much."
"If you haven't worried and it's been several days since you've returned, what would worrying really look like?" Xiao Yao exclaimed with a teasing sound. He Yu laughed and pulled Xiao Yao close, saying, "It's not easy for your husband to have work to do; naturally, I want to do it perfectly."
Xiao Yao giggled, "That's true; making an impression in front of the Emperor is very necessary."
The two laughed heartily together without discussing whether they should or shouldn't be doing such things.
As the saying goes, life is often unsatisfactory; this current tranquility doesn’t signify future decline. Everyone must go through this phase—what good is complaining?
Cai Zhong reported the matter truthfully to the Fourth Prince.
Yang Yunzhe chuckled lightly upon hearing this, tilted his head back to take a swig of wine, and drunkenly said, "Go tell Sun Ruoxue that from now on all rights within my Fourth Prince's residence are handed over to her!"
Cai Zhong lowered his head and remained silent; he naturally could not continue this conversation. Even if his master wanted to delegate authority, he should do so directly to Consort Prince. Cai Zhong absolutely would not act as an intermediary for this message. If his master sobered up tomorrow and denied this matter, wouldn’t he be unjustly punished?
However, by coincidence, this was overheard by Mingyue, who was beside Sun Ruoxue. Sun Ruoxue had sent her to deliver next month's gift list to Yang Yunzhe for him to make a decision.
Mingyue returned and reported this matter to Sun Ruoxue, originally thinking that Sun Ruoxue would be pleased.
Unexpectedly, Sun Ruoxue let out a cold laugh and smashed the teacup in her hand directly onto the table. "If he truly meant it, he wouldn't have sent Cai Zhong to relay the message. It's just drunken talk, and only you would believe it. Just watch, Cai Zhong definitely won't come to pass on this message; let's pretend it never happened."
"Ah?" Mingyue was stunned. "That can't be true..."
"Can't be?" Sun Ruoxue rolled her eyes at Mingyue. "Wasn't the Fourth Prince drinking when you went over?"
"…Yes."
"Then that's it; how can drunken words be taken seriously?" Sun Ruoxue revealed a sarcastic smile and continued, "If he really wanted to give me face, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Who in the entire capital doesn't know that the Fourth Prince has fathered a son and a daughter with his concubines, while I, as Consort Prince, have no offspring? If he truly thought of me, why wait until now to say such things?"
"Master, please calm down. Walls have ears; you mustn't complain like this!" Mingyue said with a look of panic.
"What does it matter? He won't come anyway!" Sun Ruoxue scoffed, sweeping her sleeve, and with a crisp sound of shattering, the teacup fell to the ground.
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