After Yao Chengcheng finished speaking, Fuman and the others widened their eyes.
“Chef Yao, what did you say…”
Yao Chengcheng: “I said the Prince will definitely recover!”
She wasn’t speaking nonsense, because that’s exactly how it was written in the book—Fu Yuanzheng would eventually seize the throne…
Of course, she didn’t dare to say such things carelessly.
Fuman was stunned for a moment and sighed, “Chef Yao, I understand you’re trying to comfort the Prince. Everyone in the Prince’s residence thinks the same way, but I must advise you not to say such things in front of the Prince. He doesn’t like hearing these empty words…”
Yao Chengcheng: “Actually, these aren’t empty words…”
Never mind, it’s no wonder Fuman thought that way. According to the book, it would still be two years before Fu Yuanzheng fully recovered.
These two years of treatment certainly wouldn’t be easy either.
“Understood, thank you, Eunuch.”
“Ah, no need to be polite. We’re all serving the Prince now, it’s only right. Don’t be afraid either. The Prince just hasn’t come to terms with it yet. He’ll be fine in a little while.”
He’ll be fine in a little while…
Yao Chengcheng’s gaze toward Fu Yuanzheng’s room suddenly held a bit more sympathy. In truth, the Prince was a very, very good person. She could tell from her time in the residence. Those young ladies from that day weren’t executed either—they were all sent back. Was the Prince deliberately pretending to be cruel?
But he was genuinely injured. The Prince Regent of Great Zhou, once a god of war galloping across battlefields, was now confined to a wheelchair. If it were her, the cruelty wouldn’t be an act.
And now, knowing his legs couldn’t be healed, was “he’ll be fine in a little while” really true?
Or was it because he didn’t want Fuman and the others to be sad?
He was the master of this residence. If he were crippled, the sky would fall for the Prince’s residence. The servants would only tread on thin ice, possibly without a good outcome.
Looking at it this way, the Prince was truly good!
Yao Chengcheng suddenly said, “Eunuch Fu, I’ll come back later. The food is probably cold, and it wouldn’t do to have the Prince eat it cold. Besides, I’m going to make a dessert for the Prince!”
After saying this, Yao Chengcheng didn’t wait for Fuman’s reaction and immediately turned to leave. Chunyan and Xialiu paused for a moment before following her.
Reheating the food was one thing, but Yao Chengcheng genuinely wanted to make a small dessert for the Prince.
When the heart is bitter, it’s best to eat something sweet.
She couldn’t make brown sugar glutinous rice cakes today, so Yao Chengcheng directly exchanged with Bobojii: “Ten egg tart shells! One pound of light cream! One pound of white sugar!”
Bobojii: [“Got it! Host selects ten egg tart shells, one pound of light cream, one pound of white sugar, consuming 3 silver coins.”]
The prices in the System were quite good. Here, 30 wen couldn’t possibly buy these things—not to mention they weren’t available, you couldn’t even buy a bag of sugar.
She rushed back to the main kitchen, too hurried to explain, quickly requested fresh milk, white sugar, and butter, then fetched eggs and began preparing the egg tart filling.
The process wasn’t complicated, just labor-intensive because it required constant stirring. The final smooth, fine liquid was the egg tart filling.
Her actions once again baffled the people in the main kitchen, who asked questions one after another. Yao Chengcheng: “No time to explain! Just eat it later!”
She chose egg tarts because they were quick—they could be ready in about a quarter of an hour.
The Prince’s manor had everything, including a kiln oven, which was no less effective than a modern oven for baking, and the egg tarts that came out of it were proof.
The crust was flaky and crumbly, layered like a small bowl holding a tender, soft, yellow filling. A sweet aroma wafted through the air, making Yao Chengcheng herself crave a bite…
Just as her egg tarts came out of the oven, Eunuch Fu arrived to announce the meal. Perfect timing. Yao Chengcheng packed them up and said, “Coming right away!”
…
When Yao Chengcheng saw Fu Yuanzheng again, although his complexion still looked poor, he was clearly much calmer. Yet, Yao Chengcheng couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Fuman smiled and said, “Your Highness, it’s time for the meal.”
Fu Yuanzheng nodded expressionlessly.
When he saw the spread of dishes on the table, he paused for a moment.
Last time, it was a table full of green; this time, it was a table full of red.
Fuman chuckled, “Chef Yao, do you plan your dishes based on color?”
Yao Chengcheng also laughed, “It’s mainly because today’s dishes are all from the Sichuan cuisine style, mostly spicy and numbing. I just don’t know if the Prince can handle spicy food.”
In truth, she knew—the morning’s red oil wontons were proof enough.
Fu Yuanzheng said nothing, silently picking up his chopsticks.
Yao Chengcheng waited nearby.
After two quarters of an hour, Fu Yuanzheng set down his chopsticks.
His meal times and portions were always fixed. He wouldn’t eat more just because the food was delicious, and if it were bad, it probably wouldn’t show either.
Yao Chengcheng found it hard to gauge his thoughts, but Fuman understood perfectly.
Ever since Chef Yao arrived, the Prince had clearly been eating much more! It was obvious he enjoyed the food!
Though Yao Chengcheng didn’t know this, she wasn’t discouraged. “Your Highness, I just baked some egg tarts for you. They’re a little dessert I came up with myself. I guarantee you’ve never tasted anything like them!”
Fu Yuanzheng suddenly looked up. “Quite the bold claim.”
A low-ranking girl from a minor household, after all, had limited horizons. How dare she make such an audacious statement?
Yao Chengcheng wasn’t offended. With a shameless smile, she brought them out. “Even if Your Highness has tried them before, mine might still taste better, right?”
To this, Fu Yuanzheng couldn’t deny.
Because it had been many years since he had tasted the flavor of normal food.
And when Yao Chengcheng placed the egg tart in front of him, Fu Yuanzheng visibly froze for a moment.
“What is this?”
He truly had never seen it before.
Yao Chengcheng grinned. “This is called an egg tart, made with milk, eggs, and flour. Please try it, Your Highness.”
Yao Chengcheng directly picked one up and handed it to Fu Yuanzheng—
This action stunned everyone present.
“Chef Yao, you…”
Fu Yuanzheng also fell silent, lowering his gaze to her hand.
The problem was, Yao Chengcheng didn’t see anything wrong with it. She wasn’t putting the egg tart directly to his lips, so why the fuss?
Fu Yuanzheng’s breath hitched slightly, and his eyes seemed to still for a long moment.
But after a brief silence, he reached out and took it.
The moment his teeth broke through the egg tart, the crust crumbled flakily, but the soft, smooth interior was a flavor he had truly never experienced before. The sweet aroma carried hints of egg, milk, and sugar. Fu Yuanzheng’s eyes couldn’t help but brighten slightly.
“Your Highness, my mother said that when your heart is bitter, eating something sweet can make it better.” Yao Chengcheng, looking at his frail figure, felt a pang of sadness and blurted it out without thinking.
Fuman: “!”
Everyone stared in shock.
But Fu Yuanzheng paused for a long while and did not get angry.
“Is that so, what a coincidence, my Imperial Concubine Mother has said the same thing.”