After Fu Yuanzheng finished speaking, he himself froze for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected the words to slip out.
Imperial Concubine Mother… that title had been buried in his heart for far too long. Fu Yuanzheng remained silent for a long while, simply staring blankly at the egg tart in his hand. After a long pause, he took a bite and swallowed it. The sweet, rich flavor spread in his mouth, genuinely suppressing the bitterness that had long lingered in his heart.
He looked up at Yao Chengcheng, his gaze softening slightly from its usual coldness. “This egg tart of yours is indeed well made.”
Bobojii’s voice chimed in at just the right moment: 【Congratulations, host! You have earned 300 Satisfaction Points! Level up to 2!】
Yao Chengcheng broke into a wide, genuine smile!
“If Your Highness enjoys it, this servant will make it for you often in the future! Oh, and I can make many other desserts too, like brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, double-layer steamed milk pudding, mango pancakes…” She grew more and more animated as she listed all the desserts she knew, completely forgetting the restraint expected of a servant.
Watching her lively expression, Fu Yuanzheng’s lips curved almost imperceptibly.
Perhaps accustomed to the flattery of outsiders and the cautiousness within the Prince’s residence, he suddenly felt a flicker of interest in the person before him.
“What are mango pancakes?” Fu Yuanzheng couldn’t help but ask.
Yao Chengcheng paused, only then remembering that mangoes didn’t exist in this era. She quickly explained, “Oh, mangoes are a fruit from the south, very sweet. Pancakes are made by wrapping cream and mango in thin crepes. But since mangoes aren’t available now, I’ll use other fruits as substitutes for you when the opportunity arises!”
Fu Yuanzheng nodded and said nothing more.
Yao Chengcheng understood the signal clearly—it was time for her to leave.
Today’s task was already accomplished, so Yao Chengcheng stood up.
But when she had handed over the egg tart earlier, her skirt had accidentally gotten caught under the corner of the table. Caught off guard, Yao Chengcheng stood up too abruptly, lost her balance, and stumbled right toward the Prince!
Fuman and the others were so startled they immediately rushed forward, but in the next moment, Fu Yuanzheng reached out and steadied her firmly.
Yao Chengcheng herself was stunned. Only when she regained her senses did she look down and see the Prince’s hand gripping her shoulder. His knuckles were distinct, and his hand looked strong. Fu Yuanzheng also seemed somewhat taken aback, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at her.
“It’s all this servant’s fault for being so careless! I apologize for offending Your Highness!” Yao Chengcheng quickly bowed her head in apology, and Fu Yuanzheng snapped out of his daze.
“It’s fine. You may leave…”
For some reason, his voice sounded a bit hoarse.
Yao Chengcheng nodded, not daring to be careless again, and immediately turned to leave. But then Fu Yuanzheng spoke once more: “Wait!”
Yao Chengcheng jumped in surprise.
“Come here.”
Fu Yuanzheng’s expression was unreadable. Puzzled, Yao Chengcheng stepped forward, and Fu Yuanzheng suddenly leaned in, taking hold of her hand—
This time, everyone in the room nearly dropped their jaws again.
Yao Chengcheng herself was stunned. “Your Highness, you…”
“What perfume are you wearing?”
Yao Chengcheng: “?”
Perfume? She wasn’t wearing any perfume. As a cook, why would she wear perfume? At most, it was just the spices from the kitchen…
“This servant isn’t wearing any perfume.”
Fu Yuanzheng: “Really? Not even a sachet?”
Yao Chengcheng nodded.
Fu Yuanzheng was puzzled because just moments ago, when Yao Chengcheng had leaned close to him, they had been mere inches apart, and his senses had been enveloped by a faint, elusive medicinal fragrance.
This scent had noticeably alleviated his headache, so Fu Yuanzheng nearly lost his composure.
Yet now, he truly couldn’t smell it anymore.
Could it be that it was precisely this medicinal fragrance that allowed Fu Yuanzheng to have an appetite for the food she prepared?
What kind of person was she, really?
He had already sent Anying to investigate, and the report on the Yao family’s second young lady described a personality completely different from hers. With so many eyes watching in the prince’s residence these days, if she truly harbored ill intentions toward him, she would likely have been reduced to bones by now.
Yet he clearly felt something toward her…
Fu Yuanzheng had fought in the northern frontier and western regions before and had heard of some local dark arts. Could it be… she had been replaced by someone else? Was she some kind of ghost or spirit?
Or perhaps some evil entity?
The Yao family’s second young lady had never known how to cook, yet she could conjure up many dishes he had never even heard of.
Egg tarts, mango pancakes…
Thinking of this, Fu Yuanzheng’s doubts found their explanation.
“Prince…”
Yao Chengcheng’s wrist ached slightly, and Fu Yuanzheng released her.
“It was this prince who misperceived the scent. It’s nothing. You may withdraw.”
Yao Chengcheng nodded. “Yes… this servant takes her leave…”
After Yao Chengcheng left, Fuman stepped forward. “Prince…”
Only a few trusted confidants knew that when the prince was injured in the northern frontier years ago, aside from his legs being crippled, he had also been poisoned by a type of western region Wolf Poison.
This poison acted irregularly; when it flared up, it could drive a person to extreme savagery, as if transforming into a beast.
Even when not active, it caused a fine, needle-like headache.
An ordinary person would have long been unable to bear it and taken their own life, but he could endure it.
After the fragrance dissipated, Fu Yuanzheng’s head began to ache faintly once more.
He furrowed his brows and closed his eyes. “Do one thing: invite the Yao family to the prince’s residence.”
Fuman: “?! Prince, what are you—!”
“Just do as I say. Say it’s to visit their daughter.”
“!!!”
Fu Yuanzheng was unwilling to explain further, but his intentions were already quite clear.
Whether a person had truly undergone a drastic change in temperament—their family would surely be able to tell.
…
Yao Chengcheng returned to the main kitchen. The Sichuan dishes she had made today had been devoured by those gluttons.
“Chef Yao! You’re back! The food you made was so fragrant, these rascals snatched it all up, but I saved some for you!” The one speaking was a young kitchen servant named Laishun, an honest and kind-hearted lad.
Yao Chengcheng smiled. “It’s fine, you all can eat it. I’m not hungry.”
She turned and headed back to her room first.
“Bobojii, you said I just leveled up?”
Bobojii’s cheerful voice came through: 【Yes, host’s Satisfaction Points have reached 500, leveling up by 2! The Spatial Dimension has been upgraded to 0.5 square meters!】
Previously, it was only 0.1 square meters, so Yao Chengcheng hadn’t even considered using this Spatial Dimension. Now, half a square meter was somewhat usable—at least she could store some things. So, Yao Chengcheng placed the unused fresh milk, cream, butter, and white sugar from today inside.
After all, these items were too conspicuous and difficult to explain if taken out. After storing them, she discovered another benefit of her Spatial Dimension: items placed inside remained in a state of stasis, not spoiling or deteriorating over time. This was absolutely perfect!
Today had been another fulfilling day. After finishing her tasks, Yao Chengcheng prepared to bathe.
She waited until the very end, after everyone had gone to sleep.
While bathing, Yao Chengcheng suddenly recalled what the prince had said earlier—a fragrance?
She lifted her arm and sniffed for a long while but couldn’t detect any scent at all.
No, could it be the scent of shower gel and shampoo? That makes sense, since this era doesn’t have them at all.
As Yao Chengcheng was thinking this, the door to the bathing room was suddenly flung open. Cook Kong rushed in, with Auntie Mu right behind her.
Yao Chengcheng was startled!
“What are you doing!”
“Auntie Mu, I’m certain she’s dishonest. The meat and vegetables in our kitchen haven’t been matching up lately, and look at this soap—I’ve never seen anything like it! She must have stolen it! Who knows if it even belongs to the Prince!”
Yao Chengcheng was furious. She had indeed left the soap in the bathing room after her bath yesterday—careless of her. She never expected to be accused of theft like this!
“Don’t you dare slander me!”
Yao Chengcheng hadn’t wanted to stoop to Cook Kong’s level, but she never imagined the woman would despise her to this extent.
Auntie Mu looked troubled and glanced at Yao Chengcheng. “First, put your clothes on and come out. Cook Kong, barging in like this was wrong no matter what. Let’s step outside first.”