Early the next morning, Yao Chengcheng arrived at the main kitchen full of confidence.
With the worries about the Yao family behind her, she felt her future was looking bright. Today, she was only 300 Satisfaction Points away from leveling up, so Yao Chengcheng planned to prepare several dishes in advance.
The main kitchen had delivered fresh pork tripe and chicken. Most people probably wouldn’t think to combine these two ingredients, but Yao Chengcheng immediately thought of pepper pork tripe chicken.
“Chunyan, I’ll take both the pork tripe and the chicken. Bring them over.”
“Huh?” Chunyan couldn’t figure out how these two could be combined either. Yao Chengcheng smiled and said, “This is for the Prince’s lunch. As for breakfast, Chunyan, you go boil the noodles. Xialiu, has the small glutinous rice cake been pounded for two days? Is it ready yet?”
When she was making Sichuan cuisine the other day, Yao Chengcheng had wanted to make brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, but pounding them was quite troublesome, so she had postponed it until today.
Xialiu: “Ready, ready! I was just about to tell you! Take a look.”
The pounded glutinous rice cake was placed in a bowl. Yao Chengcheng examined it and said, “Good. Go prepare some roasted soybean flour and bring a small pot to simmer the brown sugar.”
Yao Chengcheng cut the glutinous rice cake into neat, long strips and pan-fried them until both sides were golden brown. Then, she drizzled them with the simmered brown sugar syrup and sprinkled soybean flour. The brown sugar glutinous rice cakes were now ready. This snack was best eaten hot—one bite revealed a crispy exterior with warm, soft, and chewy glutinous rice inside. The combination of brown sugar and soybean flour was like a match made in heaven, sweet and fragrant with a hint of bean aroma. As you chewed, the aroma of glutinous rice gradually took over, filling your mouth with a sweet, delightful taste.
Chunyan’s noodles were also ready. Since they were going with Sichuan cuisine, Yao Chengcheng decided to go all the way and made a bowl of Dan Dan noodles.
The essence of this noodle dish lay in the minced meat sauce, but it was different from Zhajiangmian. This sauce was made with fermented soybeans, paired with the spiciness of Sichuan peppers and the savory aroma of preserved mustard greens, wrapped in the slight numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns.
When mixed well, a lift of the chopsticks would reveal smooth noodles coated in a bright red oil sauce, with minced meat at the bottom also covered in the flavorful mixture. Even before taking a bite, the eyes were treated to a feast.
Breakfast consisted of just these two dishes!
Yao Chengcheng was ready.
She went directly to the Qinzhu Courtyard, where Fuman was already waiting for her.
“You’re here. The Prince is inside.”
Yao Chengcheng acknowledged and walked straight in.
“Your Highness, you’re up! Breakfast is ready! Today, we have Dan Dan noodles and brown sugar glutinous rice cakes.”
Yao Chengcheng had grown bolder. After entering, she dared to call out directly. In truth, she had noticed that the Prince was quite kind and treated his subordinates generously.
Fu Yuanzheng sat in his chair and glanced over indifferently. “What are Dan Dan noodles?”
“They’re a type of noodle dish from Sichuan. Very delicious!”
Fu Yuanzheng nodded.
Yao Chengcheng had actually noticed that he really had a sweet tooth. Although he asked about the Dan Dan noodles, his eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the brown sugar glutinous rice cakes.
Yao Chengcheng smiled without saying a word. When setting down the bowls and plates, she deliberately placed the small glutinous rice cakes closer to Fu Yuanzheng. He noticed but pursed his lips and said nothing.
He picked up his chopsticks, and Yao Chengcheng waited quietly.
But suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded from the doorway—
“Your Highness, there’s a message from the palace!”
Fu Yuanzheng paused, followed by Fuman’s scolding: “You fool! What are you shouting for? Your grandpa here isn’t dead yet, can’t you see?!”
“Eunuch, this servant was wrong…”
Fuman was furious. This was clearly an unfamiliar face who didn’t know the rules! But it was already too late. Fu Yuanzheng had obviously heard, his expression instantly darkening.
“Let him in.”
Yao Chengcheng’s heart also sank, because the Prince had already put down his chopsticks. Clearly, his mood had been ruined by those words, and he no longer intended to eat.
Yao Chengcheng shot a resentful glance at the little eunuch who had entered.
The other was already trembling as he knelt down.
“Y-Your Highness.”
Fu Yuanzheng’s voice was icy cold: “Speak properly. If you don’t know how, you won’t need that tongue anymore.”
The little eunuch knelt prostrate on the ground: “Your Highness, a message has come from the palace. They say they will hold a palace banquet on the second day of the fourth month to celebrate Your Highness’s birthday.”
After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent for a moment.
Yao Chengcheng stole a glance at Fu Yuanzheng and saw his hands slowly clenching into fists, veins bulging on his neck, clearly restraining something with great effort…
Yao Chengcheng thought, “This is bad.” She really wanted to move the teacup in front of the Prince, but it was already too late—
With a loud “bang”—
Yao Chengcheng closed her eyes but did not dodge.
Everyone around knelt down.
Fuman rushed in, his face full of distress and anger: “You fool, get out now!”
The messenger eunuch hurriedly scrambled away, trembling.
Fuman knelt down: “Your Highness, it’s all this servant’s fault. Please don’t get angry…”
Fuman was on the verge of tears, and it wasn’t an act. Heaven knew the Prince had been in a good mood when he woke up this morning, only for this clueless fool to barge in…
Yao Chengcheng was also extremely frustrated.
With the Prince in such a bad mood, he definitely wouldn’t eat anything. There was no hope of leveling up today.
Fu Yuanzheng restrained himself for a moment.
“Everyone, out.”
“Your Highness…”
“Out!”
With that roar, many people in the hall silently withdrew. Yao Chengcheng hesitated for a while, and only after seeing Fuman wipe his tears and leave did she follow…
The door closed. Fuman sighed and lamented in the courtyard.
That little eunuch was dragged away angrily by Aji, and his fate probably wouldn’t be good.
Yao Chengcheng hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Fuman.
“Eunuch, I wanted to ask…”
Fuman sighed: “I know what you want to ask. This isn’t the place to talk. Come with me.”
Yao Chengcheng nodded.
The two went to a secluded bamboo grove at the back.
…
A quarter of an hour later, Yao Chengcheng widened her eyes.
“You mean… the third day of the fourth month is the Imperial Concubine’s death anniversary…”
Fuman sighed: “Yes. Ever since the Imperial Concubine passed away, the Prince has never celebrated his birthday again. This palace banquet on the second day of the fourth month is clearly stabbing the Prince right in the heart!”
As he spoke, Fuman wiped his tears, looking rather pitiful.
Yao Chengcheng fell silent, recalling some content from the book.
The book said that the current emperor was raised under Consort Lin’s care in his youth and had a rather good brotherly bond with Fu Yuanzheng when they were young. Unfortunately, later, Fu Yuanzheng became the Prince Regent, his prestige growing day by day. The emperor grew suspicious, and naturally, their brotherly bond broke.
As for the reason the Prince Regent was injured, the book never mentioned it, and Yao Chengcheng didn’t dare to speculate blindly.
But even if they had grown distant, treating someone like this… especially when the Prince was currently injured…
“Can he not go?” Yao Chengcheng asked.
Fuman sighed: “The Prince definitely won’t go. It’s just that hearing about this is upsetting.”
“So the second day of the fourth month really is the Prince’s birthday, right?”
“Well, it’s been many years without any such arrangements, all just for the Imperial Concubine’s memorial rites, and it happens to coincide with Qingming…”
Yao Chengcheng listened, feeling a pang of sorrow in her heart.
The Prince truly has had it rough—injuring his leg, losing his mother, falling out with his brothers… It’s all been too much for him.