The Little Crown Prince sat with his back to Ji Ke, head bowed, looking dejected.
Jiang Ning glanced at him, then at Ji Ke, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat but too afraid to voice them. She could only wave her hands at Ji Ke, signaling her innocence.
"All of you, leave."
The Little Crown Prince dismissed all the attendants, then hugged his knees and sat on a small stool, still with his back turned to Ji Ke.
The kitchen fell silent for a moment, with only the bubbling sound of the loquat paste simmering.
After a long silence, he tightened his grip on the hem of his clothes, hugging his knees, and suddenly let out a soft sigh.
"I've always considered you a friend."
"You brought me spicy strips, took me to catch fish in the pond, and even played sandbags with me."
Jiang Ning awkwardly covered her mouth, her eyes darting around, not daring to meet the gaze of the person at the door.
"I still remember that day when we played sandbags together, and you bumped my head. When Ji Ke asked about it, I said I hit the doorframe."
…
Please, stop talking.
Jiang Ning forced a smile and interrupted him: "Such past memories, it's best if only you and I know—"
"I must say it." The Little Crown Prince spoke earnestly before lowering his head again. "These are all beautiful memories to me."
Since things had come to this…
Jiang Ning simply turned around to pack the loquat preserves, ignoring the intense gaze behind her.
As she placed the loquats into the jar, she asked, "I remember Your Highness attends the Guozijian. Aren't there many princes and princesses of similar age there?"
"I was raised by my mother since childhood, and with Ji Ke by my side, I never really had anyone to play with."
The Little Crown Prince sniffled. "But I don't blame them. Even I am afraid of Ji Ke."
"In this entire palace, not just me, even my mother is afraid of him." He casually picked a loquat and began peeling it. "They all say I'm a puppet…"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Jiang Ning bent over, coughing violently as she leaned against the stove, the veins on her temples bulging.
Is this something that can be said so casually? Is this something she should be hearing?!
"What's wrong with you?" The Little Crown Prince was startled and threw the loquat aside, rushing over to check on her.
Jiang Ning's face flushed red. She glanced at the person at the door—his expression remained calm and gentle, seemingly unbothered by what was said.
She looked helplessly at the Little Crown Prince. "Let's skip that, Your Highness. Tell me more about your classmates."
The Little Crown Prince paused for a moment, knowing full well that such words shouldn't be spoken carelessly. He pouted and followed her lead, changing the topic.
"Before, when I saw you trick Ji Ke into eating so many things, I thought you weren't afraid of him."
"…Tell me about your classmates."
Jiang Ning felt on the verge of collapse, as if needles were pricking her back. Ji Ke might tolerate the Crown Prince saying such things, but that didn't mean he would tolerate her.
She unconsciously sped up her stirring, afraid of triggering Ji Ke's temper and being dragged out for execution the next moment.
The Little Crown Prince let out a long sigh, his gaze filled with the worries befitting his age.
"They're all unwilling to play with me. Last time, when I brought the cookies you made, a few of them talked to me and wanted to try them, but they haven't come around lately.
And that day, you said I would be the first to taste the milk tea you made, but I still haven't had a single sip."
Jiang Ning suddenly understood—this was why the Crown Prince had been so troubled lately.
He considered her a friend and naturally hoped for priority.
"Your Highness." Jiang Ning leaned closer to him, smiling. "What they're drinking is just simple milk tea, something I used for practice. The one I'll make for you later will be much tastier."
Jiang Ning's previous attempt at making milk tea had been purely experimental. Plain milk with tea would be more suitable for someone like Ji Ke, while children would certainly prefer more variety.
What she planned to make for the Crown Prince would include additions like cheese or milk pudding with taro balls—definitely not this light milk tea where the tea flavor overpowered the milk.
"The one I make for you will have a richer milk flavor, something children are sure to love. When the time comes, they'll definitely crowd around Your Highness."
Jiang Ning glanced outside, lowering her voice to a whisper only the two of them could hear.
"But I'm still missing a few things, so I'll need Your Highness to stamp a few more seals for me."
The Little Crown Prince looked at her with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
"If there's no milk tea this time, Your Highness can have my head."
The Little Crown Prince straightened his back, sniffed, his expression bearing a faint resemblance to Ji Ke's. "Then I'll give you one more chance."
Jiang Ning nodded with a smile, extending her pinky finger to hook it with the Little Crown Prince's, sealing their agreement.
"Finished?"
Just as the two were happily packing the loquats into jars, Ji Ke walked in through the doorway.
Today, he wore the gray-black robe embroidered with white cranes, his face as cold and clear as snow. A jade-green hairpin held his hair in place, while his dark, loose hair cascaded straight down his back.
Just looking at him felt like standing beside a clear spring, refreshing from head to toe.
"Almost done."
Jiang Ning went to stir the loquat juice in the pot. After simmering for so long, much of the moisture had already evaporated.
The remaining liquid had turned a caramel color. Thinking of Ji Ke's taste preferences, Jiang Ning casually added a few more spoonfuls of honey.
The remaining loquats were quickly turned into canned preserves, leaving the kitchen with an atmosphere of having nothing left to do.
The three of them stood facing each other, exchanging glances, and for a moment, silence fell over the room.
Ji Ke, of course, didn't feel awkward, and neither did the Little Crown Prince. The only one feeling awkward was Jiang Ning herself.
To keep herself from fidgeting too much, Jiang Ning picked a few loquats and handed them to Ji Ke.
"Would you like some loquats, sir? They're very sweet."
"No appetite."
Ji Ke turned and sat on the small stool. Despite his tall frame, he managed to sit gracefully and properly, even when hunched over.
After sitting down, he didn't speak but instead quietly observed the kitchen.
In the past, Ji Ke rarely ate at Zheyue Palace. He usually either attended banquets outside or dined with the Crown Prince, so he hadn't paid much attention to this place before.
Was the kitchen originally like this?
A wooden shelf as tall as two people held many flower petals and dried fruits. Several wooden barrels were stacked in the corner of the kitchen, and a faint aroma of wine could be detected up close.
Ji Ke stood up and looked at the petals drying on the shelf, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"I heard that recently, the roses in the imperial garden have been withering unusually quickly, and the petals have mysteriously disappeared. So they ended up here with you."
Jiang Ning added the crushed Sichuan fritillary to the nearly finished loquat paste, stirred it, and hurried over.
"Yes, but I only collected the fallen petals. I didn't pick them."
The blooming period of roses was already short, and a gust of wind would send them fluttering to the ground. However, these petals weren't picked by Jiang Ning—they were gathered one by one by Consort Zhou Shu.
Out of fear of Ji Ke, she only dared to wrap the petals in cloth and leave them at the entrance of Zheyue Palace, accompanied by a note that read, "You know, I know."
"Better to become a delicacy than to turn into flower mud."
Just looking at the note, Consort Zhou Shu’s delicate brows and melancholic smile immediately appeared before her eyes, her soft voice echoing in her ears.
Though it was just a note, to Jiang Ning, it somehow felt like a voice message had been sent to her.
Perhaps out of idleness, or perhaps fearing she would ruthlessly destroy the flowers, Consort Zhou Shu gathered all the petals before they yellowed on the ground and brought them to Zheyue Palace.
Jiang Ning couldn’t possibly use them all, so she ended up brewing wine with the roses.
"You brewed wine?"
Jiang Ning nodded. "Sir, rose wine is good for beauty and health."
Ji Ke looked at her, then his dark eyes shifted to the small wine jar. "It seems you know flowers well. Why not leave the orchids in front of my room for you to tend?"
Jiang Ning shook her head, not quite agreeing. "Sir, orchids aren’t edible."
Ji Ke turned to gaze at her quietly, his slightly red lips pursed, his glossy dark eyes reflecting Jiang Ning’s sudden realization.
"Just a joke," she replied awkwardly. "…Sir, this subordinate doesn’t know how to care for orchids."
Jiang Ning remembered—Ji Ke treasured his orchids immensely, with dedicated gardeners in the palace tending to them.
Those delicate plants couldn’t tolerate too much water, nor too little; they’d wilt under harsh sun. Entrusting them to her would only bring trouble.
"If not orchids, then the osmanthus tree in the northwest corner is yours to care for." Ji Ke stood up, his slightly pale fingers adjusting his collar before lifting his gaze to her.
"It won’t be unpaid labor. Your monthly salary will increase, but by the eighth month, I want to smell the osmanthus fragrance."
"Thank you, sir." Jiang Ning straightened her back. "To be honest, this subordinate has some expertise in growing osmanthus trees."
Jiang Ning now lacked neither ingredients nor skill—the only thing she lacked was money.
According to her inquiries, buying property in the imperial city wasn’t cheap, let alone opening a restaurant in a high-traffic area.
"In that case, the osmanthus tree is entrusted to you, so you won’t have to drag people up mountains and down seas anymore."
Ji Ke tossed out these words lightly before stepping over to the pot, watching the loquat paste gradually thicken inside.
"Is it done simmering?"
Jiang Ning also went over to take a look, stirring it with a spoon.
The thick loquat paste was still warm. As she ladled it into a porcelain jar, it flowed like a golden waterfall, shimmering with starlight under the sun, piling up layer by layer inside. The rising steam carried the sweet, refreshing fragrance of loquats.
She nodded. "It’s done."
Watching her movements, the Little Crown Prince couldn’t help but ask, "Can I have some too?"
"This is for when you have a cough—just dissolve a bowl. You can’t drink it regularly, and besides, this was specially brewed for the sir."
Seeing the Little Crown Prince’s pursed lips, Jiang Ning smiled. "But Your Highness has your own milk tea, which the sir can’t drink."
Only then did the Little Crown Prince break into a smile, making a pinky promise gesture with her.
Ji Ke examined the jar of loquat paste carefully before turning to look at the Little Crown Prince.
"Your Highness has had enough fun playing. Isn’t it time to return with this servant for review?"
This was clearly not a question. The Little Crown Prince had no right to answer yes or no, and could only obediently lower his head and follow the large entourage away.
With the sealing issue resolved once again, Jiang Ning indulged in her simple dream of getting rich, waving goodbye to her two bosses.
Turning around, a familiar cloth bundle appeared once more at the entrance of Zheyue Palace. This time, the note on top was only half-written—
"When will spring flowers and autumn moon end? Past events—"
Followed by a large ink blot.
It's not hard to guess—probably in the middle of expressing poetic sentiments, she suddenly realized Ji Ke himself was at Zheyue Palace, startling her so much that her brush paused on the paper.
Hiss… why does it feel like having a friend online who loves to lament life in the dead of night?
Jiang Ning smiled, picked up the cloth bundle, and spread the clean petals one by one on the bamboo sieve, waiting for them to slowly dry in the shade.
Next time, I'll make some rose pastries for Consort Zhou Shu.
Author's Note:
Don’t think Ji Ke is idle—he spends most of his time handling official duties, after all, he’s the hardest-working man in the Yong Dynasty.