Before the Crown Prince could say anything, Zhang Bao was already dumbfounded.
The sweet potato hadn’t even been peeled yet—touching it would likely leave one’s fingers covered in charcoal ash, let alone the grease from roasting. To serve it to His Highness like this? This was no joke.
Yet in his rare moment of distraction, the Crown Prince actually reached out and took the sweet potato Zhuang Yunlan was holding.
As the weight left her hands, Zhuang Yunlan felt a little lighter herself.
This time, Shaoyao and the others were in their normal state, their professional skills fully engaged. Seeing their mistress acting foolishly, they quickly stepped in to rescue the situation, presenting two Blue-and-white Eight Treasures Auspicious Pattern Plates, each set with a pair of silver chopsticks and a spoon matching the plate’s design.
While receiving the plates, Zhuang Yunlan regained her composure.
She placed the plates on the low table and asked the Crown Prince with practiced grace, “Your Highness, shall I peel it for you before you eat?”
“No need,” the Crown Prince replied, personally tackling the sweet potato skin without even looking up. Zhuang Yunlan glanced over and was surprised to find that His Highness’s peeling technique seemed quite practiced.
Could it be that even in such mundane tasks, the descendants of dragons and phoenixes possessed more natural talent than ordinary people?
With the Crown Prince himself stooping to such a task, Zhuang Yunlan, a mere Imperial Concubine, naturally didn’t need to maintain any pretense of Royal Etiquette by having a palace maid peel the sweet potato for her, then eating it from a plate with a spoon. The very thought of such a scene felt absurd.
Sweet potatoes, after all, were best enjoyed held in one’s hands.
Zhuang Yunlan happily savored the fruits of her labor.
To be honest, if the Crown Prince weren’t here, she would have even eaten the layer of roasted, caramelized sweet potato flesh clinging to the skin. Compared to the soft, golden core, the part near the skin was truly fragrant and delightfully chewy.
The two finished eating in no time. The plates that had originally held the sweet potatoes now served as makeshift trash bins, piled high with the discarded skins.
As Shaoyao led others forward to clear the plates, Haitang brought in attendants carrying bronze basins and water kettles to serve their masters in washing their hands.
Perhaps unaccustomed to such humble fare, the Crown Prince still seemed to crave more.
“Your Highness, would you like more?” Having just received generous overtime pay, Zhuang Yunlan couldn’t pretend to ignore her boss’s needs. She explained to the Crown Prince, “If we start roasting now, it might not be ready until Hai Hour…”
It wasn’t that she was stingy—she was mainly worried about causing her boss indigestion.
“I know,” the Crown Prince shook his head. Before Zhuang Yunlan could figure out what he meant, he asked her, “Why are you roasting sweet potatoes at this hour? Is the food from the kitchen not to your taste?”
That peculiarly flavored pot from yesterday probably wasn’t the kitchen’s handiwork either.
Zhuang Yunlan thought to herself, Isn’t it because of your “after I finish my work” comment that I missed my meal? You truly have no idea of the hardships of concubines. But these were not words she could utter. Not even the Crown Princess, if graced with a visit from the Crown Prince, could avoid waiting with such diligence.
Zhuang Yunlan was far from being described as emotionally intelligent or effortlessly charming. When the Crown Prince asked, she began racking her brain for a plausible and graceful explanation—one that showed no hint of complaint. She hadn’t felt this stressed even during her postgraduate entrance exams.
Instead, seeing her reaction, the Crown Prince figured it out on his own.
Without summoning anyone from the Western Side Hall, he directly ordered his own eunuch official to arrange for a meal to be served.
In the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, the eunuch official returned leading two rows of over a dozen kitchen personnel carrying food boxes. Dozens of dishes, complete in color, aroma, and taste, were skillfully unpacked by the palace personnel. By the time only half were laid out, the rosewood auspicious cloud pattern square table was already completely full. It was only after Shaoyao led others to open the small storeroom and brought out another table that all the dishes could be displayed.
The Crown Prince settled into his seat and invited Zhuang Yunlan to join him for the meal.
As Zhuang Yunlan took her seat, she noticed that about half of the dishes were things she had never eaten before.
The attendants around the Crown Prince were all people he was accustomed to, and they shared a deep tacit understanding with him. Without even needing a glance, the dishes he wanted to eat would already be placed on the plate before him.
Zhuang Yunlan watched with curiosity and was quite surprised to find that the attendants around her were no less skilled. Most of the time, as soon as she glanced at a particular dish, the next moment it would appear steadily and securely on her plate. Yet these palace personnel all kept their heads lowered and eyes downcast, making it impossible to tell whether their gazes had ever strayed toward her or the Crown Prince.
Such professional competence…
Zhuang Yunlan silently felt a twinge of embarrassment and began to reflect on her own work attitude.
However, she lacked any sense of servile dedication. As soon as she started reflecting, she realized that the role of Imperial Concubine was essentially forced upon her—a far cry from a mutual choice. Since it wasn’t voluntary, there naturally was no guilt over passive resistance.
At most, she would quietly take note of her boss’s dietary preferences to avoid stepping on a landmine and suffering misfortune someday.
With this observation, Zhuang Yunlan discovered that the Crown Prince was undoubtedly a health enthusiast.
Perhaps it was also because the meal today was somewhat late. Despite the table being laden with delicacies from land and sea, the Crown Prince’s plate contained only light and delicate dishes, completely unlike the situation on Zhuang Yunlan’s side.
While she was secretly watching the Crown Prince, he was also observing her.
During the usual mealtime, he had been discussing matters with officials from the Household Administration of the Crown Prince. A snow disaster had struck a prefecture in the west, and the court affairs had been bustling with activity over this issue recently. The officials from the Household Administration were each expressing their views, engaged in heated discussions, and the Crown Prince had naturally forgotten about the meal.
In such situations in the past, this meal would have been skipped. If not for seeing how pitiful Miss Zhuang was, having to forage for food on her own today, the Crown Prince would not have ordered the meal to be served.
It was also because he seldom dined in the rear courtyard before that he hadn’t thought of this.
Since it wasn’t something he particularly desired, the Crown Prince’s appetite was naturally not high. He even felt that the oil-heavy dishes looked somewhat sickeningly rich. Yet, Mr. Zhuang was eating with great delight.
The Crown Prince watched as she ate several mouthfuls of roast dragon and stewed phoenix, consumed a piece of stewed crab meat lion's head meatball, and also ate quite a bit of the marinated quail in rice wine. Now she was earnestly eating the winter bamboo shoot, magnolia petal, and eggplant preserve dish, with a bowl of red date and snow frog soup placed beside her, which she would occasionally lift to take a sip.
Had the kitchen personnel been mistreating her on ordinary days?
The Crown Prince frowned. Zhang Bao noticed that the Crown Prince’s eating pace had slowed even further.
He discreetly glanced across the table and understood—His Highness was waiting for Lady Zhuang. His Highness was quite considerate.
But gradually, he noticed the Crown Prince’s gaze shifting toward the dish Lady Zhuang was currently eating.
Zhang Bao followed his gaze and paused for a moment, then tentatively served a piece to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince ate it.
Zhang Bao quickly continued serving the Crown Prince dishes that matched what Lady Zhuang was eating.
The Crown Prince ate them again.
Perfectly ordinary Marinated Goose Feet and Duck Tongue, something The Crown Prince wouldn't normally give a second glance, but Zhuang Yunlan was eating it with such relish that The Crown Prince found himself momentarily entranced, wondering if there was something special about the dish today. By the time he snapped out of it, he had already eaten quite a bit more than usual, following Zhuang Yunlan's lead.
The Crown Prince frowned and set down his chopsticks, and Zhuang Yunlan reluctantly did the same.
What a pity—many of these dishes weren't part of her allowance quota, and she had no idea when she'd get to eat them again.
But she could still tell the difference between one full meal and a lifetime of full meals.
Suppressing the reluctance in her heart, she put on a professional smile and looked at The Crown Prince.
What a pitiful sight.
The Crown Prince gave her an amused glare. "If you want to eat something, have the kitchen make it again tomorrow. Come, take a walk with me."