When Bai Fei Wan emerged from her morning ablutions, she was dressed in a white gauze skirt, a soft, smoky-blue silk ribbon tied into an elegant bow at her waist. Her jet-black hair was swept up into a gentle twist, adorned with a single, slanted Wei Ling Hairpin. Her skin was as translucent as jade, untouched by powder or rouge.
Jin Wang noticed that every time he saw Bai Fei Wan, her attire was rather simple, yet it never lacked dignity. Instead, it made her seem all the more approachable and charming. He liked it very much.
After lunch, the two went to Bai Fei Wan’s study. Although Jin Wang was on leave from court, he still had memorials that required his attention.
Upon arriving in the study, they bantered playfully for a while. Just as things were about to get heated, they accidentally knocked the memorials Jin Wang had brought over from the table onto the floor, startling them both back to their senses.
Bai Fei Wan immediately pushed Jin Wang away and bent down in a fluster to pick up the fallen documents.
She saw a sheet of paper that had slipped out from one of the memorials. Her eyes flickered as she glimpsed its contents, but she feigned nonchalance and quickly placed the memorial back on the table.
“Alright, no more games for now. This prince has work to do. Be good and go read or practice your calligraphy at the side. Once this prince is finished, I’ll give you…” He trailed off with a mischievous smile.
Hearing the subtle implication in his words, Bai Fei Wan shot Jin Wang a reproachful look before obediently moving to the low table at the side to practice her writing.
Bai Fei Wan sat to the side, seemingly focused on her calligraphy, but in reality, her mind was on the contents of the letter she had just seen.
So, Jin Wang’s people had discovered the matter of the private salt this early on. The letter stated that he had noticed a new, unknown batch of private salt from the Jiangnan region being sold throughout the country in recent years.
He had sent people to investigate discreetly but had found no trace of this private salt’s origin or any related transport leaving the Jiangnan area.
Bai Fei Wan recalled the book mentioning that the private salt was not transported in solid form. Instead, the salt was dissolved in water, and bolts of cloth were soaked in the solution. After being taken out and dried, the cloth was then transported across the country under the guise of a textile business.
Prince Rui was probably already planning to secretly move a portion of the private salt. She absolutely could not let him succeed.
Meanwhile, Jin Wang sat at the desk, diligently handling his memorials. He would occasionally lift his head to glance in Bai Fei Wan’s direction. Seeing her earnest little expression, he would lower his head and continue his work.
He used to dislike being disturbed by women when he was working, but watching the quiet figure writing beside him felt rather nice.
Nearly an hour passed like this. Bai Fei Wan felt her whole body go stiff and wanted to stretch, but she was afraid of disturbing Jin Wang. She quietly peeked in his direction and saw that he was engrossed in his work.
So, she rose softly, trying her best not to make a sound, and tiptoed out of the room like a cat.
Jin Wang took in her every move but didn’t stop her. The little girl was probably getting restless from sitting for so long, so he let her be. Her actions were rather cute, like a little thief. She really had the disposition of a child. At this thought, the corners of Jin Wang’s lips curled up.
Outside, Bai Fei Wan stood by the study door, stretching her stiff neck and limbs.
Seeing Bai Fei Wan come out, the few servants who had been chatting together quickly rose to greet her.
Seeing them approach, Bai Fei Wan waved her hand and quickly made a “shh” gesture as she walked toward them.
“I was tired of sitting, so I came out to move around. I’m also going to get some snacks for His Highness. I can get them myself. You all carry on, don’t mind me,” she said, heading toward the small kitchen.
A short while later, Bai Fei Wan emerged with two plates of pastries. She said to Zi Zhu and the others, “There are more pastries in the kitchen. You can bring them out and share them with Eunuch Jiang.” With that, she walked back toward the study.
Entering the study, Bai Fei Wan placed the pastries on the desk. “Your Highness, take a break. Have some pastries before you continue. Staring at documents for so long is bad for your eyes.”
At her words, Jin Wang put down the memorial in his hand and looked at her.
Bai Fei Wan pushed the two plates of pastries forward, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Jin Wang. “Does Your Highness prefer sweet or savory?”
Jin Wang glanced at the two plates. “Savory, I suppose. What kind of pastry is this? This prince has never seen it before.”
Hearing this, Bai Fei Wan picked up a savory Egg Yolk Pastry and held it to Jin Wang’s lips to feed him. “I knew it. You men all love savory things. This is an Egg Yolk Pastry, something your servant developed herself.” After saying this, she lifted her chin with a touch of pride.
Hearing Bai Fei Wan say “you men,” Jin Wang’s eyes narrowed. “Oh?” he said, his tone dangerous. “Who else loves it?”
Hearing the “this isn’t the answer I want to hear, so you’re dead meat” tone in his voice, Bai Fei Wan was a little speechless.
“My father and brothers, of course. Your Highness has probably heard that your servant has four older brothers, and they are all very good to me.
“Besides, your servant has rarely left the house since childhood. Even when I did go out, my brothers would accompany me, and I would be wrapped up securely, with only my eyes showing.
“That’s why your servant was unwilling to go out. I’ve known since I was young that I am good-looking, and if people saw my face, it would bring me trouble. After all, a common man is guiltless; the crime is possessing a treasure.
“Your servant doesn’t like going out, for fear that I might accidentally provoke some powerful noble one day and bring ruin upon my family.
“Since I couldn’t go out, I would get very bored at home. So, I liked to research things to pass the time.”
By the time she finished speaking, Bai Fei Wan’s arm had gone limp from holding it up. Seeing that Jin Wang still had no intention of eating the Egg Yolk Pastry, she nudged it forward a little.
Feeling the touch on his lips, Jin Wang subconsciously opened his mouth and took a bite.
Seeing that Jin Wang had finally eaten, Bai Fei Wan’s eyes lit up as she asked, “How is it? Is it good?”
“Savory, fragrant, and crisp, with a faint milky aroma. It’s acceptable.”
Hearing Jin Wang say it was acceptable, Bai Fei Wan said happily, “Of course! I spent a long time developing this. My father doesn’t like sweets, so I thought of making a pastry for him that wasn’t sweet.”
She then brought the Egg Yolk Pastry to Jin Wang’s mouth again. He took another bite, then shook his head. “No more, thank you. This prince isn’t very fond of pastries.”
Seeing that Jin Wang wouldn’t eat any more, Bai Fei Wan drew her hand back and popped the rest of the pastry into her own mouth.
Jin Wang saw Bai Fei Wan eat the pastry he had taken a bite from, and his lips curved upward.
Bai Fei Wan didn’t notice. She continued to talk about her pastry-making. Seeing her so animated, Jin Wang didn’t stop her.
“When I was developing this pastry, the first time I made it, the salt granules were too large. They wouldn’t dissolve in the pastry, so some parts came out unbearably salty, while others had no taste at all.
“So, I tried grinding the salt into a fine powder before adding it, but it still wasn’t quite right. Later, I dissolved the salt in water first. Using saltwater to make the pastry was a real success.
“The idea of dissolving salt in water actually has to do with my third brother.”
At this point, Bai Fei Wan grew even more cheerful and even started tugging at Jin Wang’s hand.
“When we were little, my third brother made me cry. To cheer me up, he snuck into the kitchen to get brown sugar to make sugar water for me. But he mistook salt for sugar and brought me a bowl of saltwater to drink. I happily took a big gulp and was almost choked to death by the saltiness.
“So I cried even louder, saying my third brother was a liar and that this wasn’t sugar water at all. He tasted it himself and realized he had used salt.
“My parents heard me crying and came toward my room. When my third brother heard their footsteps at the door, he was afraid of getting beaten for making me drink saltwater, so he poured the bowl of saltwater all over himself, trying to destroy the evidence.
“In the end, my third brother still got a beating from my father. My mother made him wash his own clothes, otherwise the salt would remain on them and ruin the fabric.” In her excitement, she had even started referring to herself as ‘I’.
After she finished her story, she noticed Jin Wang was lost in thought. Bai Fei Wan waved her hand in front of his face. “Your Highness, you weren’t even listening to your servant.”
Jin Wang had been thinking about what Bai Fei Wan said about soaking clothes in saltwater. Hearing her accusation, he caught the small, fluttering hand and kissed it gently. “This prince was listening to you.” With a pull, he drew Bai Fei Wan onto his lap and held her.
“You truly are a treasure of a girl. This prince really likes you more and more,” he said, then leaned in for a kiss.
A while later, both were breathless. Jin Wang rested his forehead against Bai Fei Wan’s and patted her bottom. “Alright, go play by yourself. This prince still has work to do.”
At his words, Bai Fei Wan obediently slid off his lap and carried her pastries back to the low table.