Mu Jianxi’s mouth twitched. It was the first time she had seen someone freeload so brazenly and so righteously.
The next moment, a gold ingot was placed in her hand—its golden shine so bright it almost blinded her.
She looked up and realized it wasn’t the same guard from yesterday.“Where is Ye Yu? Who are you?”
The man introduced himself.“Miss Mu, I am Ye Feng.”
Since they had already paid, it wouldn’t be right to refuse them food anymore.“Come in. Go to the kitchen and get your own bowls and chopsticks.”
After Prince Gu Ruizhe sat down, he saw three dishes and one soup on the table. Every dish was something he had never seen before. A faint floral fragrance drifted over, and when he turned, he noticed another table nearby filled with pastries and other snacks.
“Why do I smell a floral scent?”
“That’s rose fragrance. I used roses to make rose flower pastries today, so the courtyard smells stronger than usual.”
As she spoke, Mu Jianxi poured him a cup of tea infused with rose jam. Gu Ruizhe took a sip—the floral aroma lingered in his mouth, the tea slightly reddish, with a gentle sweetness in the aftertaste. He couldn’t help but take another sip.
“Are you planning to sell all these?”
“I am,” she said without hiding it. “I’ll take a few samples to the capital first to test the market and see if the people like them. Then I’ll open a shop selling pastries and other foods.”
Gu Ruizhe thought of his imperial grandmother and figured she would also like these pastries.
“Can I buy all of these from you?”
She agreed without hesitation.“Yes, but I haven’t finished packaging them yet. You’ll need to wait a bit. The money you gave earlier is enough—just take them.”
He nodded, and Ye Feng soon returned with bowls and chopsticks.
Gu Ruizhe picked up a piece of drunken peanuts and put it in his mouth. It was crunchy, spicy, and extremely fragrant.
Mu Jianxi introduced it.“This is drunken peanuts. It’s usually eaten as a snack with alcohol—it tastes amazing that way.”
He immediately thought it would also suit the Emperor.
“I want this as well.”
“Alright.”
After the meal, Gu Ruizhe ended up eating two large bowls of rice.
It was the first time Ye Feng had seen his master eat that much. After tasting Mu Jianxi’s cooking, he finally understood why Ye Yu had been constantly praising her cooking.
After finishing the meal, Mu Jianxi went into her room and brought out oil paper. With careful folding, she turned it into boxes, then placed the rose pastries inside. Each box could hold about ten pieces, tied neatly with string.
She also cut oil paper into bags to separately pack the candied peanuts and drunken peanuts.
Gu Ruizhe was curious about how flower-based pastries would taste, so he tried one. The outer layer was crisp and flaky, and the inside was full of floral fragrance—not overly sweet, perfect for someone who didn’t like desserts that were too sugary. His eyes drifted toward her unconsciously. Everything she made seemed to suit his taste, and every dish was something he had never seen before. Who exactly was she? What secrets did she hold?
Ye Feng also took a rose pastry. The moment he bit into it, he was stunned. Even the famous pastries of the capital couldn’t compare. Using flowers as filling was something he had never heard of before, and the taste was unbelievably good.
After everything was packed, Mu Jianxi said, “Your Highness, everything you ordered is ready. Three bags of rose pastries, three bags of candied peanuts, and three bags of drunken peanuts. You can take them now.”
She took out three assorted bags and handed them to Ye Feng.“These are for Ye Yu and you. You can share them when you get back.”
“Thank you, Miss Mu.” Ye Feng was pleasantly surprised that they had been included as well.
When they returned to the Prince’s residence, Gu Ruizhe took one portion and instructed them,“Ye Feng, Ye Yu, deliver the remaining two portions to the palace—one for Father Emperor and one for the Empress Dowager.”
“Yes!”
That night, when Ye Feng and Ye Yu returned, they were stopped by the other two.“Boss, we saw from the corner that Miss Mu gave you snacks. You’re supposed to share them with us when you come back.”
The four of them had grown up together as the Prince’s personal shadow guards. Ye Feng was the eldest, Ye Yu second, Ye Li third, and Ye Han fourth.
Ye Feng shook his head, but then pulled out three bags from behind him. The three immediately scrambled for them. After eating, all of them wore expressions of pure happiness. It was simply too delicious.
The next morning in the palace, the Emperor woke up and prepared for court. On the table, he noticed something wrapped in oil paper.
“Who sent this?”
The eunuch helping him dress replied,“Your Majesty, Prince Xuanyou’s men delivered it last night. Seeing that you were already asleep, they left it and departed.”
Hearing it was from his son, the Emperor looked surprised.
“How rare. That son of mine actually remembers to send me something.”
“Take it. I’ll eat it later if I get hungry during court.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
An hour later, the Emperor sat on the high throne watching the ministers argue fiercely in court, voices clashing without compromise. He was already used to such scenes.
Then he thought of the snacks his son had sent.
He opened a bag, and immediately a rich spicy aroma filled the air. He ate one piece—crisp and delicious. Curious, he opened another box and found pastries inside. He bit into one, and floral fragrance spread through his mouth. Looking down, he realized the filling was made of flowers. It was truly novel.
He quickly finished one and was about to continue when he noticed the ministers had stopped arguing and were now staring at him.
Not a stingy man, the Emperor ordered,“Cut the pastries into portions and let the ministers taste them. As for the other snacks, pour them into plates and let them take as they wish.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The ministers, who had been arguing moments ago with flushed faces and flying spittle, were suddenly drawn in by the aroma. They watched the Emperor eating with great enjoyment, swallowing their saliva unconsciously.
Soon, the eunuch brought the food over. The ministers eagerly tried it. They were especially shocked by the flower-filled pastries and delighted by the drunken peanuts. Though they felt something was missing, the taste was undeniably excellent.
“Ministers, what do you think? Delicious, isn’t it?”
“Delicious! To think flowers can be used as filling—we have truly never seen or heard of such a thing!”
“These were specially sent by Prince Xuanyou.”