Shen Yanshui looked toward the round-faced, fair and plump eunuch standing behind him. Though he looked to be only in his twenties, he was the chief eunuch, Zheng Yuande.
There was no way she had the nerve to let the Crown Prince eat food she had already eaten.
Seeing this, Zheng Yuande was delighted and hurriedly ordered the kitchens to prepare another late-night meal that would be easy to digest.
The Crown Prince’s requested food arrived far more quickly than anything Shen Yanshui had obtained by spending her own money.
Before long, the dishes were laid out, though they were nowhere near as lavish as she had imagined. Aside from another serving of the food she had previously ordered, there was also a bowl of four-delicacy soup, a bowl of fish soup, and a bowl of chicken congee. Compared with his status, it could even be called simple.
Everything looked light and easy to digest.
She stood properly beside him, serving him food and ladling out the congee. With a smile, she said, “Your Highness, try this chicken congee. I had a bowl during dinner as well. I wonder which chef made it—it was so fragrant.”
Hearing the sincerity and delight in her voice, Cui Yu almost couldn’t help wondering whether the Eastern Palace had changed its head chef and kitchen director today.
But after tasting it, he found that it was no different from usual.
Naturally, nothing that reached his table would be poor in quality. Yet he could not sense the joy and satisfaction toward good food conveyed in her tone.
He said in a low voice, “There’s no need to stand and serve me. Sit down and eat with me.”
The moment he finished speaking, the unmistakable surprise and delight in her eyes caught his attention.
Zheng Yuande watched helplessly as Lady Shen beamed, bowed to thank His Highness, and then plopped herself down securely in her seat—she really sat down.
Shen Yanshui was indeed very happy. After all, the Crown Prince did not seem to have a bad temper, and he had not taken offense at her lack of decorum. Now he was even letting her enjoy a meal for free. How could she not be pleased?
“Mmm—so fragrant and delicious!” The moment Shen Yanshui swallowed a mouthful of fish soup, she couldn’t help widening her eyes slightly at the flavor. With a taste like this, she felt she could eat two more bowls!
Still, good food had to be shared fairly. She couldn’t neglect any of it.
After finishing a little less than half a bowl of fish soup, she had another half bowl of four-delicacy soup. The freshly prepared golden chicken couldn’t go to waste, either. As expected, food made for the Crown Prince was different—she felt even the texture of the chicken was more tender and delicious.
“Mmm!” The instant it entered her mouth, she unconsciously let out the highest praise one could give to a delicacy.
Zheng Yuande’s eyes nearly popped out of his head!
He had never seen a woman like this. The women of Changqing Palace all kept their nerves taut whenever they served His Highness. Who actually ate properly? Didn’t they all take only a couple of bites before claiming to be full?
They were afraid of making a fool of themselves in front of His Highness or leaving him with a bad impression.
He had never seen anyone eat so much—or with such relish—in the Crown Prince’s presence.
Cui Yu was rather surprised as well. He stared at her for quite some time and discovered that she was truly focused on eating.
Her pace was not slow, but her movements were not at all coarse. The satisfied, happy expression between her brows made it seem as though the food in her bowl was even more delicious than everything on the table.
When she ate the four-delicacy soup, he saw that although she finished everything in her bowl, her expression was considerably more subdued.
He lowered his eyes to the four-delicacy soup before him and suddenly felt as though it had lost all its flavor.
After finishing a piece of golden chicken, Shen Yanshui immediately reached for a second. But when she looked up, she saw that the Crown Prince beside her had stopped eating.
She became anxious at once. If he wasn’t going to eat anymore, how was she supposed to continue?
With a concerned, hopeful, and utterly sincere expression, she said, “Why aren’t you eating, Your Highness? This golden chicken is even more delicious than the piece I had earlier. I wonder how it was made—it even has a faint aroma of wine. Your Highness, you should try some too.”
Cui Yu raised his eyes to meet her earnest, expectant gaze. After pausing for a moment, he nodded.
The eunuch serving him, who had been watching his master’s expression closely, immediately picked up a piece of golden chicken and placed it in his bowl.
Seeing him start eating again, Shen Yanshui smiled at once and hurriedly took another piece of the fragrant, golden-brown chicken.
After a while, Shen Yanshui finally ate her fill. Eight-tenths full was just right. She had only just taken a bite of a peach blossom pastry no bigger than her thumb when she looked up and saw the Crown Prince beside her eating with unhurried elegance. Every one of his movements was graceful and pleasing to the eye.
Cui Yu leisurely put down his bowl and chopsticks and picked up a peach blossom pastry.
Seeing that he had eaten quite a bit as well, Shen Yanshui smiled and asked, “Your Highness, would you like to take a walk in the courtyard to aid digestion?”
“Mm.”
Cui Yu did not refuse. He had always exercised restraint, and food was no exception. But somehow, he seemed to have eaten a little too much just now.
Zheng Yuande glanced at the table and smiled broadly, having long since put everything else out of his mind. As long as His Highness was willing to eat properly, the rest did not matter.
After rinsing their mouths and washing their hands, the two of them left the eastern side hall, one following the other with a distance of about half a body between them.
Shen Yanshui looked up at the night sky. The silver moon hung high overhead, and stars glittered brightly. Moonlight spilled across the courtyard paved with bluestone, illuminating the originally dim space.
Just as she was preparing to find some topic of conversation, a deep, slightly low voice suddenly reached her ears.
“What do you usually do at home?”
Shen Yanshui glanced sideways at him. From where she stood, she could clearly see his expression. Both his voice and his manner appeared gentle and calm, yet for some reason, she felt that the Crown Prince was not in a particularly good mood.
She instinctively became more cautious and replied with a smile, “In answer to Your Highness, this concubine is rather foolish. I’ve been a little playful since childhood. Unlike my elder sister, who is skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, my needlework and embroidery are only passable. Usually, I enjoy fishing, tending flowers, swinging, playing cuju, and playing polo. Most importantly, I love eating all kinds of delicious food.”
The Crown Prince certainly knew all about her background. No matter what, if possible, she should first make it clear that she had nothing to do with her elder sister. Ideally, she would have him believe that she was not one of Noble Consort Lan’s people, nor anyone’s pawn.
She would be spending the rest of her life in the Eastern Palace. If she could improve her quality of life, naturally she ought to do so.
Chunping, following behind them at a respectful distance alongside Zheng Yuande, nearly blacked out twice in succession. Zheng Yuande, meanwhile, was first startled, then even more startled.
Chunping: Mistress, even if we can’t do anything, you can’t say that in front of the Crown Prince!
Zheng Yuande: What a perfect opportunity to be alone with His Highness. Instead of putting on a good showing, she had gone so far as to expose all her shortcomings without the slightest hesitation. He had truly never seen anyone like her…
She could at least have pretended a little! As for needlework and such, even if she herself was no good at it, didn’t she have servants who could do it for her?
How had everything simply tumbled out of her mouth the moment His Highness casually asked a question? Was she not a little dim-witted?
Cui Yu turned back to look at her. Seeing her smiling with her eyes curved into crescents, his brows shifted slightly. He had already realized that she liked to eat, but…
“You know how to play cuju and polo? Did your family hire tutors to teach you?”
Shen Yanshui smiled somewhat sheepishly and said softly, “To answer Your Highness, they weren’t tutors hired by my family. In fact, my parents always taught me that a woman should be chaste, composed, virtuous, and refined. They didn’t like me playing cuju or polo, so the instructors my family hired were all women who taught the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, flower arranging, tea ceremony, and needlework.”
“I have some interest in playing the qin and painting, so I learned a little of both. As for the rest, I suppose I simply don’t have the talent, so I didn’t force myself to continue.”
As she spoke, her smile grew sincere. She did not seem to think there was anything wrong with not knowing those other skills.
Cui Yu studied the smile on her face and asked with a furrowed brow, “Since your parents forbade it, why did you learn them at all?”
Shen Yanshui tilted her head to look at him and answered with a perfectly natural smile, “Because I like them!”
Then, pressing her lips together in a smile, she added, “Besides, I would never go and tell them that I play cuju and polo. I play in secret. Other than my personal maidservants, no one else knows.”
Cui Yu’s brows lifted slightly. He did not seem to mind that she alternated between calling herself “this wife” and “I.”
The corners of Shen Yanshui’s beautiful, expressive eyes lifted with triumph. Her eyes seemed to reflect scattered stars, dazzling and bright.
She blinked and said, “They were the ones who said it themselves: a woman obeys her husband after marriage. Now that I belong to Your Highness, even if my parents found out, they can’t control me anymore.”
Looking at her lively, spirited face, Cui Yu unconsciously let out a soft laugh. The heavy stone that had long weighed on his heart seemed to loosen slightly.
He only wondered how long a pair of such lively, vibrant eyes would be able to exist in this palace.
His voice suddenly turned somber. “Then why tell me? Aren’t you afraid I might forbid it as well—or dislike it?”
Her heart trembled, and she was startled by the sudden change in his expression. But only for a brief moment. She soon realized that he was deliberately trying to frighten her.
For a moment, Shen Yanshui was at a loss for words. Yet when she considered that the Crown Prince was only about twenty, having just come of age, and saw that even with his face stern and solemn, he remained devastatingly handsome, her mood brightened again.
“Because Your Highness asked,” she murmured. Then, in a small voice, she asked, “Your Highness… do you dislike it?”
Cui Yu paused for a moment before suddenly asking, “If I disliked it, would you stop doing it from now on?”
