"I suppose, My beloved Minister Shen will certainly not disappoint me."
When leaving the imperial study, the sky had already grown somewhat dark. The palace servants were lighting the glazed lamps under the eaves, and the dim, flickering candlelight made the palace pathways look long and gloomy.
The two walked one after the other on the palace path. The gentle breeze fluttered their robes as they stepped on the last gleams of the setting sun to leave the palace.
The Crown Prince's voice came from ahead, "It is getting late. Does Lord Shen have some free time to go to the Moon Gazing Pavilion for a few drinks?"
"Since Your Highness says it is getting late, shouldn't you return to your manor to accompany the Crown Princess?"
The Crown Prince stopped by his carriage, turned around to look at Shen Xiabai, and smiled faintly. "In the past, I have never seen Lord Shen wear white."
Given his reputation and methods in the court, wearing white truly made him look like a hypocrite.
"People's preferences always change," Shen Xiabai said.
The Crown Prince nodded, his gaze unreadable in the dark night. "The outside world says that Lord Shen alone enjoys the Emperor's favor, but looking at it now, that is not entirely true."
His royal father scrutinized, guarded against, and tested him just the same.
Hearing this, Shen Xiabai gave a bland smile. "Your Highness flatters this subject. Even you, as the Crown Prince, have your difficulties, let alone this subject."
Even biological fathers and sons fought to the death; what did a mere minister like him count for?
The Crown Prince twitched the corners of his lips mockingly and looked up at the deep clouds. "Is Lord Shen truly not going?"
The Crown Prince's intention to win him over was quite obvious. The reason Shen Xiabai had the Emperor's trust was partly because he never formed factions for personal gain or had a close relationship with any prince.
He shook his head, his voice steady. "Today, Your Highness was too hasty."
It was not the right time to submit a memorial for the eldest son of the Cui family to return to the capital. At this crucial juncture, for the Crown Prince's people to bring this up was undoubtedly like pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth.
The Crown Prince took a deep look at Shen Xiabai, a sharp glint quickly flashing through his eyes. The latter's expression remained unchanged. "Lord Shen's ability to see through people's hearts is indeed formidable. Since that's the case, why didn't you expose it in the hall just now?"
Shen Xiabai did not answer. He reached into his chest and, after a long while, pulled something out.
The Crown Prince lowered his eyes, frowning at the messily folded wad of rice paper in the palm of his hand. "What is this?"
Shen Xiabai lowered his head and slowly peeled the rice paper open.
Watching his actions, Yu Feng's mouth twitched.
What his master was peeling was not a pastry that could smash an inkstone, but a man's tender affection.
Could it be that the master wanted the Crown Prince to have a taste too? Yu Feng's gaze slowly turned strange. After all, not everyone had teeth as good as his master's, nor such unique tastes.
Under Shen Xiabai's slow movements, the rice paper was finally peeled away, revealing the perfectly intact osmanthus cake inside.
"..."
The Crown Prince stared at the pastry, his eyelids twitching. He looked up at Shen Xiabai, then lowered his head again and asked, "Is this pastry very famous? Or is there some hidden mystery?"
"It is indeed out of the ordinary. Your Highness should try it."
The Crown Prince nodded, watching helplessly as he stingily broke off a tiny piece and handed it over.
The Crown Prince pursed his lips. "..."
It was just a piece of pastry. Even if it were inlaid with gold, how much could it be worth? He was the dignified Crown Prince, yet he was reduced to sharing food like this.
Shen Xiabai pinched the small piece and handed it to him, his fingertips still stained with crumbs.
"..."
The Crown Prince truly did not want to take it, but he had to give Lord Shen face. Fighting the urge to frown, he accepted it.
Yu Feng, standing to the side, looked away, truly unable to bear the sight. He was too uneducated and lacked the words to describe his feelings at this moment.
The Crown Prince pinched the pastry and examined it repeatedly for a while before suspiciously putting it into his mouth. As he bit down gently, the suspicion in his eyes instantly turned into pure clarity, and his face rapidly flushed to the color of pig liver.
As if upholding the dignity of the heir apparent, he forced himself not to spit it out.
"What does Your Highness think of the taste of this pastry?" Shen Xiabai asked.
"..."
Ultimately, the Crown Prince couldn't hold it back. He turned around, held onto the carriage, and began to dry heave.
It took quite a while before the indescribable weird taste in his mouth slowly lessened.
Taking just one bite made him wish he could rip his tongue out immediately.
The Crown Prince looked a bit disheveled. When he turned back, Shen Xiabai was still there, his sharp and cold eyes staring at him without blinking.
For a moment, it gave the Crown Prince the illusion that he was trying to poison the heir apparent.
"What does Your Highness think of this pastry?"
"...It is indeed... out of the ordinary."
"Has Your Highness ever eaten it?"
"..." If the Crown Prince's mansion had such a cook, he would have definitely kicked them out long ago.
Having received a definite answer, Shen Xiabai seemed to be in a good mood. He carefully wrapped the pastry in the rice paper again.
"It is getting late. This subject will take his leave first."
The Crown Prince watched the Shen family's carriage slowly depart, holding onto his own carriage as he began to dry heave again.
"This is the worst thing I have ever eaten in my life, bar none."
"Blergh..."
Yu Feng stole a glance at the half piece of pastry in Shen Xiabai's hand, his eyelids twitching violently. For the first time, he felt an urge to taste an extremely awful food.
"To the Prince An's mansion," Shen Xiabai's voice came from inside the carriage.
"..."
"Master, His Highness Prince An is still injured."
How about... we just forget it.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of Prince An's mansion. Eunuch Liu enthusiastically invited Shen Xiabai into Prince An's study.
Xiao Yi was already waiting there, his long legs crossed and resting on a low stool. He looked listless, as if he had lost interest in everything in the world, appearing very dispirited.
"I heard Lord Shen just came out of the palace."
He spoke in a half-dead tone. "Did Imperial Father have any instructions? Forgive me, but my body is unwell, so I can't be of much help."
Shen Xiabai did not speak.
He slowly reached his hand into his robe. His movements were surprisingly consistent with how he acted in front of the Crown Prince earlier, just as agonizingly slow.
Xiao Yi tilted his head and watched his hand.
When the pastry with a missing corner was completely revealed before him, the casualness in Xiao Yi's eyes slowly disappeared.
He withdrew the wrist supporting his forehead and stared at the open palm, examining it repeatedly.
Then he looked up at Shen Xiabai.
A thousand speculations had already surfaced in his mind.
Was there a note hidden in the pastry? Or was Imperial Father trying to poison him?
Shen Xiabai's next movement dispelled both of Xiao Yi's guesses.
He broke off a small piece from another corner and handed it to him.
Hiding a note was impossible, and as for poisoning...
This dosage would struggle to kill a dog.
"What is the meaning of this, Lord Shen?"
"This pastry is out of the ordinary. I brought it specifically for His Highness Prince An to taste."
Xiao Yi retracted his outstretched hand, his eyes filled with clear vigilance and bewilderment. "Lord Shen shouldn't be coming to my door just to poison me."
After saying that, he took it and put it in his mouth.
"Blergh..."
Perhaps due to a stress response, Yu Feng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but bend over and dry heave.
Several pairs of eyes immediately turned toward him.
Xiao Yi's chewing paused. His face alternated between green and purple for a moment, and then he silently swallowed it down.
His long, slender fingers picked up the teacup from the table, tilted his head back, and poured it all into his stomach.
He looked at Shen Xiabai, the wariness in his eyes completely dissipating, replaced by a look of realization. "Lord Shen, could it be that there is shit mixed into your pastries?"
"Has Your Highness Prince An eaten it before?"
He bent his long legs, resting his arms on his knees, and smiled faintly. "Lord Shen is here to vent anger on behalf of a beauty."
"I was merely making a joke with Eldest Miss Cui. Lord Shen is certainly protective of her. Does my Imperial Father know of Lord Shen's romantic intentions?"
Shen Xiabai frowned, his gaze cold. "Has Your Highness Prince An eaten it before, or not?"
"Thanks to Lord Shen's great blessing, this is the first time I have eaten something that tastes worse than shit."
"It is getting late, I will take my leave." Shen Xiabai wrapped up the heavily battered pastries, stuffed them back into his robes, and turned to leave.
Yu Feng immediately followed.
Eunuch Liu looked puzzled. "Master, what did Lord Shen mean by this?"
Xiao Yi ran his tongue around his mouth and frowned deeply. He did not answer, but pondered for a moment before asking in return, "Tell me, do you think he actually mixed shit into those pastries? Why else would they stink so much?"
After leaving Prince An's manor, Yu Feng stared unblinkingly at Shen Xiabai's chest.
"What, do you want a taste too?"
Yu Feng shook his head vigorously. He had no desire to taste something that His Highness Prince An had likened to shit.
"Master, where to next? The Chen family?"
"Why would we go to the Chen family?" Shen Xiabai's voice was very cold.
Yu Feng thought to himself: Weren't the Chen and Wang families also among those who had tangled with Eldest Miss Cui?
On second thought, those two probably had not received pastries handmade by Eldest Miss Cui.
His master clearly did not take those two seriously; he was only irked by Prince An and the Crown Prince.
"Master, come to think of it, Eldest Miss Cui has only ever made food with her own hands for you. Neither the Crown Prince nor Prince An has ever eaten any."
