The Princess's Notebook

Zhao Feiran's actions caught the attention of Lord Qiu. He winked at Lord Yang beside him. Seeing Lord Yang looking at him, he raised his hand and made a two. The implication was that he was betting that the prince could survive two days this time.

Lord Yang looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so he raised his hand and made a five sign. At least five days.

Lord Qiu didn't believe it. He had come here several times before. Except for the time when Shiqi Niang deliberately didn't see Zhao Feiran, when could their highness last more than three days? Now that the Crown Princess had come carefully, there was no need to wait any longer.

It must be two days, no doubt about it.

Just as the two of them were arguing fiercely, Zhao Feiran suddenly said, "Master Qiu, what does the Ministry of Revenue say about Jiannan's money? How much has been raised?"

Mr. Qiu: ...

Without waiting for Lord Qiu to start his official speech, Zhao Feiran suddenly asked Lord Yang, "How is the defense for the Jinming Lake martial arts performance? Who has been selected?"

Lord Yang: ...

Then, Zhao Feiran asked everyone in the Zhanshi Mansion, some about big things, some about small things, some about trivial things, some about inexplicable things... Everyone in the Zhanshi Mansion answered well, admitted their mistakes sincerely, and hoped for forgiveness. After Zhao Feiran asked a circle, he felt even more aggrieved. He had no way to express himself, so he stood up and paced back and forth, making people dizzy.

Seeing that there was nothing they could do, everyone looked out the window at Eunuch Song, who was still standing there with the food box in his hand.

Lord Qiu relied on his own bones and said, "Your Highness, we have been discussing matters for so long. I am old and frail and can't stand it any longer. I am hungry. Can someone send me some food?"

Zhao Feiran knew what he meant and wanted to refuse, but when he saw the white hair at Mr. Qiu's temples, he swallowed the words back.

He called out to the outside, "Go ask the dining department if they have any snacks ready to go. Send some over." After giving the order, he turned to the people in the Zhanshi Mansion and said, "That's all for today. Anyone who doesn't have anything important to do can go home."

Who dares to leave when hearing this? They all seized the opportunity and worked quickly.

After a while, the eunuch who went to the dining hall to get snacks came back, not only with various snacks and tea in his hands, but also with Song Dajian behind him. The eunuch distributed snacks and poured tea to Mr. Qiu and others, while Song Dajian, as if he had received Zhao Feiran's permission, walked straight up to him, opened the food box, took out the snacks and placed them on the table.

After putting down a plate of dim sum, Song Dajian's hands were shaking a little. He tilted his head to look at the dim sum in front of the adults. They were exactly the same. Thinking that the Crown Princess was apologizing after all, she would not be so useless as to not have any effort at all, Song Dajian gritted his teeth and took down a bowl and plate.

One, two, three...all without any difference.

Eunuch Song was dumbfounded and didn't dare to speak.

Zhao Feiran saw everything and asked, "Who gave you the lunch box?"

Song Dajian's legs were shaking. "This was specially made for Your Highness by the order of the Crown Princess."

Zhao Feiran looked at Song Dajian, ignoring everyone's gaze, "Oh? So, their snacks were also prepared by the catering department at the order of the Crown Princess."

A lie needs multiple lies to verify it. Song Dajian just continued, "Your Highness may not know that the Crown Princess has not had any free time since she came back from Zhengyang Palace today. She should have sent someone to the dining hall in the afternoon to watch them do it."

As he spoke, Eunuch Song prayed in his heart: Those little eunuchs outside, no matter whether they are useful or not, please pass on the message quickly!
Zhao Feiran was so angry that he laughed out loud when he heard this, "Grand Eunuch, are you the internal supervisor of my Eastern Palace? Remember your identity and don't go to Cheng'en Palace to collect your salary."

"Your Highness is joking. The East Palace is your place. Cheng'en Palace is also your place."

Only Song Dajian, who had followed Zhao Feiran for many years, dared to say this. If it were someone else, he would be scolded at best and beaten with a stick at worst.

Even though Zhao Feiran didn't care about gossip, it was not good to talk too much about such private secrets. He was angry and didn't want to go back or see Shiqi Niang, so he dragged a few young men from the Zhanshi Mansion to stay up all night to fight.

Around the second watch, there was really nothing important to do, so Zhao Feiran settled everything and returned to Tianguang Palace.

Just after passing Tianming Gate and before reaching Tianguang Hall, he saw someone standing in the corridor. The palace lanterns quietly emitted light, which fell on her lonely figure, casting a dim shadow. Under the shadows, there were just two people. Zhao Feiran looked at them and felt a sense of desolation.

Taking a step forward, I saw a water-red skirt sprinkled with gold, which was spacious and breathable, swaying slightly in the night breeze.

I don’t know if she caught a cold.

Suddenly, the young lady seemed to see Zhao Feiran, turned around and walked towards him, smiling brightly, "Your Highness, it's so late."

The man's heart skipped a beat and he wanted to take two steps towards her, but thinking of the slap he received last night, he stood still.

Shiqi Niang walked up to him and looked up at him, her eyes shining like stars, as eternal as the mountains and rivers.

"Your Highness, it's so late, have you had supper?"

Zhao Feiran choked and said nothing.

"If not, can I make some food for Your Highness?"

Zhao Feiran: How can this sneaky and cunning young lady cheat again?
She didn't care how he would react and grabbed his hand. "Let's go to the dining hall. I'll ask them to prepare some food for dinner this afternoon. I don't know if anyone is available right now. Your Highness, I'm not a good cook. Please don't look down on me. Well, that's not right. Not only should you not look down on me, you should also praise me..."

The young lady kept chattering.

He angrily scolded himself for being useless and being easily manipulated, but he walked towards the dining room with Shiqi Niang without hesitation. As they walked, his eyes were always on the young lady's profile. He saw her lips slightly open, her hair fluttering, and her pearl earrings, which radiated a moist and shiny glow in the dark night.

For a moment, he wondered if this Dongzhu was the Dongzhu that he had given away and then had been returned to him?
Perhaps noticing his gaze, Shiqi Niang did not even turn her head and asked, "Does it look good?"

Knowing that he couldn't say anything nice right now, Shiqi Niang didn't expect to hear anything. "I'll ask the Chief of Architects to pierce the Dongzhu in the box. Does it look good?"

Speaking of this, Zhao Feiran became angry again.

It was the first time he gave something to a young lady, but he didn't expect it to be returned. He was so embarrassed. Now that Shiqi Niang asked again, there was nothing nice to say. He couldn't help but say, "With your appearance, if you walk around Kyoto, your Dongzhu will lose its value tomorrow!"

Shiqi Niang paused, endured it, and advised herself to relax and not to bother with him.

Unexpectedly, he said, "Why, I was right, wasn't I? You, a heartless little girl, still care about me?"

"Your Highness, what are you talking about? As the Crown Princess, isn't it natural for me to care about Your Highness?"

Shiqi Niang suppressed the anger surging in her heart and spoke kindly.

Zhao Feiran sneered, "Humph, you still remember that you are the Crown Princess? You are awesome! If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you were some ignorant young lady!"

Shiqi Niang released Zhao Feiran's hand and looked around. She found that they were in a corridor. It was not connected in all directions, but it was also accessible. Shiqi didn't want to argue in such a place, "Your Highness, let's go to the dining hall. I'll make you some snacks, okay?"

The man snorted, "Why, you only realized something was wrong now? Did a dog eat your brain when you did it last night?!"

After hearing this, Shiqi Niang could no longer bear it, "Do you really want others to laugh at you?"

"Not to mention the entire Eastern Palace, even the entire Imperial City, who dares to laugh at me!"

"You idiot! They don't dare? Yes, they don't dare. They don't dare because of your status, not because of anything else. If you want to quarrel here, I am from a small family, and I can't lose face like you!"

Zhao Feiran was just in a bad mood, worried about his lack of success, worried that Shiqi Niang didn't understand him, and had a bad habit, but he didn't really want to quarrel.

"You are now the Crown Princess, but you still think of yourself as a young girl waiting to be married!"

Shiqi Niang glanced at him sideways, thinking he was an idiot with no sense of shame.

"You want to eat it or not!"

There was a huge half step here. Zhao Feiran thought about Shiqi Niang's temper and didn't want to make any more moves, so he didn't dare to gamble anymore. He stiffened his neck and said:
"Who said not to eat anymore!"

After half an incense stick of time, the two of them awkwardly entered the dining room. Because of Shiqi Niang's instructions, although there was no one in the dining room, it had not been locked, and a large pot inside was still emitting steam. The steam was rising, like a cloud of mist.

Shiqi Niang had already stepped one foot in, and when she turned around to look for the key, she saw Zhao Feiran standing far away at the doorway of the outer courtyard.

"What are you doing there?"

"A filthy place."

"My young master, my highness, everything you eat every day, whether it's fruits and snacks or candied dates and rice soup, all comes from here! Now that you are here, you still despise it. Your highness, go and breathe the wind and drink the dew. Only ordinary people like us are worthy of offering sacrifices to the five internal organs."

Zhao Feiran was furious and rushed over to talk. Unexpectedly, Shiqi Niang came out angrily and pulled his sleeve to the inner room. His steps were not very firm to begin with, so he was no match for Shiqi Niang. In no time, he was pushed into the kitchen.

Shiqi Niang: "Look, you're coming in, aren't you?"

Zhao Feiran: ...

After settling Zhao Feiran, Shiqi Niang didn't expect him to help her, so she ignored him and started working in the kitchen. She originally asked the food department to prepare some simple pastry dough, such as crispy biscuits and glutinous rice dumplings. But when she saw the chopping board full of dough, meat filling, rose filling, and various unnamed fillings, her hands were shaking and she was a little confused.

How are these things made into shortbread?

Looking left and right, cutting back and forth, Shiqi Niang had no clue.

"Don't you know how to do it?" Zhao Feiran's question suddenly came from behind him.

Shiqi Niang was startled, as if she had been exposed, and suddenly turned around. She saw that this man had suddenly appeared behind her, and with his slender figure, he lowered his head to look at the chopping board. In the candlelight reflected in his eyes, Shiqi Niang could see that he was watching a play.

"What can I not do? Besides, I ordered all of this to be prepared by the catering department. I am a person who plans before taking action."

Zhao Feiran obviously didn't believe it, and pointed at the various objects on the table and asked, "What is this?"

"Face."

"What about that one?"

"Red bean paste."

"And that one?"

Seventeenth Lady: ...

"Oh, it seems you really don't know."

"You are such a jerk that you don't know the difference between grains. That's chopped green onion!"

Zhao Feiran: ...

(End of this chapter)