I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

On the official road leading to Jiangnan, a group of people were galloping at high speed.

Leading the group was none other than Crown Prince Xiao Jingshi. Dressed in a sleek outfit, he rode atop a magnificent black horse, his face stern and his gaze resolute.

Behind him followed Lu Chengyuan and Xie Zhao, also on horseback, as well as a squad of elite Eastern Palace guards.

In order to reach the disaster area as quickly as possible, they traveled day and night at breakneck speed.

It wasn't until evening that the group stopped at a post station for a short rest.

The post station was very basic. When the postmaster learned that His Highness the Crown Prince had arrived, he was extremely apprehensive and presented the best he could offer.

But it was nothing more than some rough pancakes and a pot of bland vegetable soup.

After days of travel, everyone was starving.

Xie Zhao picked up a hard, flatbread, took a bite, and almost broke his tooth.

"My God," he complained, his face contorted with grief, "is this even edible? What's the difference between it and a rock?"

He glanced at Lu Chengyuan, who was leisurely sipping his vegetable soup beside him: "Chengyuan, how did you swallow that?"

Lu Chengyuan shook his head helplessly: "When you're on the march, you should be grateful for anything to eat. Don't be picky."

"Sigh," Xie Zhao sighed, looking utterly dejected, "I miss the Empress's cooking so much right now. Forget about the hot pot or braised dishes, even her rice-mixing sauce—give me a jar now, and I could eat three big pieces of these stone cakes with it!"

What he said was unintentional, but what he listened to took to heart.

Xiao Jingshi, who had been silent all along, paused slightly when he heard the words "bibimbap sauce."

He glanced at Xie Zhao, who was frowning, and then at the untouched pancake in front of him. A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

He winked at the pavilion behind him.

Changting immediately understood and turned around to take a food box off the carriage.

As soon as the food box was opened, a rich, overpowering aroma of soy sauce instantly filled the humble inn.

Xie Zhao and Lu Chengyuan both twitched their noses at the same time, and then their gazes, as if drawn by a magnet, were fixed on the food box.

Inside the food box, a ceramic jar about half the height of a person lay quietly.

Changting stepped forward and opened the oil paper seal on the pottery jar.

"boom--"

The familiar, irresistible aroma of mushroom and meat sauce burst forth instantly, filling the entire room.

"I...my God!" Xie Zhao's eyes widened instantly. He rushed over, staring at the jar full of glistening, oily meat sauce, and stammered excitedly, "It's...it's the rice sauce that Her Majesty made! Your Highness, you...you actually brought it!"

Lu Chengyuan also stood up, his face filled with undisguised surprise.

Looking at their pathetic state, Xiao Jingshi felt a strange sense of superiority.

He cleared his throat and said calmly, "Sit down, everyone. Changting, give each of them a spoonful."

"A spoonful?" Xie Zhao's face immediately fell. "Your Highness, that's far too little! It's not even enough to fill a tooth gap!"

"It's good enough to have something to eat." Xiao Jingshi returned Xie Zhao's words verbatim.

Xie Zhao: "..."

Changting suppressed a laugh, took out a spoon, and carefully poured a spoonful of meat sauce onto the pancakes in front of Xie Zhao and Lu Chengyuan respectively.

The bright red sauce, poured over the dry, hard pancake, seemed to instantly give it new life.

Xie Zhao didn't have time to complain anymore. He picked up the pancake and took a big bite from the small part with sauce.

The next second, he froze, a blissful expression on his face.

good to eat!

too delicious!

The dry, hard flatbread, soaked in the mushroom and meat sauce, takes on a unique flavor. The rich, savory aroma perfectly balances the blandness of the flatbread, making it incredibly appetizing.

Lu Chengyuan also took a bite, and then showed a satisfied expression.

The two of them devoured the pancakes with sauce in front of them in no time.

However, there was only one spoonful of sauce, but there was still more than half a piece of pancake left.

The two looked at the remaining bare flatbread, then at the pottery jar full of meat sauce, and felt a pang of anxiety.

They exchanged a glance and saw the same thought in each other's eyes.

The next second, the two of them simultaneously reached out their hands, their target the earthenware pot in the center of the table.

"Xie Zhao! What are you doing! His Highness said only one spoonful is allowed!"

"You're one to talk! You reached your hand over too! I don't care, I'm having to have another spoonful today!"

"No way! If anyone's going to eat, I'll eat first!"

Two usually composed and dignified high-ranking officials of the imperial court were now behaving like two three-year-old children, almost coming to blows over a jar of sauce at the post station.

Xiao Jingshi held his teacup, observing coldly from the side, the smile on his lips impossible to hide.

He suddenly felt that this arduous journey seemed to...become interesting.

Just as Xie Zhao and Lu Chengyuan were arguing, Xiao Jingshi slowly spoke up.

"Long Pavilion".

"Your servant is here."

"Put the sauce away..."