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

The group arrived at a post station at dusk.

The inn was quite large and looked clean. After days of traveling, everyone was exhausted and just wanted to eat as soon as possible and get some rest.

The dinner prepared by the postmaster was the same old three dishes: rough flatbread, bland vegetable soup, and a dish of dark, salty vegetables.

Xie Zhao and Lu Chengyuan looked at the food on the table, too exhausted even to sigh. Resigned, they picked up the pancakes, preparing to endure this "tasteless" torture once again.

Just then, a delicate fragrance wafted in from the doorway.

Liu Ruyan changed into a moon-white long dress, and her hair was restyled and adorned with a simple jade hairpin, making her look elegant and refined. She walked lightly into the main hall, supported by her maid.

She didn't look at anyone else; her gaze fell directly on Xiao Jingshi, who was sitting in the main seat, drinking water from his teacup.

"This humble woman greets my benefactor." She bowed again, her voice so gentle it could melt water.

Xie Zhao's eyes lit up as soon as he saw her, and he quickly greeted her, "Miss Liu, please have a seat. You've come at the perfect time; we were just about to prepare our meal."

Liu Ruyan gave him a reserved nod, as if to greet him. Then, she had her maid place an exquisite food box she was carrying on the table.

"My benefactor and all the soldiers, you must be exhausted from your journey. The food at the post station is coarse and simple, and I'm afraid it's hard to swallow." As she spoke, she opened the food box, and a fragrance mixed with the scent of osmanthus and a sweet aroma instantly filled the air.

Inside the food box were plates of exquisitely made pastries.

There were crystal-clear osmanthus cakes, pure white lotus seed cakes, and mung bean rolls shaped like various flowers. Each piece was small and exquisite, like a work of art, a feast for the eyes just to look at.

"These are all homemade snacks that I eat myself. They may not be as fancy as delicacies, but they are a token of my appreciation. I hope you and my benefactors will not find them too cheap." As she spoke, she picked up the most beautiful plate of osmanthus cakes and gracefully walked to Xiao Jingshi, presenting them to him with both hands.

"My benefactor, please have some." Her voice carried a hint of shyness and anticipation.

Xie Zhao watched from the side, his eyes wide with amazement.

My goodness, this Miss Liu is not only beautiful, but also so skillful. She's a perfect wife and mother, capable in both the living room and the kitchen!

He looked again at the hard pancake in his hand, which was so hard it could kill someone, and suddenly felt that the pancake was even more unpalatable.

Xiao Jingshi looked at the excessively exquisite osmanthus cake in front of him and frowned almost imperceptibly.

He is a germaphobe, dislikes overly sweet things, and even more so, dislikes this kind of ingratiating behavior with an obvious ulterior motive.

However, since the other party was a woman, he couldn't directly embarrass her in front of so many people.

He reached out and picked up a piece from the plate.

The osmanthus cake was cool to the touch, but had a delicate texture. He put it to his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then took a small bite.

sweet.

It is too sweet.

A cloyingly sweet taste, mixed with an overpowering, pungent aroma of osmanthus fragrance, instantly filled his mouth. The pastry was also rather dry, and it even felt a little choking when he swallowed it.

Xiao Jingshi's brows furrowed completely.

That's it?

How dare you show off something like this?

The images of the pastries Ye An'an made instantly flashed into his mind.

Her mung bean cakes are sweet, smooth, and melt in your mouth, with a subtle mung bean fragrance. You can eat as many as you want without getting tired of them.

The egg tarts she makes have a crispy crust and a smooth filling, with the aroma of milk and eggs perfectly blended. They are so delicious that you'll want to swallow your tongue.

She can even make something called "Snow Mochi," which is white, plump, soft, and chewy, filled with sweet cream and fruit, and is refreshingly cool and delicious.

Compared to what Ye An'an made, this so-called "exquisite pastry" in front of me is simply... garbage.

Xiao Jingshi couldn't eat a second bite. Expressionless, he put the remaining half of the osmanthus cake back onto the plate.

Liu Ruyan's smile froze.

"My benefactor...is it...not to your liking?" She was somewhat incredulous. She had always been extremely confident in the pastries she made. Countless noblemen in the capital would gladly pay any price for a single piece of her pastry.

Xiao Jingshi did not answer her. He picked up the teacup, took a big gulp, and tried to wash away the sweet taste in his mouth.

Then, he pushed the plate of osmanthus cake, which was still mostly empty, directly in front of Xie Zhao.

"You like it, don't you? I've given it all to you," he said casually.

"Ah? Oh! Okay, okay!" Xie Zhao was flattered and quickly took the plate.

He figured that His Highness must have been too embarrassed to eat too much in front of the beauty, so he gave it to him.

He picked up a piece and, imitating Xiao Jingshi's manner, took a bite.

The next second, the expression on his face also became somewhat strange.

It's so sweet, way too sweet. And it's dry and not tasty at all.

He remembered the braised dishes from "Wenxianglai," the mushroom and meat sauce made by the Crown Prince's concubine, and the chewy beef jerky...

Without comparison, there is no harm.

After tasting the "divine delicacies" made by Ye An'an, these fancy but impractical pastries no longer held any appeal for him.

He swallowed the pastry in his mouth with difficulty, then smiled awkwardly and pushed the plate aside.

"Um... Miss Liu, thank you for your kindness. But... but we rough men are used to the dry rations of the army, and we really... really can't appreciate such refined things." He came up with a lame excuse.

Lu Chengyuan didn't touch his chopsticks at all from beginning to end. He just quietly drank his vegetable soup, as if the exquisite pastries on the table didn't exist at all.

Liu Ruyan was completely dumbfounded by the bizarre scene.

Her pride and her invincible "beauty" and "talent" seemed to have both failed at this moment.

She couldn't understand why these three people would rather eat those coarse foods that looked unpalatable than even glance at the exquisite pastries she had made herself, which represented her heartfelt sentiments.

Why is that?

Looking at the man in the main seat who hadn't even glanced at her the entire time, she felt a surge of intense frustration and...resentment for the first time.

She refused to believe that, given her qualities, she couldn't win over this man!