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

A hot pot feast filled with the smell of dog food (a Chinese slang term for public displays of affection) finally came to an end in an extremely bizarre atmosphere.

Xie Zhao and Lu Chengyuan felt so full they could barely walk. Not because they ate too much, but because they'd had too much dog food (a Chinese slang term for public displays of affection).

They watched as their own Crown Prince, who had always been aloof, noble, and otherworldly, now acted like a spoiled and arrogant young wife, contentedly enjoying the food provided by the concubine.

The scene was so beautiful that they dared not look at it.

The two made up an excuse and scrambled away from Tinglan Water Pavilion, a scene of extreme public displays of affection.

Ye Feng ate to his heart's content, growing more and more satisfied with his future brother-in-law. Although he appeared cold, the way he looked at his sister was undeniable, filled with doting affection and tenderness.

He knew that his sister was doing well in the palace.

He wisely refrained from lingering. He still needed to go to the palace to report back to the Emperor, and incidentally, present the precious prescriptions he had obtained from his sister.

He believed that these things would surely please the Emperor.

Soon, the bustling Tinglan Water Pavilion was left with only Ye An'an and Xiao Jingshi.

The maids quickly and efficiently cleaned up the messy stone table, and brewed a new pot of Pu'er tea to aid digestion and cut through the greasiness.

Then, at Ye An'an's signal, everyone quietly withdrew.

In the entire courtyard, only the two of them remained, along with a bright, clear moon.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

With no one else present, the air began to subtly fill with the atmosphere of a long-awaited reunion, tinged with a hint of ambiguity and tension.

Ye An'an's heart, for no apparent reason, began to pound wildly again.

She didn't dare look at Xiao Jingshi, but kept her head down, pretending to be focused on pouring him tea.

Xiao Jingshi remained silent, looking at her lowered eyes, her small, fair earlobes that appeared exceptionally delicate in the moonlight, and her Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously.

He had a lot to say.

I want to thank her for everything she prepared for him.

I wanted to tell her how many people her methods had saved in Jiangnan and how much she had contributed.

He wanted to tell her that he missed her very much.

But when the words came to my lips, I felt that whatever I said would sound rather pale.

"Um..." Finally, Ye An'an broke the silence first. She pushed a cup of tea in front of him and asked, trying to make conversation, "Are you... are you settling in well in Jiangnan? You're... you're not sick, are you?"

"No," Xiao Jingshi's voice was a little hoarse. "Everything you gave me was very useful."

"That's good." Ye An'an breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, silence again.

An awkward silence.

Ye An'an felt like she was suffocating. How come she hadn't realized before that being alone with this man was so stressful?

She racked her brains trying to find a topic to talk about.

"Oh, right," she suddenly remembered something, "I...I recently developed a new dessert! It's called bubble tea, and it's incredibly delicious! Father, Mother, and my seventh and ninth brothers all love it! Shall I make it for you to try tomorrow?"

As soon as she started talking about food, most of her tension vanished instantly, and her eyes began to sparkle with that familiar light again.

Seeing her radiant appearance, Xiao Jingshi's initial nervousness subsided.

He liked seeing her like this.

"Okay." He nodded, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"And another thing, Wenxianglai recently launched a new product called Braised Chicken Feet, and it's selling like hotcakes! All the wealthy ladies in Beijing are going crazy for it! We've made a fortune!"

"Um."

"By the way, before you left last time, didn't I give you a letter? Did you... read it?" Ye An'an finally asked the question she cared about most.

"I've seen it." Xiao Jingshi's expression instantly became serious and solemn.

He looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "An'an, thank you."

"Without your letter, without the methods in your letter, Jiangzhou would have long been a living hell. I... might not have been able to return unscathed."

"You deserve the top credit for your contribution to the fight against the epidemic in Jiangnan this time."

This is the second time he has said this.

The first time was in a letter.

This time, I said it to her face in person.

That solemn tone and that grateful look made Ye An'an's heart tremble violently.

She felt that everything she had done had been rewarded in the best way at this moment.

"We're... husband and wife," she muttered softly, her head lowered, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably.

The word "husband and wife" felt like a feather, gently scratching at Xiao Jingshi's heart.

This stirred ripples once again in his heart, which had been calm for over twenty years.

Looking at her shy appearance and her pink cheeks in the moonlight, he suddenly felt an unprecedented surge of emotion.

He thought, "I want to kiss her."

Just then, a night breeze blew by, carrying a hint of coolness.

Ye An'an, wearing a thin ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), couldn't help but shiver.

Xiao Jingshi immediately came to his senses. He stood up, took off his outer robe, and without saying a word, draped it over her shoulders.

His outer robe still carried the cool, pleasant scent of pine and the warmth of his body.

Ye An'an was instantly enveloped by that aura, and felt her heart skip a beat.

"It's late, and it's chilly outside." Xiao Jingshi's voice rang out above her head, carrying an undeniable gentleness. "Let's go back inside."

"Oh... okay." Ye An'an's mind went blank, and she could only nod subconsciously.

Then she felt her hand being held by a warm, dry, large hand.

He took her hand and led her toward the room.

Ye An'an's steps were somewhat unsteady; she felt as if she were walking on clouds.

Looking at his broad back and their clasped hands, a thought suddenly popped into her mind, making her blush and her heart race.

He...he's going to...

Do you want to stay?

When Xiao Jingshi actually pulled her into her bedroom and dismissed Fuyun and Chenzhu,

Ye An'an knew that she had guessed correctly.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

The candlelight flickered, creating an atmosphere that was extremely ambiguous.

"Um...Your Highness," Ye An'an said nervously, her palms sweating, "you...you're staying here tonight?"

"Hmm." Xiao Jingshi nodded, but his expression looked unnatural, and his eyes were even somewhat unfocused, as he dared not look at her.

"That...that bed..." Ye An'an looked at the not-so-large canopy bed in the room, feeling like her tongue was about to tie itself in knots, "There's only one bed..."

"I...I know." Xiao Jingshi's voice was also somewhat hoarse.

For the first time in his twenty-one years of life, he was alone in a room with a woman.

He found that his pride in his composure and calmness seemed to have completely failed him at this moment.

He was also very nervous.

I was so nervous that I didn't know where to put my hands.