The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yi immediately suspected that the two women's names were fake, or more likely code names.

They are very wary of themselves.

Zhu Yi tried to interpret it as, "Do they think I am in a precarious situation and cannot give them the freedom they want, so they will not confide in me?"

"Where is this?" Zhu Yi asked.

Both women shook their heads in unison this time.

Zhu Yi's brow furrowed with wariness: "You say you were sold from Suzhou, but you don't even know where you were sold to?"

The older sister, Xiaotang, said, "When we left, we traveled by boat with Mother for several days before we arrived."

"A ship, right? Is it a very large iron ship? Are there other passengers? Is it at least several meters tall?" Zhu Yi seemed to have found a breakthrough in the problem.

Xiao Tang looked a little confused. This time, her younger sister Xiao Mei said in a very nasal voice, "It's a wooden boat. Under the boat's canopy, you eat and sleep inside. There's no one else but the boatman."

Zhu Yi almost broke down after hearing this.

So these two girls are just messing with me? What era is this? Passenger transport on the Yangtze River is still done by wooden boats?

These two young actresses are truly gifted; their performances are absolutely Oscar-worthy!

I thought you were victims, trying to save the Er sisters from their plight, but it turns out you're just actors hired by the investors, playing Truman Show with me, huh?

"Really? What year is it now?" Zhu Yi continued to ask.

The two women continued to shake their heads.

Zhu Yi completely lost trust in the two women. Even if they knew very little about the world, they didn't even know what year or month it was. Even if they were maids, they couldn't just live such ignorant lives, could they?

He said coldly, "I'm going to eat. You all serve me. I'll eat, and you can watch!"

"Yes."

The two women didn't seem to find anything wrong with it. They first bowed slightly, then stretched out their arms, clasped their hands in front of them, and respectfully took two steps back.

Zhu Yi picked up his chopsticks, but his eyes kept glancing at the two women out of the corner of his eye.

I was wondering to myself, where did they find this young actor? Did he take some professional classes? He's so dedicated!

……

……

Dinner begins.

Zhu Yi ate normally, and he didn't seem to be afraid that the other party would tamper with his food.

I'm completely under their control. Better to live than die. I'll keep my life and see what they're up to.

Halfway through the meal, he suddenly remembered that there were two other people standing next to him. He glanced over and saw that his younger sister, Xiaomei, was staring at Zhu Yi eating with such longing in her eyes that it was as if she hadn't eaten for days.

Is that really being so conscientious?

Zhu Yi picked up a piece of meat from the dish, held it in mid-air, and asked, "Want some?"

Even though Xiaomei was very envious, she didn't dare to say anything.

Zhu Yi flicked his hand, loosened his chopsticks, and the small piece of pork fell directly to the ground.

The ground was just ordinary mud; the slices of meat rolled around on it, essentially dipping them in sauce in the dust.

"Oh dear, it fell on the ground. It's too dirty for me to eat. You guys pick it up and eat it." Zhu Yi looked over with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

You two are trying to act like your grandsons in front of me, aren't you? You're just making trouble for yourself, aren't you?

I'll show you what it means to counter every move.

Upon hearing this, Xiaomei rushed forward, picked up the meat from the ground, and immediately tried to stuff it into her mouth.

Xiao Tang, who was standing next to her, was also startled and hurriedly said, "No, you must wash it first."

"It's nothing." Xiao Mei's voice was very nasal, as if she had gone on stage while ill.

She simply wiped the meat on her clothes, not even letting the dust dry, and put it directly into her mouth. As she began to chew, a look of happiness and bliss appeared on her face.

Zhu Yi frowned and said, "You only care about yourself, don't you think about your sister?"

Xiao Mei was stunned for a moment, then looked at her sister with a pitiful look in her eyes, her eyes watery and adorable.

Then she opened her small mouth, adopting a "lure me in" posture, as if to say, "Sister, look, I've already started eating, how about we share half with you mouth to mouth?"

Xiao Tang pursed her lips, seemingly a little tempted, but said considerately, "It's a gift from Master, you can have it."

"Hmm." Xiaomei seemed to have received a partial pardon and continued to eat the meat with smacking sounds, as if she was reluctant to swallow it.

Zhu Yi also felt embarrassed; she had managed to make this small piece of meat taste like chewing gum.

Regarding this...

Zhu Yi couldn't find a better adjective than "You two are awesome" in his mind.

"Alright, I can't eat anymore, you guys can eat the rest." Zhu Yi didn't know if it was because he was being too merciful and couldn't bear to watch anymore, or if what was happening in front of him touched a chord deep within him.

Or rather, he felt trapped in a maze by a group of very professional people, making him lose his appetite for the food in front of him.

Xiao Tang said, "Master, this servant dares not eat. After I serve you, this servant will have some too."

"What do you usually eat?" Zhu Yi asked.

"Rice, but it's still in its husk," Xiaotang replied.

"Brown rice?" Zhu Yi frowned slightly.

He understood the dietary habits of the people of the Ming Dynasty. In the north, the main food was sorghum and wheat, while in the south, rice was the main food. However, ordinary people ate brown rice, which was rice with bran and husk.

Mainly due to the scarcity of tools such as stone mills, coupled with the labor costs, ordinary people found it difficult to finely husk brown rice. The cost of refined rice was extremely high, making it the exclusive domain of the wealthy and powerful, and it was practically unheard of by ordinary people.

"If I don't tell them, they won't know. Finish eating and get out of here," Zhu Yi said coldly. "That's an order! Hurry up and finish eating, then help me make the bed."

……

……

into the night.

In the dim candlelight, Zhu Yi leaned against the bed frame, feeling terrible.

He was reflecting on what he had experienced over the past few days.

I couldn't get it right.

The sisters next to them had already made up their makeshift beds... It was just a temporary frame less than a meter long made of two wooden crates. The crate lids were uneven, and only a thin blanket was laid on top.

It's only big enough for one person to sleep on, not to mention you can't stretch your legs out, it must be uncomfortable underneath.

"You sleep there?" Zhu Yi asked.

He was thinking, this young actor is dedicated, but it seems like he hasn't eaten anything special.

Xiao Tang said, "My sister and I will take turns serving you, Master."

"They're all asleep. Is there anything you need to serve them?" Zhu Yi asked in a probing tone.

Xiao Tang looked puzzled, but said very seriously, "Serve the master when he gets up at night, bring him tea, and serve him the chamber pot. If the master needs anything, just give the order."

Zhu Yi thought to himself, "This is truly the dregs of feudal society. Am I really that valuable? Do I need such a grand display?" Hearing this... why does it still make him feel a little itchy?

"One is sleeping there, and the other one?" Zhu Yi asked.

"I'll stay by your bedside," Xiao Tang said. "Your sister will keep watch the night before."

"I see. As long as you're happy."

Zhu Yi thought to himself, "What a mess. Even if we go through the whole thing, it'll be nighttime by then. Can't we just get rid of the actors first? We could just say we arranged sleeping quarters for them, and that wouldn't arouse much suspicion."

Or are you going to send two people to monitor me? So that I won't be able to sleep peacefully at night?

……

……

After the lights were turned off, Zhu Yi realized that the two sisters hadn't actually been sent to spy on him.

Because her older sister, Xiaotang, had fallen asleep on the wooden box early on.

Another one...

She slept very soundly.

Originally, the younger sister, Xiaomei, was sitting on a small stool by the bed, propping her head up with her hand, waiting to be told what to do.

But as time went by, all was quiet. There wasn't even the sound of insects chirping in the spring. Before long, Xiaomei was lying face up with her head propped up by her hand, panting heavily as if she were playing chess with the Duke of Zhou in her dreams.

Perhaps it was because she had caught a cold; snot bubbles were practically coming out of her nose.

Her tongue would occasionally stick out to lick her lips, as if the lingering lard on her lips tasted delicious. Or perhaps she was still having a sweet dream, for she had a faint, silly smile on her face even in her sleep.

They don't mind sleeping in different beds; they can sleep anywhere, even while sitting.

Zhu Yi was shocked!

This actor...

He can play any role convincingly! Even his sleeping scenes are so lifelike!

For the first time, Zhu Yi had the illusion that "this damn thing can't really be in the Ming Dynasty."