Chapter 71 (This is a title or heading, not part of the main text.)

After the thought was uttered, the two of them were both stunned for a moment.

The atmosphere around them seemed to freeze for a moment. It took Yun Kui a while to realize that she had committed another heinous crime punishable by death.

Not only did she address the Crown Prince by his full name, but she also gave him the air of an empress... It's as if she knows His Highness the Crown Prince loves to eat, and she really thinks she's a dish!

"Help, help me..."

The little girl immediately fell silent, banging her head against his thigh, tears welling up in her eyes: "Your Highness, I... I didn't mean to offend Your Highness's name..."

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth inwardly: "Not intentional? I think you're incredibly audacious!"

He hadn't heard his own name in a long time.

No one has ever dared to offend the crown prince of a country in this way.

Emperor Chunming had called him that in his early years, but was intimidated by his cold gaze. Perhaps feeling guilty, he later simply called him "Crown Prince" and never dared to refer to himself as emperor or even uncle in front of him.

Over the years, only a group of assassins dared to call him by his full name; no one had ever dared to address him by his full name.

With teary eyes, Yun Kui raised her head, obediently offering her neck for punishment: "Your Highness, punish me however you like... If all else fails, Your Highness can choose any of the positions on the shop's prized possessions!"

Crown Prince: "..."

Yun Kui soon paid a heavy price for her impulsive act.

“A spirited young marquis, a dashing scholar, a cold-on-the-outside-but-warm-on-the-inside general…” The crown prince nibbled at the delicate earlobe and asked in a deep voice, “If you had to choose one, who would you choose?”

Yun Kui trembled all over from his hot breath. She had only thought for a moment before he pulled her roughly in front of him.

Tears streamed down her face from the impact, and she immediately cried out in a trembling voice, "I choose... I choose the Great General..."

The prince gritted his teeth, his movements below continuing: "Wrong, think again."

Yun Kui kept banging her head against the headboard, only to be pulled back by him to continue. She clenched her fingers tightly, her whole body trembling, and could only give a half-hearted answer: "Then...Young Marquis?"

The crown prince glared hatefully at the woman beneath him. She was genuinely pondering the situation. If given the choice, she would find it even harder to decide than the women in those stories. If left unchecked, she would probably accept ten or eight more men with half-hearted resistance.

He slowly withdrew, looking at her flushed and moist eyes and slightly parted lips, he felt his blood rush to his head and his chest ache, wishing he could tear her apart and devour her.

Yun Kui noticed that he had slowly stopped, but had not completely withdrawn. He was still stuck in the shallows, neither rising nor falling, which was the most unbearable. She subconsciously stepped on his back, trying to make him sink a little, but he lowered his head and bit her lower lip hard.

She whimpered in pain, her mind clearing slightly, and realized that she hadn't quite figured it out.

He asked this because he wanted to hear her say that she only liked His Highness the Crown Prince, and that no one else could catch her eye! How could she be so confused as to actually start a fight!

Yun Kui looked up and met the man's deep scrutiny, and said guiltily, "I...I was wrong, but you shouldn't always set traps for me and deliberately make me answer wrong..."

The crown prince twitched his lips.

Sometimes I even find myself ridiculous.

Knowing full well the consequences of the late emperor's dwindling offspring on the country, he never considered favoring anyone else; for so many years, his heart was set on this one stubborn rock.

He wanted to give her a title, but she dared not accept it. He spent a fortune on her, but she planned to leave the palace and settle down. He promised her the title of "Lady" and even gave her the thumb ring that represented her status and power. He satisfied her every need in bed, and even let her see the gold chain from the brothel. He protected her in every way and tried his best to give her everything, but in the end, she was still torn between the general and the marquis, and never regarded him as her first priority.

There's a sense of powerlessness, as if all efforts are in vain, like talking to a brick wall or casting pearls before swine.

Ultimately, she didn't like him that much at all.

She once said that she only glanced at everyone and didn't take them to heart. Was she special to him? No, she could use a thousand sweet words to coax him and appease him.

If Li Meng were to present her with real gold and silver today, she would happily rush over and say she likes it.

Even if he could force her to repeatedly promise in bed that she was not allowed to like anyone, it was ultimately just self-deception.

Besides, she now has a father who is the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had two commanders, one in charge of administrative duties such as managing files and collecting intelligence, and the other in charge of military duties, including training soldiers, farming, arresting and apprehending criminals. They had thousands of households and hundreds of households under their command.

Let alone a lowly guard like Li Meng, even the commander of the honor guard she always mentioned could be found among hundreds of men of similar caliber in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He could imagine how happy she would be if hundreds of broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, tall and muscular men stood in front of her.

I'll probably forget about him completely in the blink of an eye.

What she wanted was never power or status. With her father around, it would have been incredibly easy for her to marry a handsome guard and have a peaceful little family.

The Crown Prince stared at her silently for a long time, then suddenly asked, "If you had a loving family outside the palace, and I were to let you leave now to reunite with them, would you pack your bags and leave immediately?"

"family?"

Yun Kui didn't understand what he meant.

"Is he testing whether I want to leave the palace, or has he discovered clues about Father, and that Father is still alive?"

The prince's thin lips twitched slightly.

When she talked about leaving the palace, her eyes lit up. When she mentioned her family, she was actually curious. In all her heartfelt words, she didn't mention him at all. What else could he be hoping for?

He turned away with a cold face, called someone in to help her tidy up, and left the bedroom without looking back.

Leaving halfway through a task was a first for Yun Kui. She stared blankly at his retreating figure, recalling her earlier thoughts. She hadn't said anything disrespectful, had she? He was the one who asked about her family, and she only followed suit. So why was she unhappy this time...?

After much thought, I realized it was this storybook that caused the trouble!

Don't tell me you think she also wants one woman and three men! Just now in bed, I asked her who she wanted to choose, and she didn't get the answer she wanted, so she's probably just jealous to death!

She was about to get up and chase after him to ask, but her lower body was so sore and her legs were trembling slightly, making it difficult for her to even stand, so she had to give up.

The next morning, Yun Kui tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She got up and went to the garden to pick some fresh peach blossoms, intending to make him peach blossom pastries as an apology.

Grinding the petals crushed into mud in the stone mortar, Yun Kui looked at them more and more like herself last night, being ground back and forth with a pestle and pestle, almost having every last drop of juice squeezed out.

In the end, the person still left with a cold face.

Indeed, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

She wasn't very skilled at crafts, and it took her half a day to make a decent basket of peach blossom pastries to send to Chongming Palace.

Cao Yuanlu stood under the corridor, and his pupils widened slightly when he saw her. He hadn't expected the young lady to come at this time.

The people from Shanda are still inside!

“Miss, His Highness is inside discussing matters with someone, why don’t you…”

Yun Kui immediately said, "I'll wait for him here."

Cao Yuanlu was also in a dilemma. His Highness had not said when the father and daughter would be able to recognize each other. Perhaps he had his own considerations, or perhaps there were still some clues that needed to be verified. As a servant, he dared not tell the girl the truth rashly.

Yun Kui whispered, "Eunuch Cao, I offended His Highness yesterday, and he's still angry with me."

Cao Yuanlu recalled that the two of them had been inseparable the night before, and he had even heard quite a commotion in the corridor. However, he never expected that His Highness would go to the study with a sullen face in the middle of the night.

Even after court today, His Highness's face remained cold, and his eyes were filled with gloom, causing the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to fall silent, not daring to even breathe.

Thinking of this, Cao Yuanlu couldn't help but shudder. "This servant dares to ask, what have you been doing?"

Yun Kui couldn't possibly say that she had upset him because she had read a novel about one woman and three men.

Seeing her frowning face, Cao Yuanlu sighed softly, "Our prince has a bit of a temper..."

Yun Kui hurriedly replied, "No, no."

She was very open-minded. Nobody's perfect. Since she had enjoyed his unparalleled beauty and received his support and protection, she could only obediently accept his unpredictable moods and petty nature.

Cao Yuanlu said, "However, His Highness loves you dearly and won't really be angry with you. You are the only one by His Highness's side now, so you should try your best to coax him."

He took the peach blossom pastry from her hand. "This servant will take this pastry in for you. His Highness understands your feelings and will gradually calm down. If that doesn't work, you can think of another way."

Yun Kui could only nod, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Cao."

Inside the Chongming Hall, officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the newly appointed officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were discussing matters. Sheng Yu also came directly over after court.

Unlike some ministers who served the Crown Prince and had to maintain a distance from him to avoid arousing Emperor Chunming's suspicion, he was a military general valued by the late emperor and was now recommended by the Crown Prince to take up his post in the capital. In everyone's eyes, he was already a member of the Crown Prince's camp and no longer needed to hide his stance.

Cao Yuanlu carried the snacks into the hall and gently placed them on the table in front of the Crown Prince.

The prince glanced at it coldly, saw the wrinkled crust, and looked away after just one look.

Cao Yuanlu: "This is..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Crown Prince interrupted, "Take it away, I won't eat it."

Cao Yuanlu was still hesitating when he heard the Crown Prince say, "Never mind, let's leave it for now."

Knowing to offer flattery is a step forward.

As for these peach blossom pastries, they are far from exquisite, but they are still much better than those oddly shaped milk-tip steamed buns.

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then looked at Sheng Yu sitting below him and raised his finger: "General Sheng, would you like to try some of the snacks from my palace?"

Sheng Yu disliked sweets, but seeing that Cao Yuanlu had already brought out the pastries, he could only bow in gratitude and take one out to taste.

Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince followed up with, "How does it taste?"

Sheng Yu felt that the taste was too sweet and the appearance was also unremarkable. He had seen delicacies at the imperial banquet before and did not find this pastry special. It was not even as exquisite and beautiful as the peach blossom pastries made by street vendors in Pengcheng. Is this the standard of the Eastern Palace kitchen now?

However, he didn't reveal his true thoughts aloud. He slowly finished the pastry in his mouth and said with a faint smile, "Not bad."

The Crown Prince looked at him with a half-smile, "If General Sheng likes it, that's good."

Cao Yuanlu had a beaming smile on his face.

"This was made by your own daughter! If you find out in the future that she made these desserts herself, you'll probably regret not finishing them all today."

The ministers sitting below breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the Crown Prince's expression seemed to have softened.

"His Highness the Crown Prince still values ​​Magistrate Sheng highly."

"In the past, when Chongming Palace served snacks, we never got any. I never expected that Lord Sheng would be able to eat His Highness's snacks as soon as he arrived."

"The kitchen is really stingy, always making just a small dish. Can't they make more so we can have a taste?"

The Crown Prince glanced at them coolly, and the crowd, puzzled, tensed up again after just relaxing.

Meanwhile, Yun Kui returned to Chengguang Palace and ordered someone to retrieve the snow-white silk she had bought in Pingzhou from the warehouse, intending to make two nightgowns for the Crown Prince as an apology.

As the weather gradually warms up, the snow-white satin material, being light and thin, will soon be available for use.

She rummaged through the chests and cupboards, intending to find an old piece of clothing belonging to the prince for reference, but unexpectedly discovered a brocade box containing a gold chain.

The image of that night in Pingzhou Prefecture flashed through my mind: the crisscrossing gold chains that outlined his strong, powerful muscles, making my blood boil.

He also said, "Let her try it too..."

Yun Kui swallowed hard. She had never worn it before, and actually... she wasn't that resistant to it.

It's meant to be worn by both men and women, and besides, it costs three hundred taels of silver. It would be such a waste to wear it only once! She'd just have to go through the trouble and satisfy him one more time!