Because there was nothing to do and the weather was getting hotter, fewer and fewer concubines came to pay their respects to the Cining Palace.

Concubine Zhen leaned against the chair, holding a book called Purple Fate Secret Realm in her hand, flipping through it quietly. Gu Yingxia sat on the coffee table with her chin supported, and the sound of flipping pages could be heard from time to time.

Gu Yingxia asked, "Mengjun, please put down your book and stay with me."

The virtuous concubine then put down the book, sat next to Gu Yingxia, took off her armor and peeled melon seeds for her.

Gu Yingxia's mouth was full and she was eating with relish.

"Meng Jun, tell me a story."

"What story do you want to hear?"

"Just the book you were reading."

The virtuous concubine then added fuel to the fire and told the story vividly.

"Once upon a time, a woodcutter was passing by a stream when his axe suddenly fell into the water."

"Then what?" Gu Yingxia asked.

"Then a river spirit jumped out of the river and asked, 'Young woodcutter, did you drop this golden axe or this silver axe?'"

The virtuous concubine came back to her senses and continued to tell the story, while Gu Yingxia listened attentively.

The woodcutter replied, “I dropped an iron axe, and the river spirit rewarded me for my honesty by giving me the golden axe.”

After listening to this, Gu Yingxia was thoughtful and deeply doubted the authenticity of the story.

The little fish answered innocently, "I want to be an honest person too."

Ah Qing asked, "Which river does the river spirit live in? The golden axe must be very heavy, and the silver axe must be heavy too. Plus, the woodcutter is carrying a bundle of firewood on his shoulders. A bundle of firewood plus three axes, how strong can he be?"

Gu Yingxia also expressed her opinion, "Impossible, the River Spirit simply cannot exist."

"If the river spirit gives away golden axes whenever it catches anyone, then the people in our palace will need support from the common people. We might as well just go directly to the river spirit and ask for gold."

The two of them talked louder and louder, and finally almost got into a quarrel.

At this time, the eldest prince came to give orchids to Concubine Xian. He glanced at the exquisite pastries on the table. Seeing that he looked hungry, Ah Qing took out some pastries for him to eat.

The eldest prince was enjoying the cakes and pastries with relish. After a cup of tea, he had eaten all the cakes on the table.

The eldest prince was eating by himself, completely unaware of the burning gazes of the two concubines Zhen and Xian.

As soon as their eyes met, they immediately understood each other's meaning.

Oh my God, oh my God, they made so many pastries, but no one was interested in buying them. Today they finally met someone who knew what they were making.

So the extinguished flames in the hearts of the two began to burn again.

The two regained their confidence and started researching new recipes.

Gu Yinwei was holding a letter in her hand. The letter from Xun He said that strange things were happening near the imperial mausoleum. The roars of wild beasts were heard inexplicably at night, and the mausoleum keepers around were all in panic.

Gu Yinwei planned to say goodbye to Zhu Dunyi and then go to the imperial mausoleum.

Before leaving, the two concubines Zhen and Xian came to ask Gu Yinwei to issue an order. They wanted two exit tokens so that they could leave the palace at any time.

"What are you doing outside the palace?"

"Mengjun and I are planning to open a shop and sell cakes, fruits, preserves, sweet tea, and other small items."

Gu Yinwei waved his hand and wrote a letter. When the letter was delivered to Zhu Dunyi, Zhu Dunyi came in person to deliver the token.

"Is the Queen Mother leaving the palace?"

"Xun He wrote to say something happened at the Imperial Mausoleum. I plan to take Chu Chu and Bian Tao to check it out. If the situation is really serious, I plan to stay near the Imperial Mausoleum first."

"Have a safe journey, Mother. If you need anything from me, please give me your instructions."

Gu Yinwei talked with Zhu Dunyi for a long time. The two concubines Zhenxian came to get the token. During the conversation between the four of them, Gu Yingxia inadvertently mentioned that the eldest prince loved the cakes they made.

Zhu Dunyi realized belatedly, "The eldest prince seems to have a different taste."

After listening to this, Gu Yinwei reminded Zhu Dunyi, "Find an imperial physician to check him out. He might have a problem with his sense of taste."

Zhu Dunyi seemed to be lost in thought, and seemed to agree with Gu Yinwei's words.

Gu Yingxia loudly retorted, "Nonsense! How could the eldest prince have a problem with his taste? He has a very good sense of taste. He loves the cakes I make the most."

When she speaks, it's like setting off firecrackers, she talks a lot, does not accept any rebuttal, and does not allow others to question her.

Concubine Xian was the first to react, "Maybe the eldest prince really has a problem with his taste buds. Think about it, no one in the entire Cining Palace likes the cakes we make."

Gu Yingxia and Gu Mengjun were arguing with each other, so Gu Yinwei immediately took Chuchu and Bian Tao away, and Zhu Dunyi also left with an excuse.

Zhu Dunyi returned to the Qianqing Palace and sat alone in a chair in a daze. Shuangxi called the imperial physician and then the eldest prince.

In order not to harm the eldest prince, the taste test was conducted in secret.

"Xuanqing, try the food prepared by the imperial kitchen. Is it spicy? I've been feeling a bit irritated lately, and my tongue isn't very sharp."

Xuanqing is the name of the eldest prince. When the eldest prince heard Zhu Dunyi calling him, he knelt on the ground, picked up the chopsticks, picked up some food and put it into his mouth.

"Replying to Emperor Father, these three dishes are a bit spicy."

As soon as Zhu Xuanqing said this, Zhu Dunyi knew that his son had indeed lost his sense of taste.

The eldest prince is already six years old. If the empress dowager had not reminded him, he, as a father, would probably not have known that his son had lost his sense of taste.

Zhu Xuanqing's sense of taste gradually disappeared after he arrived at Huayi Palace. His mother was pregnant and had no time to take care of him, and he didn't want to cause trouble for Concubine Chen.

And since he has no sense of taste, he won't be greedy for food or drink too much, and can control his diet well.

Concubine Chen rushed over, her face covered with tears and a look of remorse.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I failed to take good care of the eldest prince."

Zhu Dunyi was very regretful. He did not care enough about the eldest prince.

The eldest prince stepped forward and raised his sleeve to wipe Concubine Chen's tears. "Madam Chen, this son is not doing his best. It is not your fault."

The eldest prince was worried that Zhu Dunyi would blame him, so he knelt down and kowtowed to beg for mercy.

"Father, I am weak. My loss of taste has nothing to do with Empress Chen. Please don't send me back to Liangxiao Palace."

"Liangxiao Palace, your mother is here, why don't you want to go back?"

"There is a mother in Liangxiao Palace, but she has more than one son. In the future, a second brother will be born. It is impossible for her to take care of two children alone. I have grown up and know how to take care of myself."

When the eldest prince was speaking, Concubine Xi happened to come in. When she heard what the eldest prince said, she felt cold all over.

"Although Concubine Chen is not my biological mother, I feel that the grace of raising me is greater than heaven. Concubine Chen raised me, and I must repay her kindness."

"Your Majesty, Father was also raised by the Empress Dowager. I believe Your Majesty can understand my feelings."

"In that case, you will continue to stay in Huayi Palace. I will issue a notice to seek a good doctor for you and cure your sense of taste as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Father."

"Alright, Concubine Chen, stop crying. I won't hold you responsible. You two can go down. I want to have a good rest."