Chapter 14 A Slap

As Cui Yunzhou emerged from the Ministry of Justice prison, the warm sunshine bathed him, dispelling some of the gloom in his heart.

He looked down, stretched out his hand, looked at his empty palm, and gave a bitter smile.

Two days ago, he still felt that he was the happiest person in the world, holding a high position and having a beautiful woman in his arms.

Now, he has become the most powerless person in the world. What does it matter if he holds a high position? His own mother is still imprisoned and sentenced to death. He is powerless to change anything. In order to save his mother, he has to divorce his lover and cannot grow old together.

He had tried his best, but in the end, he grasped nothing and ended up with nothing.

"Your Excellency, Minister."

A soft call pulled Cui Yunzhou out of her overwhelming grief.

Cui Yunzhou turned his head and looked towards the source of the sound. He was taken aback when he saw the person who had come, and then asked in surprise.

What are you doing here?

The man who arrived was the princess's coachman, whose daily job was to drive for the princess, and he was a skilled driver.

"The princess has ordered me to come and take you home, sir. Please get in the carriage."

The driver placed the bench beside the carriage and gestured for the passengers to proceed.

The gloom in Cui Yunzhou's heart vanished instantly, and a warm and gentle smile returned to his face. He replied in a cheerful tone, "Okay, get in the car, let's go home!"

So what if his mother doesn't love him? So what if the whole world doesn't love him?

As long as Yao'er loves him and cares about him, he is already happy and content enough.

The Princess's Residence, Kitchen.

Tianyao was dressed in a clean and neat dress, her hair was tied up, and she held the noodles she had just rolled out by hand in her hand. She put the noodles into the tomato noodle soup.

After the noodles were cooked, she poured an egg into the broth to make egg drop soup, then added salt, soy sauce, and pepper to taste, and finally added sesame oil for aroma.

And just like that, two bowls of fragrant tomato and egg noodles are ready.

The cooks from the princess's residence were all standing outside the kitchen door, looking at Tianyao, who was serving noodles inside, with surprise.

"My goodness, Her Highness can actually cook!"

"I can smell the aroma; it must taste really good."

"Why did the princess suddenly want to cook for herself?"

"The princess made two bowls of noodles, one of which was definitely for the prince consort."

"That's probably it, but I heard that the princess's mother wants him to divorce her."

"Is the princess's mother out of her mind? Her Highness is so beautiful and wonderful, a perfect match that countless talented young men would kill for, and she actually wants to push her away to the prince consort!"

"Yes, heaven knows what the princess's mother was thinking."

"Do you think that after Her Highness the Princess and her husband divorce, she might get together with Prime Minister Xie?"

"Prime Minister Xie and Her Highness the Princess are both top-notch beauties. The sight of the two beauties standing together must be incredibly pleasing to the eye."

"What? I think a beauty should be paired with a general. Our invincible General Qin and Her Highness the Princess would be a perfect match."

...

A group of cooks were chatting animatedly at the doorway.

Inside the house, Tianyao served the noodles, turned around, and gave instructions to the outside.

"Two of you come in and take these two bowls of noodles to the inner hall. When the prince consort returns, let him eat first. He doesn't need to wait for me."

"yes."

The two cooks at the front hurriedly responded and went into the kitchen to serve the noodles.

Tianyao walked out of the kitchen, glanced at the other cooks who were looking down like quails, and shook her head with amusement.

After walking a few steps past the cooks, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and asked.

"So, in the end, have you figured out who is a better match for me?"

The cooks, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, immediately became anxious again. They looked at each other, none of them daring to reply.

"Don't worry, I'm just curious. I won't punish you."

Tianyao was genuinely curious.

"Well, Your Highness, in the end we felt...we felt that it would be too unfair to you to only have one, so we've decided to have them all with you: General Qin, Prime Minister Xie, Censor-in-Chief Yan, Commander of the Imperial Guards Xiao, and Minister of Justice Ming. That makes five in total, enough to fill one hand."

One of the bolder cooks was quite uneasy and went back...

Tianyao: "..."

Okay, that's really good!

It must be said that these cooks are incredibly imaginative.

“You guys are busy in the kitchen every day, so you know quite a few people.”

"Alright, everyone go ahead and get busy."

Tianyao waved his hand at the cooks, letting them go.

Upon hearing this, the cooks thanked Tianyao profusely and then quickly dispersed.

Tianyao returned to her bedchamber and, with the help of her maids, changed into a formal dress and re-combed her hair. As she walked toward the inner hall, she asked questions.

"Has the prince consort returned?"

"Your Highness, the Prince Consort has returned and is currently eating the noodles you made yourself in the inner hall."

The maid following behind Tianyao replied respectfully.

"What was his expression like when he returned?"

Tianyao asked again.

The maid did not answer, but turned to look at the guards following behind her.

The guards hurriedly stepped forward and returned.

"On my way to relieve you of your shift, I saw the Prince Consort. He seemed to be in a good mood."

"Okay, I understand. You may leave."

Tianyao waved to the guards, dismissing them, and quickened her pace toward the inner hall, her dark eyes gleaming with hope.

Could it be that Yunzhou managed to persuade his mother with his silver tongue?!

Upon entering the inner hall, Tianyao saw Yunzhou intently savoring the noodles she had made. A smile instantly appeared on her face as she asked, her voice tinged with excitement.

"How's the noodles? Are they good?"

Upon hearing the sound, Yunzhou looked up, still chewing noodles.

Upon seeing Tianyao, he immediately put down his chopsticks, stood up, and went to greet her.

"It's delicious, the best noodles I've ever had."

"Is making noodles tiring? Let me see your hands."

He naturally took Tianyao's hand, and it looked like...

"It's really popular now. I don't need to make it anymore. I'll eat anything."

"Who said it was made for you? I just wanted to eat it myself, is that not allowed?"

Tianyao smiled, feigning indifference, but in reality, the corners of her mouth couldn't be controlled and kept turning upwards.

Yunzhou knew perfectly well that Tianyao was being sarcastic. He smiled, didn't reply, and pulled Tianyao to sit down.

"Eat quickly, eat now, it's the best time to eat."

"Um."

Tianyao sat in the chair, took the chopsticks Yunzhou handed her, and buried her head in her noodles.

Yunzhou sat next to Tianyao, eating in silence. The two of them did not exchange another word until they finished their noodles.

Tianyao put down her chopsticks, and the smile on her face became very faint, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

It is said that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Just now, in a short period of time, she fully understood the meaning of that sentence.

Yunzhou remained silent, but the outcome was obvious.

"When shall we go to see His Majesty?"

"When you ask His Majesty to spare your mother's life, please also ask His Majesty to grant us an imperial edict to dissolve the engagement, so we don't have to make two trips."

Tianyao took the initiative to speak, breaking the deathly silence. Her voice was as calm and still as an ancient pool.