The Third Princess had teased a group of noble ladies that morning, and now that she saw Shui Ling bringing her food, she was in an even better mood.
"Shui Ling, what delicious food did you bring over?"
Shui Ling quickly bowed and replied, "Princess, please wait a moment. Today's dish is a new creation by our princess, and I guarantee you will be satisfied. I'll just use the kitchen for a quarter of an hour."
After saying that, she followed the little palace maid to the kitchen, and Caiyun also ran to help.
Soon, the rice noodles were cooked, and all the side dishes were chopped and served on the Third Princess's table.
Shui Ling rolled up her sleeves, picked up half a bowl of white rice noodles from the blue and white porcelain bowl, and then placed a handful of bright green cucumber shreds, two slices of red tomato, two halves of a boiled egg, a chopstickful of spicy cabbage, and a little bit of chopped cilantro on top of the rice noodles.
Such vibrant colors are so tempting that they make your mouth water.
Caiyun stepped forward to help, "Do you need it mixed?"
"No, no, wait a minute." Shui Ling quickly stopped her, and then opened another wooden box.
The bottom of the box was covered with crushed ice, and cold water droplets had formed on the outer wall of a white porcelain jar.
Shui Ling picked up the jar and poured half a bowl of soup along the edge of the blue-and-white porcelain bowl.
The light brown color, mixed with some half-melted ice fragments, and the faint white mist rising from it caused everyone to instinctively take a deep breath.
Shuiling deftly pinched a little bit of roasted sesame seeds and sprinkled them on top, then pushed the blue and white porcelain bowl in front of the Third Princess, smiling as if presenting a treasure.
"Princess, please try this cold noodle dish that our princess specially prepared. It's sweet and sour, and absolutely delicious!"
The third princess's eyes were shining. She had just picked up the chopsticks when the doorway became lively.
The group was interrupted and were somewhat displeased, turning their heads to look.
It turned out that the Crown Prince had brought in Eunuch Feng. He glanced at everyone and smiled, "Third Sister, did you just eat?"
The third princess quickly stood up and made him sit at the table, saying, "Why is Crown Prince here? Shouldn't you be having dinner with Father?"
The Crown Prince smiled and gestured for Eunuch Feng to hand over an exquisitely carved box. When opened, it revealed a set of ruby jewelry.
"I appreciate your help in today's selection of the imperial concubines. This is a set of jewelry that I had made before. I thought you would like it, so I sent it to you as a thank you gift."
The third princess coughed lightly, feeling somewhat guilty.
During the half-day selection process, she didn't put in any effort or hard work; instead, she played a trick on the future bride-to-be...
She put the box aside and was about to explain a few more words when she saw the prince staring at the bowl of cold noodles on the table, seemingly very curious.
She said, "Brother Crown Prince, would you like to stay and try this cold noodle dish? It's a refreshing dish that Jiayin specially came up with. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know how it tastes."
“Alright.” The Crown Prince readily agreed and said with a smile, “The Princess has a real talent for doing good things; just look at the business of the cyclamen and hot pot restaurants to know that.”
"I haven't had a chance to taste it since I entered the palace. Today, thanks to my sister, I can satisfy my craving again."
The Third Princess was delighted to hear this and excitedly urged Shui Ling to make another bowl.
Jiayin is always generous; she always has plenty left over when giving gifts.
Previously, in Zhilan Palace, extra baked snacks or new dishes would be prepared so that the eunuchs and maids could also enjoy something new.
This time, the cold noodles were delivered, not enough to serve everyone in the palace, but enough for three or four people.
At least after the Third Princess finishes eating, Caiyun and a few other useful palace maids can also have a taste.
Unexpectedly, this benefited the crown prince.
The brother and sister had no reservations; they each took a sip of soup from their blue-and-white porcelain bowls.
Cool, sweet and sour, with a hint of sesame aroma, it slowly slides down your tongue and into your throat.
In that instant, the summer heat, the restlessness, and the oppression in my heart all seemed to vanish suddenly.
The brother and sister exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with amazement.
Pick up another mouthful of rice noodles, put it in your mouth, and enjoy its smooth and chewy texture!
"Jiayin is amazing! This cold noodle dish is perfect for summer!" The Third Princess exclaimed excitedly as she ate.
The crown prince nodded without saying a word.
Shui Ling was extremely proud and couldn't help but show off, "Our princess said that there aren't any special noodles, so we can only use rice noodles, which aren't very chewy. Otherwise, it would taste even better!"
The Third Princess ate half a bowl in one go, then called to Shui Ling to add more soup, instructing her, "Go back and tell your princess that I want to eat this again tomorrow!"
After saying that, she saw the Crown Prince looking over and instantly understood. She hesitated for a moment, then added, "And Crown Prince, you should have one too."
The Crown Prince smiled and immediately replied, "I heard that the Princess enjoys collecting writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. I happened to acquire a nice set yesterday, which I will take back with me as a token of my gratitude."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Feng immediately turned and ran back to Xilong Pavilion to retrieve his belongings.
So when Shui Ling left the palace, all the bowls and plates were empty, but she had an extra set of writing implements and a carved box.
That's right, the jewelry set that the Crown Prince gave to the Third Princess was also used by the Third Princess as a thank-you gift.
Shuiling boarded the carriage, secretly glancing at the ruby jewelry in the box, then at the writing implements, and felt something was amiss.
Although the death was kept secret, the Third Princess was observing mourning, so how could the Crown Prince send her ruby jewelry?
Fortunately, the Third Princess gave it to her own princess; otherwise, it would have been quite impolite...
Inside the carved box, the ruby and gold hairpins, bracelets, and other ornaments lay quietly together, prompting me to offer a sarcastic comment.
Is it possible that this wasn't originally intended for the Third Princess...?
In the Liu family study, Liu Zhiheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and fanned himself rapidly with a palm-leaf fan.
He suppressed his frustration and complained to his father in a low voice.
“Father, something feels wrong! These days are unbearable. When will the Marquis finally drive the barbarians out of the border and return to the capital? I’m afraid if we delay any longer, by the time things are settled in Xindu, that person will be…”
Old Master Liu glared at his son, slowly swaying the ink-black landscape folding fan in his hand.
"Man proposes, God disposes. Just do your job well, and no one can predict the outcome."
"If the situation is truly unfavorable to us, then we can only face the challenge head-on; sighing and complaining will do no good."
Liu Zhiheng knew this principle, but he still couldn't stop thinking about it.
At this moment, the steward brought in a servant and said with a smile, "Master, Master, the Princess of Suijintan has sent someone to deliver a food box."
The servant boy from the Li family also stepped forward to bow and said with a smile, "Greetings, Master Liu! Greetings, Lord Liu! Our princess said the weather is too hot, so she specially made some cold noodles to cool off today and instructed me to send some over."
Liu Zhiheng was overjoyed and immediately jumped up. He took the food box himself, opened it, and said, "It looks like quite a lot. Go and invite Madam to come and eat with us."
A page immediately ran to the backyard.
The servants of the Li family had eaten at home before and even learned how to add side dishes.
So when Madam Liu came over from the backyard, three bowls of cold noodles were already prepared.
As soon as Grandpa Liu picked up his chopsticks, Liu Zhiheng deftly picked up the large bowl and then happily gave him a thumbs up.
Madam Liu glared at him reproachfully, but her chopsticks didn't stop moving!
After taking a few bites, Old Master Liu felt quite satisfied and couldn't help but complain about his son.
"You're like an ant on a hot pan all day long, look at the princess, so calm and composed. You're not even one ten-thousandth as good as her."
Two updates today!
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