Chapter 144 Another Year Passed
After Shuqi finished speaking, Sheng An looked at Baoyun.
Bao Yun, who was always calm and didn't talk much, didn't embellish Li Daya's usual behavior when she spoke about it:
"Aunt Li is very curious. She always asks the servants what new dishes the master has taught her, and asks for the secrets to making roast chicken and stuffed glutinous rice. The servants refuse to tell her, and she won't press the matter, but she will ask again after a couple of days."
Sheng An usually teaches the four girls cooking skills, but she doesn't specifically remind them to keep it a secret and not to reveal it to anyone.
The four treasures tacitly kept these skills a secret, and they never revealed a word about them, even to the four friends who were like brothers from different fathers and mothers.
Faced with Li Daya's overflowing curiosity, they were even less likely to speak.
Sheng An asked a few more questions, piecing together a complete picture of Li Daya from their conversations.
They like to take advantage of others, are lazy when working, are greedy, and have a strong sense of curiosity; in other words, they may have ulterior motives.
Whether or not, in Sheng An's eyes, Li Daya's performance was unsatisfactory.
Hmm, let's find an opportunity to change it.
Sheng An made up his mind and instructed Shuqi and Baoyun: "I'm going to ask you about Li Daya's matter, but don't let her know."
Shuqi Baoyun quickly agreed.
Sheng An didn't go back to the small building, but went to the large kitchen to prepare dinner for Ning Sihan in the neighboring courtyard.
The three pre-made dishes prepared before leaving were eaten the day before yesterday. For the past two days, Ning Sihan's three meals a day have been prepared by his own cook.
Sheng An quickly prepared a simple three-dish meal with soup using the ingredients available in the kitchen.
Stir-fried lotus root slices, braised fish slices, stir-fried dried clams, and chicken stew with shiitake mushrooms and red dates.
Sheng An carried the food box to the neighboring courtyard and was surprised to find that Ning Sihan had gotten out of bed and was leaning against the eaves, wrapped up tightly, listening to the servant read to him.
Hearing familiar footsteps, Ning Sihan subconsciously looked over.
Upon seeing Sheng An bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, his usually cold expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his sickly face: "Boss Sheng is back."
Sheng An quickened his pace and stepped forward, carefully observing Ning Sihan's complexion. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing unusual: "Young Master Ning's complexion has improved considerably."
Ning Sihan nodded slightly: "Thanks to Boss Sheng, I survived a year of hardship."
Sheng An felt sorry for this young master of the Marquis's mansion who had been inseparable from medicine since birth, but said modestly, "Young Master Ning is too kind."
At this moment, the two imperial physicians, Wang and Hu, who had received the news, rushed over. Sheng An immediately smelled the strong medicinal scent on them and guessed that they had just been sorting out medicinal herbs.
Seeing the food box in Sheng An's hand, Doctor Hu's eyes shone brighter than the setting sun: "Boss Sheng, I haven't tasted your cooking these past two days, and the young master has lost his appetite. Yesterday, he only ate a small bowl of rice all day."
It was only after they repeatedly persuaded him that the young prince finally managed to swallow that small bowl of rice.
Even the usually cautious Physician Wang chimed in, saying, "Young Master's appetite has been spoiled by Boss Sheng's cooking. The cook's hair has turned quite white these past few days from worry."
Sheng An realized they weren't exaggerating, and felt fortunate to have returned early: "The three dishes and soup I made today are a bit bland. I hope Young Master Ning will do me the honor of eating more of them."
It's not that the cook's cooking skills are bad; it's that she doesn't have the super-powerful buff of cooking skills to fully unleash the energy contained in the ingredients, thus failing to meet Ning Sihan's body's needs.
Soon, Ning Sihan was carried into the house by servants, and the personal attendant first served him a bowl of chicken soup.
This time, without anyone having to persuade her, Ning Sihan's appetite was whetted by the aroma of the chicken soup, and she unknowingly ate a whole bowl.
Physician Wang and Physician Hu exchanged a glance and exclaimed from the bottom of their hearts: The young master was able to survive this year thanks to Boss Sheng!
During this period, they took the Crown Prince's pulse every day and were very clear about the changes in his pulse.
Just yesterday and today, the young master didn't get to eat any food cooked by Boss Sheng himself, and his pulse became weaker than before.
All afternoon, they were worried about whether Boss Sheng could return on time, fearing that a few days' delay would worsen the prince's condition.
Fortunately, Mr. Sheng returned ahead of schedule.
The two imperial physicians, Wang and Hu, secretly rejoiced, their gazes toward Sheng An burning with fervor.
Sheng An was speechless under his gaze and couldn't help but urge, "Food tastes better when it's hot."
Wang and Hu chuckled and picked up their bowls and chopsticks to eat happily.
After all three of them had finished eating, and Ning Sihan showed no signs of discomfort, Sheng An put away the dishes and prepared to leave.
Unexpectedly, Ning Sihan asked, "Mr. Sheng, did something happen during your trip that led you home early?"
Sheng An was eager to latch onto this powerful figure in order to prepare for his impending doom three years later. After thinking for a moment, he decided to reveal the story of the Chi family in Pingzhou: "I heard that a major event has occurred..."
She used the phrase "I heard" to repeat the news she had heard word for word, but when she mentioned Princess Shanmin, she subtly observed Ning Sihan's expression.
The room was completely silent, and the two imperial physicians, Wang and Hu, could not hide their gloomy expressions.
This Princess Shanmin is becoming more and more lawless. It's one thing to bully men and women in the capital, but she's causing trouble in Pingzhou too. Isn't she afraid of being killed in the streets one day?
In contrast, Ning Sihan remained remarkably calm, her words devoid of any emotion: "It's a pity about the Chi family."
Sheng An didn't know whether he was lamenting Master Chi or the Yu Dynasty's pardon that had been taken away, so he remained silent for a moment.
Physician Hu bluntly stated, "Given Princess Shanmin's domineering nature, she wouldn't send someone to steal something in the middle of the night if she wanted it. I'm afraid someone is using her name to cause trouble."
Sheng Anxin had a sudden thought; she thought the same thing.
Doctor Wang glanced at her and quickly winked at his old friend, signaling him to shut up.
Physician Hu refused to accept the case and solemnly instructed Sheng An: "Princess Shanmin is not someone to be trifled with. You were lucky that she didn't lay a hand on you last time. If you encounter her again, you must stay far away from her."
Over the years, no one who has offended Princess Shanmin, regardless of gender or age, has had a good ending.
Even one of the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy fell victim to this woman, simply because the physician spoke frankly, saying that her excessive anger caused disharmony between her liver and spleen.
At that moment, Princess Shanmin drew her sword and stabbed the imperial physician, cursing him for talking nonsense and having ulterior motives.
The stab struck the imperial physician in a vital spot, and he died on the way to the Imperial Hospital.
In the end, Princess Shanmin was merely confined to her quarters for three months with little consequence, and was ordered to compensate the imperial physician's family with five thousand taels of silver.
Doctor Wang was exasperated by his old friend's loose tongue, which he found quite unsettling.
Seeing this, Sheng An sincerely thanked Doctor Hu, saying, "I will be careful."
Ning Sihan's gaze fell on her face, and she said, seemingly jokingly but also seriously, "If Boss Sheng ever offends Princess Shanmin, you might as well mention my name. For the sake of the Marquis of An'nan's family, I think Princess Shanmin will give you a break."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com