study.
Lu Ziyuan regretted it.
He had indeed eaten his fill at Su Zhirou's place, but at this moment he realized that the food in the manor was far inferior to what Zhong Muyu cooked, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Only an hour had passed when he began to miss the snacks and porridge he hadn't finished eating.
However, thinking about Zhong Muyu's temper, he didn't want to go to Xinxiang Courtyard anymore.
At this moment, Chengfeng delivered a letter: "Your Highness, this is a letter from Mr. Gongsun. He says that the Chamber of Commerce has something to discuss this afternoon."
Lu Ziyuan took the letter and looked at it: "I understand. Go and prepare. I'll be there in a bit."
Forget it, there are so many delicious foods in the world, why be so fixated on Xinxiangyuan? I'll never go there again!
However, when he returned home that evening...
Even just passing by the Fragrant Courtyard, the fragrance emanating from it and the laughter and chatter inside deeply stimulated his senses.
It smells so good!
Seeing him stop, Chengfeng asked curiously, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
"I suddenly feel like visiting the Fragrant Courtyard."
Chengfeng covered the smile on his face: "Is Your Highness hungry? I didn't see you eat much at dinner."
Lu Ziyuan's face fell; he felt embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed.
Zhiyu quickly said, "Your Highness, let's go. I'm also very curious about the situation in Xinxiang Courtyard. I see smoke rising from the chimneys, so the Princess and the others probably haven't eaten yet."
Lu Ziyuan's expression softened slightly, and he turned back to Xinxiang Courtyard.
In the fragrant courtyard,
Zhong Muyu was setting up a barbecue stand and eating with everyone in the open air when Zaochun eagerly carried the grilled meat skewers to Granny Zhang.
"Granny, try this! It's delicious too!"
Granny Zhang looked helpless, but her eyes couldn't hide her joy. Although many of the princess's actions after marrying into the family were illogical, she was genuinely kind to everyone in the courtyard.
"I'm old and can't eat that much, but the princess was busy all afternoon and didn't eat much either."
“That’s right, then I’ll go and get it for the Princess.”
Zaochun placed the grilled meat skewers on a plate and handed them to Zhong Muyu, saying, "Your Highness, please rest for a while. I have grilled a lot; it's enough for you."
Zhong Muyu was turning over a long row of skewers with a few girls when she saw Zaochun bringing her food. She quickly wiped her hands and went over to sit down.
"I was just hungry, and I'm so glad you thought of me in early spring!"
"Your Highness, it's not that I'm saying anything, but couldn't you just leave this to the servants? Why do you have to do it yourself?"
Zhong Muyu waved his hand: "That's not right! If you don't grill it yourself, you lose the soul of barbecue!"
After saying that, Zhong Muyu took out a small bottle from his body and sprinkled some red powder on the skewers.
Previously, in early spring, she would occasionally see Zhong Muyu holding this small bottle and shaking it, but she didn't know what it was, so she asked, "Your Highness, what are these red things?"
"This is chili pepper, a spicy seasoning. People who haven't tried it before may find it difficult to get used to at first, so I didn't add it for you."
"Never heard of that before. It seems that merchants from the Western Regions have brought quite a few novel things recently."
"Yes, yes, that's right."
Zhong Muyu gave a vague reply.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. A maid went to open it and, upon seeing who it was, hurriedly bowed and said, "This servant greets Your Highness!"
Your Highness?
In an instant, those eating, grilling meat, and chatting all stood up and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Highness."
He seems to be really shameless.
Zhong Muyu felt that the atmosphere in the courtyard became more reserved as soon as Lu Ziyuan arrived, and the skewers in her hand suddenly lost their appeal.
"Your Highness is in high spirits. What are you eating this time?"
Lu Ziyuan tried his best to stop drooling. He couldn't believe it! What kind of medicine did Zhong Muyu put in the food? It smelled so good!
Zhong Muyu raised an eyebrow: "Barbecue skewers, Your Highness, are you interested?"
"Of course, I haven't eaten. The servants in the kitchen are all resting now, so I had no choice but to come here. I hope you don't mind."
Taking a break in the kitchen? You're kidding me.
However, this time Zhong Muyu did not refuse him outright. Instead, she had Zaochun place the marinated ingredients and bamboo skewers in front of Lu Ziyuan.
"When it comes to barbecue, if you want to eat it, you have to do it yourself. Skewer the food onto bamboo skewers and then put it on the fire to grill. As for any seasonings you need, they have them over there. Just do it yourselves."
Lu Ziyuan stared at those things. Did he have to do everything himself to eat?
Chengfeng said, "Your Highness, please sit over there and wait a while. Leave these matters to me and Zhiyu!"
Without saying a word, the two started working on it, while Lu Ziyuan sat there and waited. However, he always felt that Zhong Muyu's eyes were not normal, as if she was mocking him!
What a guy who needs others to serve him even for such trivial matters!
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Zhong Muyu was mocking him, so he suddenly walked up to Zhong Muyu and said, "Zhong Muyu, I heard that you are good at cooking, so I'll let you grill meat for me."
Zhong Muyu hadn't swallowed the food in her mouth yet when she looked up at him in disbelief.
"Isn't... there's also Riding the Wind and Stopping the Rain?"
"They are merely my guards and should not have done such a thing. As my queen, it is your duty to serve me in all my needs."
My job is yours to do!
Zhong Muyu couldn't help but complain in her heart, but forced a smile on her face: "Your Highness, it doesn't matter who grills the barbecue, it's all the same. My barbecue doesn't taste any better."
"It's different. I know that the temperature and time are very important when grilling meat. If it's even slightly off, the taste will be completely different. The Princess Consort's skills are the best, so I don't need to worry about her."
Zhong Muyu gritted her teeth: "It sounds like Your Highness knows a lot. Wouldn't it be better if Your Highness grilled it yourself?"
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