Chapter 62 Cook

Duan Mingchong trembled and said, "You...what did you say?"

Sui Yan was about to cry, and said nonsense: "I, I, I didn't say anything, I just... smelled good! Yes, I think I'm addicted to smelling good... I don't know what I'm saying!"

Sui Yan was so frightened that he almost wanted to find a crack in the door to stick his head in and get it caught.

The two of them stared at each other for a long time at the entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Duan Ming Chongcai said in a buzzing voice, "Yesterday I borrowed your clothes. When I got back, they were already cleaned. Do you... do you still want them?"

That's what I want to say!

Sui Yan was almost moved to tears: "Yes, yes, yes!"

Duan Mingchong raised his head and made eye contact with him, and they both quickly looked away. The atmosphere was a little weird for a moment.

Duan Mingchong coughed and said, "Then... let's go?"

Sui Yan: “Let’s go, let’s go.”

So he left.

The two of them traveled in silence all the way, and halfway through they met Concubine Ning, who was dressed in a dark green brocade gown.

Three years later, Concubine Ning had aged a lot. Although she wore heavy makeup to hide her haggard look, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she no longer had that domineering aura.

Sui Yan was spitting at himself the whole way. Isn't it enough to just take advantage of others a little bit? Why can't he control his mouth and let out whatever he thinks?

The more he thought about it, the more stupid he felt. He was cursing himself secretly, but Duan Mingchong beside him reached out and stopped him.

Sui Yan shuddered, thinking that he could not control himself and blurted out those abusive words again. He raised his head in fear, and met Concubine Ning's face that looked as if she wanted to take your life.

Sui Yan was stunned for a moment, then he shook off his depressed mood. He felt that Concubine Ning's arrival was really timely, more pleasing to the heart than the timely rain, so he rolled up his sleeves and planned to add insult to injury.

He followed Duan Mingchong in paying his respects: "Meeting the Concubine Ning."

Concubine Ning glared at him fiercely. She shook off the palace maid who was holding her hand, walked quickly to Sui Yan's side, and said coldly, "You are really lucky."

Sui Yan sighed in his heart, thinking that this woman was really stupid. She actually said such words to him in front of the prince. She must have gone crazy.

I don't know what the emperor likes about her. Is it true that beauty alone can seduce men?

When he thought of this, he suddenly changed his mind.

"Then logically speaking, I am prettier than her, so why did I make it clear to Duan Mingchong, but he didn't say anything at all?"

Sui Yan was lost in thought while focusing on his business. Just as he was about to retort, Duan Mingchong beside him chuckled.

He said slowly and softly, "The Marquis is naturally blessed with great fortune and will live a long life. I just don't know if the Fifth Brother will be able to survive this year. Empress Ning should pay more attention to him."

Concubine Ning: "You..."

She was so angry that her eyes turned red and her fingers were shaking violently.

Duan Mingchong finished his words in a gentle and elegant manner, and nodded slightly: "I will not bother Queen Ning to see the fifth brother. Mingchong will take his leave."

Having said that, he grabbed Sui Yan's hand and walked away.

It was the first time for Sui Yan to see that the prince, who was as gentle as spring breeze and rain, was not inferior to himself in his eloquence. He just said a few words to retort Concubine Ning. Looking at that beautiful face that seemed to be painted, he was so angry that he almost twisted it.

The two walked in silence all the way to the gate of the East Palace. Duan Mingchong then let go of Sui Yan's hand and said, "If you see her in the future, you don't need to say anything. Just leave."

Sui Yan blinked and looked at him, not coming back to his senses for a moment.

Duan Mingchong said: "Ayan? Did you hear that?"

Sui Yan murmured, "I didn't hear it."

Duan Mingchong: “…”

Sui Yan responded immediately and coughed: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, what did you say?"

Duan Mingchong shook his head helplessly and did not repeat it.

He brought Sui Yan into the East Palace, took out the cleaned clothes, and said, "Here, they are not dirty."

Sui Yan had some cleanliness problems, but he usually just pretended to be so in his own house. Normally, he would just throw away the clothes and be done with it. But since Duan Mingchong handed them to him personally, he even wanted to hold the clothes in his arms while sleeping, let alone throw them away.

Sui Yan took it and held it for the servant behind him. He was thinking of a reason to stay in the East Palace for a while, when Duan Mingchong suddenly said, "I heard from the servants that there seems to be a new chef in the East Palace's small kitchen. He is very good at making desserts. Ayan, why don't you wait here for lunch before leaving?"

Sui Yan was stunned for a moment, then nodded desperately.

He felt that he was really lucky today. When he wanted to go to sleep, someone gave him a pillow. He would go back and find a temple to pray to the Moon God, so that he could fulfill his long-cherished wish as soon as possible.

Sui Yan was already very familiar with the Eastern Palace, and he could not contain his joy when he was with Duan Mingchong. The two of them spent the entire morning in the study, one reading and the other painting.

At noon, the servant came to the study to report that lunch was ready.

Sui Yan happily dragged Duan Mingchong to eat.

We made a few dishes for lunch, which didn’t look like delicacies from land and sea, but rather like ordinary dishes sold in the market. They were quite novel to eat.

After finishing their meal, the two sat in the front hall with the door open to enjoy the snow and drink tea.

After digesting the food, the palace maids came over carrying several jade plates.

Sui Yan was sleeping on Duan Mingchong's shoulder. When he smelled the scent, he sat up suddenly and murmured, "Sweet."

Duan Mingchong had someone place the jade plate on a small table nearby, and removed the cover that prevented the heat from escaping, revealing several extremely exquisite steamed buns.

The steamed buns from Wanhualou are often kneaded with sugar, and filled with candied fruit made from peach blossom honey. They are then pinched into pleasing shapes and are very unique and lovable when sold. Anyway, Sui Yan would only eat the steamed buns from Wanhualou, so people in the capital always spread the rumor that he lingered among the flowers, which brought him a lot of bad reputation.

The secret recipe of Wanhualou's steamed buns was not passed on to outsiders, and the chef was very proud, so it couldn't be taken away. This led to Sui Yan thinking of kidnapping the chef back home several times.

Sui Yan only took a glance and his eyes widened. He shook Duan Mingchong's hand and said, "Your Highness, the new chef you mentioned can also make steamed buns?!"

Duan Mingchong picked one up for him with chopsticks and asked, "Would you like to try it?"

Sui Yan pinched one with his hands to give it a try, and after taking the first bite, stars appeared in his eyes.

The taste of this steamed bun is exactly the same as that of Wanhualou.

Sui Yan didn't have time to say anything. He picked out a few of his favorite styles and ate a few, then he couldn't eat any more.

He looked at the steamed bread that he hadn't finished eating, and came to Duan Mingchong's side, and said pitifully: "Your Highness, can I take it away?"

Duan Mingchong coughed dryly and said, "If you want to eat, you can come to the East Palace anytime and I'll have someone make it for you."

Sui Yan stepped forward and hugged Duan Mingchong's neck, rubbed his body, and said happily: "Okay, okay, I will come to your highness every day after the court session!"

Duan Mingchong couldn't help laughing and said, "The weather is getting colder and colder. Can you guarantee that you can get up every day?"

Sui Yan said, "I'll try my best. Your Highness, to be honest, the food cooked by the chef in your palace is very similar to that in Wanhualou. They are so similar that I even wonder if they are from the same family."

Duan Mingchong turned his head somewhat unnaturally and said vaguely, "Probably."

Sui Yan said, "But the styles are different. The animals in Wanhualou are all very pitiful and cute, and sometimes people can't bear to eat them. The ones in your palace are all decorated with patterns, so it's not hard to eat them."

Duan Mingchong: "Yeah...right."

Sui Yan rambled on for a long time before finally dropping the topic of steamed buns.

Duan Mingchong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He stayed until the afternoon, and before he left, Ming Chong had someone make two baskets of steamed buns for him to take away, and they put charcoal fire in iron boxes to keep them warm.

Sui Yan let his servants carry him and walked away with a beaming face.

After leaving the palace, he did not return home, but went to Jiang Mansion first.

Jiang Enhe was watching the servants making a snowman in the yard, looking rather absent-minded. When he heard the servants announce that Sui Yan had arrived, he listlessly asked someone to invite him in.

Sui Yan asked someone to bring in a food box. Looking at Jiang Enhe's obviously depressed expression, he said, "Don't be so depressed. Look what I brought you."

He opened the lid of the box, revealing the steaming Donggong steamed buns.

Jiang Enhe took a look, then turned his eyes away, contrary to his usual behavior, and said, "I have no appetite."

Sui Yan said: "Don't want to eat?"

Jiang Enhe: "No."

Sui Yan: “Really?”

Gan Enhe: “Really.”

Sui Yan took one and put it in his mouth: "Okay."

He was probably still growing, and he felt hungry again after walking a few steps out of the palace. He didn't even ask Jiang Enhe and started eating by himself.

Jiang Enhe hung his head and sulked for a long time before he secretly raised his head and glanced at Sui Yan who was eating happily.

Sui Yan asked vaguely: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Enhe whispered: "Won't you ask me again?"

Sui Yan: “…”

After a while, Sui Yan and Jiang Enhe sat face to face, enjoying their steamed buns.

Jiang Enhe didn't know whether he was burned or felt wronged, tears welled up in his eyes, and he said incoherently: "...Do you think she was too much? Was it wrong for me to turn around and leave? I was so sincere to her, but she...hiss, it's so hot!"

Sui Yan said, "She is only sixteen years old. How can a child understand anything? When you were sixteen, didn't you quarrel with me for half a block because of a puppy?"

Maybe it was because of the hot dessert that he ate that he felt warm and sweet, and his mood improved a lot. He actually thought about what Sui Yan said and said, "It seems to be right."

Seeing that he had been persuaded, Sui Yan mercifully gave the last steamed bun to Jiang Enhe and said, "So, don't be so hypocritical. You are a grown man. Next time you encounter such a situation, don't be scared or run away. Just talk to her nicely. How can you turn around and run away with tears in your eyes? Don't you feel ashamed?"

Jiang Enhe was so soft-hearted after eating someone else's steamed bun that he rarely argued back. He nodded vaguely, "This steamed bun is so hot. Where did you bring it from?"

Sui Yan said, "The East Palace brought it. Look, there's hot charcoal in the food box."

Jiang Enhe almost choked to death and said in disbelief: "Eastern Palace? I thought it was the Wanhualou?"

Sui Yan: "No, there is a new chef in the Crown Prince's kitchen. His cooking skills are very good. I will bring you other delicious food next time."

Jiang Enhe swallowed the last bite of his steamed bread, thought for a moment, and said, "I feel like something is a little off."

Sui Yan: “What?”

Jiang Enhe said, "I was not in a good mood after returning from court today. I wanted to go to Wanhualou to eat steamed buns and listen to some music, but when I got there, I found out that the chef who made the steamed buns at Wanhualou had committed some serious crime and was said to have been detained by the government."

Sui Yan's hands trembled.

"ah?"

Jiang Enhe thought for a while and said, "Yes, I remember now. It seems that Wanhualou violated some law and committed a serious crime, but somehow the chef was arrested. Tsk, it's really strange. Wanhualou committed a crime, but why not arrest the chef instead of the boss? Now I can't even eat steamed buns."

Sui Yan: “…”

The author has something to say: Prince: If the boss commits a crime, the chef should be arrested. This should be common knowledge.