Before long, the Fourth Prince Yinzhen and the Thirteenth Prince Yinxiang arrived at Geng Youran's courtyard. As soon as they entered the house, they saw a pot boiling on the stove.
"You've become quite lazy lately."
Yinzhen didn't mean to be disgusted by Geng Youran's bluff; he was just teasing her.
"Oh, Your Highness, I had someone simmer this soup for two hours, and you still think I'm just slacking off?"
The Thirteenth Prince stood by, smiling and trying to smooth things over:
"Fourth brother, I think this mutton hot pot is pretty good. It's perfect for warming up on such a cold day."
Yinzhen glared at Geng Youran, who was arguing with him, thinking he would settle the score with her later.
Geng Youran turned around to prepare the sauce, pretending not to see the intense gaze behind her.
"My lords, these are some sauces that I have prepared. This chili oil is made by frying a combination of several types of chili peppers from Sichuan. It has a very fragrant flavor. Please try it."
Yinxiang picked up his chopsticks, dipped them in the sauce, and tasted it briefly. It was indeed quite flavorful.
“Gege Geng, when it comes to eating, I’m afraid there are few people in the Qing Dynasty who can beat you.”
Geng Youran responded while setting out the dishes:
"Your Highness, you flatter me. If we're talking about food in the Yong Prince's Mansion, I might be considered one of the better eaters, but in the entire Qing Dynasty, I would never dare to be presumptuous."
Yinzhen then spoke:
"Alright. Thirteenth Brother is no outsider, so you don't need to bother anymore. Sit down and eat with us."
It wasn't until Yinzhen spoke that Geng Youran sat down to eat properly.
The three men sat around the pot, chatting about their last trip to Sichuan, and naturally, the conversation turned to Nian Gengyao.
Geng Youran didn't want to listen at first, but since she had to cook vegetables for the two princes, she listened passively for a while.
However, after listening for a while, it seemed that Yinzhen was somewhat dissatisfied with Nian Gengyao.
Perhaps feeling that it was inappropriate to talk about these things with Geng Youran nearby, they changed the subject and talked about the children.
Now, the Thirteenth Prince Yinxiang is considered to have both a son and a daughter, three sons and two daughters, whom he dotes on very much.
"Hey, Geng Gege, why didn't you bring Hongzhou along?"
When talking about children, Geng Youran's face was full of affection:
“Hongzhou is quite mischievous these days. If we let him come, we probably won’t be able to eat in peace.”
Yinzhen also liked this child very much.
Hongli and Hongzhou were only a few months apart in age, but Hongli seemed mature for his young age, while Hongzhou was unruly and impulsive. It was hard to tell who he took after.
"Gege, I find Hongzhou so adorable. Would you be interested in becoming in-laws with me? My younger brother's little daughter is lovely and lively. I wonder if you would be interested?"
Yinzhen rolled his eyes at his younger brother Yinxiang, thinking that the boy had drunk too much and was saying such nonsense.
His second daughter was four years older than Hongzhou; it would have been more appropriate to marry her to Hongshi.
Geng Gege smiled:
"Thank you, Thirteenth Prince. However, children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and I'm afraid that I can't make decisions about Hongzhou's marriage in the future."
After speaking, Geng Youran glanced at Yinzhen.
Yinxiang covered his mouth and chuckled. He could tell from her words that Geng Gege was targeting his fourth brother. She was quite bold.
Yinzhen didn't take it to heart and pretended not to have heard what the two had just said.
The three of them were eating heartily inside the house, but Wu Gege's courtyard felt rather cold.
It was already quite cold in the capital in November, and charcoal fires were distributed to each courtyard.
But Wu Jing'an left the charcoal fire unlit, staring intently at the brazier filled with it.
"Princess, it's getting chilly at night, let's light the charcoal fire."
Wu Jing'an didn't even look up, and only said one sentence:
"I don't need you to serve me here. Take the brazier into your room so you don't get cold."
Green Peach roughly guessed what her mistress was planning to do, but as a servant, she didn't dare to actually take the brazier away, so she just stood there waiting.
Wu Jing'an sat on the bed until late at night, and the candle had burned out completely, but Yinzhen still did not come.
"Green Peach, turn off the light."
Seeing that Gege was finally ready to sleep, Green Peach turned off the light and then, while Wu Jing'an was asleep, quietly placed a hand warmer under Wu Jing'an's feet.
The next day, both of them caught a cold. Wu Jing'an wouldn't allow Lv Tao to call the imperial physician, so she had no choice but to have someone boil some ginger water.
"Princess, why are you doing this?"
Wu Jing'an knew that her self-inflicted injury was a last resort, but she still wanted to test her importance in Yinzhen's heart.
"I asked you to find Gao Wuyong and have him tell the Prince that I am ill. Didn't the Prince say anything?"
Green Peach was at a loss for words.
She did indeed go to see Eunuch Gao, but the prince was still in Geng Youran's room at the time, so she only told Eunuch Gao once before returning.
So she never received a reply from the prince.
Seeing that Lv Tao was not speaking, Wu Jing'an assumed that Yinzhen was not coming to see her, so she huddled even more in the cold quilt and refused to come out.
As a result, he developed a high fever in the afternoon and lost consciousness.
Having no other option, Green Peach had to ask the Fujin (principal wife) to send someone to treat Wu Jing'an.
That evening, Wu Jing'an's fever subsided somewhat, and Yinzhen came to visit her.
"Why did you suddenly develop a fever? Is there not enough charcoal in the yard?"
Wu Jing'an lay on Yinzhen's lap, looking aggrieved:
"It's all my fault. I was thinking of using less at night so that I could burn more when Your Highness comes."
Yinzhen smiled, gently stroking Wu Jing'an's head with his right hand, and then called Gao Wuyong in.
"Go and have someone send over more charcoal."
"Yes, sir."
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