Chapter 70 Testing the Waters: Dou Wenyi is Just Like His White Moonlight
Dou Wenyi was in turmoil, knowing he had ill intentions. How many people would be troubled by his small decision?
"Your Highness, the Dou family also has a cook—"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengxian immediately became anxious, but before he could utter any words of advice, he was driven back by Pei Siyan's sinister gaze.
As a subject dependent on the Crown Prince, he naturally could not arbitrarily challenge Pei Siyan's authority as the heir apparent, even at a private banquet like this.
Pei Siyan raised his eyes, his tone playful, "Miss Dou refuses? Is this how the Dou family treats its guests?"
He was practically accusing the Dou family of neglecting the crown prince, which was quite a accusation.
It's true what they say, fortunes change. Last time, she used his influence to expose Xie Guidu and Dou Mingyan's affair at the Li Palace, which allowed her to successfully break off the engagement. If she dares to refuse today, all her hard work and efforts to regain her position in the Dou family will be ruined by him.
Pei Siyan is truly a great backer for Dou Mingyan!
Dou Mingxiu glared at her reproachfully and lowered his voice, "Fourth sister, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and go!"
Having learned his lesson from the hunting grounds last time, Dou Mingxiu didn't dare to offend her too much and was careful with his words. To be honest, he was a little afraid of her now.
But Dou Mingyan perceived this matter in a completely different way.
One moment she was basking in the joy of being protected by Pei Siyan, the next moment her mind was filled with vigilance and doubt.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Dou Wenyi forced a polite smile and spoke slowly, "Your Highness's request is something I will do my best to fulfill. However, there is really no shepherd's purse available at this time of year, and my cooking skills are not exactly superb. It is barely palatable, and I'm afraid Your Highness will find it difficult to swallow."
Seeing her graceful demeanor, Pei Siyan's interest grew even stronger. "That's your business."
"Please wait a moment, Your Highness." Seeing that he was determined to make things difficult for her, Dou Wenyi suppressed her anger and turned to leave.
If she wants to get rid of Pei Siyan, perhaps leaving Tianning City is her only way out.
"Cuizhi, let's go!"
Cuizhi followed behind her with her head down, her pace quickening considerably. "Miss, what are we going to do now that we don't have any shepherd's purse?"
Dou Wenyi smiled confidently and said, "He only wants shepherd's purse pancakes, not fresh ones. What's there to be afraid of? Didn't we also run out of fresh shepherd's purse when we were at Yuqing Temple?"
Cuizhi's eyes lit up instantly, and she understood. "Miss, I'll go to the main kitchen first."
After saying that, she turned around and ran away in a flash.
When Dou Wenyi returned to Yilan Courtyard, Cuizhi had already prepared the necessary ingredients for making pancakes.
The people of Da Zhou are accustomed to pickling shepherd's purse roots and stems into a spicy sauce for emergencies. However, this is a dish mostly eaten by the poor. How could someone like Pei Siyan, who is detached from worldly affairs, eat it?
After washing her hands, Dou Wenyi picked out the roots that could barely be called 'shepherd's purse', rinsed off the excess chili sauce with warm water, and then mixed the crushed peanuts, shepherd's purse, chopped green onions, egg whites, and minced meat together. Soon, a bowl of fragrant and delicious sauce was ready.
Then she wrapped the pancake-shaped dough with the appropriate sauce like wrapping a bun, and then slowly spread it evenly, and the shepherd's purse pancakes began to take shape.
As the servants continued to add firewood, she skillfully brushed a thin layer of oil onto the bottom of the pot. With a sizzling sound, a fragrant aroma of oil mixed with eggs and flour immediately rose into the air.
In just a few breaths, a golden shepherd's purse pancake was ready.
——
When Dou Wenyi returned to Lanshui Pavilion carrying the food box, she stopped abruptly at the door. A strong smell of alcohol hit her. Zhang Chengxian seemed to be drunk, slumped unconscious on the table. Pei Siyan's eyes were red, as if he too had been intoxicated. Dou Mingyan, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Dou Wenyi was shocked and quickly asked, "What happened?"
The servant whispered, "Just now, Master and Madam both came to toast the Crown Prince, and he drank several rounds of tea instead of wine. Later, Young Master Zhang said he was going to the frontier and wanted to see him off, so he insisted on drinking with the Crown Prince, with the eldest son accompanying him..."
So Zhang Chengxian and Dou Mingxiu tried to get Pei Siyan drunk, but ended up being killed instead?
"Your Highness, would you like another cup?" Dou Mingxiu's eyes were bloodshot, clearly he had drunk too much. He picked up the wine cup to refill his own cup and was about to pour wine for Pei Siyan.
Pei Siyan is the crown prince, the future emperor. Zhang Chengxian and he have a deep friendship, so they can naturally drink and chat happily.
But what kind of person is Dou Mingxiu? Does he really treat Pei Siyan as his third sister's husband, showing no restraint and constantly urging him to drink?
No wonder Dou Mingxiu spent his entire life in officialdom in his previous life, accomplishing nothing. He simply didn't understand the ways of being an official.
Dou Wenyi stepped into the room, placed the food box on the table, and instructed, "Hurry up and help the eldest young master and young master Zhang down to rest!"
Servants immediately helped the two of them down.
Dou Wenyi sat down opposite Pei Siyan as usual, took out a plate of pancakes from the food box, and respectfully placed them in front of him.
"Your Highness, your shepherd's purse pancakes are ready."
Pei Siyan stared at the few flatbreads without saying a word. After a while, he smiled and asked, "Miss Dou, what ingredients were used in these flatbreads?"
Even though Dou Wenyi had long been fed up with his pickiness, she had no choice but to tell him the truth. She gave a brief account of the production process and the ingredients used.
Seeing him deep in thought, she instantly understood that Pei Siyan was still waiting for her to test the poison herself.
So she picked up a pancake and took a small bite.
Pei Siyan stared at her intently, pondering, "Do you like the pancakes you made yourself?"
Dou Wenyi pursed her lips. "It's just something to fill my stomach; I can't say I like it."
Based on her past life's experiences, she was told that men are just like that; the more unattainable something is, the more they crave it. Today, he was using this cake to torment her, but after tasting it, she would realize it was nothing special and would stop thinking about it.
Pei Siyan raised his hand and picked up a pancake directly without using chopsticks. Even though the pancake looked delicious, it seemed strangely out of place on his fair and white fingertips, as if it didn't match his hand!
Dou Wenyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, no wonder Dou Mingyan tried so hard to win his heart.
He certainly has the means to act recklessly because of the US.
If Pei Siyan were to use his good looks to seduce a woman, it's estimated that no lady would be able to resist and would fall for him.
"Such coarse food can only fill one's stomach; I was overthinking it." Pei Siyan's voice was indifferent and detached, his cold gaze sweeping over her.
After saying that, he disdainfully tossed the pancake back onto the plate...
Like is never the same as being; she is not his Lian'er!
A year ago, he also made similar shepherd's purse pancakes.
"...You haven't had any meat for days, so here's a shepherd's purse and meat pie for you to try."
What's your name?
"Yan Qing!"
"Haiyan Heqing? What a good name. Your parents want you to be an honest official who benefits the people, right? That's wonderful."
Even though Pei Siyan couldn't see the girl's face, he could imagine her pure and kind nature.
He smiled and asked her, "Well, what about you?"
"My name is Lian'er!"
"Don't worry, I didn't put any peanuts in this pancake."
He was allergic to peanuts, and the girl's cheerful voice seemed to echo in his ears again.
Pei Siyan felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Could it be that his Lian'er has truly disappeared forever due to 'loss of soul'?
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