He Liufeng initially thought that Qu Qingxi had orchestrated and planted the book herself when she saw how easily Qu Qingxi had found it, but the handwriting was different from hers.
The last time the people from Cuiwei Pavilion found those poems, they were sent from his residence. There was no one else but Qu Qingxi, but the calligraphy this time is different from that time.
More importantly, this book doesn't seem to have been written recently; judging from the age of the paper, it's probably five or six years old.
"Let me take another look." Qu Qingxi noticed that He Liufeng was staring at the book in front of him, seemingly lost in thought. Afraid that he might notice something, she quickly snatched the book away and began to flip through it herself.
"These dishes look pretty good, why don't we try them?" Qu Qingxi had been craving hot pot for a long time, and seeing He Liufeng hesitate, she spoke up again, "We're tired of the food at the manor these days, why don't we give it a try?"
“Okay, since you want to try it, then give it a shot.” He Liufeng nodded without much doubt.
After all, just two days ago Qingdai sent a message saying that Qu Qingxi had a poor appetite and ate very little each time, so he specially took time to come back and have a meal with Qu Qingxi.
Wait, poor appetite? Could I be pregnant?
He Liufeng's eyes widened as he realized something.
He remembered that one of his elder brother's concubines had a poor appetite and didn't like to eat. Later, the imperial physician diagnosed that the concubine was pregnant.
Moreover, he and Qu Qingxi have been sharing a bed for some time now, which seems to be about the same amount of time.
Thinking of this, He Liufeng immediately took Qu Qingxi's hand and carefully asked, "Have you been having a poor appetite lately?"
"Oh? A little bit, actually." She'd been craving hot pot for a long time, and these past few days she hadn't had much of an appetite for the dishes.
The two were completely unaware that they were not on the same wavelength at all.
"real?"
"What do you mean, real or fake?" Qu Qingxi looked at He Liufeng strangely. It's just that he didn't eat properly, what's the big deal about that?
"Qingxi, have you taken your pulse these past two days?" He Liufeng didn't dare to ask directly, but only tentatively.
"Taking my pulse? You mean I'm poisoned? That's why I have a poor appetite?" Qu Qingxi raised an eyebrow.
Seeing Qu Qingxi's absurd statement, He Liufeng couldn't help but chuckle. "No, I've heard that pregnant women often have a poor appetite."
"Pregnancy? What kind of pregnancy?" Now it was Qu Qingxi's turn to be surprised. She just wanted to eat hot pot, how could there be pregnancy?
Is she pregnant? They seem to be talking on completely different wavelengths.
"Try it, take your own pulse."
Seeing He Liufeng's determination, Qu Qingxi's heart suddenly skipped a beat. She seemed to have forgotten something: when she shared a room with He Liufeng, she didn't seem to have taken any precautions.
Qu Qingxi could also see the expectation in He Liufeng's eyes. She suddenly hesitated to take his pulse. There really had been nothing unusual about her during this time. Moreover, her body was only about sixteen years old this year, which was basically a minor. How could she be pregnant?
Qu Qingxi reached out and felt her pulse. After a moment of quiet reflection, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was normal; she wasn't pregnant.
"I'm not pregnant." Qu Qingxi looked at He Liufeng and shook her head.
Upon hearing this, He Liufeng's face immediately showed a hint of disappointment. He had thought that Qu Qingxi was pregnant with their child.
"Why did you suddenly think of this? Besides, everyone's constitution is different, and the reactions during pregnancy are different."
"It just suddenly occurred to me. It's okay, we'll keep trying." Although He Liufeng was a little disappointed, he and Qu Qingxi were still young and had plenty of time ahead of them.
“What’s the encouragement? He Liufeng, I’m still young. If I get pregnant, childbirth will be very damaging to my body, and I might not be able to make it through.”
Qu Qingxi felt she needed to educate He Liufeng about this.
She was only sixteen years old. If this were modern times, He Liufeng would be imprisoned for having a relationship with her, let alone get pregnant and have a child.
Qu Qingxi still couldn't accept that she was going to get pregnant. Even if she were to get pregnant, she should be over eighteen years old, or at least an adult, right?
Wait a minute, what is she thinking? She actually wants to have He Liufeng's child? Absurd.
"Really?" He Liufeng really doesn't know anything about this guy.
"Of course." Qu Qingxi nodded. She wasn't lying. Childbirth is harmful to the body, and if you're too young and your body isn't fully developed, the damage is even more severe.
She still wants to live a little longer. If she dies, who will spend all that gold and silver jewelry in her space?
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You go ahead and handle your official business. I'll take Qingdai to study this recipe." Qu Qingxi waved her hand and made an excuse to leave.
She suddenly realized that she actually wanted to have He Liufeng's child. No, she would not allow her husband to have another woman.
He Liufeng is, after all, a prince, and he won't only have me by his side. Perhaps, once the initial infatuation with He Liufeng wears off, I'll fall for someone else.
However, He Liufeng has good genes; he's handsome and tall. She's also quite capable and wealthy. If it were possible to leave the son to the father…
"Your Highness? Your Highness?" Qingdai couldn't help but call out as she looked at Qu Qingxi, who was constantly lost in thought.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Qu Qingxi snapped out of her daze and turned to look at Qingdai beside her in confusion.
"Your Highness, I will then have the kitchen staff prepare it."
"Yes, I think it's written in quite a lot of detail. If we follow the instructions, we should be able to succeed." Qu Qingxi nodded. She had described every step of the recipe very clearly, almost drawing pictures of it. They should be able to make it.
"Your Highness, did you not get enough rest yesterday? You don't seem to be in good spirits." Qingdai asked tentatively. Why is Your Highness so absent-minded today?
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about something and got a little lost in thought." Qu Qingxi waved her hand and stood up. "Let's go take a look together."
Qu Qingxi had to keep a close eye on things herself, lest they misunderstand something and then the result would affect the taste.
Here, cattle are important partners of farmers and play a vital role in plowing and cultivating the land. Slaughtering them is not allowed unless under special circumstances.
Ordinary people were not allowed to eat beef; only royalty had this privilege, and even then, cattle could only be slaughtered during festivals or sacrificial rites.
As a prince and the emperor's own brother, He Liufeng could naturally obtain some beef tallow and beef. The beef tallow was used to stir-fry the hot pot base, and the beef was used for dipping.
However, Qu Qingxi still asked people to prepare more mutton, because mutton is the standard for hot pot.
After working almost all afternoon, the ingredients for the hot pot were finally ready just as night was about to fall.
There was no electricity here, so they had to set up a fire outside to cook. However, perhaps because she was happy and there was a bonfire, Qu Qingxi didn't feel cold.
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