Upon hearing the sound, Tian Yu immediately turned around and saw Uncle Zhou leading the Prince and Huang Xuan towards them. She quickly pushed Zhao Moyan away, stood up, straightened her clothes, and felt so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole to disappear into.
Zhao Mo calmly stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "I was unaware of Your Highness and Young Master Huang's visit. Please forgive my lack of hospitality."
"It's alright. I was just bored and thought I'd come and visit your residence."
After Tian Yu led Tangyuan and Xiaoju to greet them, and was about to leave, Prince Wu pointed at Tangyuan and said, "This must be the Marquis's son. He does look somewhat like the Marquis. I was in a hurry today and didn't prepare any gifts, so I'll give you this jade thumb ring as a small token of my greeting." He then took the jade thumb ring from his thumb and gave it to Tangyuan.
Tangyuan naturally dared not accept it and looked at Tianyu. Tianyu, not knowing what to do either, looked at Zhao Moyan. Zhao Moyan looked at the two of them and smiled, saying, "How can we not accept what Your Highness has given us? Your subject thanks Your Highness on behalf of my son!"
Tian Yu nodded to Tang Yuan, who then accepted the jade thumb ring and bowed to thank the prince, just like Zhao Moyan had done. Zhao Moyan told Steward Zhou to take the two children away. Tian Yu also wanted to take her leave, but Prince Wu said that after tasting the pastries Tian Yu made yesterday, nothing tasted good anymore. He asked if Tian Yu could make them again today. Tian Yu looked at Zhao Moyan and thought that it was almost noon, so he was here to freeload. Huang Xuan chimed in. Tian Yu felt helpless but couldn't refuse, since he was a prince. She had no choice but to ask them to wait while she went to the kitchen to prepare.
Zhao Moyan led the two to the living room, while Tian Yu went to the kitchen to prepare lunch and dessert. The three of them drank tea in the living room, each lost in their own thoughts. Huang Xuan was eager to see how Tian Yu cooked, so after drinking a cup of tea, he stood up and said, "Your Highness, Your Lordship, please continue with your business. I'll go help Madam with the cooking."
"You're trying to steal my skills, aren't you! Go ahead!" The prince said lazily, seeing through Huang Xuan's trick at a glance.
Zhao Moyan nodded and beckoned a servant to lead him to the kitchen. After Huang Xuan left, Zhao Moyan picked up his teacup and said, "Why did Your Highness come to this remote mountain town this time?"
"I heard this is the Marquis's hometown, so I thought I'd come and take a look."
"It's not only my hometown, but also the hometown of that prince of Chen."
Any news lately?
"The scouts reported that he went towards Jiaocheng County, the border between Che Kingdom and Wu Kingdom, but the specifics are still unclear."
"His Majesty has decreed that he must not return to Chen. This is the only route he can take back to Chen. You should know what to do!"
"Know!"
"How is the investigation into the corruption case involving the magistrate of Shancheng County progressing?"
"We are still searching for evidence. Yanyu Tower is also one of his hideouts, but there should be someone behind it."
"Yes, continue the investigation. No matter who's in charge, we must find them out. Anyone who dares to embezzle the soldiers' pensions is courting death!"
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will find the real culprit."
"I have heard that this matter of the pension is also related to the Marquis's wife."
"Yes, it was she who asked Li Yong for compensation on behalf of the villagers, which led to the discovery of the county magistrate's embezzlement case."
"Your wife is truly extraordinary. I am actually quite reluctant to let her go, but unfortunately, I am a step too late."
"Your Highness is too kind. My wife is ignorant of etiquette and manners. Please forgive her if she has offended you in any way."
"You're too kind, my lord. I think the lady has a straightforward personality and unique ideas. Although she is not particularly beautiful, she is quite interesting."
"Your Highness flatters me."
The two were busy chatting and exchanging pleasantries in the living room, while Tian Yu was also very busy in the kitchen. Huang Xuan originally wanted to come and take a look and learn a few tricks, but Tian Yu caught him and ordered him around in various ways.
Once lunch was ready, the steward went to invite Zhao Moyan and Prince Wu to eat. Tian Yu prepared a separate meal for the two children in the east courtyard. Based on the ingredients bought from the kitchen that day, Tian Yu prepared scrambled eggs with tomatoes, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised prawns, dried bamboo shoot and old duck soup, and an ancient version of tiramisu. Due to limited resources, the biscuits used as a base were replaced with a local pastry similar to biscuits. The only fruit available was apples and small cherries, which were barely acceptable. A thin layer of icing sugar was sprinkled on top, and a small piece was cut off and sprinkled with fine salt.
After arranging everything, Tian Yu wanted to go back to have dinner with Tang Yuan and the others, but they kept her there. The three of them ate elegantly at the table, all finding it quite pleasant. Tian Yu had always thought Zhao Moyan's eating habits were unbearable enough, but this Prince Wu was even more picky. Although the food was reasonably delicious, he only took a small bite of each dish, except for the tiramisu, which he scooped up twice. If he hadn't kept saying it was delicious, Tian Yu would have thought he was just being perfunctory. She handed the specially prepared tiramisu to Zhao Moyan, but he didn't seem inclined to touch it. Seeing Tian Yu's constant winks, he finally picked up the spoon and took a bite. He looked up at Tian Yu with some surprise, and Tian Yu smiled at him.
Seeing the two exchanging glances, Prince Wu asked curiously, "Is this piece different from ours, Marquis?"
"No, they're all the same except for one extra thing."
"Oh, then I'll have to try it." Saying that, she picked up a spoon and tried to scoop a piece from Zhao Moyan's plate, but Zhao Moyan stopped her with his hand.
"Your Highness, this was specially prepared for me by my wife. Please show some respect."
"When did you become so stingy, Lord Marquis?" Seeing that Zhao Moyan wouldn't give it to him, he angrily threw the spoon on the table and said.
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Madam just added some salt to that piece. The Marquis doesn't like sweets, so Madam came up with this idea," Huang Xuan quickly said, trying to smooth things over.
Upon hearing this, Prince Wu smiled and said, "So that's how it is! Your wife truly has deep feelings for you, Marquis!"
"No, he doesn't like sweets, I just changed it up a bit."
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