Mi Rao's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly lowered her head and walked briskly to Ye Qingxue to bow, saying, "Greetings, Crown Princess."
Ye Qingxue's face betrayed no emotion. "What were you doing just now?"
As Mi Rao walked over, she had already come up with a plan: "This servant just delivered some snacks to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Lord Zhuang said that His Highness the Crown Prince has been too busy these past few days and has not been able to eat on time or at all. Therefore, Lord Zhuang instructed me to get up early and make some snacks for His Highness to take on his journey."
Half truth and half lie.
This could reduce Ye Qingxue's suspicion of her.
After thinking for a moment, Mi Rao said, "I made a little extra. There's still some in the kitchen. Would Your Highness like to try some? I'll go get it for you."
"Are you good at making desserts?" Ye Qingxue asked.
Her tone was calm and even, and Mi Rao couldn't tell whether she believed what she had just said. She composed herself and replied:
"I love cooking, which is why Lord Zhuang bought me to work in the kitchen. My skills are certainly not as good as the head chef's, but I will learn diligently."
"Chunqian, go with Miss Mirao and bring me the pastries she made to try." Ye Qingxue said, "Lord Zhuang has always praised your cooking skills. I tried them last night, and they were indeed very good."
Mi Rao said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I will study even harder in the future."
Ye Qingxue nodded and left with Granny Xing and the others; she was truly in pain.
Chunqian then followed Mirao to the kitchen to get some snacks.
After Ye Qingxue came out of the outhouse, Chunqian had already brought over the pastries that Mi Rao had made. She dismissed everyone else and called Qiu Shen in to test for poison.
After examining it, Qiu Shen shook her head: "No poison."
Ye Qingxue picked up a piece of pastry, sniffed it, but didn't smell any special aroma.
Ye Qingxue fell into deep thought.
When Zhuang Xin and Yun Zhuo returned together that evening, she asked Qiu Shen to subtly inquire with Zhuang Xin whether such a thing had happened.
The news that Qiu Shen found out was: "Lord Zhuang said it was true. He said that Mi Rao's pastries were very good, and he had mentioned it to Mi Rao before."
...
Mi Rao felt uneasy, as she felt that Ye Qingxue suspected her. However, she did not do anything different from usual because of her unease. She continued to work busily in the kitchen and took a break when it was time to rest.
Ye Qingxue had Qiu Shen keep an eye on her for three days, but to no avail.
After personally delivering the snacks to Yun Zhuo on the first day, she handed the snacks to Zhuang Xin for the next two days instead of delivering them directly to Yun Zhuo.
There is not a single mistake.
After pondering for a while, Ye Qingxue decided to recall Qiu Shen and have her keep an eye on another person.
The following evening, Mi Rao made osmanthus cake and specially delivered it to Qiu Shen's room.
Mi Rao said, "I specially picked the last batch of osmanthus flowers to make osmanthus cake. We can only eat it next year after this, so I specially sent some to Sister Qiu Shen to try."
"The osmanthus fragrance is wonderful, and it looks delicious. Thank you," Qiu Shen said.
"To be honest, Sister Qiushen, I have a request. You are someone close to the Crown Princess and know her tastes very well, but I am just a kitchen maid. I would like to learn more about the Crown Princess's preferences from you so that I can cook more of her favorite dishes in the future."
Qiu Shen replied, "Mi Rao is very kind. If the Crown Princess has any special requests, I will inform the kitchen in advance, and Granny Xing will also tell her. If she doesn't say anything, it means there are no special requests, and you can just cook the usual meals."
Mi Rao thanked her again.
After chatting for a while, Mi Rao left.
She walked quite a distance, making sure no one was following her, then raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face, her cheeks instantly turning red.
Half an hour later, she knocked on Zhuang Xin's door with another serving of pastries: "This is osmanthus cake made from the last batch of osmanthus flowers this year. I brought it here especially for Brother Zhuang to try."
Zhuang Xin was overjoyed to see her, especially since she had come to bring him osmanthus cakes.
He hurriedly thanked her and welcomed Mi Rao into the house. He was about to pour her tea when he inadvertently noticed the slap marks on her face.
"What happened to your face? Who hit you!" Zhuang Xin's anger flared instantly. He was the one who brought Mi Rao into the palace. Did no one know that he was protecting Mi Rao? How dare someone lay a hand on Mi Rao!
Mi Rao froze, staring blankly at him, tears streaming down her face: "Don't blame the Crown Princess, it's my fault!"
Zhuang Xin was stunned. Was it the Crown Princess who hit him?
"Why did the Crown Princess hit you! She is never one to hit someone without knowing the facts!"
"Yes, the Crown Princess isn't someone who doesn't distinguish right from wrong; it was my fault for being impolite! His Highness the Crown Prince has been very busy with official duties lately, often staying in his study until midnight. I thought that since I'm a cook and receive a monthly salary from the Crown Prince's residence, I shouldn't let my master go hungry, so I brought His Highness a midnight snack. I never expected the Crown Princess to see it..."
"The Crown Princess has misunderstood me, so... I will no longer send late-night snacks to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Zhuang Xin recalled that Mi Rao was always considerate and worried that others might go hungry. She cared not only about whether the Crown Prince was hungry, but also about whether everyone else was hungry!
So delivering late-night snacks has probably become a habit for her.
Then the Crown Princess misunderstood.
But the Crown Princess shouldn't have been so cruel. She injured Mi Rao's face, her cheeks were swollen, and there were clear five-finger marks. How much pain Mi Rao must have been in.
If it were anyone else, he would have stood up for Mi Rao, but that person was the Crown Princess. This jealousy was outrageous. His Highness the Crown Prince only had eyes for her, yet she was so jealous that she beat Mi Rao up like this!
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