Seeing that the atmosphere was awkward, Zhihe hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. She said to her celestial maiden Yuru, "Where are the pastries? Quickly serve them to Third Prince."
"Yes, Princess," Yuru replied. With that, she hurried out to urge the kitchen along. The moment she stepped out, the Emperor leisurely stood up and strolled gracefully toward Siming. Siming had just lowered his head to take a sip of tea, but when he looked up, he choked. He saw Donghua standing right before him, wearing a friendly smile as he handed him a pair of chopsticks. At that exact moment, Liansong mentally reviewed every single heartbreaking event in his life just to keep himself from laughing out loud. Siming stood up in sheer panic, yet he stubbornly refused to accept the chopsticks, making one last futile struggle in his heart, hoping against hope that a miracle would occur. However... none came!
Looking at him with a smile that spelled certain doom, Donghua said, "Aren't you going to eat?" Liansong was truly on the verge of bursting into laughter.
Helpless, Siming raised his trembling hands and took the chopsticks. When he pulled his hands back, they were shaking like a sieve.
Taichen Palace Kitchen
Yuru arrived at the kitchen to urge them about the pastries, but the place was chaotic and desperately short-handed. The celestial maiden making the pastries entrusted the task to Xiao Jiu, who was standing idle nearby: "Xiao Jiu, hurry up and deliver these pastries."
Feng Jiu thought to herself: *If I go deliver the pastries, will I be able to see the Emperor?* Overjoyed, she took the tray and set off, thinking this really was a blessing in disguise—she would finally get to see the Emperor... As the saying goes, extreme joy begets sorrow. While walking along in high spirits, Xiao Jiu wasn't paying attention, tripped, and sent the pastries scattering all over the floor.
Feng Jiu thought: *It's over, I'm completely finished!*
This tray of pastries couldn't be served now, yet the Emperor was waiting. Fortunately, there was no one around, so Feng Jiu simply swapped the pastries out on the sly, replacing them with the Wuyou Pastries she had just finished making in the kitchen.
Taichen Palace Main Hall
With trembling hands, Siming held the chopsticks and inched them toward the Sweet and Sour Fish. Struggling bitterly in his heart, after much hesitation, his right hand lunged forward, while his left hand instantly grabbed his right wrist, refusing to let go no matter what. Liansong watched this one-man tug-of-war with great amusement, while Donghua shook his head in speechless silence.
At that moment, Yuru entered to inform Zhihe that Xiao Jiu was the one who had delivered the pastries. Upon hearing this, how could Zhihe possibly let it go? Finding an excuse, she slipped away from right under the Emperor's nose. Over on Feng Jiu's side, the enemy was thirty seconds away from reaching the battlefield.
"Princess," Feng Jiu greeted Zhihe with a bow.
Zhihe demanded, "What are you doing here instead of reflecting on your mistakes in the kitchen?"
Feng Jiu answered, "The kitchen was short-handed, and they were afraid the distinguished guests would be kept waiting, so they ordered me to deliver the pastries."
How could Zhihe ever give Xiao Jiu a chance to see Donghua? She declared, "Never mind, I'll deliver them. Go back immediately, and remember—without my permission, you are not allowed to step a single inch out of the kitchen!"
Having dismissed Xiao Jiu, Zhihe turned and walked back into the main hall. But Xiao Jiu had no intention of giving up this hard-earned chance to see the Emperor. She sneaked back, hid by the side door of the main hall, and peeked inside.
Inside the main hall, Siming, having failed in his grueling internal struggle, had actually passed out cold. One can only imagine the sheer lethality of Donghua's plate of Sweet and Sour Fish. Last time he took a single bite and passed out; this time, just imagining the flavor had caused him to faint outright.
Zhihe carried the pastries over to Donghua and said, "Brother, the pastries have arrived."
Donghua nodded to acknowledge it.
Zhihe withdrew.
Outside the side door, Xiao Jiu gazed longingly at Donghua's handsome face, completely infatuated.
Unable to bear watching any longer, Liansong propped Siming up and fanned him for quite a while before Siming finally came to. Liansong couldn't hold it in any longer: "Hey, Emperor! Your culinary skills... you really ought to find some other hobby. Sigh!" As soon as Liansong finished speaking, he casually picked up a piece of Wuyou Pastry from the table and took a bite. As he chewed, a sudden realization dawned on him. Unsure, he took another bite. In a trance, he seemed to hear Chengyu asking him, "Is it delicious?" Liansong looked at Chengyu in disbelief. "Do you want to eat?" "Yes." "Then I'll feed you." "Okay!"
Then Liansong took a sickening bite out of half a pastry and leaned toward Chengyu... only to be abruptly blocked by his own folding fan. Snapping back to reality and finding Siming right in front of him, Liansong shoved Siming backward with a start. Seeing this, Siming gloated, "Third Prince, are you hallucinating or something?" With a smile, he asked again, "Were you?"
Yet Liansong looked so excited he was practically in tears—he was genuinely on the verge of crying from sheer joy.
Liansong exclaimed, "Wow! These pastries—simple and elegant on the outside, but holding an entirely different world within! Every bite is filled with the fragrance of Wuyou flowers, carrying a touch of the sweet nectar of purple gold. The crucial part is that they transport one to such a marvelous realm!"
Pointing at Donghua, Liansong continued, "Splendid! Truly splendid! Your fish—it's not fishy anymore! Have a taste."
Hearing this, Donghua curiously picked up a piece of Wuyou Pastry, examined it, and took a tentative bite. Outside the door, Xiao Jiu looked on at Donghua with expectant eyes.
Donghua asked, "Who made this?"
Zhihe was certainly not going to let this credit fall to Xiao Jiu. She hurriedly stepped forward to claim it for herself, saying, "Seeing that Elder Brother has been engrossed in culinary arts lately, Zhihe simply tried her hand at it."
Donghua inquired, "Have you given it a name?"
Zhihe replied, "Not yet. I ask Elder Brother to bestow a name upon it."
Donghua said, "Since it is made from Wuyou flowers, let us call it Wuyou Pastry. Well made."
Zhihe beamed, "Thank you, Elder Brother!"
*The Emperor is praising my pastries,* Feng Jiu thought happily, *how did you know these are called Wuyou Pastries? Great minds really do think alike!* As she rejoiced inwardly, her nine tails began wagging back and forth without her realizing it.
While Donghua was talking with Zhihe, Siming had also curiously tasted a piece of Wuyou Pastry prompted by Liansong's words. You wouldn't know until you tried it, but a single bite instantly brought a certain person to mind.
Feng Jiu and Siming had been close friends for many years. From Siming's perspective, the affirmation from an old friend meant that Feng Jiu's cooking skills were actually far superior to her talent for stirring up trouble. Over the years, he had tasted plenty of food made by Feng Jiu. Just like that, one bite was all it took for him to know that the person who made these Wuyou Pastries had to be Feng Jiu. Watching Donghua and Zhihe playing along with each other on the platform, for the first time, he felt an urge to expose Zhihe. He wanted to drop a hint by saying, "The taste of these pastries seems remarkably similar to something an old friend of mine used to make..." to subtly inform Donghua that someone else was the true creator, and then find a way to introduce Feng Jiu to him. Because he was fond of Feng Jiu, he knew the moment he tasted it that she was the maker, but he knew even better how deeply Feng Jiu loved Donghua, and he wanted to help fulfill her wish.
Siming was just about to speak when suddenly, he caught sight of something: nine... red tails! Covered in cold sweat, Siming was utterly terrified. *Are you two ancestors taking turns trying to scare me to death today?!* Siming was scared out of his wits! Once Feng Jiu's nine tails were exposed and seen by others, her identity as the Princess of Qingqiu would no longer be a secret. It might be fine if the Emperor already knew the Princess of Qingqiu was in his palace, but other people couldn't find out! Otherwise, Feng Jiu would truly disgrace all of Qingqiu, and she would undoubtedly get a beating from her father the moment she went back!