Villainous Crown Prince (5)
Song Xuyi’s appetite had noticeably improved.
As her appetite improved, her physical condition also improved. After a few days, Song Xuyi finally adapted to the rocking of the boat and regained her spirits. Feeling bored just sitting on the boat, Song Xuyi decided to take advantage of this time to explore the cuisine of this world, so after recovering, she went into the kitchen with Nie Qianyu.
Song Xuyi concluded that the main reason the food in this world tasted bad was that there were too few ingredients used for cooking—the only seasonings available were salt and sugar, which wasted the natural flavors of the ingredients.
Every time she ate, Song Xuyi missed the wide variety of seasonings and cuisines of the modern world.
When Song Xuyi entered the kitchen, Nie Qianyu was already there.
Nie Qianyu, a young man, stood in the narrow kitchen as if he could glow. His cooking movements were methodical and not at all chaotic, cutting the vegetables with precision, looking more like painting than cooking.
He’s really excellent in every way!
“Brother Nie,” Song Xuyi not only didn’t feel weak these days, but also regained vitality, understanding that a large part of it was due to Nie Qianyu’s cooking. Thinking that this villain was finally tamed by herself, Song Xuyi changed her way of addressing Nie Qianyu.
Song Xuyi looked at Nie Qianyu’s skillful cutting with admiring eyes, “Doesn’t your Wu Country have the saying ‘A nobleman stays in the kitchen far from the stove’? How can a Prince like you cook such delicious food?”
“Life forced me to,” Nie Qianyu answered softly, smoothly putting the vegetables into the pot. “I had to figure it out myself.”
Nie Qianyu’s response was nonchalant, leading Song Xuyi to believe that he also had a discerning palate that chefs couldn’t satisfy, forcing him to cook for himself. She nodded in agreement, “Indeed, we share a similar view, the culinary skills of the chefs still need improvement…”
People with special talents in this era have their pride. The chef, referred to as needing improvement by Song Xuyi, stood nearby, looking somewhat disgruntled. His culinary skills may have been outdone by Prince Nie, who indeed had a knack for cooking. However, he was also a well-known chef, otherwise he wouldn’t have been chosen to serve the royal family in the palace. If the princess was so critical and outspoken, he wanted to see what kind of delicacy this picky and willful princess could produce!
However, that picky princess didn’t cook herself.
Instead, she took out several oddly shaped tubers that she had been protecting these days, called “sweet potatoes”, and reluctantly instructed her maidservant to peel off the skin. She then used clean stones to pound the sweet potatoes into a paste, wrapped the paste with coarse cloth to squeeze out the water, then set the squeezed water aside after a few squeezes.
The princess then took out a bowl of rice and added some sugar to it.
At this moment, the princess seemed to sense the chef’s gaze, lifted her eyes to look at him, and said, “Ten parts rice, one part sugar.”
The chef felt inexplicably puzzled and continued to watch the princess’s actions, pursing his lips.
The princess directed her maidservant to stir-fry the white rice in an iron pot, and when the rice turned golden, she took a jar and put the sugar and the fried rice inside. Then, she poured in most of a jar of cooled water, sealed the jar with a layer of mud around the lid, and placed the sealed jar in a corner of the small kitchen, laying down a rule: no one could open the jar for half a month.
“Strange and peculiar!” the chef muttered to himself.
After finishing these tasks, the princess didn’t make any more moves, staying by Prince Nie’s side, watching him work, occasionally asking questions. Surprisingly, Prince Nie, who had a good temper, actually listened to her: he took the sweet potatoes, cut them into fine shreds, coated them with flour, sprinkled a bit of sugar and salt, and fried them in a pan.
And when stewing the meat, the princess disdainfully rejected the traditional method of stewing meat in plain water, and instead had Prince Nie use a mixture of water and wine with a little sugar added to the meat…
Under the princess’s haphazard fussing, this meal took almost half a day to prepare. However, as he watched, the chef’s expression slowly changed, unconsciously noting the princess’s actions: although he didn’t know how it would taste, the aroma coming from the cooking was tantalizing, suggesting that the dish might turn out quite well…
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Prince Nie had no objections to any of the princess’s whimsical ideas. Whatever the princess said, he followed.
During the meal, Song Xuyi also gave the chef two pieces of sweet potato cake. Seeing the chef’s expression light up after eating them, Song Xuyi knew that he was starting to admire her. Thinking that Nie Qianyu had been taking care of her tirelessly during this time and wanting to repay him, she no longer let him cook and focused on teaching the chef.
As a result, rumors spread on the ship once again – “The princess has started to study cooking because of Prince Nie”. In no time, the image of Song Xuyi as a devoted woman became even more entrenched in people’s minds.
Song Xuyi had become accustomed to the gossip and rumors and couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to them. As for why she used so many different cooking methods, Song Xuyi had a set of explanations: in this era, the nobles and aristocrats all sought to showcase their refinement, with each family having its own unique and secret recipes. Song Xuyi claimed that she had gathered these methods, and no one doubted her.
The chef, on the other hand, became filled with enthusiasm after hearing this explanation. Having learned so many secret recipes from various households, he believed he would become the best chef in the country from now on! He had initially thought that this assignment to travel with the willful princess was a disaster, but now it seemed that far from being a disaster, it was nothing short of an incredible stroke of luck!
Under Song Xuyi’s modern theoretical guidance, the chef’s culinary skills improved by leaps and bounds. Since eating is an essential part of life, as the food improved, the people on the entire ship also gradually changed their opinion of the princess.
Especially, after fifteen days, when Song Xuyi used dried and ground sweet potato starch combined with brewed white vinegar, and instructed the chef to make a dish of sweet and sour spare ribs, everyone on the ship tasted a new flavor that they had never experienced before. The entire ship began to look forward to meal times, and even the previously arduous journey became more bearable…
Meanwhile, the rumored Prince of Wu, who was said to have been forcibly taken by the princess, showed no signs of resentment as the rumors had claimed. The appearance of the Prince of Wu did indeed astonish people, including the chief steward, who was quite worldly-wise. When he saw the Prince of Wu, he also had a moment of astonishment, and the chief steward had his own standards for judging people: although the Prince of Wu appeared aloof, his demeanor towards the princess was notably different from how he treated others. The relationship between the two of them not only didn’t seem as cold as rumored, but rather appeared quite amicable.
Even though she was the only granddaughter of the Wang family, the princess didn’t need to worry about what others thought of her. However, as the steward observed the princess at this time, he felt a sense of relief: the princess had changed her temperament and was no longer filled with resentment, which was also a good thing for her.
It wasn’t until the evening that the steward understood why these people were so spirited: the princess had actually brought along such an outstanding chef!
This chef was truly skilled in the kitchen, and some of the dishes were ones the steward had never seen before. Everyone ate with great relish, and the steward unconsciously helped himself to several bowls of rice. Even so, the princess was still instructing the chef in his culinary skills. Despite possessing such exceptional talent, the chef didn’t show any displeasure, and instead, he accepted the princess’s guidance with extreme respect and humility…
The steward couldn’t help but be amazed.
And this was just the beginning.
On this journey, the steward witnessed a princess who was almost completely different from her childhood temperament. This princess carried herself with grace, was kind to others, and made people can’t help but like her.
Through the propaganda of General Wang and others, the steward and others began to deeply believe that Song Xuyi’s change was due to her admiration for Nie Qianyu. They believed that Song Xuyi was so infatuated with love that she made such a big change.
In this light…
The old steward, observing the interaction between Song Xuyi and Nie Qianyu, felt a sense of hesitation: it seemed that some of the master’s arrangements were not so appropriate.
After some consideration, the old steward sent a letter back to Zhongzhou overnight, and at the same time, to preempt any disagreement from the master, he decided to make some preparations just in case.
When the old steward saw the starry sky, he would sigh, “Although the stars also shine, the brightest light in the night sky is still the moonlight. The stars can never take away the brilliance of the moonlight. Prince Nie, do you think I’m right or not?”
Even when he saw a dish, the old steward would comment, “Even though the cabbage in this dish has its own flavor, it’s just something to eat for variety. What everyone prefers to eat is the meat in it. Oh, Prince Nie, what do you think—”
However, before the old steward could finish his sigh, his subordinate abruptly scooped all the dumplings from the bowl into his own, much to the ire of the old steward, who quickly reached out to grab them: “Outrageous! Who gave you the right to snatch my cabbage dumplings…”
……
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Song Xuyi was puzzled by the sudden outbursts of the old steward, but Nie Qianyu, upon hearing the steward’s words, found his eyes involuntarily deepening.
Yunzhou is very close to Zhongzhou, and not long after, Song Xuyi’s group arrived in Zhongzhou.
Zhongzhou has always been a prosperous land, known for its flourishing culture and admiration for the ways of a gentleman. When they first entered the city, Nie Qianyu, riding on a white horse with an elegant bearing, attracted countless gazes. Along the way, handkerchiefs from young ladies and married women were thrown at Nie Qianyu as if they cost nothing. The people followed the carriage in a throng, whispering and inquiring about the identity of this young lord…
Song Xuyi already knew Nie Qianyu’s ability to attract attention, but she didn’t expect to witness the rumored “throwing fruits and filling the carriage” scene herself. She sat in the carriage, laughing at the spectacle, but didn’t notice Nie Qianyu’s increasingly somber expression.
It’s not clear which young lady it was, but she accidentally threw a large watermelon rind, and in a moment of carelessness, it “popped” and hit Nie Qianyu on the forehead—
The crowd gasped in astonishment, and Song Xuyi was also stunned by this move. Nie Qianyu, seemingly unable to bear it any longer, turned and slipped into the carriage, sitting down next to Song Xuyi and letting down the curtain…
Song Xuyi leaned in close to Nie Qianyu, nervously checking his face. Seeing that there were no visible marks on Nie Qianyu’s perfect face, she felt relieved. She also couldn’t help but notice the growing sighs from outside the carriage and quietly said, “Aren’t you going out? Everyone seems to really like you—”
For the first time, Nie Qianyu’s usually expressionless face creased into a frown, with a noticeable furrow in his brow and pursed lips. “They only like this fleshly shell!”
Song Xuyi was about to say something, thinking that she couldn’t blame the people, but realized that it was just because Nie Qianyu’s appearance was so outstanding that everyone was losing control. However, before she could speak, a hand reached out in front of her—
Nie Qianyu had very beautiful hands. Perhaps because he hadn’t fully matured during his youth, Nie Qianyu’s frame was much smaller than that of the average man, with long, slender fingers, fair as jade, holding a few peeled lotus seeds in his palm.
Song Xuyi looked at Nie Qianyu, lips pursed, and belatedly realized that he was trying to shut her up. She tactfully stopped herself from speaking and quietly started eating the lotus seeds.
Nie Qianyu usually had an old soul despite his young age, always putting on a cold and indifferent face as if nothing could stir him. Song Xuyi didn’t expect him to suddenly show such genuine emotions in front of her. However, this was also an indication that Nie Qianyu was beginning to trust her.
Song Xuyi felt happy, believing that she had managed to handle this villain. A slight smile crept onto her lips as she ate the lotus seeds, and she unconsciously praised Nie Qianyu again, “If Brother Nie doesn’t want to go out, then don’t! Just stay here with me. You’re so good-looking, I could look at you for however long and never get tired…”
“I hope the princess still thinks so after a while.”
Song Xuyi had previously thought that Nie Qianyu was used to her flattery and wouldn’t pay any attention to her. However, this time Nie Qianyu didn’t ignore her words as Song Xuyi had imagined. He glanced at her, tugged at the corner of his lips, and his gaze looked a bit strange, as if… somewhat annoyed?
Song Xuyi was briefly puzzled, recalling how the old steward had pulled Nie Qianyu aside and whispered to him in a secluded corner before they entered the city. She furrowed her brow in confusion: Could it be that the old steward had said something unpleasant to Nie Qianyu?
……
When Nie Qianyu finished eating the lotus seeds, the group arrived at the Wang family’s residence. Along the way, the townspeople had already heard about the arrival of this group and learned that the striking young man was rumored to be the Prince of Wu Country who had been used as hostage. They sighed at the misfortune of Prince Nie, lamenting his tumultuous fate.
These words, which Song Xuyi was accustomed to, reached the ears of the head of the Wang family, Wang Mian, before she did. As Wang Mian heard them, his expression grew increasingly grave.
Wang Mian had several sons before, and it wasn’t until he was older that he had a daughter, Empress Wang, who had been doted on since childhood. Upon hearing news of Song Xuyi’s impending arrival, Wang Mian had already prepared many jewels and gifts for her…
One of the gifts was quite special. Initially, after hearing the news from the old steward, Wang Mian had no intention of presenting it. But now—
Wang Mian sneered and squinted…
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Before long, Song Xuyi understood the reason why Nie Qianyu had spoken in that manner inside the carriage.
Upon entering the Wang family residence, her grandfather, Wang Mian, greeted her with the same warmth as in her original memories, almost unconditionally favoring her. Song Xuyi was welcomed with piles of jewelry, beautiful clothing, and a lavishly decorated villa, leaving her dazzled.
As Song Xuyi marveled at the immense wealth of the Wang family, several handsome young men suddenly emerged from the corners of the villa. They lined up before Song Xuyi and bowed in unison:
“Greetings, Princess!”
The author has something to say:
Xiaonie: So angry, so infuriating!
Wishing all you cuties a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. I hope you’ll be even happier every day in the future than on Mid-Autumn Day~(#^.^#). Whether you’re celebrating at home or, like me, celebrating in a different place, remember to be happy and enjoy some delicious treats!
I wanted to update right at midnight today, but after getting the HPV vaccine, I felt dizzy and ended up taking a nap. Before I knew it, I accidentally slept until 21:00~~~┭┮﹏┭┮
LP: Re-translated on April 05, 2024