A Stolen Romance - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Taro

In the side hall, the dining table was already set. The Crown Prince sat at the head of the table, and when he saw Shi Yuning, a gentle smile, like a spring breeze, spread across his gaunt face.

This made Shi Yuning feel quite uncomfortable.

Noticing that Shi Yuning was standing frozen in the doorway, the Crown Prince smiled and spoke.

“Why are you standing at the door, Miss Shi? Come in and sit down to have lunch with us, ahem.”

The Crown Prince was also wearing simple robes today. Although he still spoke with some effort and coughed intermittently, his complexion looked much better than yesterday.

Yesterday, the Crown Prince’s face was as pale as a ghost’s, but today, while still somewhat haggard, there was a faint hint of color on his cheeks.

Shi Yuning snapped back to attention, smiled, and stepped inside. Suppressing her curiosity, she greeted the Crown Prince. Then, after a moment’s thought, she greeted the Crown Princess again.

“This subject apologizes for the intrusion today.”

Xie Zhaoran, who had been sitting silently, only slightly lifted her eyes when she saw Shi Yuning’s sudden formality.

The Crown Prince was a little surprised by Shi Yuning’s impeccable manners. Although he lived in the Eastern Palace, he had heard some of the rumors circulating in the capital.

After all, upon his return yesterday, he had specifically asked for information about Shi Yuning’s character.

The reports he received all said that Shi Yuning came from the countryside, had no manners, and was quite naive.

Seeing her today, he found the rumors to be rather inaccurate.

The Crown Prince smiled gently and said, “There’s no need to be so formal, Miss Shi. It’s been a long time since the Eastern Palace has been so lively.”

“Don’t just stand there, come and sit down. You can see if you like the food Zhaoran has prepared today, ahem ahem.”

Shi Yuning’s expression was a little stiff. After thanking him, she went to the empty seat and sat down. She anxiously looked at the dishes on the table, praying they wouldn’t all be boiled. She’d be happy with just one or two decent dishes.

The Eastern Palace’s banquet was indeed very grand. The table was full of dishes in elegant serving vessels, and the bowls, plates, cups, and chopsticks were all a matching set of Ru ware porcelain with gilded edges.

At first glance, it was a delight to the eyes. It was no wonder that nobles in the capital focused on food that was perfect in color, aroma, and taste; a beautiful presentation really did lift one’s mood and whet the appetite.

When she confirmed that the dishes were not boiled, Shi Yuning’s heart completely relaxed, and her stomach began to rumble with hunger.

“Thank you, Crown Princess, for your gracious hospitality. These all look delicious.”

The table was set with popular dishes among the capital’s nobility, such as Mountain-Sea Pockets, Mandarin Duck Roast, and Lily-bulb Shrimp Paste, as well as dumplings with thin skins and steamed buns with bean paste.

These were all intricate dishes that required a skilled chef, showing the host’s great respect for their guest.

“If you like them, eat more.” Xie Zhaoran, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

“Okay, then I won’t be shy.” Shi Yuning happily agreed and picked up her chopsticks, grabbing a shrimp dumpling she liked.

As she chewed, she opened the lid of a light-blue porcelain bowl on the upper-left side of the table.

“Mmm, taro soup!”

The dumpling in her mouth hadn’t been fully chewed, and her words came out a bit jumbled.

Her eyes lit up, and she excitedly pointed at the uncovered bowl, looking at the Crown Prince.

“It’s taro soup!”

This was a truly delightful and unexpected surprise!

Shi Yuning took a deep sniff of the aroma wafting from the bowl. This familiar scent was unmistakably the taro soup from her hometown of Linzhou!

She had been in the capital for over half a year and hadn’t eaten it once.

People in the capital didn’t seem to like taro, nor did they like thick soups. The chef at her family’s residence didn’t know how to make this dish either.

“In all my time in the capital, I’ve never seen taro soup on a banquet table,” Shi Yuning exclaimed happily.

The bowl in front of the Crown Prince had already been opened. Seeing that Shi Yuning had finally discovered the surprise, he smiled meaningfully.

“Don’t be so surprised, Miss Shi. I’ve been in the capital for nearly twenty years and I’ve never seen this dish either.”

“Huh?” Shi Yuning blurted out in surprise. “You’ve never had taro soup before, Crown Prince?”

In Linzhou, it was a common sight. She didn’t know where to find it in the capital, but for this dish to appear at an Eastern Palace banquet and for the Crown Prince to have never seen it… that was strange.

The Crown Prince just smiled without a word, turning to look at Xie Zhaoran, who was quietly eating.

Feeling their gazes on her, Xie Zhaoran put down her chopsticks, picked up the bowl of taro soup, and took a small sip. She said casually, “The new chef is from the South.”

I see, Shi Yuning thought, feeling relieved. The chef must be from my hometown.

The Crown Prince’s lips curved into a smile, accepting the explanation. He turned to Shi Yuning, “This time, it’s thanks to you, Miss Shi—”

Before the Crown Prince could finish, Xie Zhaoran placed her teacup down with a soft clatter. She gave the Crown Prince a sidelong glance. “Shut up and eat.”

The Crown Prince was reprimanded but didn’t get angry. He covered his mouth and coughed twice, then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, but the smile on his face seemed impossible to suppress.

Shi Yuning watched their interaction and pursed her lips, and couldn’t help but say, “The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have such a good relationship.”

It was just like when her parents ate at home; her father was always being scolded by her mother, but he never got angry and just kept on eating with a smile.

As soon as she said this, Xie Zhaoran’s hand, which had just picked up her chopsticks, trembled, and the chopsticks fell back onto the table.

The Crown Prince also nearly dropped his chopsticks.

Both of them froze at the same time, looking at Shi Yuning. One frowned, and the other’s smile stiffened, as if they couldn’t understand why she would think that.

Regardless of why she had that idea, the Crown Prince felt it was necessary to correct her misunderstanding.

“Zhaoran and I are cousins. We grew up together. Zhaoran has a lot of respect for me in our daily lives.”

The Crown Prince’s words were a roundabout way of saying that their relationship wasn’t like that of an ordinary husband and wife.

Shi Yuning nodded, a look of understanding in her eyes. “I get it! It’s like you ‘treat each other with the respect of guests’!”

Pfft! The Crown Prince couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He put his chopsticks on the table, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip, trying hard to suppress the tickling in his throat.

After controlling his laughter, the Crown Prince turned to look at Xie Zhaoran, whose face was as dark as an inkstone. His eyes were full of sympathy for her. This little girl from the Shi family probably hasn’t had her feelings awakened yet.

Xie Zhaoran remained silent. Her hands, hidden under the table, couldn’t help but scratch at each other.

Sitting at the head of the table, the Crown Prince had a clear view. After watching Xie Zhaoran’s unusual behavior for a bit, a look of understanding dawned on him. He sighed softly in his heart, but his face was still beaming.

“Miss Shi, you should eat more. It would be a shame for Zhaoran to have—” The Crown Prince saw Xie Zhaoran’s warning look and quickly changed his words. “—to have specially asked you to stay for lunch.”

He had originally wanted to say, It would be a shame for Zhaoran to have specially arranged all these dishes, and to have specially prepared this Linzhou specialty that she knows you love.

Shi Yuning happily agreed and silently apologized for her initial assumption. She realized that Xie Zhaoran was simply a picky eater and didn’t expect others to eat as blandly as she did.

With the delicious taro soup, Shi Yuning devoured almost all the food on the table, leaving only the dishes she didn’t like.

Her hearty appetite was a novel sight for the two refined nobles of the Eastern Palace, who usually ate only to sustain themselves. For the first time, they felt something called appetite.

The meal was a very pleasant one for everyone. Shi Yuning patted her full, round belly. After eating, she just wanted to go back to bed for a nap.

Seeing that it was getting late, Shi Yuning stood up to take her leave after finishing her tea.

Xie Zhaoran didn’t try to keep her. She walked her out of the side hall and handed her over to Qiangdi.

“I’ll see you off here, Miss Shi. Qiangdi will lead you out of the palace.”

“Thank you, Crown Princess. Thank you for your hospitality today. I’m completely stuffed.”

Shi Yuning thanked her sincerely. She hadn’t had such delicious taro soup in a long time. In her hometown dialect, she would have said it was so delicious it made her eyebrows fall off.

Xie Zhaoran glanced at her slightly rounder belly, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

“If you come again tomorrow, Miss Shi, I can have the chef prepare some more southern dishes in advance.”

Shi Yuning’s eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed. How could I impose on her two days in a row? Shi Yuning felt that it wasn’t right and was about to refuse.

Xie Zhaoran’s gaze paused. Before Shi Yuning could speak, she put on a look as if she were just noticing Shi Yuning’s clothes.

“I just realized that my old clothes fit you quite well.”

Shi Yuning followed her gaze and looked down, remembering that she was still wearing Xie Zhaoran’s dress.

“I almost forgot! Thank you for the clothes, Crown Princess. I’ll be sure to wash them and return them tomorrow.”

Xie Zhaoran’s hand, which was hanging at her side, slightly curled her pinky finger. “You are too polite, Miss Shi. In that case, I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.”

Shi Yuning quickly agreed.

Xie Zhaoran watched Shi Yuning’s figure walk away until she was out of sight before she turned back into the side hall.

Inside, the dining table had already been cleared. Only the Crown Prince remained, sitting and drinking his bitter medicinal soup, with an imperial medical maid waiting beside him.

“Take a look at the Crown Princess’s hands.”

The medical maid quickly agreed, walked to the Crown Princess’s side, and asked her to sit down.

“If you would, Crown Princess, please extend your hands so this servant can take a look.”

Now that Shi Yuning was gone, Xie Zhaoran calmly held out her hands.

The medical maid carefully pushed up Xie Zhaoran’s sleeves and was surprised to see that from her hands to her forearms, there were many small red spots, and some areas were swollen in large patches.

There were also several scratches from her unbearably itching, and some of the deeper ones had broken the skin.

The Crown Prince also saw the condition of Xie Zhaoran’s hands. He only glanced at them and said nothing.

He just asked the medical maid, “Is it serious?”

After a careful examination, the medical maid replied to the Crown Prince, “This servant will prescribe some medicine to be taken orally and applied topically. As long as she doesn’t touch taro skin again, the swelling will go down quickly.”

Xie Zhaoran wasn’t surprised that the medical maid knew she had touched taro; she assumed the Crown Prince had guessed it beforehand.

She allowed the medical maid to apply the cool ointment, which finally relieved the unbearable itching.

She had never touched taro before, so she didn’t know how powerful it was to make her so miserable. Luckily, Shi Yuning didn’t find out.

After the medical maid finished treating her injuries and left, Xie Zhaoran lifted her eyes to look at the Crown Prince.

“Why did you come?”

Xie Zhaoran was asking why the Crown Prince had come uninvited to lunch.

The Crown Prince finished his bowl of horribly bitter medicinal soup, popped a preserved plum in his mouth, and said in a muffled voice, “To watch the show.”

“Was it a good show?” Xie Zhaoran stared at her hands, not even bothering to lift her eyelids. Her tone was full of sarcasm.

The Crown Prince deliberately nodded. “Of course, it was a good show. I just couldn’t understand some parts.”

Xie Zhaoran’s gaze shifted from her hands to the Crown Prince. “What?”

The Crown Prince blinked. His eyes, which were deeply set from his long illness, had a strangely playful glint.

“What do you like about her, Zhaoran?”

It was obvious who “her” was.

Before Xie Zhaoran could reply, the Crown Prince seemed to think of something interesting and laughed to himself. “She doesn’t seem very smart, does she?”

Xie Zhaoran had not intended to answer the Crown Prince’s question, but hearing this, she raised an eyebrow.

“Have you never heard the phrase ‘great wisdom often appears as folly’?”

The Crown Prince couldn’t hold it in any longer. He laughed so hard that his frail body shook violently, as if he might fall apart at any moment.

While laughing, he caught his breath and teased, “Then tell me… ahem ahem… when will her great wisdom… hahaha… discover… ahem… your little secret?”

The sentence was very fragmented. He was struggling to hold back his laughter and his cough, and it was clearly a great effort for him to speak.

Xie Zhaoran half-closed her eyes. Facing the Crown Prince’s teasing, she remained silent. If it weren’t for his frail health, she would have picked him up and beaten him repeatedly.

After the Crown Prince had had his fill of laughter, he suddenly remembered something. “Zhaoran, do you need me to tell Miss Shi that you and I signed a divorce agreement long ago?”

The Crown Prince felt that if this wasn’t made clear, Shi Yuning might never see Xie Zhaoran’s true feelings.

Xie Zhaoran’s face turned cold as she refused. “You don’t need to worry about it. I will handle it myself. You should worry more about your own health, and this increasingly outrageous younger brother of mine.”

Xie Zhaoran’s playful expression disappeared, and she brought the conversation back to serious matters.

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