Seducing the Heart - Chapter 22

The evening brought a lingering chill as Qin Zhanluo walked gracefully through the long corridor, a hint of weariness etched between her brows.

“Does the Princess wish to bathe? I will find someone to prepare the water,” Ying Xi said, but she suddenly stopped in her tracks and began looking around cautiously. Her ears were quite sharp, and she seemed to have caught a strange sound.

“Princess, let us take another path.” Ying Xi’s face flushed red. The sound was somewhat ambiguous, sounding exactly like the intimate noises she had heard others describe.

Qin Zhanluo found it strange. Logically, no one in the manor should be engaging in such acts in a place where they could be overheard. She originally intended to turn and leave, but upon hearing a soft cry, she spun around abruptly, her eyes turning cold in an instant.

Ying Xi pulled her neck back and followed silently behind Qin Zhanluo.

“Don’t, A-Ning, not there.”

“Gentle… be a bit more gentle.”

When they reached the door, Ying Xi finally realized that the voice clearly belonged to the Prince, and her small face immediately darkened. Was the Prince doing something in the room with that guard of hers? Why was the dialogue so suggestive?

Qin Zhanluo paused outside the room for only a moment, a cold current surging in her eyes, before she suddenly pushed the door open.

Yun Jin looked up and saw it was Qin Zhanluo, appearing slightly stunned. “What is the matter, Princess Consort?”

Nangong Ning was currently using an elbow to apply pressure to Yun Jin’s waist. Seeing the two people enter suddenly, she instinctively pulled back.

Ying Xi, who had been half-covering her eyes with her palm, silently moved her hand away. She looked at the Prince, who was fully clothed on the couch, and then at her Princess, whose indignation had not yet fully faded.

Nangong Ning, who had been massaging the waist, was quite discerning. She took a few steps back to create distance from Yun Jin. When the Princess walked in just now, her expression was unpleasant; she must have misunderstood.

The two people, one lying down and one standing, reacted quickly. After all, the sounds just now were indeed too suggestive. Yun Jin subconsciously blinked, looking somewhat innocent.

“The Prince is…” The emotion in Qin Zhanluo’s eyes softened slightly. “Is there somewhere you feel unwell?”

Yun Jin sat up, a smile in the eyes. “Lately, I have felt discomfort in my waist. It is quite sore.” Yun Jin glanced at Nangong Ning, who was standing aside with a stoic expression, and felt amused. “So I asked A-Ning to massage it for me to provide some relief.”

Continuing the massage was no longer possible. Yun Jin signaled Nangong Ning to leave with a look. Nangong Ning naturally followed the suggestion and left the scene of potential trouble.

Perhaps due to sitting for too long, the back and waist had been aching recently. Qin Zhanluo’s gaze rested coolly on Yun Jin’s waist. “Since the Prince is unwell, perhaps I should help you regulate it. I have some slight research on this matter.” She emphasized the last few words heavily.

“Ying Xi, go outside. Remember to close the door tightly.”

Ying Xi obeyed. Almost the moment the door closed, she heard a soft moan from Yun Jin. Ying Xi patted her heating face. Goodness, she couldn’t be blamed for this; that sound was truly too evocative.

Yun Jin lay on the couch panting softly. If it weren’t for the fact that the soreness in the waist was indeed being relieved, she would have suspected Qin Zhanluo was intentionally punishing her. The strength used was simply too great.

Standing by the couch, Qin Zhanluo’s gaze was deep. She thought to herself that she wouldn’t mind massaging Yun Jin’s waist a few more times. Even through the fabric, she could feel Yun Jin’s slender waist. The sound of Yun Jin’s soft sigh seemed to still echo in her ears. Qin Zhanluo subconsciously tightened her grip, her ears turning a quiet red.

On a peaceful afternoon, Yun Jin stood in the front hall holding bait to feed the fish. A noisy shouting from far to near caught her attention.

“Your Highness, Your Highness!” a maidservant cried out urgently from a distance.

“Fire! There is a fire!” another maidservant ran over in a panic, finishing the sentence for her. She looked completely at a loss.

Hearing the word “fire,” Yun Jin’s expression changed instantly. “Where in the manor is the fire?”

“The kitchen!”

The commotion caused by the maidservants was quite loud, alarming a group of people along the way who hurriedly went to find wooden buckets. Nangong Ning also arrived upon hearing the noise, waiting for Yun Jin’s orders.

“A-Ning, gather more guards to fill buckets with water. Head to the kitchen immediately!”

“Yes!”

When Yun Jin stood outside the kitchen door, her racing heart finally settled. It turned out there was just a lot of smoke; there was no actual fire. A group of people stood outside the kitchen, each carrying one or more wooden buckets, staring at each other.

The maidservant could not be entirely blamed for being impulsive. The head chef of the manor had been in the profession for many years and was highly skilled; he naturally would not create such a large amount of smoke. Since it wasn’t the head chef, who could have caused such a stir in the kitchen?

A flash of curiosity crossed Yun Jin’s eyes. She waved away the smoke that had already mostly dissipated and stepped into the kitchen. Nangong Ning dutifully followed behind her, holding her breath to prevent the smoke from stinging her nose.

“Princess Consort, what are you doing here?”

Yun Jin had indeed guessed that Qin Zhanluo might be inside, but seeing her figure actually chopping vegetables in the kitchen was still surprising. Nangong Ning also hadn’t expected the person in the kitchen to be the Princess Consort. Qin Zhanluo looked like someone who had never touched chores in her life; how did she end up in a kitchen? Yun Jin even began to wonder if the manor really would catch fire because of this.

“I gave the head chef the day off,” Qin Zhanluo said, completely unaffected by the smoke. “I wanted to cook a few dishes for the Prince. I remember the Prince once gave great praise to the dish created by County Princess Xingnan, so I thought I would come to the kitchen to show a bit of my humble skill for the Prince as well.”

Yun Jin looked at the various ingredients chopped on the cutting board. They were neatly arranged and uniform in size, looking quite professional. Nangong Ning stood by silently and made an internal evaluation: the Princess Consort’s knife skills were good.

“The Princess Consort is also proficient in culinary arts?” Yun Jin asked. It was interesting that a high-ranking Princess would also cook.

“I have done some slight research,” Qin Zhanluo said as she finished chopping the ingredients and began identifying the seasonings. “I imagine making a meal for the Prince should not be difficult.”

“The smoke just now?” Yun Jin asked tentatively.

“That was me trying to start the fire. There was a small incident,” Qin Zhanluo said with a perfectly composed expression.

Yun Jin said no more, thinking that this small incident was indeed small, though it nearly made everyone believe the place was burning down. Out of curiosity, Yun Jin stood there for a while without disturbing her.

When Qin Zhanluo fried the first dish of mallow with scrambled eggs, she seemed to lose focus or something, as nearly half a jar of salt went in. Nangong Ning’s eye twitched secretly. With that much salt, anyone who ate it would likely lose their sense of taste instantly.

Nearby, a soup was simmering. Qin Zhanluo tended to the heat and picked up a bottle of vinegar to examine it for a moment, followed by several distinct pouring sounds. A rich, sour aroma wafted out. Nangong Ning subconsciously covered her forehead with her hand, unwilling to watch any longer.

At this rate, she and Xie Lianjing probably wouldn’t be eating in the manor tonight. Then she realized Qin Zhanluo was only cooking for Yun Jin, and she felt much more at ease.

Yun Jin, watching Qin Zhanluo’s exquisite culinary skills, also had a slight change in expression.

“A momentary slip of the hand,” Qin Zhanluo explained calmly, promptly scooping all the food out of the pan. It looked like she intended to start over, and Yun Jin felt a groundless sense of relief.

“I think,” Yun Jin’s eyes flickered with a bit of teasing, “the Princess Consort surely would not murder her own husband.”

“That is not necessarily certain.” Qin Zhanluo looked at Yun Jin with a cool gaze.

Walking out of the kitchen, Yun Jin still seemed a bit dazed.

“Master, should I bring some food back for you from outside later?” Nangong Ning was already beginning to pity Yun Jin, who would soon have the honor of tasting the Princess’s cooking.

“No need.” Since the Princess Consort was making the meal personally, Yun Jin had to show proper respect. “Give Senior Sister Xie a greeting in advance and tell her I might pay her a visit.” After a moment of hesitation, Yun Jin spoke with a sigh. She immediately received a look from Nangong Ning that meant “best of luck.”

The evening meal was finally laid out on the table dish by dish, the masterpiece of Qin Zhanluo’s half-day in the kitchen. The overall presentation looked quite good. One of the dishes was covered with a lid, creating a sense of mystery.

Yun Jin held the chopsticks, her eyes showing some hesitation about where to start. Qin Zhanluo watched her with interest for a moment and urged her casually, “Your Highness, why not use your chopsticks to taste my handiwork? It is still hot.”

Yun Jin seemed to make up her mind and picked up some food to put into her mouth. Her previously tense features relaxed; the taste was unexpectedly delicious.

Seeing this, Qin Zhanluo smiled and also picked up some food. “Does the Prince have so little confidence in me?”

How could Yun Jin not understand by now? Those various accidents in the kitchen earlier were clearly meant to tease her.

“No,” Yun Jin said, picking up some carrots to chew slowly. “It is just hard to believe that the Princess Consort, who usually stays in the palace, could make these common dishes so well.”

While the taste wasn’t world-shaking, the cooking was commendable. In Yun Jin’s view, compared to what she had imagined, the fact that the reality tasted like this was already quite a feat. At the very least, she probably wouldn’t need to trouble Senior Sister Xie.

“In my spare time, I once summoned the imperial chefs to explain the methods of cooking to me,” Qin Zhanluo said tonelessly, but she was clearly in a good mood. “It seems I have not entirely wasted their teachings.”

Yun Jin tasted every dish on the table, then naturally turned her gaze toward the dish whose contents were hidden. If she guessed correctly, this dish should be the highlight of the dinner.

“Princess Consort, this dish is…”

Qin Zhanluo raised an eyebrow slightly and tested the side of the delicate porcelain basin with the back of her hand. The temperature was just right. “Your Highness,” Qin Zhanluo withdrew her hand, “you may open it and taste.”

As soon as the lid was lifted, a rich aroma instantly filled the air. Inside the porcelain basin were many layers of top-grade pork belly, stacked in a tower shape, looking particularly beautiful. Yun Jin took a bite and her eyes lit up. The tower meat was soft, sweet, and fragrant, melting in the mouth. It was delicious.

Qin Zhanluo saw Yun Jin’s expression and knew she was satisfied, so she gently tapped her own teacup. “Does the Prince like this dish?”

Yun Jin naturally nodded. This dish was ingenious and unexpectedly flavorful.

“Compared to the one County Princess Xingnan created that day, how is it?” Qin Zhanluo’s expression was calm as she led Yun Jin toward the answer.

Yun Jin ate a piece of green vegetable to cleanse the palate. Understanding Qin Zhanluo’s meaning, she couldn’t help but smile inwardly. She replied with great solemnity, “This one has surpassed it.”

A smile flashed through Qin Zhanluo’s eyes and disappeared in an instant. She had finally received the answer that satisfied her.

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