I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

The days passed by in this atmosphere filled with the aroma of delicious food and sweet scents.

Ye An'an and Xiao Jingshi's relationship grew sweeter and sweeter with each passing day of everyday companionship.

That morning, Ye An'an had just gotten up when she heard Xiao Jingshi irritably flipping through memorials in his study.

"What's wrong?" She walked in carrying a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

"The imperial kitchen has sent over another bunch of random stuff." Xiao Jingshi frowned. "Bird's nest, shark fin—I have no appetite for any of it."

Seeing his disgusted expression, Ye An'an couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, alright, I'll make you something special today."

Today she wants to make pineapple chicken wings and honey-glazed roast pork rice—two of her favorite dishes from her past life.

Soon, an enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen. Golden chicken wings, coated in a sweet and sour pineapple sauce, sizzled in the pan; honey-glazed chicken wings and pork belly in the oven glistened with honey, releasing a sweet, caramelized fragrance.

When the two dishes were served, Xiao Jingshi's eyes widened in astonishment.

"What kind of delicacy is this?" He picked up a piece of pineapple chicken wing, took a bite, and the sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth. The chicken was tender and flavorful. "An'an, I've made up my mind. The Imperial Kitchen can be disbanded."

"Your Highness is exaggerating again." Ye An'an smiled and served him a bowl of honey-glazed roasted pork rice. "Try this."

Xiao Jingshi scooped in a spoonful of rice, and the charred, fragrant slices of meat, the sweet sauce, and the soft, sticky rice all mixed together—it was simply divine. He was so engrossed in eating that he couldn't even speak, just shoveling rice into his mouth.

Ye An'an was about to tease him about his gluttonous appearance when she suddenly heard a faint "meow" coming from the corner of the wall.

"What was that sound?" she asked, standing up curiously.

Following the sound, I walked to the corner of the wall, parted the grass, and saw a tiny kitten, no bigger than my palm, curled up there shivering. It was a calico cat, with yellow, white, and black markings, so thin it was skin and bones, its big blue eyes looking at me pitifully.

"Oh dear, poor little thing." Ye An'an's heart melted instantly. She carefully picked up the kitten. "Your Highness, look!"

Xiao Jingshi was enjoying his meal when he heard her call. He looked up and saw the dirty thing in her hand, and his brows immediately furrowed.

"Where did this stray cat come from?" he asked, his tone clearly showing disgust. "Throw it out."

"No!" Ye An'an hugged the kitten tightly. "It's so pitiful, it must be starving. Your Highness, shall we keep it?"

"No." Xiao Jingshi refused without even thinking. "The Crown Prince's Palace doesn't keep these kinds of nonsense."

"But..." Ye An'an's eyes reddened, and she looked at him with an accusing gaze, "Your Highness, look how pitiful it is, so young and already living on the streets..."

Xiao Jingshi couldn't stand her like this. He sighed, "An'an, I'm a clean freak, this thing is covered in fleas..."

"Then I'll wash it clean first!" Ye An'an said immediately. "Then I'll have the imperial physician take a look, and I'll make sure it's spotless. Your Highness, just this one, okay...?"

As she spoke, she pouted slightly, her almond-shaped eyes glistening as she looked at him.

Xiao Jingshi felt as if something had struck his heart hard. He looked away and said indifferently, "...Suit yourself. But don't let it get near me."

"Okay, okay!" Ye An'an immediately beamed, hugged the kitten, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Your Highness is the best!"

Xiao Jingshi touched the spot where he had been kissed, and couldn't help but smile. He felt utterly pathetic, but seeing her so happy, he accepted his folly.

Ye An'an quickly took the kitten to be washed. She filled several basins with warm water and bathed the little guy with the gentlest touch. The kitten struggled at first, but soon calmed down and even purred softly in comfort.

After being washed and cleaned, the little calico cat looked completely different. Its soft fur became fluffy, with distinct yellow, white, and black markings, and its blue eyes were as beautiful as two sapphires.

After the imperial physician examined it, he confirmed that it was healthy, but was a little weak from being hungry for too long. He said it would be fine after a few days of rest.

Ye An'an named it "Hot Pot" because "we met it while eating, and its fur color is as rich as the ingredients in a hot pot."

Xiao Jingshi was speechless at the name: "What a ridiculous reason."

"Then Your Highness, would you like to get one?" Ye An'an asked with a smile, holding the hot pot.

"I'm not going to name this beast." Xiao Jingshi turned his face away. "Let's just call it Hotpot. I won't call it that anyway."

At first, he really disliked the little thing.

Hotpot always liked to rub against his feet, and he would push it away with a look of disgust, then wipe his boots with a handkerchief; when Hotpot jumped onto the desk, he would frown and pick it up, then carefully wipe the places it had stepped on with a handkerchief, muttering "So dirty"; when Hotpot tried to crawl into his arms, he would pick it up with a stern face and hand it to Ye An'an: "Keep your cat in check."

Looking at his disgusted yet helpless expression, Ye An'an couldn't help but laugh: "Your Highness, hotpot just likes you."

"I don't need it to like me," Xiao Jingshi sneered. "Stay away from me."

But Hotpot seemed completely oblivious to his feelings, becoming even more determined with each setback. It would always sneak up to Xiao Jingshi's feet when he wasn't looking and rub its fluffy little head against his leg.

Once, Xiao Jingshi was reviewing memorials when Huoguo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumped onto the desk, and then swaggered over to him, plopping down on the memorials.

"You..." Xiao Jingshi glared at it, "Get down."

Hotpot tilted its little head to look at him and let out a soft, cute "meow".

"I told you to get down." Xiao Jingshi reached out to pick it up, but Huoguo suddenly stretched out its little paw and gently pressed it on the back of his hand, then looked at him innocently with its blue eyes.

Xiao Jingshi's hand froze in mid-air.

Those little paws were soft, the pads were warm, and the feeling of pressing them against the back of his hand... wasn't so bad after all.

"Just this once," he said awkwardly, withdrawing his hand. "And don't let it happen again."

Hotpot seemed to understand, and immediately let out a happy "meow," then lay down on the folding tablet and comfortably took a nap.

Ye An'an almost burst out laughing when she saw this scene from outside the door.

But gradually, without them even realizing it, this little kitten just naturally became a part of their lives.

When Ye An'an was cooking, Hotpot would squat at the kitchen door waiting, occasionally making expectant "meow" sounds; when she was reading, Hotpot would lie on her lap and doze off, making satisfied purring sounds; and when Xiao Jingshi was reviewing memorials, Hotpot would quietly slip to his feet and curl up into a ball.

At first, Xiao Jing would chase it away, but later he got too lazy to bother with it. Anyway, the little thing didn't cause any trouble, it just lay there sleeping, so it didn't get in the way.

One day, Ye An'an noticed that when Xiao Jingshi was reviewing memorials, there was a soft cushion next to his feet.

"Your Highness, this is..." she asked curiously.

"The ground is cold." Xiao Jingshi said indifferently without looking up, "That beast is always lying on the ground. If he catches a cold, you'll cry again."

Ye An'an looked at the soft cushion, which was obviously prepared on purpose and embroidered with exquisite patterns, and couldn't help but smile.

A few days later, she noticed that several cat trees and cat toys had appeared in the East Palace.

"Your Highness, these are..."

"They were a gift from the palace servants," Xiao Jingshi lied without batting an eye. "I don't know where they came from."

Ye An'an looked at the high-quality cat supplies that were clearly selected according to Xiao Jingshi's aesthetic sense, and her eyes crinkled with laughter.

One night, Ye An'an woke up wanting a drink of water, only to find Xiao Jingshi still reviewing memorials by candlelight.

The little calico cat was fast asleep on his lap, its belly rising and falling, emitting soft purring sounds.

What shocked her the most was that Xiao Jingshi was unconsciously petting the cat while reviewing the memorials!

His fingers gently stroked the back of the hotpot, the movement so practiced it seemed he had done it countless times. The hotpot rolled over comfortably, revealing its white belly, its four little paws curled up on its chest, and it slept even more soundly.

"Your Highness..." Ye An'an couldn't help but speak up.

Xiao Jingshi snapped back to reality, saw the cat in his hand, and then looked at Ye An'an's mischievous smile. His ears instantly turned red.

"I...I'm just worried it'll catch a cold," he explained awkwardly, his hand still resting on the hotpot. "Besides, it's lying on my lap, and I can't very well push it off."

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is so kind." Ye An'an's eyes crinkled with laughter. "So Your Highness has been petting it for half an hour already?"

"Nonsense!" Xiao Jingshi retorted angrily, "I didn't!"

"His Highness is still masturbating." Ye An'an pointed to his hand.

Xiao Jingshi looked down and realized that his hand was still idly stroking the hotpot. He immediately withdrew his hand, his ears turning even redder.

"I...I am..." He tried to explain, but found that he couldn't make sense of it no matter what he did.

Hotpot seemed to realize that the petting had stopped, and it meowed in dissatisfaction. Then it used its little paws to pry at Xiao Jingshi's hand, signaling him to continue.

Xiao Jingshi looked at the little paw, then at Ye An'an's suppressed laughter, and finally sighed in despair: "Alright, alright, I admit it, this beast... is quite soft."

"Hahahaha!" Ye An'an finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at!" Xiao Jingshi glared at her, but still carefully picked up the drowsy hotpot, put it in the specially prepared soft cushion, and covered it with a small blanket.

The movements were so gentle, as if they were handling some precious treasure.

As Ye An'an watched this scene, she suddenly felt her heart overflowing.

From then on, Xiao Jingshi stopped being stubborn. He would pet the cat while reviewing memorials, ask someone to prepare dried fish when Hotpot was hungry, and even get more anxious than Ye An'an when Hotpot got sick.

Once, a hot pot accidentally fell off the bookshelf. Xiao Jingshi immediately dropped his memorial and rushed over to check if it was injured.

"How could you be so careless!" He rarely scolded Hotpot, but his movements were incredibly gentle. "Don't climb that high again, understand?"

Hotpot meowed and rubbed its little head against his palm.

Xiao Jingshi sighed and resignedly picked it up: "Fine, I didn't expect you to understand anyway."

Watching from the side, Ye An'an couldn't help but tease, "Your Highness, didn't you say you wouldn't keep these kinds of random things?"

"Shut up." Xiao Jingshi glared at her, his ears turning red again. "I'm doing this... this is for your sake."

"Yes, yes, it's all because of me." Ye An'an walked over with a smile. "So Your Highness specially had someone make cat food for you yesterday, also because of me?"

"..." Xiao Jingshi had nothing to say, so he could only turn around and leave with the hot pot in his arms. "I'm going to review the memorials."

"Your Highness, we haven't had dinner yet," Ye An'an called from behind.

"I know!" Xiao Jingshi replied without turning his head. "I'll have preparations made immediately!"

At that moment, Ye An'an suddenly felt that this was probably the happiest and most peaceful day she could imagine.

A man, a woman, and a cat.

One house, two people, three meals a day, four seasons.