After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

The next day at noon.

Inside the Crane Cry Pavilion, the stone table was already laden with dishes.

Rong Jing had been waiting here for a long time, but he showed no impatience whatsoever.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo grove, scattering golden light across the cobblestone path. At the end of the path, the person he was waiting for was slowly approaching.

It wasn't that Shen Jingque couldn't walk fast.

To avoid attracting attention, the three of them had their respective maids deliver their lunch to the tea room.

Then they sent the people away and split up to take shortcuts towards Heming Pavilion.

"This path is so difficult to navigate; you can't find it at all without scouting it beforehand."

Shen Jingque peeked out from under the bamboo branches, making sure there were no academy teachers or gossipy students around before waving to the two people behind her.

Xu Wanying emerged from behind the artificial hill, her nose twitching unconsciously.

"It smells so good."

He Lanqing followed at the back, his gaze sweeping over the dishes laid out on the stone table, his brows slowly furrowing.

Four cold dishes and four hot dishes were neatly arranged on the stone table. The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was bright red, and its body was fried like a flower. The sauce was still steaming hot.

The lid of a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup bowl next to me was half-open, and the rich aroma of the soup wafted out from the crack, rushing straight to the top of my head.

It didn't look like a normal lunch at all.

Although the students of Qishan Academy were all from prominent families, their lunches were generally not elaborate, consisting mostly of light, filling, and uncomplicated dishes.

A meal like this, with four cold dishes, four hot dishes, and a bowl of bird's nest soup, is already the standard for a small banquet.

Shen Jingque remained silent for a moment.

Is this what you call a lunch prepared by a pageboy that's hard to swallow?

Rong Jing, dressed in an indigo robe with faint patterns visible through the bamboo shadows, gently waved a folding fan in his hand. Upon seeing the three people appear, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I thought you were going to break your promise."

"How could that be?" Shen Jingque walked into the pavilion, smiling sweetly.

"After all, Young Master Rong hasn't fulfilled his promise to me yet."

Rong Jing smiled and pointed to the table.

"Please sit down. My servant has prepared a few simple dishes today. Please forgive any unpleasantness if they are not to your liking."

Under the shade of the trees, Wenren Du's face stiffened for a moment.

He looked down at his hand holding the knife and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

Young Master, do you even believe it yourself...?

This banquet was clearly ordered from Bazhen Pavilion.

Shen Jingque glanced at it and knew that this was definitely not the kind of food that an ordinary page could prepare.

But she didn't expose him; she just smiled and looked at Wenren Du.

"Brother Shutong is truly gifted."

Shen Jingque looked around the table, marveling at it.

"Your cooking skills are so good, you're practically a chef whose talent was wasted on being a page!"

She glanced at Rong Jing: "And your young master still complains that your cooking is inedible? I think you should quit your job and come work as the head chef in our Princess's mansion. I guarantee you'll earn more than you did as a page."

Wenren Du's lips twitched.

He looked at Rong Jing.

Rong Jing laughed twice, flicked a strand of hair that fell across his forehead, and looked dashing.

"You've got some nerve poaching from my people right in front of me."

Shen Jingque sat down opposite him and slowly straightened her cuffs.

"A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and Young Master Rong can't stop people from yearning for a better life, right?"

Rong Jing's smile deepened, and he teasingly gestured with his chin towards Wenren Du: "Well, now that I'm letting you go, are you going to go back with Princess Shaoning?"

Wenren Du's lips twitched as he looked at Rong Jing, "I am your man in life and in death."

"puff--"

Shen Jingque laughed out loud: "Brother Shutong, you're quite humorous."

While Shen Jingque and Rong Jing were exchanging barbs, Xu Wanying's attention was completely elsewhere.

She stared at the plate of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, her throat bobbing, but she forced herself to hold it back.

He Lanqing stared blankly at the food in front of him.

Rong Jing noticed and generously waved for everyone to sit down, "Why aren't you eating?"

As he spoke, he personally picked up a silver spoon and served Shen Jingque a bowl of bird's nest soup.

A porcelain bowl was placed in front of her; the soup was clear and had a slightly sweet aroma.

The three of them remained motionless, and the pavilion became eerily quiet.

"What's wrong?"

Rong Jing raised an eyebrow, turned his gaze to Shen Jingque, and spoke in a lazy tone.

"You don't think... I poisoned the food, do you?"

To everyone's surprise, Shen Jingque nodded frankly, "Yes."

Rong Jing: "..."

Wenren Du: "..."

Shen Jingque spoke with righteous indignation.

"Given the state of our relations, you are a hostage from an enemy country, while I am from the Princess's residence. Isn't it normal to be cautious?"

Rong Jing looked at her and suddenly smiled.

He picked up his silver chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and put it in his mouth.

He ladled out another half spoonful of bird's nest soup and drank it in front of her.

His movements were composed, showing no sign of annoyance.

"Is it okay now?"

Shen Jingque stared at him for a moment.

Only after confirming that he wasn't foaming at the mouth or bleeding from his seven orifices did he feel relieved enough to pick up the spoon.

He Lanqing reached out to stop her.

"Little sparrow, be careful."

Shen Jingque patted the back of his hand, "Don't worry."

She looked at Rong Jing and said meaningfully, "If Young Master Rong poisons me to death, who will accompany him to eat these 'unpalatable' lunches in the future?"

Rong Jing's smile deepened. "That's exactly right."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Wanying felt as if a seal had been broken.

"Then...can I eat it now?"

Her stepmother still controlled her diet, and her lunches were very bland every day. Although Shen Jingque would usually ask Lü'e to prepare more meat, it was definitely not comparable to the delicacies of the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

Shen Jingque nodded, and Xu Wanying immediately started eating.

She picked up a piece of pork rib, her eyes lighting up instantly. "Delicious!"

The exclamation came from the bottom of my heart.

He Lanqing still didn't touch the dishes on the table, her face remained tense, and she only ate the light lunch she had brought, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Shen Jingque slowly took a sip of bird's nest soup, the sweet aroma sliding down her throat.

She squinted her eyes contentedly.

Getting free lunches from Rong Jing for ten days and unlocking new functions of the alchemy furnace is really a great deal.

Although she knew that Rong Jing must have ulterior motives for approaching him.

But it doesn't matter. Judging from the plot of the original book, he and the original owner didn't have much interaction, so he probably wouldn't have much malice.

Rong Jing watched as she ate until her cheeks were slightly bulging, like a little squirrel secretly hoarding food, and the ever-present aloofness in his eyes faded a little.

When Shen Jingque was about 80% full, she put down her chopsticks, her eyes darting around as she spoke.

"Speaking of which, young master Rong, may I ask you a question?"

Rong Jing raised his eyes, put down his teacup, and said, "Ask away."

Shen Jingque's eyes gleamed with inquiry. "Why did you come to Dayong as a hostage?"

The pavilion fell silent.

Wenren Du involuntarily tightened his grip on the hand, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

This Miss Shen is really bold.

This matter is a taboo for Rong Jing; he will turn hostile to anyone who mentions it.

But now, in front of so many people, she just brazenly asked the question.

Shen Jingque seemed oblivious and continued to ask, "Was it because your mother's rank was low and no one in the palace protected her that she was sent to Dayong?"

These words were so offensive that even Helan Qing couldn't help but tug at her sleeve lightly and shake his head almost imperceptibly.

But Shen Jingque seemed oblivious.

She did it on purpose.

From the first time she saw Rong Jing, she felt that he was unfathomable.

Perhaps it was intuition, but she felt that Rong Jing's dissolute and lazy behavior was just a facade.

Those eyes observed everyone with an unwavering calm, cold and arrogant.

What could possibly make him lose his composure?

She wanted to give it a try.

Rong Jing was not angry; his expression was calm as still water, and so was his voice.

"My mother was not a lowly concubine."

"She is the most honored woman in the Great Yan Dynasty, the Empress Dowager of the Great Yan Dynasty."