The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

The atmosphere inside the hall became strange.

Everyone glanced at Zhang Shi, whose face was pale, and felt a little scared.

Be nice!

Zhu Zhanjun was too vengeful.

This is going to be a nightmare for the Crown Princess!

It was originally just a small matter, but Zhu Zhanjun brought up Empress Xu, especially by linking his lateness to the commemoration of Empress Xu, which immediately changed the nature of the matter.

In this way, Zhu Zhanjun was not a naughty child who disregarded rules and lacked manners.

On the contrary, he is a model grandson of the emperor who is considerate of his grandfather and has a filial piety.

Zhang, who reprimanded Zhu Zhanjun, appeared to be a villain.

Zhu Gaoxu grinned.

He discovered that his son was incredibly sharp-tongued.

He had been fighting with his elder brother for so many years, so of course he knew that his sister-in-law was sharp-tongued and often couldn't get the upper hand.

But to his surprise, Zhan Jun choked him so much that he couldn't utter a single word.

That was so satisfying!

Zhu Zhanji's fingernails almost dug into his palm as he glared at Zhu Zhanjun with resentment.

He is still young, and even if he is cunning, he lacks experience and is not yet at the point where he can hide his emotions.

Zhu Gaochi broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said...

"Father, the Crown Princess has always respected Mother the most. She often teaches Zhanji and the other sons about Mother's virtues and tells them to always remember and emulate them."

"When she saw that Zhanjun was late today, she was anxious and her words were sometimes a little overthinking and out of line, but it was by no means disrespectful to the Empress Dowager, much less intentionally targeting Zhanjun."

"She...she's just a bit impatient, and she's focused on maintaining the solemnity of this family banquet. She had no other intentions, Father."

Zhu Di glanced at him and said indifferently.

"I didn't blame her, why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhu Gaochi's face stiffened.

Zhu Di's gaze fell on Zhang Shi, and he said meaningfully.

"I know that you are the Crown Princess and you have to manage the affairs of the Eastern Palace and discipline Zhanji and the others. It takes a lot of effort."

"Your intention in wanting your family to gather together and observe the festival is good; you are thinking about this family feast and this tradition."

"However, rules are rigid, but people's hearts are flexible."

"What day is it today?"

"It is the day of my 'reunion' with your mother, the day she has been looking forward to when our family will be 'happy'."

"What she disliked most during her lifetime was the suffocating and impersonal rules and regulations that made people feel suffocated."

"Zhanjun, this child, is still young, yet he understands the longing of his elders, thinking of his imperial grandmother and of this old man like me... This filial piety is truly commendable."

"The key to managing a family lies in harmony, understanding, and genuine feelings, rather than being preoccupied with formalities."

"As an elder, you should have a broader mind and a longer-term vision."

Upon hearing this, Zhang trembled, almost collapsing. She gritted her teeth and bowed.

"Your daughter-in-law will follow your father's teachings."

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji looked rather grim.

Although Zhu Di spoke in a rather calm tone, the rebuke in his words was obvious.

To say that Zhang is broad-minded and far-sighted is to say that she is narrow-minded and shallow-minded.

These words, spoken to the Crown Princess, constitute a very severe reprimand.

This was the first time Zhang had been reprimanded by Zhu Di in all the years she had been married to Zhu Gaochi.

She was so ashamed and angry that she almost died in front of so many people.

It's all because of this little rascal!

Zhu Gaochi and the Princess of Han suppressed their inner joy.

Seeing Zhang's appearance like this, they felt quite pleased.

After Zhu Di finished speaking, he looked down at the cake in his hand and said with great interest.

"Zhanjun, you just said you figured out a little trick for making these pancakes?"

"I remember your imperial grandmother made very sweet winter melon cakes."

"But since her passing, I've had people buy winter melon cakes, yet they never tasted the same as hers. How did you manage to make them taste exactly like your imperial grandmother's?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at Zhu Zhanjun, quite curious.

Even Zhu Zhanji and Zhang listened attentively.

How could a mere child know such secrets that even they didn't know?

A cunning glint flashed in Zhu Zhanjun's dark eyes.

He said with a grin.

"Grandpa, this winter melon cake is made with a flaky pastry dough and a filling of winter melon syrup. It's very simple to make."

"Made in rural areas, it mostly uses brown sugar or ordinary maltose, which is sweet, but lacks a clear and refreshing sweetness."

"The grandson thought, if the cakes that Grandmother made for Grandfather have been so fond of for so many years... then they must not have been made with ordinary sugar."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's gaze sharpened slightly, and he sat up straight: "Oh? Not ordinary candy?"

Zhu Zhanjun nodded vigorously and said confidently.

"Yes, Grandfather."

"I have heard my father say that my grandmother was frugal during her lifetime. Whether in the Prince of Yan’s residence or later in the palace, she never spent money extravagantly."

"But I've also heard that back then, the palace would occasionally receive 'icing sugar,' which was white sugar, as white as ice and snow, sweet but not cloying, and much purer and sweeter than brown sugar or maltose."

"But that thing is extremely rare. Even in the palace, they might not get many in a year. Most of them are given as precious gifts to meritorious officials or close relatives of the royal family."

"Grandfather, think about it. When you were still the Prince of Yan, you were guarding the border in Beiping and often fought against foreign enemies. You didn't spend much time in the mansion. Grandmother missed you so much, she must have wanted to leave the best things for you."

"She must have been reluctant to eat that precious white sugar herself, so she must have secretly saved it up and kneaded it all into the cakes she made for her grandfather."

That's why the cake was so purely sweet, and so unforgettable.

"That was the best and sweetest thing that Grandmother could get, she gave it all to you, Grandfather, without keeping a single bit."

"Ordinary winter melon cakes use readily available maltose, and their sweetness is ordinary. But the cakes made by the Empress Dowager contain 'icing sugar,' which was more valuable than gold at the time; they contain a delicacy that she herself would not even dare to taste; and they contain... her deepest longing for the safe return of the Emperor."

"So today, I specially used the finest white sugar, just as my grandmother wished, and mixed it into the filling."

"Grandson thinks that what Grandfather tasted was not just the flavor of the cake, but also the sentiment of Grandmother back then, who wanted to 'save the best for you'."

Zhu Di listened quietly, his hand holding the cake trembling slightly.

He looked down at the half-eaten biscuit in his hand, and the sweet taste seemed to finally reveal the mystery at that moment.

His wife, in the Prince of Yan's mansion, silently collected every rare reward, carefully treasuring them, and gathering all the sweetness and anticipation into the few cakes she hurriedly stuffed into his hand before parting.

So that's why no matter how many times he sent people to buy cakes afterward, they never tasted the same.

It turns out there was a foolish woman who put the precious icing into an ordinary cookie and gave it all to him.

No wonder it tasted so sweet to him.

The hall was completely silent; everyone was stunned by Zhu Zhanjun's words.

They never expected that Zhu Zhanjun could deduce so many details from just one cake.

A surge of emotion welled up in Zhu Di's eyes. He slowly took another bite of the cake in his hand, chewing it carefully, as if savoring the deep affection that had transcended time and belonged only to him.

After a long while, he raised his head and sighed softly, "You child...you're very thoughtful."

[Ding! You have obtained a Prismatic Treasure Chest!]

Zhu Zhanji felt as if he was about to grind his teeth to powder.

He even felt a little jealous of Zhu Zhanjun.

The eldest grandson of the emperor, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

He felt like a greenhorn in front of Zhu Zhanjun.

What is flattery?

That's what you call flattery.

It's simply art!

He was about to pee his pants. Just how smart does one have to be to deduce so many clues from an ordinary pancake? And then secretly give the Emperor a surprise?

Zhu Gaochi and Zhang Shi looked rather grim.

Their positions as crown prince and crown princess are not particularly secure.

If Zhu Zhanji hadn't been favored by Zhu Di, he probably would have been taken away by Zhu Gaoxu long ago.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Gaoxu also had a fine son!

Zhu Gaoxu's face was so full of smiles that wrinkles appeared on his cheeks.

Damn, that was amazing!

My son has the potential to become the Crown Prince.

Zhu Gaosui's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

Good heavens!

The skill in understanding the old man's thoughts has reached such a level.

This kid is a real talent.

Zhu Zhanhe, Zhu Zhanqi, and the other imperial grandsons were filled with admiration.

Zhan Jun is too strong!