Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Qin Qi had only taken two bites when his exclamations of surprise grew louder and louder.

"This is truly a rare delicacy, I'm not kidding, you should all try it."

Lu Baixu picked up his chopsticks and reached for the plate that Qin Qi had pointed to earlier. Xiao Ce pretended not to hear and went straight for the dish of Orchid Heart Plain Sliced ​​Vegetables closest to him.

The tender bamboo shoots were crisp and refreshing, with a light and delicate aroma. The taste was good, but not quite amazing.

The shopkeeper just mentioned that this is a refreshing dish favored by noble ladies of Chu? So… she likes this flavor. My mother doesn't like bamboo shoots, and it seems the Prince Rui's residence has never served bamboo shoots.

"how?"

Qin Qi eagerly awaited his evaluation.

"Barely satisfactory."

"Yizhi, I've found that getting a compliment from you is harder than climbing to heaven."

Qin Qi curled his lip, his face full of disapproval.

"Yi Zhi has never cared about food, and besides, the chefs in Prince Rui's mansion are all top-notch, serving a variety of delicacies every day. To receive a 'barely satisfactory' from him is already the highest praise."

Lu Baixu still smiled slightly; he understood Xiao Ce better than Qin Qi.

"You just said that this dish is the most popular among noble ladies of the Chu Kingdom?"

Xiao Ce suddenly raised his eyes and spoke to the shopkeeper.

"Yes, Your Highness! However... the Princess Consort prefers meat, and her favorite is this truffle-roasted venison."

The shopkeeper wasn't planning to leave today; it was a rare occasion for Prince Rui's son to visit Hongyue Tower.

After he finished speaking, Xiao Ce slowly picked up a piece of venison, put it in his mouth, chewed it carefully, and after a moment, his brows furrowed slightly.

The flavor was mild, sweet and soft, not his usual preferred taste.

The shopkeeper poured tea for us while chatting and laughing.

"I heard from the princess's maid that for the first two months after she arrived in our Great Liang, she was unwell due to the change in environment. Then summer came, and summer in Chu is nowhere near as hot as in our Great Liang! I heard that the princess couldn't stand it at all and lost her appetite completely because of the heat. It wasn't until autumn and the weather cooled down that her appetite slowly returned. Perhaps because she hadn't eaten properly for several months, she has recently been craving meat to satisfy her cravings."

Xiao Ce gently rubbed the chopsticks with his fingertips, the faint displeasure in his eyes becoming more and more obvious.

He suddenly remembered that he had punished the maidservant beside her because she was unwell at the time, and her maidservant had gone to Yunqi Courtyard to snatch the Du family doctor.

"Can acclimatization really cause such severe illness?"

Xiao Ce raised his eyes and looked at Lu Baixu opposite him, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy that was barely perceptible.

Lu Baixu slowly put down his chopsticks, his expression immediately becoming serious.

"This varies from person to person. Some people can adapt to the food and climate of a new place without any problems. But others are just too sensitive and may experience vomiting and diarrhea when they fall ill, or even a persistent high fever. If they are not treated in time or if the medication is not appropriate, it can easily damage their health and even... endanger their lives."

Lu Baixu spoke calmly, each word uttered with certainty.

"I wonder, Princess Consort... to what extent it had reached?"

Xiao Ce paused slightly, and the bland taste that had just entered his mouth now inexplicably gave way to a slightly astringent sensation on his tongue.

Xiao Ce did not answer, but Lu Baixu had almost guessed the reason. The rumors that had circulated in Jinling City earlier about Xiao Ce neglecting the Chu princess might not be false.

Qin Qi continued to enjoy his meal, unaware of Xiao Ce's change.

"I didn't expect the Crown Princess to be unwell due to the change in environment? But thinking about it, it makes sense. I heard that the Crown Princess is the only daughter of the Chu royal family, and has been pampered since childhood. When the two countries negotiated a marriage alliance, Chu was naturally unwilling to send their princess, so they wanted to send a prince to marry into the family. In our Great Liang, only Princess Yongle is barely of marriageable age, but His Highness Prince Yu only has this one precious daughter, so how could he agree to that..."

Qin Qi was still rambling on and on, but Xiao Ce had no interest in listening to what he was saying. Looking at the delicious food on the table, he had lost his appetite completely.

Back at Prince Rui's residence, Xiao Ce quickly headed towards Chuixing Courtyard, while Lu Ming, carrying a food box, almost couldn't keep up.

As he walked along the corridor of the central garden, he suddenly stopped and stood still. Lu Ming was puzzled and could only wait for his instructions.

"Send this snow-white pillow to Yuehua Courtyard."

"Yes."

"Also, have someone investigate the new Chu people who came to Hongyue Tower."

"Yes."

Wait a minute, Yuehua Courtyard? Before Lu Ming could turn around, he suddenly realized and scratched his head with the hand holding the sword. Shouldn't it be Yunxi Courtyard?

Previously, the Crown Prince had specially asked the manager of Hongyue Tower to prepare Zhuxuesu, a special pastry from the Chu Kingdom. Lu Ming assumed that the Crown Prince was bringing it to Consort Mu to try.

He followed the Crown Prince around every day, but he didn't realize that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had become so close that they could send each other food.

Similarly, everyone in Yuehuayuan was puzzled as they shared these two plates of Pillow Snow Pastries.

At first, Pei Lan didn't dare to eat it. No matter how much she craved it, when she heard that it was a gift from the Crown Prince, and thinking of his cold face, she just couldn't bring herself to eat it.

"Princess, this Snow Pillow Pastry tastes exactly the same as the one from Fanlou in Jicheng! But where did the Crown Prince get it from?"

Pei Lan had been eating and drinking with Ling Xi since she was a child, and her palate had become quite discerning.

Pillow Snow Pastry is Ling Xi's favorite snack. It is sweet but not greasy and melts in your mouth. However, she has not eaten it since she came to Daliang.

Hongyuelou only serves dishes and does not make desserts. This Pillow Snow Pastry was specially made by the Chu chef at Xiao Ce's instruction to the manager.

"have no idea."

Ling Xi shook her head, even more puzzled than Pei Lan. This taste was clearly the work of the chef at Fanlou. Every time she went to Fanlou to order Zhenxue Su, she would always ask him to put in less sugar. This taste was something that even the head chef of the Huanwang Mansion could not replicate.

But ironically, half a year later, she was able to eat it again in Jinling, a thousand miles away.

Where did Xiao Ce get it from?

"Could it be that Xiao Ce, using his status as the heir apparent, forced the chefs at Hongyue Tower to cook for him?"

After thinking it over and over, Ling Xi could only come up with this reason, but even so, why was it exactly the same as her favorite flavor?

"Yes! That must be it. Hey Wushuang... don't you like it? I've already eaten two pieces."

Seeing that Wushuang was distracted after only taking a small bite, Peilan assumed that she didn't like it.

"Oh, this is my first time eating this, I'm not used to it."

Upon hearing this, Ling Xi looked at Wushuang. She suddenly remembered that her brother had never liked sweets, and these things would never appear in his courtyard. It was truly difficult for Wushuang.

"Granny Qi, have another one."

Peilan pushed the plate in front of her towards Granny Qi, but Granny Qi waved her hand and smiled kindly.

"You young girls can eat this; your grandmother is too old for such sweets."

As Granny Qi watched her mistress eat with relish, a hint of confusion crept into her eyes.