Gluttonous Crown Princess

Upon hearing that Emperor Zhaokang had come, Noble Consort Xu was naturally pleasantly surprised.

It was obvious which was more important— the salted egg yolk pastry or the emperor. She hurriedly tidied her hair and took the Fifth Prince’s hand. “Come, let’s go greet your Imperial Father.”

Before the mother and son even reached the entrance of the hall, they saw Emperor Zhaokang striding in.

Noble Consort Xu’s appearance was not considered outstanding in this harem full of beauties, but her gentle hands were very nimble, and she was especially good at massage and relaxation techniques. Emperor Zhaokang was rather tired from being busy with government affairs during this period, so he thought of coming here to get a massage from her.

The Fifth Prince had always held Emperor Zhaokang in fear and awe, and wanted to run away after giving his greetings. But before leaving, he had to find a way to take that box of pastries out—otherwise, when he came back for it after Imperial Father left, the delicious pastries would probably have been eaten up long ago.

Emperor Zhaokang saw the Fifth Prince’s black eyes darting about like he was about to be up to no good, so he beckoned to him, “Chen’er, come here. Let me test you on what you’ve learned recently.”

The Fifth Prince, “……!!!” It was a bolt from the blue.

Of all things, Noble Consort Xu also smiled and said at this moment, “That’s right, weren’t you learning about the teachings of Mencius lately? Hurry and recite what you’ve learned to your Imperial Father.”

Children of this age did not like to study, and the prince was no exception. However, his parents were sitting in front of him with fully expectant faces, so the Fifth Prince had no choice but to step forward and recite stutteringly.

Taking advantage of this moment, Noble Consort Xu placed the salted egg yolk pastries on the table and openly took one to eat.

The Fifth Prince almost cried. Was this really his biological mother?

Emperor Zhaokang also caught a faint whiff of a sweet fragrance. When he looked sideways, he saw that it was from the pastries Noble Consort Xu had just set out. Even though he already had a bowl of sweet bird’s nest soup before coming over, at this moment… he inexplicably wanted to have a taste of this pastry.

Watching his Mother Consort eat a piece, and his Imperial Father following suit, the Fifth Prince was utterly despondent. Wild thoughts ran through this mind— this must be karma, right? He stole his sister’s food, and now his parents were stealing his.

“This pastry is pretty good. Is it a new item from the imperial kitchen?” asked Emperor Zhaokang.

“I suppose so.” Noble Consort Xu coughed lightly and looked at the Fifth Prince. “Chen’er, what is the name of this pastry?”

The Fifth Prince pursed his lips. “I don’t know.”

Noble Consort Xu just took it that the child was sulking, and couldn’t help but frown, “This child. We’ve only eaten two pieces of your pastries. I’ll get the imperial kitchen to send some more later and promise that you’ll have your fill, all right?”

The Fifth Prince raised his little head, like an aggrieved puppy, “I really don’t know.”

“Then, where did you get these pastries?”

“Um, well… Um…” the Fifth Prince stammered hesitantly. In the end, he folded under both the gazes of his parents and had no choice but to explain where the pastries came from.

Of course, he didn’t say that he had snatched these pastries, only that it was a gift from the Sixth Princess, out of her love and respect for her brother.

After listening to his words, Noble Consort Xu understood. “I didn’t expect that the East Palace’s1 cooks are so skilled…”

On the other hand, Emperor Zhaokang didn’t say much and only glanced at the Fifth Prince. “If you can memorise “Mencius: Gongsun Chou”, I will ask the East Palace’s cook to make another portion for you. How’s that?”

The Fifth Prince was surprised, “Really? Father, you must keep your word! I’ll go study right now. Today… No, I’ll definitely be able to recite it tomorrow!”

*****

Tao Ti didn’t know that the salted egg yolk pastries she baked had ended up in the emperor’s mouth after many twists and turns. At this moment, she was reclining on a soft pillow, busily reading the invitations sent by various households.

As the crown princess, she had to perform certain social duties. For instance, the birthday banquet of so-and-so duke of state, the birth of so-and-so prince’s child, so-and-so general’s daughter’s coming-of-age… She wasn’t obliged to go to all these occasions, but she would definitely receive the invitations.

After going through the invitations, Tao Ti thought inwardly, The feasts and activities of the royalty and nobility of the Great Yuan Dynasty are rather abundant, huh?

When she picked up a jewel-encrusted invitation with gold embroidery that could be an art object, she clicked her tongue. “Which household is this invitation from?”

This gorgeous gold silk, these shiny gems, this overwhelming scent of crass riches … She was in love!

Linglong took a glance and said, “Crown Princess, this invitation is from Eldest Maiden Xu of Marquis Zhen Bei’s residence.”

Eldest Maiden Xu? Tao Ti thought for a moment and the image of a round and chubby girl instantly emerged in her mind—

Eldest Maiden Xu, Xu Wenchan, was one of the original body’s few friends. She grew up in the borderlands and had only returned to Chang’an the year before.

The Marquis of Zhenbei and his wife had always wanted a daughter, but despite working hard for twenty years, they gave birth to seven sons in a row. After the unrelenting efforts of the old couple, his wife finally gave birth to a precious pearl when she was forty-two years old.

The Marquis of Zhenbei immediately ordered, “Spoil her, spoil her as much as possible!”

The folk customs of the borderlands people were tough to begin with, and the Marquis of Zhenbei’s entire family doted on Xu Wenchan like she was the most precious gem. Gradually, she was raised into a little fat girl who only knew to eat, drink, and play.

Footnotes:

1 East Palace: Previously translated as Eastern Palace, I will be using East Palace from now on.