Chapter 107: Still want to see Him

Chapter 107

Yuan Qingling watched as the dieting Prince Sun wolfed down a whirlwind meal of two plates of dim sum, fried lamb chops, two small stir-fried dishes, and a bowl of white rice, not leaving a drop of sauce behind.

"Brother, if you're still not full, call for more dishes." Yuan Qingling felt he was still looking longingly at the empty plates with a pitiable sense of still being hungry.

Prince Sun sternly looked at her. "No more. This prince is on a diet. You must not sabotage my efforts."

Yuan Qingling felt very helpless. A man claiming to be dieting comes to gorge himself at her place, then accuses her of sabotaging him.

"Then brother should stop eating," Yuan Qingling said.

Prince Sun slowly raised his head, a look of grief and indignation on his round face. "I've only eaten two of your dim sum. Must you be so petty about it?"

"It's not that..." Seeing his angry fat face, Yuan Qingling let her shoulders droop helplessly. "I meant, brother has eaten quite a bit today. Come back tomorrow for more."

"What dim sum will you make tomorrow?" Prince Sun dabbed his mouth daintily with a handkerchief, casually asking. But his eyes shone with obvious anticipation.

"Brother can ask the imperial chefs to make whatever he wants." She was defeated by him.

"Just make whatever is convenient." Prince Sun lowered his eyes and rummaged in his sleeve for a while, drawing out a list. "What a coincidence. My birthday is coming up in a few days. My consort said she wanted to celebrate for me and specially ordered this menu. Why don't you have the chefs make a few dishes from it so I can try the flavors first, to avoid offending the guests if the tastes are off during the actual banquet. The portions don't need to be too large since I'm dieting and can't eat too much."

He put the list on the table. Yuan Qingling picked it up and took a look, immediately dumbfounded. "38 dishes for brother's birthday banquet?"

"It's a bit extravagant, I know. We can cut back on other areas, skip the troupe performances, but we can't skimp on the food for the guests." Prince Sun said placidly.

"I can't make 38 dishes tomorrow though." Yuan Qingling truly felt for the imperial chefs.

"Just make three dishes tomorrow, then three more the next day, and so on. We'll get through the whole menu in 10 days or so."

"But your birthday banquet would be over by then!"

"Delay it!" His reply was terse.

Gluttons always have lofty justifications.

She was almost certain Prince Sun came to see her because the emperor had sent two imperial chefs to her estate.

"That did happen." Yuan Qingling said. Just accompanying the retired emperor on a walk around the gardens somehow attracted so much attention from others. She truly felt undeservedly favored.

Where was that glutton Prince Sun?

"So the retired emperor trusts you quite a bit. He hasn't been out to the Imperial Gardens in a long time. Asking you to accompany him on a stroll, and I heard you supported him by the arm, right?" Consort Ji enthusiastically asked.

Yuan Qingling forced an awkward smile. "The retired emperor was in an especially good mood that day."

"It shows you served him properly." Consort Ji praised ceaselessly.

Where on earth was that glutton Prince Sun?

Chu Mingcui felt just as uneasy as Yuan Qingling. She didn't want to hear any of this at all. There was no need to inquire so deeply about these things. Why keep grilling Yuan Qingling like this? Her questions made Chu Mingcui feel provoked.

Consort Ji was truly meticulous with her questions.

Might as well go out for a walk.

Yuan Qingling immediately stood up. "Good idea!"

Consort Ji walked over and looped her arm with Yuan Qingling's. "You're still injured. Be careful when walking."

Yuan Qingling forced a smile. This woman really couldn't be judged by her appearance.

Consort Ji looked proper and steady, but acted quite frivolously. Seemed she wouldn't find peace outside either.

However, Granny Xi was adept at reading subtle cues. Seeing Yuan Qingling didn't want to make small talk with the two women, she came over and said, "Consort, it's time to summon the imperial doctor to change her dressings."

Yuan Qingling apologetically said to Consort Ji, "I'm terribly sorry, I need to leave you for a bit. See you at the table later."

"Change dressings?" Consort Ji had wanted to offer her help, but the thought of looking at bloody wounds made her nauseous. She could only say, "Alright, see you later."

Chu Mingcui had already gone out. Chatting with the two women was truly boring. Her heart had long flown to the main hall. He was there. She hadn't seen him for many days.

When she came in earlier, she had only glimpsed him from afar, not even greeting him before Consort Ji pulled her to the Phoenix Pavilion.