Chapter 16
It was evident that the question Ji Qingzhou had raised caught Li Zhan by surprise.
But when he saw the youth looking at him with a gaze free of any ulterior motives, he somehow agreed.
In the past, Li Zhan never dined in the palace. Partly out of caution, and partly because it gradually became a habit.
Yet today, he suddenly realized that perhaps this habit wasn’t unbreakable…
Although Ji Qingzhou wasn’t an attendant who served meals, he knew the rules of dining service. According to the customs of the Dayu Dynasty, two attendants were required for meal service—one to taste the food and the other to serve the dishes to the master. The one tasting the food couldn’t inquire about the master’s preferences and had to sample each dish in turn. The one serving the dishes had to ensure that every dish was treated equally, without showing favoritism to any particular dish, so as not to reveal the master’s preferences.
Ji Qingzhou stood before the table, holding a bowl and chopsticks. After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to follow this protocol. For one, the Regent never liked being served and probably didn’t care much for the palace’s elaborate rules. And two, Ji Qingzhou thought the Regent was likely hungry; if he fussed too much, the Regent wouldn’t eat well, and then his flattery would backfire.
So Ji Qingzhou leaned forward slightly and asked, “Your Highness, which dish do you prefer?”
The man sitting at the table looked up at the youth standing beside it, remained silent for a moment, and then only uttered two words, “As you wish.”
“Then I’ll serve according to my own taste,” Ji Qingzhou said, and he picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish, placing it into his mouth.
The fish was freshly caught, its meat tender, with no hint of fishiness, and the sweet and sour sauce was perfectly balanced. The slightly sour taste immediately whetted Ji Qingzhou’s appetite.
“Delicious,” Ji Qingzhou blurted out.
Li Zhan: …
Seeing Li Zhan sitting still, Ji Qingzhou suddenly realized that the attendant who should be serving the dishes was missing. But he knew Li Zhan didn’t like being served, so he couldn’t just go outside and call someone to serve him, could he? After tasting the food, Ji Qingzhou switched to a different pair of chopsticks and served a piece to Li Zhan.
Seeing this, Li Zhan finally raised his hand, took the chopsticks from Ji Qingzhou, and reluctantly took a bite.
Seeing this, Ji Qingzhou seemed encouraged. He took his own chopsticks and started tasting the dishes again, going through all the dishes on the table in no time. When Ji Qingzhou had first arrived, he hadn’t cared much for the food from the Imperial Kitchen. Although Tu Dayou often brought him tasty treats, Ji Qingzhou was not a glutton and found little joy in eating.
But recently, for some reason, he had developed an unprecedented love for food.
Not only did he eat more, but he also got hungry faster, often feeling his stomach growling while on duty.
“Why are you doing all this?” Li Zhan suddenly asked.
Ji Qingzhou thought to himself that since he had read the original book and knew that the Regent hadn’t been poisoned later on, tasting the food for him should be safe—there was no real risk of being poisoned to death. Besides, Ji Qingzhou felt he had no leverage; since the Regent wanted to recruit him, he should show some sincerity.
However, he couldn’t say that aloud, so he merely bowed his head and replied, “To ease Your Highness’s worries is a way to repay the favor Your Highness did for the Ji family back then.”
When the youth said this, his face was earnest, and for some reason, his eyes were slightly red. The man glanced at him, but the questions he had wanted to ask couldn’t come out. After a long pause, he finally said, “I’ll eat by myself, you may leave.”
Hearing this, Ji Qingzhou quickly bowed and withdrew.
But he had a feeling that his attempt to curry favor with the Regent tonight had been successful.
Just as Ji Qingzhou left, Dong Dong arrived.
At the sight of his master dining in the palace, Dong Dong was so shocked that his face turned ashen.
“Your Highness, how could you dare to dine in the palace?” Dong Dong glanced at the dishes on the table, his eyes landing on the half-eaten sweet and sour fish, and exclaimed in surprise, “And with such a good appetite?”
Li Zhan put down his chopsticks and glanced at the sweet and sour fish. He replied indifferently, “It wasn’t me who ate it.”
The youth, whether out of carelessness or some other reason, had tasted several dishes multiple times. Especially that sweet and sour fish—he had eaten nearly half of it just by tasting…
The fish was so sour that Li Zhan couldn’t understand what made it taste so good.
“Your Highness, are you planning to make Young Master Ji your own?” Dong Dong asked.
Li Zhan walked over to the window and looked out at the night sky. “Haven’t you always hoped I would do so?”
It was clear that the question Ji Qingzhou posed took Li Zhan by surprise.
However, seeing the young man’s innocent and earnest gaze, he inexplicably agreed.
In the past, Li Zhan never ate meals within the palace. Partly out of caution, and later, it simply became a habit.
But today, he suddenly realized that perhaps this habit wasn’t unbreakable…
Although Ji Qingzhou wasn’t a servant responsible for serving meals, he knew the rules. According to the customs of the Dayu Dynasty, two people should serve during a meal: one to taste the food and another to serve the dishes. The taster couldn’t inquire about the master’s preferences but had to try each dish in order. The person serving the dishes also had to ensure that every dish was equally served, without favoring any, so as not to reveal the master’s preferences.
Ji Qingzhou stood by the table, holding the bowl and chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, and decided not to follow these rules. Firstly, the Prince Regent never liked being served, likely disliking the elaborate palace protocols. Secondly, Ji Qingzhou figured the Prince Regent was probably hungry, and all the fussing would ruin his appetite, which would make Ji’s efforts backfire.
So, Ji Qingzhou leaned slightly and asked, “Your Highness, which dish do you like?”
The man sitting at the table looked up at the young man beside him, paused for a moment, and simply said, “Whatever.”
“Then I’ll go with my own preference,” Ji Qingzhou said, picking up a piece of sweet and sour fish and putting it in his mouth.
The fish seemed to be freshly caught, with tender meat and no fishy taste, and the sweet and sour sauce was perfectly balanced. The slightly tangy flavor instantly whetted Ji Qingzhou’s appetite.
“Tasty,” Ji Qingzhou blurted out.
Li Zhan: …
Seeing Li Zhan sitting still, Ji Qingzhou suddenly realized there was no one else to serve the dishes. But knowing Li Zhan disliked being served, it wouldn’t do to call someone in just to serve him. So, after tasting the dish, Ji Qingzhou switched to a new pair of chopsticks and served Li Zhan a piece.
Seeing this, Li Zhan finally raised his hand to take the chopsticks from Ji Qingzhou and reluctantly took a bite.
Encouraged by this, Ji Qingzhou picked up his chopsticks and started tasting each dish on the table. When Ji Qingzhou had just arrived, he didn’t think much of the palace food, even though Tu Dayou often brought him delicious things. However, he wasn’t a glutton and didn’t find much joy in eating.
But recently, for some reason, he’d developed an unprecedented love for food.
Not only was he eating more, but he also got hungry more quickly, often finding his stomach growling during his shifts.
“Why are you doing this?” Li Zhan suddenly asked.
Ji Qingzhou thought to himself that it was because he had read the original story and knew that the Prince Regent was never poisoned later on, so it was safe for him to taste the food without getting poisoned. Besides, Ji Qingzhou felt he didn’t have much to offer; since the Prince Regent wanted to recruit him, he figured he should show some sincerity.
But, of course, he couldn’t say that out loud. Instead, he lowered his head and said, “If I can relieve Your Highness of some worries, it would be repaying the favor you did for the Ji family back then.”
When the young man said this, he was earnest, and for some reason, his eyes seemed a little red at the corners. The man looked at the young man, and the questions he wanted to ask couldn’t come out. After a long pause, he said, “I’ll eat by myself; you may leave.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Qingzhou quickly bowed and excused himself.
But he had a feeling that tonight’s attempt to curry favor with the Prince Regent had likely succeeded.
As soon as Ji Qingzhou left, Dong Dong arrived.
He was shocked to see his lord eating in the palace, his face turning ashen.
“How dare Your Highness eat in the palace?” Dong Dong glanced at the dishes on the table, his eyes landing on the half-eaten sweet and sour fish, and exclaimed, “And with such a good appetite?”
Li Zhan put down his chopsticks and looked at the sweet and sour fish. “I didn’t eat that,” he said blandly.
Whether through carelessness or something else, that young man had tasted several dishes multiple times, especially the sweet and sour fish, which he had nearly finished…
The fish was so sour that it was hard to tell what was so good about it.
“Your Highness, are you planning to take young master Ji into your service?” Dong Dong asked.
Li Zhan got up and walked to the window, looking out at the night sky. “Haven’t you always wanted me to do that?”
Dong Dong hurriedly replied, “I did think that… but I didn’t expect you to trust him so much, to let him handle such important matters. Aren’t you afraid he might betray you and spread the word?”
“He’s not that foolish,” Li Zhan said calmly.
Dong Dong was stunned by this, realizing that his Wang Ye had made up his mind and dared not say more.
The most surprised person by the day’s events was undoubtedly Tu Dayou.
Especially when he learned that Ji Qingzhou had tasted food for the Regent, he broke out in a cold sweat.
“You’re too bold!” Tu Dayou squeezed Ji Qingzhou’s arm and whispered, “Are you tired of living?”
Ji Qingzhou looked at Tu Dayou and asked, “Are you still not giving up after the palace banquet?”
On the night of the palace banquet, Tu Dayou’s attempt to poison failed. Although Ji Qingzhou hadn’t inquired about the mastermind behind it, he had assumed the matter was over, thinking they had given up. But seeing Tu Dayou’s expression today, Ji Qingzhou realized things might not be as he had thought.
“You…” Tu Dayou shook his head, seemingly resigned.
Ji Qingzhou knew Tu Dayou wouldn’t easily reveal the identity of the person behind it, so he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, “The sweet and sour fish from the imperial kitchen tonight was really good, as was the sticky rice ball stuffed with osmanthus sugar… Tsk, what a pity.”
“Wasn’t that meatball dish good too?” Tu Dayou interjected.
“Was there a meatball dish?” Ji Qingzhou asked.
Only then did Ji Qingzhou realize that Tu Dayou was teasing him and immediately burst into laughter, “You’re familiar with the people in the imperial kitchen; make sure they send more good food to His Highness. It might end up benefiting me.”
“Don’t worry, I’m on it,” Tu Dayou said with a wry smile.
Hearing this, Ji Qingzhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Tu Dayou’s assurance, he knew that even if he continued tasting food for the Regent, he probably wouldn’t face any real danger.
The next morning, Ji Qingzhou woke up to find a packet of pastries on the table.
When he opened it, he found sesame-covered sugar balls, and he knew they were from Tu Dayou.
Recently, he’d been so hungry after his shifts that he felt faint, often complaining to Tu Dayou. Tu Dayou, always considerate, had prepared these snacks for him, which were easy to carry. He could sneak one from his pocket and eat it without anyone noticing.
However, Ji Qingzhou clearly underestimated the sensitivity of a foodie’s nose.
Right after the morning assembly, as he was escorting the young emperor, the little emperor sniffed and tugged on Ji Qingzhou’s sleeve, saying, “Ji Gonggong, you smell so good.”
Afraid that the emperor might expose him in front of the Regent, Ji Qingzhou quickly made his escape. But halfway there, the little emperor kept pestering him, so Ji Qingzhou sneakily took out a sugar ball from his pocket.
“Wow…” Little Li Cong wasn’t particularly greedy, but the empress dowager, worried about his teeth, never allowed him to eat too many sweets. So when he saw something sweet, it was like seeing a treasure. After all, he was not yet five years old; what child doesn’t love candy?
“Shh.” Ji Qingzhou gestured to the little emperor to keep quiet, avoiding the servants behind them.
According to palace rules, secretly giving the emperor food was a serious offense that couldn’t be made public.
The little emperor, experienced in hiding candy, instantly understood. He quietly popped the sugar ball into his mouth and covered his mouth with his hand, smiling in satisfaction.
After escorting the little one to the palace school, Ji Qingzhou laid out his books and ink before leaving. As he was about to go, the little emperor winked at him, as if they now shared a secret no one else knew.
Lu Tingyi had always disliked Ji Qingzhou, resenting his habit of meddling in the young emperor’s studies every now and then. However, Lu Tingyi was far less knowledgeable than Imperial Tutor Ji, so he couldn’t openly contradict Ji Qingzhou and had, on occasion, complained about him to the Regent.
But the Regent’s attitude was always unclear, leaving the matter unresolved.
Seeing Ji Qingzhou growing more and more unruly, even teaching the emperor how to wink in the palace school—what a disgrace!
“A gentleman’s demeanor should be restrained and proper in all situations, whether sitting, lying down, or walking…” Lu Tingyi grumbled, casting a disdainful glance at Ji Qingzhou outside before shaking his head in frustration.
Ji Qingzhou, standing outside the door, paid no mind to Lu Tingyi’s sarcastic remarks. Instead, he even sneaked a candy into his mouth when no one was watching.
In truth, Lu Tingyi had complained to Li Zhan several times, and although Li Zhan had listened, he simply hadn’t had the time to deal with it.
Today, Li Zhan finally had a moment of leisure. After finishing his tasks, he went to the palace school, intending to check on Li Cong’s recent studies and bring him back for lunch.
As soon as he arrived at the corridor outside the palace school, he spotted a tall, slender youth leaning casually against a pillar. The boy’s posture was far from proper, yet it carried a unique laziness and carelessness typical of someone his age. Not expecting anyone to pass by at this time, the youth looked relaxed, with the sleeves of his blue robe rolled up to his elbows, revealing a section of his fair, slender arm.
Then, he saw the youth take out a candy from his pocket, tossing it high in the air, intending to catch it with his mouth.
At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, the youth noticed someone in the corridor. Startled, he hurriedly swallowed the candy whole.
“Does it taste good?” the man asked.
Ji Qingzhou: …
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