Chapter 65

 

With the Fourth Prince and the disguised Qi Yue An barging in without invitation, it ruined the two-person world that Wen Ting Zhou and Ruan Xi were having.

However, the pair that was supposed to be feeling awkward were calmer in appearance than they were — Ruan si xiaojie especially — which was truly an eye-opener for the Fourth Prince.

Wen Ting Zhou revealed a gentle and elegant smile to the slightly surprised Fourth Prince, carrying himself like he was a noble and benevolent person.

The Fourth Prince: “……”

Pretend! Continue pretending!

After Ruan Xi bowed to the Fourth Prince as if nothing was awry, her gaze landed on the tall man behind the Fourth Prince.

“This individual is…”

The feeling that the man gave her was both foreign and familiar.

Ruan Xi could not help but shoot him a few more glances. Wen Ting Zhou coughed lightly upon seeing that, “Ruan Ruan, he’s a visitor that is relying on the Fourth Prince, An gongzi.” Therefore, you don’t need to care about him. 

The Fourth Prince: “……”

The visitor Qi Yue An: “…….”

For some inexplicable reason, a peculiar smear flickered past Qi Yue An’s eyes because Ruan si xiaojie did not recognise him.

When Ruan Xi heard that he was a visitor that was relying on the Fourth Prince, she did not think too much about it. She tossed the sense of familiarity that was at the bottom of her heart to the back of her mind as she smiled and greeted him before moving her gaze away. 

Wen Ting Zhou’s lips curved while he ignored the Fourth Prince’s teasing eyes. It was enough if the Fourth Prince did not expose Qi Yue An’s identity.

Perhaps it was a man’s intuition, but back when they encountered Qi Yue An at the restaurant, Qi Yue An’s reaction alerted him to the fact that something was off.

Through a process of investigation, Wen Ting Zhou was informed that when Ruan san xiaojie was originally clamouring to break off the engagement, this guy actually suggested to allow Ruan Ruan to replace Ruan san xiaojie in upholding this marriage contract.

It was just that Ruan san xiaojie suddenly reneged later, so this suggestion did not go through. 

The four people moved towards the small garden pavilion and sat down, and when Zhang Qing saw the sudden addition of the Fourth Prince and his guest after he was called over, he was secretly stunned.

All the subordinates in this compound were his gongzi’s trusted servants, but outsiders were not allowed to know about the clandestine rapport that his gongzi and the Fourth Prince had. After Zhang Qing put down the food box, he personally brought some tea, fruits, pastries, clean plates and chopsticks for the guests before he left the small garden. 

Ruan Xi’s two maidservants, Su Yu and Su Zhu, were unaware of the situation inside the small garden, and they were also unaware that there were two, additional and uninvited guests in the small garden. When they saw Zhang Qing bringing in the tea and pastries, they merely assumed that their Young Lady and Wen gongzi wanted to interact alone, so they continued to stand guard with a peace of mind. 

Towards this, Zhang Qing heaved an inaudible sigh of relief.

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Inside the small garden.

Ruan Xi sat beside Wen Ting Zhou quietly as she steeped the tea for the other three. Her movements were like moving clouds and flowing waters, which was rather pleasing to the eye. 

“Fourth Prince, An gongzi, please use the tea.”

The Fourth Prince inclined his head slightly. 

Qi Yue An said a word of thanks respectfully before he took the tea, took a sip, and placed it down.

Wen Ting Zhou peered at the refined and courteous Qi Yue An, raising his eyebrows slightly. He accepted the tea cup and took a satisfying sip. As he was placing down the tea cup, Wen Ting Zhou saw the food box on the table and remembered how the Fourth Prince had never tasted the braised duck that Ruan Ruan made, so he invited him to have a taste in a generous manner.

“Fourth Prince, An gongzi, even the Emperor has praised the braised duck made by Ruan Ruan to the high heavens, you have chanced upon good food today.”

The Fourth Prince glanced past the dignified and graceful Ruan si xiaojie as he raised an eyebrow. “Zi Run, are you talking about the astronomically-priced braised duck that sells for a hundred taels per duck?”

Wen Ting Zhou nodded calmly.

“Once the Fourth Prince has a taste of the braised duck, he will understand that the price isn’t costly, and it can’t be considered as astronomical.”

The Fourth Prince, who was managing the Ministry of Revenue, felt his lips twitch. One hundred taels for one duck wasn’t expensive?

The expenditure for the common masses throughout the year did not even exceed ten taels. 

“The most expensive braised duck sold by the Four Joys Restaurant doesn’t even exceed thirty taels, and people are already saying that the price is too high; by setting the price at one hundred taels per duck, you would only be inviting criticism. Not everyone would be willing to fork out a hundred taels to buy one duck, and there is no harm in reducing the price a little, Ruan si xiaojie.” The Fourth Prince reminded in a placid voice. 

Ruan Xi thinned her lips into her smile, not minding his comment at all. “It’s alright, I’m not relying on the braised duck store to live out my days, if I can’t sell it all, I can send it to others or eat it by myself.”

Still smiling, Wen Ting Zhou chimed in, “My family members genuinely love eating Ruan Ruan’s braised duck.”

In short, the pair was not very concerned if the braised duck store could sell. 

Ruan Ruan liked eating it too.

As the Fourth Prince looked at the indifferent and composed affianced couple, his mouth corners jerked.

Sure enough, if they were not from the same family, they could not enter the same door. 

“Since the Emperor has praised it to the high heavens, the price certainly isn’t expensive. Lowering the set price would only give people the impression that it only amounts to that much.” Qi Yue An suddenly spoke up, despite being reticent and scarce with his words the entire time. 

Wen Ting Zhou narrowed his eyes.

Upon hearing An gongzi’s voice, Ruan Xi’s eyes widened abruptly and she could not resist shooting An gongzi a look, surprise and uncertainty apparent in her gaze.

Why did she feel like An gongzi was slightly similar to Qi Yue An?

It must be her delusion. 

Ruan Xi suppressed that peculiarity again as she smiled, “An gongzi speaks reasonably, I have the same thought too.” Saying that, she promptly opened the sealed food box, allowing the fragrant and rich aroma of the braised marinade to waft out. 

The intense fragrance of the marinade mixed with the braised duck, caused them to start salivating.

The Fourth Prince revealed a shocked expression. 

Truth to be told, he did not have the best stomach, especially during the blistering hot summer where his appetite would gradually diminish. This was the first time he had the desire to eat after catching a whiff of the aroma. 

Qi Yue An could not help but flare his nostrils to inhale the scent. As a silk clothes who liked to eat, drink, and play, he did not know how many braised dishes from the imperial kitchens he had eaten, but this was the first time he had a gluttonous urge after smelling the fragrance alone.

Faintly, anticipation seeped into Qi Yue An’s eyes.

Wen Ting Zhou absorbed the pair’s reactions into his retinas, a smile hanging on his lips as a hint of barely discernible pride flickered past the depths of his eyes.

Ruan Xi carried out a plate of braised duck which had already been cut into pieces and arranged tidily. The colour and lustre was glossy, the aroma was extremely enticing, and when it was complemented with the rich and mellow marinade, it made people drool with desire as their fingers twitched involuntarily. 

The Fourth Prince took the initiative to pick up his chopsticks to clip up a piece of fat, tender, and fresh braised duck, dipping it into the marinade before he took a bite. 

With one bite, the Fourth Prince’s countenance did not seem to change, but his eating speed picked up a fair bit. 

The braised duck on the plate was cleared out swiftly. 

Qi Yue An’s performance was the same. 

Wen Ting Zhou watched the two men eat the braised duck without making a sound, the corners of his mouth hooking up slightly. He picked up his own chopsticks, clipping up a tender, plump, and delicious-looking braised duck meat and placed it on Ruan Xi’s small plate.

After enjoying the delicious braised duck, the Fourth Prince openly praised: “Certainly, it is a peak delicacy.”

This was the first time he had enjoyed himself to the fullest when eating, and had such a great appetite; it was a rare instance where he enjoyed the pleasure and satisfaction that good food could bring.

A few days ago, he had received the news that his Emperor-Father’s appetite had been exceedingly poor, but he recently heard that it had gotten much better, and the Fourth Prince guessed that it should be the work of the braised duck. 

The secret recipe for this braised duck was bound to be an uncommon chord, he truly wondered where Ruan si xiaojie found it. 

That would explain why Zi Run would bind it with silk before it rained.

未雨绸缪 (pinyin: wei yu chou mou) – to plan ahead; to prepare for a rainy day, an idiom from the Book of Songs.

“Like I was saying, one hundred taels for one duck is worth the price.” Wen Ting Zhou glanced at the Fourth Prince, his gaze particularly deep with meaning. 

As a close friend with extremely heavy associations, how could Wen Ting Zhou possibly be unaware of problems revolving around the Fourth Prince’s stomach?

“Mn, it’s worth it.” The Fourth Prince smiled faintly, his icy and handsome visage softening by a fair bit.

“It is highly likely that selling one hundred per day is not enough, perhaps Ruan si xiaojie should consider cancelling the limit on purchase, and increasing the quantity of the braised duck?”

Now that the taste of the food was ingrained in his marrows, Qi Yue An could not resist seeking material benefit for himself.

Ruan Xi smiled vaguely, “I think it’s good enough as it is. I was originally planning to only sell sixty-six per day, but Ting Zhou da ge said it was too little so I increased it to a hundred, though with no plans of increasing it further. As for the purchase limit, cancelling it wouldn’t actually cause much impact; for the people who can afford to eat the astronomically-priced braised duck, how could those same families lack servants?”

Wen Ting Zhou nodded in agreement. “It isn’t easy to make the braised marinade, I don’t wish for Ruan Ruan to work herself too hard. Honestly speaking, selling sixty-six braised ducks every day is quite good, I do have some regrets for asking Ruan Ruan to increase the quantity.

“If it was possible, it would be even better if she didn’t open the braised duck store.”

The Fourth Prince and Qi Yue An: “……”

Ruan Xi could not help but kick Wen Ting Zhou covertly. All of the ingredients were prepared by the servants, she was only responsible for measuring the quantity, carrying out the order of placement, and controlling the time. How was that hard work? She was not that delicate. 

The corners of Wen Ting Zhou’s mouth raised. He winked at her secretly before he stepped on her flower-embroidered shoe lightly in return.

Ruan Xi: “……”

She was secretly thankful that the Fourth Prince and An gongzi were unaware of their actions underneath the table.

Otherwise, how embarrassing would that be? 

She scarcely realised that the Fourth Prince had already observed their exchange with his eyes, and that he was inwardly amused. He did not expect that Zi Run could be so childish at times.

After they skipped past the braised duck, the three of them started to talk about court issues. In a tactful manner, Ruan Xi stood up to avoid it, but she was pressed down by Wen Ting Zhou again. Similarly, the Fourth Prince did not attempt to avoid it like it was taboo.

Ruan Xi murmured a few sentences next to Wen Ting Zhou’s ears in a small voice, to which Wen Ting Zhou nodded his head slightly. Subsequently, Ruan Xi bowed to the Fourth Prince, took along the empty food box and withdrew from the small garden. 

When Su Yu and Su Zhu saw their Young Lady coming out alone, they revealed surprised expressions one after another. “Young Lady, where is Wen gongzi.”

Ruan Xi raised the empty food box in her hands. “The braised duck has been finished, bring three more braised ducks over, and pack them into two portions separately.”

Su Yu and Su Zhu: “……”

The pair of maid servants were somewhat dizzy and entangled. Their Young Lady’s appetite seemed like it was getting bigger and bigger. 

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Once they departed, the idle Ruan Xi asked Zhang Qing to bring her around the compound.

Without needing much time, the pair were done viewing the compound, so Ruan Xi returned to the periphery of the small garden and sat down to wait for her maid servants. After roughly a cup of tea’s worth of time, Su Yu and Su Zhu returned with the braised ducks. 

Upon seeing their joyous expressions, Ruan Xi raised an eyebrow. “Judging from how happy you look, did you encounter something good?” 

“Young Lady, a hugely joyous occasion, a hugely joyous occasion, the two hundred braised ducks are nearly sold out.” Su Yu said happily as she placed two food boxes on the table.

“One did not expect that there would be so many rich people. Fortunately, we left quickly; if we were a step slower, all the braised ducks would have been sold out.”

Su Zhu was beaming with joy as well.

The pair had been worrying that the braised ducks would not sell because the price was too high, but they no longer had to worry about it. 

Before they returned to the compound, the entire street was still suffused with the intense marinade aroma. 

Astonishment spread across Ruan Xi’s face. She was under the assumption that with the high price, it would take a day to ferment, hence she did not anticipate that it would be so explosively popular on the day of its opening. Ruan Xi felt like she had underestimated how attractive peak delicacies were to the rich and noble families.  

Taking the two food boxes, Ruan Xi entered the small garden with light and quick steps. 

The trio in the small garden were already done with their discussion, so they were drinking their tea and idly chattering. When they saw Ruan Xi walking over at a sedate pace with two boxes, the Fourth Prince’s brows moved slightly, and a trace of unconscious anticipation flashed past the bottom of his eyes. 

Once Ruan Xi reached them, she gave the big food box to the Fourth Prince while handing the smaller food box to An gongzi. Afterwards, the pair quietly left the small garden through the hidden small door. 

Thus, only Wen Ting Zhou and Ruan Xi remained in the otherwise empty small garden. Wen Ting Zhou’s lips hooked up slightly, greatly pleased.

Those two obstructions were finally gone. 

Concurrently, Ruan san niang, of whom the pair have forgotten, was being secretly transported out of the imperial prison.