Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yongshou Palace.

Empress Dowager Zhao Chenglan sat behind a curtain, a thread tied around her wrist as Chief Imperial Physician Liu Shangming, positioned outside the curtain, took her pulse. Yet her words were entirely unrelated as she asked, "Has the astrological birth chart of the Gao family's second son been returned yet?"

"Lord Yin sent a letter in reply. I did not dare open it and respectfully request Your Majesty to review it." Liu Shangming retrieved a letter from his sleeve and handed it to a palace maid nearby, adding, "About a month ago, my wife personally delivered the birth charts of the Gao family's second son and my own son to Lord Yin of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory under the pretext of a marriage consultation. It has been over a month now, so I presume Lord Yin must have conducted extremely detailed calculations."

The Empress Dowager examined the neatly sealed wax on the envelope and felt the substantial thickness of the letter before casually tearing it open.

It was indeed a thick stack of papers.

The first sheet bore eight characters: "This child's fate is noble, fit for the imperial family." All subsequent pages were detailed astrological comparisons, clearly showing Lord Yin had exhausted all his skills to demonstrate the incompatibility of the two birth charts. He was also strenuously advising the Liu family against targeting this child to avoid misfortune.

"He must have gone to great lengths," the Empress Dowager said with a faint smile, returned the papers to the envelope, and handed it back to the palace maid, gesturing with a slight tilt of her chin to return it to Liu Shangming. She then asked, "I heard you once had disagreements with Gao Zhengqi regarding medical principles?"

Liu Shangming hurriedly replied, "I dare not conceal it—such was indeed the case. However, the matter of the full moon banquet is absolutely true; I have not fabricated a single word. At the time, the entire Imperial Medical Institute attended the full moon banquet for the Gao family's second son. I was also among the invited guests. It is also true that a Taoist priest arrived during the banquet, drawn by an aura. However, the priest later read the child's fortune in the backyard while the guests were feasting in the front courtyard, so the specifics were not publicly disclosed. If I had not gotten lost and stumbled upon the scene, I would not have accidentally overheard the priest say, 'This child is destined to give birth to an emperor.'"

Saying he got lost was a polite excuse; Liu Shangming had likely eavesdropped intentionally. But the Empress Dowager did not expose him, as it was unimportant. Now, with the letter from Yin Hu of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory corroborating the Taoist priest's words, it seemed the next emperor of Great Zhou would indeed come from the womb of the Gao family's second son.

So what? A cold glint flashed in Zhao Chenglan's eyes. Who became emperor mattered little. In any case, as long as she lived, no one would dare threaten her position as Empress Dowager.

The pulse check concluded, and the palace maid stepped forward to untie the thread from the Empress Dowager's wrist.

The Empress Dowager spoke leisurely, "How effective is the medication?"

Liu Shangming knew she was referring to the Chunmi Pill and promptly replied, "Effects may vary depending on individual constitution. However, I have prepared medicinal food and sent it today. If taken consistently for a month, there is a fifty percent chance of success. If taken for three months consecutively, conception is guaranteed."

The Empress Dowager was pleased to hear this and nodded, "If an imperial heir is successfully conceived, not only will I credit you with the foremost merit, but I will also personally arrange a marriage for your son."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Empress Dowager!" Liu Shangming knelt to express his gratitude, overwhelmed with emotion.

The Empress Dowager instructed the palace maid, "Go tell Zhao Pu that the meals for the Cold Palace must be delivered daily without any lapse."

The palace maid accepted the order and sought out Chief Eunuch Zhao Pu of Yongshou Palace, saying, "Eunuch Zhao, the Empress Dowager instructs you to ensure the meals for the Cold Palace are carefully managed without any negligence."

Zhao Pu hurriedly acknowledged the order but wondered, 'The Cold Palace affairs have always been managed by Ling Yuehe. Why is the Empress Dowager having me oversee it now? What does this mean?' After much thought, he could not discern the reason, so he sent a young eunuch to inform Ling Yuehe, relaying the same message. However, Ling Yuehe was now the emperor's chief eunuch and the head of the inner court. Even if Zhao Pu had delivered the message personally, it might not have been taken seriously, let alone by a mere messenger eunuch.

Ling Yuehe did not take it seriously at all. He simply called his adopted son, Ling Bing, and instructed him, "The people of Yongshou Palace are keeping an eye on the Cold Palace. Be cautious." But Ling Bing was arrogant and dismissive by nature, and such a mild warning went in one ear and out the other—he forgot about it almost immediately.

Thus, the junior eunuchs Little Dànzi and Little Zhūzi, who were actually responsible for delivering meals to the Cold Palace, had no idea what those delicious imperial cuisine truly were.

The midday sun had begun to tilt westward.

Ninth Prince Zhou Yunning held Gao Zhen's wrist as they walked along the path in the Cold Palace. He first returned to the outer gate and slid the large food box out through a small window.

Gao Zhen asked, "Is that all?"

"Someone will come to collect it."

After speaking, the Ninth Prince led Gao Zhen back inside. He was tall and long-legged, walking quickly. Gao Zhen, who only reached his shoulders, appeared quite petite beside him and had to almost jog to keep up.

Before long, Gao Zhen was panting. Having eaten nothing all day, his energy was finally depleted. Coupled with his earlier frantic escape, he now felt dizzy and on the verge of fainting. He needed to rest. He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, and Ninth Prince Zhou Yunning immediately stopped.

"Tired?"

The Ninth Prince's voice was especially gentle when he expressed concern.

Gao Zhen kept his head down, not daring to look at his face, but his ears perked up to savor the sound. To avoid seeming useless, he quickly explained, "A group of people were chasing me earlier. It was terrifying."

"Mmm. The Cold Palace is indeed unsafe. Remember, if I'm not around, don't go out alone. Understood?" The Ninth Prince patiently advised him, his gaze gentle as it rested on Gao Zhen's face.

Gao Zhen nodded, appearing very obedient.

The Ninth Prince said nothing more and continued holding his wrist, this time slowing his pace considerably.

Gao Zhen's heart grew restless again, thumping wildly.

Mainly because the red numbers in his mind kept shifting:

Favorability +1

Favorability +1

Does the Ninth Prince... does he like me?

Or is he just a genuinely kind person?

Gao Zhen stole a glance at the person beside him.

Whether by intention or coincidence, the Ninth Prince held his left wrist with his right hand, so when Gao Zhen looked up, he could see the intact half of his profile. It was no exaggeration to say that this side of his face had sharp, striking features and an imposing handsomeness.

What a pity...

Sigh...

Gao Zhen quickly averted his gaze, feeling indignant on the Ninth Prince's behalf. Because his mother was entangled in power struggles, the son had paid the price with half his face from birth. Anyone in such a situation would find it hard to accept.

Gao Zhen's heart ached for the Ninth Prince. He wanted to be good to him!

He never wanted to see the Ninth Prince eat leftover food again!

...

Strangely enough, as the Ninth Prince led Gao Zhen back, they did not encounter a single lunatic. Even the "female statue" across the way, who always clutched a pillow, had vanished without a trace.

"Huh? Where is she?"

"Who?" asked the Ninth Prince.

"A woman holding a red pillow," Gao Zhen said. "Who is she? Do you know?"

"That is Imperial Concubine Hong," the Ninth Prince replied. "She occasionally comes around at noon. If we have extra food, we give her some. If not, it's fine. She leaves on her own when the time comes."

"Oh."

Gao Zhen felt a pang of sadness. So she was another person coming to the Ninth Prince for food. No wonder the Ninth Prince was so thin—whatever little food he had, he shared with Consort Ning, Imperial Concubine Hong, and others.

Gao Zhen strongly suspected: in the past ten years, had the Ninth Prince ever eaten a full meal?

I couldn't dwell on it any longer, or I would start crying.

Gao Zhen discreetly wiped his eyes, pushed open the courtyard gate, and immediately said, "I want to check the west wing." Without waiting for a response, he dashed off, rushing into the west wing and exclaiming, "Ah!"

"What is it?" The Ninth Prince followed quickly.

Gao Zhen pointed at the large food box on the empty ground inside the room and stammered, "Th-this... what is this?!"

A three-by-three-foot food box stood nine layers tall, with the words "Delicacies from All Corners" boldly inscribed in gold on the lid, as if flaunting what was inside.

Ninth Prince: "..."

He stepped forward, frowning as he opened the food box and laid out each layer on the ground one by one.

The first layer was filled to the brim with perfectly cured smoked meat. As soon as the lid was lifted, the aroma wafted out, instantly whetting the appetite. The second layer contained fatty dried fish, meticulously processed and preserved to perfection. The third layer was packed with dried mushrooms—matsutake, black fungus, and various other varieties—neatly arranged and tightly packed. The fourth layer held every kind of egg—chicken, duck, goose—with dividers in the compartment not only categorizing them clearly but also separating raw from cooked. The fifth layer was filled with pastries. The sixth layer contained prepared medicinal ingredients like deer antler and ginseng. The seventh layer held three-inch square jars of wine, one hundred jars in total. The eighth layer was stacked with prepared dishes—nine small dishes, nine bowls, and nine plates—all looking luxurious and high-end. The final layer, surprisingly, was entirely filled with seeds?!

Gao Zhen sifted through the seeds and found not only seeds of traditional Chinese herbs like plantain, flaxseed, atractylodes seeds, and cassia but also tomato, Sichuan pepper, and strawberry seeds. He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—the system was really sparing no expense this time. It was clear that the system was determined to shed its "stingy" label.

But well done, little system!

Gao Zhen praised the system inwardly.

Ninth Prince also stared at the array on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.

Worried that he might refuse the food, Gao Zhen quickly said, "Your Highness, I'm hungry."

"Don’t eat yet. Wait for me." Ninth Prince went out, headed straight for the eastern hall, and returned with a handful of chopsticks, among which a pair of silver ones caught the eye.

Ninth Prince picked up the layer containing the nine small dishes, nine bowls, and nine plates and placed it on the only square table in the room. Using the silver chopsticks, he tested every dish. The silver chopsticks showed no discoloration, indicating the food was not poisoned. Yet, Ninth Prince still frowned; he couldn’t imagine who in the palace would send him such a "generous gift."

However, he recalled his mother mentioning a few days ago, "The Lin family still has people in the inner palace; we must not lose heart," and his frown deepened.

His mother, Lin Cailing, was the legitimate daughter of the former Minister of Rites.

Could it really be the Lin family?

"...Your Highness? Ninth Prince?" Seeing Ninth Prince remain silent with an inscrutable expression, Gao Zhen grew worried he might overthink it and called out softly, "May I eat now?"

"Mm."

Zhou Yunning snapped back to attention, his gaze softening as he looked at Gao Zhen. He handed a pair of bamboo chopsticks to Gao Zhen.

Gao Zhen took the chopsticks and said quietly, "Thank Thank you, Your Highness." He also picked up another pair of bamboo chopsticks and handed them over, urging softly, "Your Highness, please eat as well?"

Gao Zhen kept his eyes downcast, still not daring to look directly at Ninth Prince’s face. From Ninth Prince’s perspective, he could only see the back of Gao Zhen’s head and a small, delicate part of his profile, giving the impression that the young man was shy.

Zhou Yunning’s gaze lingered on Gao Zhen for a moment longer before he accepted the chopsticks from him. Noticing Gao Zhen still hadn’t moved, he picked up a piece of fish first. As he tasted it, he found it not only completely boneless but also incredibly tender, almost like a smooth broth. A warm sensation spread through his limbs as he swallowed, feeling strangely wonderful.

"Not bad," Ninth Prince said to Gao Zhen. "Try it."

Gao Zhen had been hungry for a while and finally dug in unhesitatingly. However, the moment the first bite went down, a "ding" sounded in his mind: "Extended Plot [Warm His Heart] task progress: 0.1%."

Gao Zhen was slightly surprised but quickly understood.

The so-called "expanding the plot" meant adding details based on the cause-and-effect logic of the original story, while "extending the plot" referred to content not present in the original, such as "he and Ninth Prince eating the food rewarded by the system." Since the system-rewarded food wasn’t in the original story, the conditions for extending the plot were met, and the mission progressed. Still, the progress bar had only moved by 0.1%, which felt a bit too slow.

[Warm His Heart], huh?

Watch me!

Gao Zhen was buzzing with ideas at that moment.

His mind raced as he pondered the task while marveling at how delicious the food was.

The nine small dishes, nine bowls, and nine plates not only included a full range of dishes like chicken, duck, fish, and vegetables but also featured a variety of cooking methods—steaming, roasting, braising, stewing, and quick-frying. With a mix of meat and vegetables, hot and cold dishes, the spread was not only visually impressive but also exceptionally tasty, offering a feast for the palate.

Thus, Gao Zhen ate with great satisfaction, and even Ninth Prince felt that these dishes seemed to surpass the imperial cuisine from his memory.

Full from the meal, Gao Zhen wanted to sit down and rest for a while, but unfortunately, aside from this square table, there was nothing else in the room. The room was neatly kept, and it was clear that even the dust on the floor tiles had been carefully washed away with water. Gao Zhen couldn't help but marvel at how thoughtful someone must have been to do such a thing.

He secretly glanced up at Ninth Prince and then unconsciously touched his own stomach.

...Ninth Prince is such a kind person...

Gao Zhen wolfed down his food and was quickly full, but Ninth Prince was still eating slowly, bite by bite, as if he cherished the food before him. Used to going hungry, he could no longer remember the last time he had eaten his fill.

Fortunately, today he could finally be full again.