Chapter 3 Locked Eyes

Chapter 3: Eyes Meet

Jiang Shuning suppressed a cold laugh. "Then who does my younger sister like?"

"Naturally, it's the Third Prince!" Jiang Yaozhen stated emphatically. "The Third Prince is well-versed in both the literary and martial arts, exceptionally talented, and excels in horsemanship and archery. Unlike the Fourth Prince, who is a loner and dull, possessing nothing of merit beyond his handsome face. How could he compare to the Third Prince!"

Jiang Shuning clenched her fist, thinking with a cold sneer.

Little did she know Jiang Yaozhen held such an opinion of Xiao Lingchuan.

If she didn't like him, why did she marry the Third Prince in her past life, yet still engage in that disgraceful, lingering entanglement with Xiao Lingchuan, putting on that shameful act of an illicit affair between sister-in-law and brother-in-law?

Who in the capital didn't know the Fourth Prince was the most handsome?

Everyone longed to catch his eye, yet he alone remained aloof from women.

Jiang Yaozhen was clearly delighted. She had come specifically to find her, merely to flaunt that she had caught the Fourth Prince's eye.

This two-faced nature was a perfect match for the profoundly scheming Xiao Lingchuan.

"Younger sister, rest assured, everything you desire will come true!"

"Thank you, sister, for your auspicious words!" Jiang Yaozhen beamed, her eyes crinkling with delight.

Jiang Shuning's words were not meant as deliberate flattery.

If her memory served, in a few days, it would be the Empress Dowager's Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet.

Jiang Yaozhen would astonish everyone with a unique dance of her own creation, capturing the admiration of all the princes.

After the banquet, both the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince would send messengers to the Chancellor's residence to propose marriage, each seeking Jiang Yaozhen's hand.

Upon learning the Fourth Prince wished to marry Jiang Yaozhen, Jiang Shuning, using the pretext that her own reputation had been ruined by him, would demand Chancellor Jiang arrange her marriage to the Fourth Prince.

Loving his daughter dearly and fearing she would suffer injustice, Chancellor Jiang would betroth her to the Fourth Prince, Xiao Lingchuan, while Jiang Yaozhen was betrothed to the Third Prince, Xiao Xiuzhan.

From then on, Xiao Lingchuan would come to hate her intensely, and throughout their decade-long marriage, he would never show her a shred of warmth.

...

The invitation to the palace's Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet arrived as scheduled.

On the surface, it was for appreciating chrysanthemums, but all the Noble Maidens of the capital knew well that this banquet was actually orchestrated by the royal family to select suitable wives and concubines for the princes.

In her past life, infatuated with Xiao Lingchuan, Jiang Shuning had chosen not to showcase any talents.

In this life, she did not wish to miss her true destined match for the sake of the wrong person again.

The day before the banquet, Jiang Shuning busied herself in the kitchen, meticulously preparing over a dozen boxes of almond cheese cakes, instructing the servants to pack them into food containers.

She was well aware her talents were mediocre; she excelled in neither the four arts of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, nor was she skilled in singing and dancing like Jiang Yaozhen.

The only skill she could truly pride herself on was her culinary skill.

In her past life, Xiao Lingchuan had been extremely particular about food and, due to being unloved in his childhood, was left with many health problems.

To help regulate his constitution, she had painstakingly honed her culinary arts, not only mastering delicious dishes but also expertly combining ingredients into medicinal meals beneficial for health.

In this life, she wished to rely on her refined culinary skills to secure a good marriage for herself.

On the day of the banquet, Jiang Yaozhen wore a magnificent crimson brocade gown, adorned with golden hairpins, her makeup exquisite, resembling a blooming peony.

Jiang Shuning, in contrast, wore a light green gown, accessorized only with a pearl necklace and a wooden hairpin, presenting a simple, elegant, and gentle demeanor.

The carriage carrying the two Jiang sisters arrived at the palace.

The luxury of the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet lived up to its reputation.

In the imperial garden, rare and precious chrysanthemums bloomed in profusion, their rich fragrance filling the air.

The Empress Dowager approached gracefully, supported by her palace maids. She was kind and amiable, dressed in magnificent attire. Despite her advanced age, her eyes still sparkled with vitality.

After surveying the gathered Noble Maidens, the Empress Dowager smiled with satisfaction. "I thought the flowers in the imperial garden were beautiful enough, but I never imagined you young ladies would be even more delicate and captivating than the blossoms! You must be tired from your travels. Please, enter the hall promptly for the feast."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The Noble Maidens eagerly followed behind the Empress Dowager. Jiang Shuning heard the Empress Dowager give a light cough, a phlegmy sound seeming to catch in her throat.

It seemed she would need to remind the palace servants later not to serve the Empress Dowager the almond cheese cakes she had made, lest they aggravate her phlegm condition.

The Noble Maidens were led by attendants to a side hall to draw lots, determining the order for the talent presentations.

When they returned to the main hall, the princes were already seated.

The princes of Daye were each handsome and imposing, but the Fourth Prince, Xiao Lingchuan, was undoubtedly the most striking in appearance among them.

He possessed mixed heritage, his features deep and handsome, his facial lines strong and well-defined, complementing each other perfectly. This drew frequent glances from the Noble Maidens in his direction.

Even Jiang Yaozhen, who had called him "possessing nothing of merit beyond his handsome face," couldn't help stealing glances at him.

Jiang Shuning walked towards her seat without looking around, yet suddenly she sensed an intense gaze fixed upon her.

Subconsciously following the gaze, she unexpectedly met Xiao Lingchuan's deep peach blossom eyes.

Startled, she immediately lowered her eyelids, her heart pounding like a drum.

Even reborn, meeting his gaze still made her nervous.

In her past life, he had clearly never spared her a second glance. Why was he staring at her so intently today?

No, this must be her imagination.

After taking her seat, Jiang Shuning felt a heavy atmosphere in the hall.

A palace servant dressed as a chef knelt before the Empress Dowager, kowtowing desperately. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This lowly one was negligent, stewing the ice ginseng for too long, making the flavor unbearably bitter and ruining the entire pot of soup. This lowly one has ruined the banquet and is willing to atone with death!"

The Empress Dowager's expression was dark. "Today is an auspicious occasion. How could I order an execution? Even killing you cannot undo the fact that the seven-treasure soup has been ruined."

Hearing this, Jiang Shuning suddenly stood up and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, this subject's daughter has a method to restore flavor to this soup!"

As soon as the words fell, all eyes in the hall turned to her, including Xiao Lingchuan's.

The Empress Dowager looked at her kindly. "What do you intend to do?"

Jiang Shuning calmly looked at the kneeling chef. "May I ask the Imperial Chef, does the kitchen have any dried tangerine peel preserved in brine?"

The Imperial Chef hurriedly replied, "Yes, we do."

"Please, sir, place an appropriate amount of the brined dried tangerine peel into this seven-treasure soup and bring it to a vigorous boil. This will remove the bitterness."

As soon as she finished speaking, a mocking laugh came from the side.

A young noblewoman at the banquet glanced disdainfully at Jiang Shuning. "You must be the Chancellor's legitimate daughter, correct? Do you know that the ingredients in this seven-treasure soup are exceedingly particular? For instance, the Tianshan ice ginseng, pearl shellfish meat, and deep-sea shark oil—each is rare and virtually impossible to find. If you add something as crude as dried tangerine peel, wouldn't you ruin the soup?"

Jiang Shuning recognized this noblewoman as Gu Wanying, the daughter of Censor Gu.

Censor Gu and Chancellor Jiang were sworn enemies in the political arena, so naturally, their daughters were also at odds.

Jiang Shuning smiled faintly and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Dried tangerine peel preserved in salt does not affect the original flavor of the seven-treasure soup. On the contrary, its saltiness can neutralize the bitterness of the ice ginseng, bringing out the soup's natural savoriness. Moreover, I just heard the Empress Dowager cough several times. Although this soup is nourishing, it may not be entirely suitable for Her Majesty. Dried tangerine peel helps dispel phlegm and soothe the throat. Adding it not only does no harm but is also beneficial to Her Majesty's health, making it even more appropriate."

The senior attendant beside the Empress Dowager spoke up: "Miss Jiang is indeed thoughtful and considerate. Her Majesty has indeed been suffering from a persistent cough lately, frequently plagued by phlegm. It is not advisable for her to consume such highly nourishing food at the banquet, but in order to meet all the Noble Maidens, Her Majesty insisted on attending. If adding dried tangerine peel to the seven-treasure soup can clear the cough and dispel phlegm, that would truly be excellent."

Jiang Shuning bowed slightly, her tone confident yet humble: "Matron, perhaps Her Majesty could try a taste of the seven-treasure soup with dried tangerine peel?"

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, showing a hint of anticipation: "Servants, prepare the soup according to Miss Jiang's suggestion."

Soon, the kitchen chef followed Jiang Shuning's advice, added salted dried tangerine peel to the seven-treasure soup, boiled it, and presented it in a lidded serving box.

After taking a few sips, the Empress Dowager immediately felt a soothing sensation in her throat, and the heaviness from the phlegm subsided.

After tasting a few more sips, she found that the bitterness in the soup was indeed less noticeable than before, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

She turned to look at Jiang Shuning, her eyes affectionate: "Good child, what is your name? Which family's daughter are you?"

Jiang Shuning curtsied gracefully: "Your servant is Jiang Shuning, daughter of Jiang He."

"So you are Chancellor Jiang's daughter, no wonder you are so clever. At such a young age, you already understand the principles of dietary nourishment." The Empress Dowager asked with a smile, "I wonder what talent you have prepared for today? I am most keen to see it."

Jiang Shuning replied respectfully: "Your servant's skills are not refined. I only prepared some almond cheese cakes, originally intending to offer them to Your Majesty. However, since Your Majesty's throat has not yet healed, such rich, sweet fare is not suitable. Once Your Majesty has recovered, I will personally prepare a portion for you."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager was overjoyed and laughed: "Good child, I appreciate the sentiment. Today, the princes are in for a treat. Attendants, send the almond cheese cakes made by Miss Jiang to each of the princes."

Before long, a delicate food box appeared on the tables of several princes, neatly arranged with almond cheese cakes personally made by Jiang Shuning.

After tasting them, the princes praised them one after another: "We have never eaten such rich and creamy almond cakes before. They have a unique flavor and are very delicious."

Xiao Lingchuan also slowly picked up an almond cheese cake and examined it carefully, but his peach blossom eyes churned with turbulent emotions, as if he were restraining something.