Zhenzhen waited in the corridor, expecting Xie Yuanchu to call her in to serve tea to Fuquan.

However, Xie Yuanchu didn’t call for her, so she stood outside holding the teapot.

When the study door finally opened, Fuquan was already in his cloak, preparing to leave.

Zhenzhen waited until Fuquan had exited the courtyard before she went inside to replace the cold soothing tea on Xie Yuanchu’s desk with a hot one.

After sending Fuquan off, Xie Yuanchu stood at the door, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

After a while, he turned around and noticed that Zhenzhen’s face and hands were red from the cold.

He gently said, “It’s colder here than at the Marquis’s residence. You don’t need to be on duty for the next few nights at the manor. Go and rest.”

Xie Yuanchu, who had lived in the mountains with the Crown Prince and later in the military, was very self-sufficient.

Zhenzhen could tell he had something on his mind and also knew that he rarely called for people at night.

Feeling embarrassed about her previous emotional reaction, she quietly withdrew.

Zhenzhen’s and Rongrong’s rooms were not far from Xie Yuanchu’s quarters.

As she walked back to her room, the mountain wind was indeed colder than the wind in the capital.

Despite Zhenzhen wearing thick clothing, her exposed face was still stung by the cold wind.

She covered her face with her hands to ease the discomfort.

Thinking about how she had been so closely entangled with Xie Yuanchu earlier and now was alone in the cold wind, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness and melancholy.

When she returned to her room, Rongrong was already asleep.

Zhenzhen, not wanting to disturb her, didn’t light a lamp and went to wash up in the dark.

“Who’s there?” Rongrong, who had a light sleep, woke up at the slightest noise and sat up warily from her bed.

“It’s me.” Seeing that Rongrong wasn’t fully asleep, Zhenzhen decided to light a candle.

There had been so many events that day.

Rongrong rubbed her eyes and watched Zhenzhen busying around the room.

She asked, “Why are you back so late? Who is keeping watch at the estate?”

Zhenzhen replied quietly, “The Young Master said it’s cold in the mountains, so we don’t need to be on duty at the manor for the time being.”

With fewer people at the manor this time, the steward had arranged for them to stay in the same type of room as Xie Yuanchu’s, which was kept warm throughout the night with a heated bed.

Zhenzhen changed into her nightclothes and got into bed with Rongrong.

“It’s much warmer with the heated bed than with a charcoal heater. It’s good that we can stay at the manor a bit longer.” The heated bed was indeed much better than a charcoal heater.

Zhen Zhen stayed silent.

Seeing her unwillingness to talk, Rong Rong lay back down and got under the covers.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard Zhen Zhen mumbling, “Are you jealous?”

Jealous?

Rong Rong was initially surprised but quickly realized Zhen Zhen was referring to the situation with Xie Yuanchu.

She found it a bit strange since she had clearly instructed Zhen Zhen earlier.

Could it be that Zhen Zhen felt hurt because Xie Yuanchu was displeased with her refusal?

“Why are you asking me that?” Rong Rong regretted getting involved.

“You know how you feel.”

Rong Rong was truly helpless. “You misunderstood. I’ve told you before that I don’t want to be a concubine for the Young Master. I just want to save enough money to buy my freedom and return home.”

Zhen Zhen remained silent, pouting, struggling to respond.

Seeing this, Rong Rong said, “The money you lent me, I’ll repay you when I return to the Marquis’s residence.”

“Do you think you’re too good for my little bit of loose change because you’ve been rewarded by the Crown Prince?”

“Yes,” Rong Rong replied.

“What’s the matter with you? I say a few words and you get angry!” Zhen Zhen sat up in a panic, “I was just… just confused about how you feel. I’m really flustered and spoke thoughtlessly. Don’t be mad at me.”

Hearing Zhen Zhen’s anxious tone, Rong Rong felt her heart soften and said patiently, “I’m not angry. It’s okay as long as you’re not.”

“I’m just feeling confused and anxious right now. Rong Rong, I only dare to talk to you and express my frustrations.”

“Alright, I understand.” Rong Rong saw Zhen Zhen as a sister and couldn’t truly be angry.

Instead, she gave her a gentle piece of advice, “Even if the Young Master wants to take a concubine, Madam Wang dislikes us both so much that she’d rather he choose someone else.

If you give yourself to the Young Master without status, Madam Wang might not even acknowledge it.

If the Young Master has already tasted the sweetness, he might not put in the effort to fight for you.”

Rong Rong’s words were heartfelt and sincere, and Zhen Zhen understood the reasoning behind them.

Although Xie Yuanchu didn’t like his wife, Wang Yilan, he always gave her face in public.

They were protected from Wang’s harassment while working in Xie Yuanchu’s study.

This favoritism was reasonable because it was inappropriate for women to interfere with men’s affairs in the study.

However, taking a concubine required the consent of the main wife, and Wang Yilan’s dislike for them was evident.

If Xie Yuanchu had already experienced the pleasure, he might not fight hard for them.

If Zhen Zhen remained unblemished, she would still have a chance to retreat.

If she lost her purity without getting a formal status, she would truly have no way out and would be at the mercy of others.

“I’m sorry for my harsh words,” Zhen Zhen said, realizing her mistake.

“You already said it. Between us, there’s no need for formality. I’ve taken your money, so what’s a few honest words between us?” Rong Rong smiled.

“Hmm, I know you always do the best for me,” Zhenzhen said, turning her sadness into happiness. “But you must promise me that you’ll keep the money. Don’t return it to me.”

Rongrong smiled but didn’t speak.

Zhenzhen was indeed a likable girl.

Perhaps because Zhenzhen had entered the Marquis’s residence when she was very young and had grown up in a well-regarded household with few conflicts, and then worked in Xie Yuanchu’s quarters where her beauty and obedience earned her favor, she had experienced little hardship and remained pure-hearted.

Rongrong had never seen such a girl in the palace.

People in the palace, like Rongrong, were always thinking three steps ahead and tended to view others with suspicion.

After their argument and reconciliation, they extinguished the candle and lay back down.

A while later, as Rongrong was about to fall asleep, she heard Zhenzhen say, “Rongrong, do you really not want to stay by the Young Master’s side?”

“I’ve told you, I’m not lying,” Rongrong said, noticing that Zhenzhen hadn’t let go of the issue. “If you keep testing me like this, we might as well stop talking.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m not accusing you of lying,” Zhenzhen sighed, sounding genuinely unhappy. “I just don’t want you to leave the estate. I wish we could both stay by the Young Master’s side, both be concubines, and deal with Wang Shi together, making the Young Master care only for us and infuriate Wang Shi.”

Rongrong could tell that Zhenzhen’s childish words were sincere.

She was momentarily speechless and changed the topic. “When I leave the estate in the future, I’ll come visit you at the Marquis’s residence. By the way, what exactly happened between you and the Young Master today?”

As soon as Rongrong asked, Zhenzhen’s mind flashed back to the awkward scene in the study earlier.

She had been apologizing to Xie Yuanchu when he asked her to go behind the desk.

Confused, she walked over and was suddenly pulled down to sit on his lap.

Zhenzhen, who often helped Xie Yuanchu get dressed in the morning, knew very well what was underneath him and was immediately flustered.

Xie Yuanchu embraced her, saying he wouldn’t give her to the Crown Prince or anyone else because she was his.

Zhenzhen was deeply touched by his words.

Unconsciously, Xie Yuanchu’s hand slipped into her clothes.

Though she let him be, she didn’t dare to make any noise, only softly begging him to stop.

But Xie Yuanchu was in the mood and wasn’t about to stop, becoming more enthusiastic.

Zhenzhen, a virgin, was no match for him and soon felt overwhelmed.

If Rongrong hadn’t called for her outside, she might have already become Xie Yuanchu’s.

Recalling these events, Zhenzhen’s face turned red, as if Xie Yuanchu’s hand was still on her.

She felt too embarrassed to speak and curled up in the blanket, saying, “I’m so tired.”

Rongrong, understanding her embarrassment and finding it amusing, decided not to tease her further.

She was also quite exhausted from the day’s events and soon fell asleep.

That night, they slept comfortably without having to stay up and felt much better in the morning.

They went to Xie Yuanchu’s quarters to attend to him, only to find out that he was not there.

He had gone to the Crown Prince’s place for a martial arts practice.

Zhenzhen said, “Practicing martial arts must make him sweat. I need to take a handkerchief and some clothes to him.”

Rongrong, not wanting to hang around the Crown Prince’s quarters, said, “The food at the manor is quite plain. I’ll go check on the breakfast preparations in the kitchen.”

Xie Yuanchu and the Crown Prince intentionally traveled lightly on this trip, bringing very few attendants and luggage.

The estate only knew that Xie Yuanchu was coming and was unaware of the Crown Prince and the young prince’s visit.

Although the estate had plenty of wild game, Rong Rong knew that palace people couldn’t eat oily food for breakfast, so she needed to make sure the dishes met their taste.

“Alright,” Zhen Zhen agreed, and they went their separate ways.

Rong Rong went to the estate’s kitchen. With the arrival of high-ranking guests, the kitchen was very attentive.

Early in the morning, the kitchen was already bustling with activity.

Two cooks and four kitchen maids were working hard.

There were plenty of dishes prepared: four types of noodles, four types of pastries, four types of porridge, and twelve side dishes.

Though these dishes would be considered lavish in a regular household, they would not be enough for the palace.

For example, in the palace, porridge is made with rice soaked in chicken broth for five hours.

“Miss, is something wrong?” The kitchen steward, seeing Rong Rong frowning slightly, came forward anxiously.

In the past, the masters of the Marquis’s residence had always brought their own cooks, so the kitchen staff rarely had to prepare dishes for them.

When they learned suddenly that the Crown Prince and the young prince were coming, they were very nervous, fearing that they might not meet the guests’ expectations.

“I’ll taste it.”

Rong Rong sampled some of the porridge from the pot.

It was acceptable.

Although the cooking method here was rough, the ingredients were fresh, and the bamboo shoots in the porridge were picked from the mountains and were very flavorful.

“It’s very fresh.”

Seeing Rong Rong’s satisfied smile, the kitchen staff relaxed.

“Present it like this today. The guests likely won’t be too picky. But tomorrow, when you make porridge with bamboo shoots again, don’t put so many in. A few slices of bamboo shoots per bowl of rice is enough. The bamboo shoots should be finely chopped and mixed into the porridge.”

“Miss, why? Didn’t you just praise the porridge for being fresh?”

“For breakfast, the goal is to keep it light and refreshing. Excessive additions might make it too rich. For example, in a dish like braised pork, the more meat, the better, and the fattier, the more flavorful. But for true gourmets, balance is key. In the royal kitchen, the porridge should be light and clear. Adding too many ingredients would overshadow its purpose.”

The kitchen staff seemed to understand vaguely, though Rong Rong knew it would be hard to change their mindset.

Since there was no time to redo the porridge and pastries, she used the remaining ingredients to adjust the preparation of other dishes and quickly managed the small dishes.

Soon after, a little eunuch came to deliver the meals.

Rong Rong directed the kitchen staff on plating and serving the dishes.

Her experience in palace kitchen duties from when she first entered the palace was finally put to use.

As Xie Yuanchu and the Crown Prince were going hunting in the mountains, they wouldn’t be having lunch at the estate.

After finishing breakfast preparations, Rong Rong immediately began preparing packed meals for the mountain trip.

For hunting, they needed to have some wild game on hand, so Rong Rong had some refreshing small dishes prepared, like pickled radishes, pickled cucumbers, and sweet garlic.

Additionally, there were snacks such as crispy fried small fish, date paste buns, and golden milk buns.

She also prepared a wild rabbit, a lamb, and three river fish, all marinated with rice wine, salt, star anise, ginger, scallions, and garlic, ready to be grilled on the mountain.

While she was busy, the little eunuch who first delivered the meals returned, saying that the Crown Prince had a reward for her.