Inside the Inner Hall

Rong Rong suddenly felt anxious and didn’t know how to react.

In the midst of her panic, Liuli had already taken Rong Rong to the bathhouse to clean herself.

The bath tub was huge, enough for two people to bathe together, and Rong Rong found it quite spacious.

Liuli didn’t join her; instead, two palace maids served her.

One added incense to the bathwater, while the other helped Rong Rong untangle and wet her hair, applying a fragrant mixture made with precious spices.

The fragrance from the mixture filled the air.

In her previous life, when Jing Rong first entered the Eastern Palace, she had been treated this way too, with scented baths and fragrant creams.

Last time, she was there to serve the prince, but this time, she was supposed to be a palace maid.

Why was she going through the same process?

Fortunately, after the bath, the palace maids brought her clothes similar to theirs: a dark red cotton robe with a front opening and a quilted outer coat embroidered with camellias.

After changing into the new clothes and having her hair styled, Liuli returned to lead her to Yuhua Palace.

Yuhua Palace was the Crown Prince’s residence and had been his home since he took over the Eastern Palace.

This was the place Rong Rong had spent the most time in during her stay at the Eastern Palace, and she was very familiar with every room.

Liuli showed her around, explaining where the prince slept, where he read books, where his formal robes were kept, and where his casual clothes were stored.

Liuli’s detailed explanations made Rong Rong wonder if she was there to serve Yuan Bao or the Crown Prince.

Though she was curious, she didn’t dare to voice her thoughts to Liuli, who wouldn’t be able to help her even if she did.

As Liuli mentioned, she wasn’t assigned to serve inside the hall and left after showing Rong Rong around.

In the vast Yuhua Palace, Rong Rong was left alone.

After sitting for a while, Rong Rong went around the rooms again.

There were changes in Yuhua Palace, with new additions in almost every room.

The tea room had a small cushion added, the dragon couch had a small pillow, and even the study had a new set of small tables and chairs.

Each place associated with the Crown Prince had items for Yuan Bao, including a specially dedicated room with clay dolls and game boards like double six and liubo.

Rong Rong kept her emotions in check as she checked Yuan Bao’s clothes and accessories.

When it was time for dinner, she heard a young eunuch outside the hall announce, “The Crown Prince’s grandson has returned to the palace.”

Yuan Bao was back?

But the Crown Prince wasn’t?

Rong Rong sighed in relief and rushed to the hall’s entrance to greet him.

Soon, she saw three small figures getting off the carriage, with the tallest one wearing a silver mink cloak, who was Yuan Bao.

Yuan Bao saw Rong Rong from afar and, with a cheer, bounced over to her.

As Rongrong was about to kneel and pay her respects, Yuanbao suddenly ran up and she had to catch him in her arms.

Yuanbao was a strong and tall child for his age, and despite being only four, his hug nearly made Rongrong lose her balance.

Once she steadied herself and embraced Yuanbao properly, he smiled and said, “Aunt Rongrong, you’ve finally come to the Eastern Palace.”

Seeing Yuanbao’s joyful expression, Rongrong felt touched and hugged him a bit tighter.

“Your Highness, I haven’t given you my greetings yet!” Rongrong whispered to Yuanbao.

“You don’t need to bow,” Yuanbao said. “Father said you don’t want to be a maid, so you don’t have to bow in the Eastern Palace.”

Rongrong was slightly surprised.

Did the Crown Prince really say that?

Did he know she didn’t want to be a maid?

It wasn’t that he cared about her; it was just that he was perceptive.

“That won’t do. There are so many people here. If they see that I don’t bow, they might say there’s no discipline in the Eastern Palace.”

“Well…” Yuanbao tilted his head and thought for a moment before stepping back. “Bow when there are outsiders. You don’t need to bow in Yuhua Palace.”

“Alright.” Rongrong released Yuanbao and stood up to respectfully greet him.

At that moment, two other children who had arrived with Yuanbao climbed the steps and curiously looked at Rongrong.

“Auntie, this is Liu Yu and Liu Lin. They’re my good friends. Let’s go inside and play.” Yuanbao said quickly, and the three children ran into the hall together.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin had their own attendants, but since Yuhua Palace had strict rules about access, Liuli stopped them outside.

Rongrong followed the three children into the playroom, where Yuanbao and Liu Yu set up a chessboard and started playing, while Liu Lin, being younger, played with colorful clay figurines on the side.

The Yuhua Palace was warm like spring, and Rongrong, concerned they might be too warm, went over to help the children remove their cloaks and had fruit tea and pastries served.

Whether it was due to prior instructions from Fu Quan or Liuli, everyone in Yuhua Palace treated Rongrong with great respect, as if she were a half-master.

“Will the two young princes stay for dinner in the Eastern Palace?” Rongrong asked.

“Yes,” Yuanbao answered loudly. “They’ll have dinner here and then go back.” He then turned back to focus on his game.

With the meal being managed by Wang An, Rongrong had nothing else to do after passing on the message and sat down to watch them play chess.

The game of Double Six is actually quite simple.

Each player has a certain number of pieces, each a different color, placed on a rectangular board.

Players move their pieces around the board by rolling dice.

Zheng Ku was sitting quietly when Liuli came in with news that Dr. Qin had successfully performed the bloodletting on the old lady.

After the wound healed and she rested for a while, she would recover completely.

At this, Rong Rong felt a huge weight lift from her heart.

No matter what, Grandma Xue was saved, and her time in the Eastern Palace had been worth it.

She wanted to hug Yuan Bao and show her gratitude but knew it would be inappropriate.

Unable to express her feelings, she decided to leave the room and check on the dinner arrangements.

The kitchen had already prepared a meal for Yuan Bao.

Although Liu Yu and Liu Lin’s arrival was sudden, they were just two small children, so there wasn’t much to adjust—just adding a couple more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Rong Rong decided to add a couple of extra dishes to the menu: crispy fried shad fish strips, which she had made for Yuan Bao before, and a simple soup.

She planned to make a chicken soup with Yulan petals, adding some ham from the broth at the end.

The Eastern Palace’s kitchen was staffed by the Imperial Kitchen, which made fresh stock daily.

The soup was made with chicken, ham, pig’s trotters, and dried scallops, with one pound of ingredients yielding one pound of broth.

When making the soup, they removed the ham from the broth, cut it into small pieces, and cooked it with Yulan petals for a while.

Near the end, they added some chopped cabbage.

The resulting soup was snowy white with red, yellow, and green hues, making it very attractive.

Once the dinner was ready, Rong Rong went in to invite the three little ones to eat.

When she entered, she saw Liu Lin had somehow fallen to the ground, while Yuan Bao and Liu Yu were still intently playing Double Six and hadn’t noticed.

Liu Lin began to cry when he saw Rong Rong.

Rong Rong wanted to pick him up, but Yuan Bao said, “Auntie, he’s a boy. He should get up by himself. Don’t help him.”

Rong Rong had no choice but to stop.

Yuan Bao was the master, and she couldn’t disobey him.

“Your Highness, dinner is ready. We can start after we wash our hands.”

“Oh,” Yuan Bao said, still focused on the game.

After a moment, he looked up at Rong Rong and asked, “Auntie, did you make the dinner?”

“It was made by the Imperial Kitchen, but I added a couple of extra dishes.”

“Great, let’s eat now.” Yuan Bao said, throwing down his game pieces and standing up.

Liu Yu quickly said, “We haven’t finished yet!”

“Let’s play later; I’ll win anyway,” Yuanbao said with a cheerful laugh, ignoring Liu Yu as he ran to Rongrong and took her hand.

Liu Yu had nothing to say; after playing for so long, he had lost every game to Yuanbao.

Seeing no one helping him, Liu Lin climbed up from the floor and followed the two older boys out.

Wang An had prepared the dining table.

Usually, Yuanbao and the Crown Prince had separate meals, each at their own table.

But since the two guests today were young children, only one table was set.

They sat on either side of the table with several small dishes in the middle, along with a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup each.

“Auntie, is this the shad fish fillet you made?” Yuanbao’s eyes lit up when he saw his favorite dish on the table.

Rongrong nodded, “Yes, and this soup is also made by me. Try it…”

Before she could finish, Yuanbao grabbed a spoon and took a big sip of the soup.

“It’s delicious.”

Seeing that Yuanbao liked the soup, Liu Yu and Liu Lin both took their spoons to try it.

The soup, with its balanced salty and savory taste and attractive color, was so good that the two children couldn’t stop drinking it.

Rongrong wanted to remind them that drinking too much soup before the meal might not be good, but she wasn’t sure if Liu Lin and Liu Yu would listen.

Yuanbao, noticing Rongrong’s concern, put down his soup bowl and picked up a piece of crispy fried shad fish fillet. “This is also Auntie Rongrong’s cooking, and it’s my favorite.”

Liu Yu, who had been studying in the Imperial Study with Yuanbao and often shared meals with him, was curious and asked, “Aren’t you usually not fond of fish?”

“As long as it’s made by Auntie Rongrong, I like it.”

Liu Lin, though silent, understood everything.

Hearing Yuanbao’s praise, he ignored his chopsticks and reached for the fish fillets.

They were just as tasty as he had hoped.

He stuffed one piece into his mouth, followed by another, and his cheeks puffed out humorously.

“Slow down, Your Highness,” Rongrong said anxiously, worried that he might choke.

She patted his back and, seeing Liu Lin was not stopping, quickly offered him the soup. “Would you like some soup?”

Liu Lin glanced at the fish fillets in his hand and then at the soup Rongrong was holding.

After hesitating, he finished the fish fillets and took the soup bowl.

As Liu Lin drank the soup quickly, Rongrong hurriedly patted his back to help him breathe easier.

Seeing Rongrong paying so much attention to Liu Lin, Yuanbao became somewhat displeased. “Auntie Rongrong, let him eat by himself.”

Liu Yu chimed in, “Yes, I’ve always eaten by myself since I was little and didn’t need anyone to help me.”

“Liu Lin, Auntie Rongrong is not a servant. You should eat by yourself,” Yuanbao said firmly.

Liu Lin’s eyes immediately filled with tears after Yuanbao’s words.

“No crying! If you cry, you won’t be allowed to come play in the Eastern Palace anymore,” Yuanbao said, thinking the threat wasn’t harsh enough. “You won’t be allowed in the Imperial Study either.”

Liu Lin’s tears started to fall, though he tried hard not to make any sound.