“The Young Master said that everyone did well with the breakfast today and that everyone will be rewarded.”

“Thank you for the Young Master’s favor.” The people in the kitchen, surprised and honored, quickly knelt to receive their rewards.

Each person received a small purse.

Rongrong also received a purse, but it didn’t feel like silver.

She sighed inwardly; although royal gifts were always fine, they often bore court marks and couldn’t be pawned.

Even with treasures in hand, she felt empty-handed.

After everyone received their rewards and got up, the little eunuch didn’t rush to leave.

Instead, he smiled and approached Rongrong, saying, “Yesterday, Miss Rongrong saved the Little Prince. This gift was personally chosen by the Crown Prince for you.”

Rongrong was surprised to receive a reward for simply helping Yuanbao and quickly expressed her thanks.

“The porridge and dishes you prepared this morning were particularly good. The Little Prince praised them highly. Today’s lunch for the Young Master will also require your attention.”

“You flatter me.” Rongrong humbly replied, though she was a bit surprised.

While she had put effort into preparing the breakfast, she thought it would be insignificant to someone used to imperial cuisine.

She didn’t expect it to suit the Crown Prince’s taste.

“It’s fate. The Little Prince is a person of high status and usually doesn’t have much of this kind of food in the East Palace. He enjoyed your breakfast a lot today.”

Rongrong felt somewhat relieved and didn’t dare to be complacent.

She smiled, “It’s my good fortune to have matched the Little Prince’s taste. If you could let me know more about his preferences, I’d appreciate it.”

The little eunuch was pleased with Rongrong’s understanding and began to provide guidance.

Rongrong took note of the details.

When the chef reported that the food boxes were ready, she checked them and confirmed everything was correct before sending them out.

She had hoped that the morning’s work would give her a break for the rest of the day, but one thing led to another.

Rongrong had to start preparing the Crown Prince’s meal.

Since she didn’t need to hover around the Young Master and the Crown Prince, it was somewhat of a relief.

The little eunuch had told her about several dishes the Little Prince liked, such as five-spice pigeon, butterfly meat rolls, lotus seed chicken dumplings, and stuffed pig’s stomach flowers.

Fortunately, these were dishes Rongrong also enjoyed, suggesting that the little Prince’s tastes were similar to hers, making preparation easier.

Rongrong quickly drafted a menu. However, upon reviewing the list provided by the little eunuch, she noticed that there were no fish or shrimp dishes.

It seemed the Little Prince didn’t like them.

Rongrong crossed out the fish slices and shrimp rolls from the menu and decided to add a dish of crispy fried shad fish strips instead.

Since she wasn’t sure if the Crown Prince disliked fish and shrimp or if he hadn’t had ones he liked, she added this new dish and decided to make it herself.

Rong Rong’s crispy fried shad fish strips were a specialty she created during her time in the palace kitchen, intended as a highlight for her upcoming culinary examination.

To prepare, she would first soak a fresh shad fish in rice wine until it was almost unconscious, then kill it and marinate it with ginger, garlic, and scallions.

Unlike the common preference for shad belly, Rong Rong discovered through experimentation that the flesh from the shad’s back was even more delicious, though a bit coarser.

For steaming, the belly was best, but for frying, the back meat excelled.

After marinating, she parboiled the fish back meat in boiling bone broth until it was about 70% cooked, then removed the meat, pounded it into a paste, and removed any remaining bones and scales.

The prepared fish was then coated in flour and deep-fried to a golden crisp, releasing a delightful aroma.

At noon, the same little eunuch, Wang An, who had earlier served the meals, returned. Rong Rong knew this eunuch was named Wang An and was an apprentice of Fu Quan, specifically serving the young prince’s meals.

Wang An was satisfied with the other seven dishes prepared by Rong Rong but was puzzled by the crispy fried shad fish strips.

It was unusual for someone with Rong Rong’s skills not to recognize that the young prince did not eat fish or shrimp.

“Wang Gonggong, this shad fish is a special creation of mine. The fish meat has been treated in several ways to remove its inherent fishy odor,” Rong Rong explained, lowering her voice and leaning closer to Wang An. “This is my first time preparing meals for the little prince. I thought it might be inappropriate not to include fish or shrimp.”

Wang An was taken aback by her consideration.

In the palace, the dietary preferences of the nobility were highly guarded secrets.

Revealing them was a serious breach of etiquette.

Although it was not a major issue, Wang An risked a reprimand from Fu Quan for this oversight.

Surprised by Rong Rong’s meticulousness, Wang An felt a sudden realization of his own shortcomings compared to this maid from the Marquis’s residence.

Acknowledging Rong Rong’s good intentions, he nodded appreciatively and took the prepared dishes out.

Shortly afterward, another little eunuch came with feedback, saying the young prince enjoyed the meal very much and particularly liked the crispy fried shad fish strips.

Relieved that her efforts had been appreciated, Rong Rong was finally at ease.

With dinner preparations already in place for the game brought back by the Crown Prince and Xie Yuanchu, and only needing some light vegetables to accompany it, Rong Rong finalized the menu and headed to her room.

After spending most of the day in the kitchen and enduring the smoke and heat, Rong Rong was exhausted.

Upon returning to her room, she saw that Zhen Zhen had already gone to bed.

Zhenzhen heard the door opening and poked her head out from under the blankets.

Covering her nose, she scolded, “You smell like oil smoke! Go take a shower and make sure you wash even your hair thoroughly.”

Rongrong, aware of her unpleasant smell, didn’t head for the blankets.

She called for Chunxing outside to help her with a bath, washing from head to toe before changing into her nightclothes and moving over to Zhenzhen.

Zhenzhen had more free time today.

After serving Young Master Xie in the morning and leaving the estate, she had no tasks.

With no one to oversee her at the estate, she spent half the day wandering the garden like a young lady, admiring the plum blossoms, feeding the fish, and even napping on the couch after lunch, though she couldn’t sleep well.

Seeing Rongrong return, she felt more energized.

“What did the Crown Prince reward you with? Let me see. Rongrong, I feel like the Crown Prince treats you differently!” Zhenzhen’s eyes were bright, as if she had discovered something significant.

“What difference?” Rongrong had to hand over the purse given by the Crown Prince and said, “Everyone in the kitchen received a reward; the purse is the same for everyone.”

Zhenzhen didn’t respond, instead opening the purse and pulling out two round beads.

Rongrong had guessed that the reward would be jade pendants, but it turned out to be Eastern pearls.

This was quite nice; the pearls didn’t have any marks, so they could be sold if needed.

“These pearls are beautiful,” Zhenzhen said with curiosity. “They’re even larger than those the Young Master’s wife wears!” The Young Master’s wife, Wang Shi, always wore pearls as a necessary accessory, and these pearls Rongrong received were much larger than hers!

“They’re so big that making them into a bracelet would be a waste. They’re better strung into a necklace. Since everyone got a purse, the items inside must be different. Even if the Crown Prince is generous, he wouldn’t give two pearls to each person, right?” Zhenzhen leaned closer to Rongrong, carefully watching her reaction. “Yesterday, you were serving the Crown Prince at the hot spring, weren’t you…”

Before Zhenzhen could finish her sentence, Rongrong cut in, “I was dismissed by the Crown Prince for not serving well, and then Eunuch Fu Quan went in to attend him.”

Zhenzhen blinked in surprise, “Not serving well?”

Rongrong detected a hint in Zhenzhen’s words and turned to her, saying, “Did you serve during breakfast? How did the reward come about? It’s strange, I just instructed the estate’s cooks according to the rules of the Marquis’ residence. How could someone accustomed to the Imperial kitchen like the Crown Prince find it good?”

“It wasn’t the Crown Prince who liked it, but the little prince,” Zhenzhen explained. “The Crown Prince praised the lotus root dish you made after the little prince ate it. Since the Crown Prince dotes on the little prince, he ordered a reward. It’s surprising, seeing how cold and indifferent he usually is, but he spoke so gently to the little prince.”

Understanding now, Rongrong felt somewhat relieved.

She had felt something was off last night while serving the Crown Prince at the hot spring but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Receiving the pearls now only made her more uneasy.

Zhenzhen’s words clarified her confusion.

It seemed she had accidentally prepared a dish that suited the little prince’s taste.

The Crown Prince, valuing the little prince, gave a generous reward and even asked Rongrong to prepare the lunch.

Though Rongrong knew neither the Crown Prince nor Young Master Xie was picky, they were aware that the cooks at the estate had mediocre skills.

The Crown Prince wanted to ensure the little prince had better food.

While this explanation put her mind at ease, it left a sour taste—after all, others seemed more fortunate than her, and their children had better fates too.

Seeing that Rongrong was about to cry again, Zhenzhen changed the subject, “When will the Young Master and the others be back?”

“No one knows,” Zhenzhen replied. “They said they wouldn’t return tonight if they didn’t hunt any wolves or tigers.”

“With the cold weather, wolves and tigers must be hiding in the mountains. It’s not easy to encounter them,” Rongrong remarked.

“That’s true.” Neither of them doubted the prowess of the Crown Prince and Young Master Xie.

Zhenzhen had seen them practicing martial arts that morning and was amazed by their strength and skill. “Usually, it’s not a big deal when the Young Master practices alone, but seeing them sparring this morning was quite intimidating. I didn’t dare stand too close, fearing even a half-hearted punch could be fatal.”

Rongrong recalled seeing the Crown Prince practice martial arts from a distance in her previous life.

When Jadeite encouraged her to get closer, she was too afraid, as the Crown Prince had been very indifferent to her, and approaching him might invite disdain.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing much, just didn’t expect that visiting the estate would be busier than being at the residence,” Rongrong said.

Zhenzhen laughed and sat up to massage Rongrong’s shoulders, “You’re so skilled that I didn’t know you knew so much about the kitchen.”

“I had no choice but to learn,” Rongrong explained. “My elder brother helps in a restaurant, and he taught me some cooking skills. At home, I do all the cooking.”

“Impressive. No wonder you wanted to go home. I’ve heard that nowadays in the capital, small households don’t value sons over daughters. Working as a cook for a prominent family is much better than being a servant. With your skills, even the little prince likes your cooking. You’re bound to have a good future.”

“Let’s hope so,” Rongrong agreed.

She looked forward to the day she could redeem herself and experience freedom.

With these two Eastern pearls, redemption seemed closer than ever.

Once she left the Marquis’ residence, she would become a commoner, free from the high and mighty figures like the Crown Prince, the little prince, and Young Master Xie.