Feeding him? It’s not a big deal for a palace maid to feed her master, but Rongrong really didn’t want to do it.

“Your Highness hasn’t eaten much at noon, and you’ve only had a little of this bowl of rice. How about I call someone to serve you instead?” Rongrong suggested, looking at Yuanbao.

“No need,” the Crown Prince quickly denied before Yuanbao could say anything.

Rongrong knew he would say that.

He was very particular, only wanting Fuquan to attend to him even when changing clothes, let alone when eating.

But mentioning Fuquan made her suddenly realize that whenever the Crown Prince returned, his attendants seemed to disappear.

Fuquan had just helped him with changing clothes and grooming but hadn’t come to assist with meals.

She suddenly understood that Anru’s feelings toward her were not a misunderstanding, or rather, the current situation was not seen as a misunderstanding by others.

She knew it was because Yuanbao liked her that she stayed, but to others, it surely seemed like she was scheming to climb the ranks and stay in the Eastern Palace.

Even Fuquan and others might think she was there daily to eventually be with the Crown Prince.

“Aunt Rongrong, just feed Father a bite. I’ve eaten so much, and he hasn’t had any. It’s so pitiful,” Yuanbao said sympathetically, pointing at a large piece of rabbit meat. “Here, give this big piece of rabbit meat to Father.”

Since Yuanbao said so, Rongrong couldn’t avoid it any longer and had to serve the piece of rabbit meat.

Because of the young prince, the palace chefs prepared lighter dishes, as heavy-flavored dishes could easily upset a child’s stomach.

This rabbit meat was the only dish with a slightly stronger flavor.

Yuanbao, being considerate, had Rongrong select a dish with a bit more seasoning.

Feeding him was no big deal, she thought. It was like feeding a dog.

As Rongrong reached to pick up the meat, she noticed a green Sichuan peppercorn in the rabbit meat.

Palace chefs usually strain out spices like garlic and ginger after cooking to avoid any issues for the high-ranking guests.

However, this dish of Chenpi rabbit had a small branch of freshly picked green peppercorns as a garnish.

One peppercorn must have fallen into the meat and got wrapped inside it.

Rongrong calmly picked up some rabbit meat and fed it to him.

He opened his mouth slightly and bit down on the meat.

His teeth were very white and neat. Rongrong knew that the breath he exhaled was also quite pleasant.

She watched him eat, and after a moment, his sharp eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a cool, distant gaze shifted towards Rongrong.

Rongrong pretended not to notice, feeling a bit of schadenfreude but also quite at ease.

It wasn’t that she meant to annoy him; it was Yuanbao who specifically requested the meat, so she served it.

A single Sichuan peppercorn—its numbing effect helps clear the mind better than ambergris!

“Let’s eat first. We can continue later,” the Crown Prince said as he set down his chess piece.

“Okay.” Yuanbao was now completely absorbed in the food, so he readily agreed to take a break from the game.

As Rongrong watched the Crown Prince drink a large cup of tea, she noticed his brow relax.

It must have been the peppercorn; it probably made the dish quite spicy.

She was pleased with the effect, but she didn’t realize that every move she made was being watched by those deep, observant eyes.

After serving dinner, the Crown Prince went to the study to handle state affairs.

Yuanbao then summoned a young eunuch to perform a shadow play, choosing a new episode from “Journey to the West” titled “The Three Borrowings of the Banana Fan.”

Rongrong and Yuanbao sat side by side on cushions.

After a while, seeing Yuanbao lose interest, Rongrong quietly said, “Yuanbao, can I discuss something with you?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“From now on, please don’t make me deliver or feed things to His Highness anymore, okay?”

Yuanbao immediately pouted. “Why?”

“No particular reason… just because… it’s not good.”

“Is it because Father made you peel pine nuts and hurt your hand, so you’re unhappy and don’t want to deal with him?”

She indeed didn’t want to deal with him, but it wasn’t just about the pine nuts.

Previously, Jing Song was pregnant before becoming the Crown Princess.

Now, with him having a suitor and openly holding her hand in front of that suitor, it was clear he lacked discretion.

Even though they were currently keeping to their roles as master and servant, if Rongrong continued to interact with him in such a manner, he might eventually pull her into inappropriate behavior.

Yuanbao wanted to reassure Rongrong that his father had promised not to mistreat her.

However, since Rongrong had just been hurt, it seemed best to let things settle down before trying to convince her.

After the shadow play ended, Rongrong bathed and changed Yuanbao before heading to the bedroom.

Yuanbao, rolling around in his sleepwear, looked up at Rongrong and said, “Auntie, will you sleep with me tonight?”

“But… don’t you usually sleep better when you’re with the Crown Prince?”

“I don’t know. I’m really tired tonight.” Yuanbao rubbed his eyes; he hadn’t napped in the afternoon and almost fell asleep during the shadow play.

Rongrong hesitated.

If she stayed here with Yuanbao, the Crown Prince would surely come in later.

“Can you, Aunt Rongrong?” Yuanbao asked with hopeful eyes.

“But if I sleep here, where will the Crown Prince sleep?” In Yuhua Palace, there was only one dragon bed.

Yuanbao thought for a moment and said, “Aunt Rongrong, you sleep on the inside, I’ll sleep in the middle, and Father will sleep on the outside.”

“No way,” Rongrong replied firmly.

How could she possibly share a bed with him?

“Then will you stay with me until I fall asleep? After that, you can leave?”

“Okay,” Yuanbao said pitifully.

As soon as Rongrong agreed, he became overjoyed, his excitement almost visible if he had a tail.

Rongrong changed into her nightclothes and lay down beside Yuanbao, her heart pounding.

It had been a long time since she had slept here.

---

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince was very busy.

Dark Moon and the other shadow guards were kneeling, not daring to speak.

“Can’t find any trace at all?” the Crown Prince asked coldly.

“I’m useless,” Dark Moon said, afraid to argue.

The Crown Prince sighed heavily, and the study fell into a suffocating silence.

For four years, he had been unable to catch the mouse that had sneaked into the Eastern Palace.

Liuli, standing to the side, finally spoke up, “My lord, I have a plan.”

“Speak.”

“Since we know where the thief is hiding, why not capture and interrogate Boss Mei from the embroidery shop? We might get some clues.”

It was a feasible plan but not entirely reliable.

“If the thief was bold enough to leave the woman behind and run away, he must be sure she doesn’t know anything. Interrogation might not yield results.”

Liuli said, “It’s not necessary to get information directly. If the thief has been hiding for three years, even a cat would form an attachment over that time. We can detain Boss Mei and he might reveal himself.”

The Crown Prince pondered in silence.

After a while, he finally spoke, “Let’s try it. Don’t hurt anyone.”

“Yes.”

After the shadow guards left, the Crown Prince began reviewing the documents.

Since last year, all court documents had to be reviewed by him after being approved by the chief minister before going to the palace for final approval by the Emperor or a eunuch.

He had spent too much time in the Imperial Garden today and played with Yuanbao for a long time in the evening, so the documents were piling up.

After reviewing about thirty documents, the Crown Prince suddenly looked up and asked, “Has Yuanbao fallen asleep?”

Fu Quan stepped forward and replaced his tea, “Miss Rongrong is already sleeping with Prince Yuanbao. Wang An checked, and both of them are sleeping soundly.”

The Crown Prince smiled slightly.

With her around, his burden had lightened a lot.

However, this woman, taking advantage of Yuanbao’s trust, had become bolder and even dared to feed him green peppers.

Did she think he didn’t see her sneaking a laugh?

Fu Quan watched the Crown Prince staring at a document, amused.

He waited until the smile faded before speaking, “My lord, Miss Rongrong is sleeping with Prince Yuanbao tonight. You…”

“There are too many documents today, so I’ll stay here,” the Crown Prince decided.

After a pause, he added, “If Yuanbao wakes up in the middle of the night, come and tell me immediately.”

Yuanbao had never been away from him all night, so he wasn’t sure if it would work tonight.

Yuanbao slept soundly through the night and didn’t wake up until morning.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Rongrong’s peaceful face.

He smiled at her, wanting to wake her up but hesitated, deciding instead to let her rest a bit longer.

He got out of bed quietly and, barefoot, pushed open the door.

The young eunuch on duty was about to greet him, but Yuanbao gestured for him to be quiet.

The eunuch silently fetched Yuanbao’s shoes and helped him put them on.

Yuanbao instructed the servants to keep their voices down so as not to disturb Rongrong, and they escorted him to another room for his morning routine.

Soon, Wang An came to report that the Crown Prince had finished his morning exercise and breakfast was being served.

Yuanbao hurried over and threw himself into the Crown Prince’s arms. “Father, when did you go to bed last night?”

“Around the hour of the Chou (about 2 AM).”

“That late?” Yuanbao’s face scrunched up in concern for his father, and he hugged the Crown Prince’s face with his chubby little hands.

The Crown Prince smiled and sat Yuanbao down. “What did you dream about?”

“I forgot,” Yuanbao replied, then began to talk about his dreams.

They were all about being with his parents—rowing on the lake, watching shadow plays, and other happy times together.

Seeing Yuanbao’s mood drop, the Crown Prince gently ruffled his hair. “Today I’ll finish my work early and sleep with you tonight.”

Yuanbao wanted to say yes but struggled to get the words out.

After a moment, he finally managed, “Father, you should stay in the study and handle your work.”

Fuqian, who was serving porridge, accidentally spilled a few drops on the table.

He quickly cleaned it up, his face flushed with embarrassment.

The Crown Prince, suppressing a cold glance at Fuqian, asked Yuanbao, “Don’t you want to sleep with me?”

Yuanbao shook his head. “It’s not that. I want to sleep with you too, but Rongrong Auntie smells so nice. I want to stay with her a few more nights. Can you come back in a few days?”

Fuqian couldn’t help but interject with a smirk, “Old servant dares to say, the dragon bed is so spacious, you all could sleep together. Master, it’s quite cold and unwelcoming in the study…”

Yuanbao, equally troubled, added, “I also want to sleep with both of you, but Auntie Rongrong doesn’t want you there.”

The Crown Prince’s brows twitched in irritation.

So, she doesn’t want to sleep together, huh? How amusing.