EBE Chapter 116: Breakfast
Chapter 116: Breakfast
The next day, Zhou Chang got up early and prepared to meet Yuan Qi and go to the Ministry of Justice's Tianlao after breakfast.
As soon as they reached the main hall, Aunt Jing came out from the room on the east side of the main hall with two servants, Duofu and Duobao. "Your Highness got up very early today. Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Aunt Jing, what is that room used for?" Zhou Chang always thought it was an abandoned house.
Aunt Jing turned around and said, "Is it the side hall? Your Majesty has not used it for a long time. Wasn't it prepared for Your Majesty to eat and rest conveniently? Since it has not been used for a long time, this old servant thought of opening the window and ventilating it from time to time."
As the two were talking, they heard limping footsteps behind them.
Uncle Qiu staggered over, still holding the wine gourd in his hand: "Your Majesty, Miss Yuan is here."
"So early?" Zhou Chang originally wanted to meet her first, but he didn't expect her to come so early.
Aunt Jing was beside her. She was afraid of causing any misunderstanding, so she pointed forward and said, "Miss Yuan, please go to the front hall."
Aunt Jing threw the handkerchief in her hand and tried to stop him: "Oh, my Lord, how can you be in the front hall? There is not even a chair in the front hall."
Zhou Chang then remembered that the empty rooms in Prince Yi's Mansion were not just the study. There were no tables or chairs in the front hall, which had always been used by Prince Yi Fengming as a "gateway" to pass through.
"Then..." Zhou Chang originally wanted to hold the meeting in the main hall, but then he felt that was too formal. "Aunt Jing, Miss Yuan is here, so let's arrange for her to stay in the side hall."
"Yes." Uncle Qiu and Aunt Jing agreed almost at the same time.
Uncle Qiu limped away.
Aunt Jing turned around and told Duofu Duobao to go to the kitchen and tell Aunt Wang to prepare two more breakfasts.
When she turned around, Yuan Qi had already walked in led by Uncle Qiu. Behind her were He Xi and two servants, each holding two large five-layer wooden boxes in their hands.
"Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Yi," Yuan Qi bowed, then nodded slightly to Aunt Jing behind Zhou Chang, "I'm very sorry to bother you so early."
She was wearing a lake blue silver silk long dress today and a sky blue veil hat on her head, which covered most of her body.
Zhou Chang estimated that this low-key outfit was for going to the Heavenly Prison, so he made a "please" gesture: "Miss Yuan, you don't have to be polite. Please sit in the side hall for a while."
The side hall was still empty, with only a round octagonal table and two stools.
Aunt Jing followed behind and asked Yuan Qi to sit down: "Miss Yuan came early, so you must have not had breakfast yet, so if you have anything to say, you can talk with our prince while we eat."
"Aunt Jing, you are too polite. I am sorry for coming here rudely and too early, so I brought some breakfast snacks for you to enjoy." Yuan Qi took off his veil and handed it to He Xi behind him.
Aunt Jing smiled warmly: "I didn't expect Miss Yuan to be so thoughtful."
Zhou Chang was also surprised and astonished. Yuan Qi was not only generous, but also thoughtful and considerate.
Yuan Qi signaled the two servants to open the food boxes.
"The prince has just asked the kitchen to prepare breakfast, and Miss Yuan will have a taste later." Aunt Jing was a person of status after all, so she couldn't refuse the things Yuan Qi brought, so she helped put the things on the table one by one.
Zhou Chang didn't know what else to say, and gestured to the seat on his right: "Miss Yuan, you're welcome. Please take a seat."
"Yuan Qi nodded slightly, then sat down and said to Aunt Jing, "Aunt Jing, don't bother. I've already used it."
As long as Aunt Jing is not defeated, she must maintain her dignity: "Then you have to try it. Aunt Wang in the kitchen is from the south, and the noodle soup she makes is the flavor of her hometown. It may not be as good as..."
The two servants put the food out of the food boxes one by one, and she could not say any more.
There are dozens of different dishes and pastries, all of which are exquisite and sweet.
Since Zhou Chang became Prince Yi, he had never eaten or seen so many delicious things at once.
Even the first two times I went to the imperial kitchen, I didn't get so much.
Tears of emotion almost flowed from the corners of my mouth.
Yuan Qi's face was devoid of boasting: "I don't know what Prince Yi usually eats for breakfast, so I asked the chef in the mansion to make a few more dishes, thinking that there will always be some dishes that suit your appetite."
"All right, all right..." Zhou Chang was already dazzled, and nodded hurriedly, "After tasting Miss Yuan's delicious food, I will go to the Ministry of Justice's Prison with Miss Yuan."
Yuan Qi was indeed anxious to see his father, but when he saw Zhou Chang staring at the table full of snacks with shining eyes, he couldn't help but laugh in his heart.
Various bowls and plates from four large food boxes were laid out one by one. The huge round table could hardly hold them all, and plates had to be stacked on top of each other to barely hold them all.
"Your Highness, please enjoy your meal. We will need your help again later." Yuan Qi's voice was clear and gentle.
After several contacts, I found that Prince Yi was not arrogant and was very easy to approach. He was a little strange, but it was nothing serious.
"Then I won't be polite, and you don't have to be polite either. Why don't we have another meal, um..." Zhou Chang could no longer hold back and could no longer remember what image was. He picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and put it into his mouth.
There were four small, crystal shrimp dumplings placed on a delicate white porcelain plate. One was not even enough to fill half the gap between teeth, so I stuffed the other three into my mouth in one gulp, and that was just one big bite.
I don’t know what seasoning was used in the shrimp dumpling filling, but the fresh and fragrant aroma went straight to the top of my head.
"Your Highness," the skinny monkey came over here, perhaps because he smelled something, and froze in his tracks, "What are these...?"
Without even raising his head, Zhou Chang stuffed two golden quick-sand buns from another plate at hand into his mouth.
"Ahem." Aunt Jing coughed lightly. She stood beside Zhou Chang and silently picked up a bowl of sweet soup and brought it to Zhou Chang, signaling Zhou Chang to pay attention to his image. She then asked the skinny monkey, "Monkey, is there anything wrong?"
The thin monkey's eyes were wide open, and he had long forgotten what he was going to say. He swallowed his saliva, which was already flowing, and said, "Miss Yuan should come to our palace more often."
Zhou Chang picked up the sweet soup and took a sip. It was fresh and fragrant, as if it was made from bamboo shoots and mushrooms.
After chewing the contents twice, I didn't taste anything special. Then I remembered that it should be something like bird's nest.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Yuan Qi looking at her with an inquiring gaze, and then she realized it belatedly and felt embarrassed.
When people feel embarrassed, they stop moving.
Yuan Qi smiled gently, not caring at all: "Your Highness should try that dumpling again, it is a famous vegetarian dish in the north."
Although the Yuan family's ancestral home is in Danxi City in the south, their business is spread all over the world, and they also have a mansion in Beiji City all year round, which can be regarded as the Yuan family's second permanent residence. Therefore, they are very familiar with the food of both the north and the south.
Three dumplings wrapped in green skins are placed on a yellow plate, looking delicate and small.
"Okay." Zhou Chang got a step and quickly picked up a green dumpling to eat.
Yuan Qi sat aside and randomly pointed out two more things, and asked Zhou Chang to taste each one he named.
Now that I've started eating again, I don't mind eating a few more dishes.
"Uh..." When Zhou Chang raised his head again, he was too stretched to bend down.
"These pastries are also very good. Your Highness Prince Yi, please try them." Yuan Qi introduced a plate of pastries placed farther away to Zhou Chang.
Zhou Chang devoured the food in no time, and half of the plate on the table was empty, but since she couldn't refuse the hospitality, she did it reluctantly. As long as her stomach didn't burst, she would continue eating.
There was so much food that several people could not finish it, and we could not forget the skinny monkey who was watching closely from the side.
"Monkey, clean up the dishes and return them to Miss Yuan's servants. Also call Gao Yuan over, we will go to the Ministry of Justice's Prison later." Zhou Chang stood up by supporting himself on the table, and he couldn't even bend his waist.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The skinny monkey wiped his saliva. "If the whole world doesn't want you anymore, remember to come find me. I know several human traffickers."