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Shen Chuwei rushed into the room and saw Xiao Jinyan, dressed in moon-white clothes, sitting on the couch with Xuetuan cradled in his arms. Seeing her arrive, he looked up at her.

She didn’t lock gazes with Xiao Jinyan in a passionate stare but instead directed her eyes toward the plate of pastries on the low table, estimating that there were still two left.

She secretly rejoiced that she had come back just in time, or else Xiao Jinyan would have eaten them all.

Shen Chuwei caught her breath and stepped forward to curtsy, "Your Highness, I wish you peace and happiness."

Seeing her breathless from running, Xiao Jinyan asked, "What’s the hurry?"

"When I heard Your Highness had arrived, I was overjoyed," Shen Chuwei blurted out a blatant lie — it wouldn’t do to say she was afraid he would eat all the pastries.

Xiao Jinyan’s mood mysteriously lifted a tad: "Girls should show a bit more restraint."

Shen Chuwei nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes."

Xiao Jinyan glanced at Xuetuan in his arms and pinched its paw, forcing Xuetuan to open its eyes, which stared at him in bewildered confusion.

I was sleeping, you know.

Ignoring Xuetuan’s silent protest, Xiao Jinyan said to Shen Chuwei, "Xuetuan has been rather restless these past days; perhaps it misses you."

"With Xuetuan coming over every other day to scrounge for food, it still misses me?" Shen Chuwei was somewhat pleased as she moved forward, bent down to pick up Xuetuan, sat down on the couch next to him, and petted it a few times.

Xuetuan meowed at Shen Chuwei, as if acting coquettishly.

Shen Chuwei laughingly said as she touched Xuetuan’s belly, "You’ve gotten fatter."

Xuetuan’s vacant gaze seemed to say, we can still be friends if you don’t mention my weight.

Xiao Jinyan, observing the pair, asked an untimely question, "How is your reading coming along?"

Shen Chuwei felt somewhat guilty, "I have read it."

Xiao Jinyan nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "How do you feel about it?"

The scent of fish wafted in from the window. Xuetuan, who had been planning to go back to sleep, suddenly opened its eyes and nimbly jumped off Shen Chuwei’s lap; in a flash, it had vanished.

Xiao Jinyan: "..." I’ve asked for your presence for a reason, why are you running off?

If Xuetuan could speak, it would surely retort without looking back: "The lure of fish is too strong..."

Shen Chuwei answered honestly, "Reading the book makes it easy to fall asleep."

She found reading so soporific that she could fall asleep without even turning the page.

Xiao Jinyan, thinking she had fallen asleep because she read for too long, said with some reassurance, "It’s alright to rest appropriately during reading, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come to ask me."

Shen Chuwei nodded guiltily, for she hadn’t even finished one page.

Xiao Jinyan had originally wanted to see if Shen Chuwei, while holding Xuetuan, could read his mind, but with Xuetuan gone, he would have to try next time.

Xiao Jinyan came to the Xiyun Pavilion just to check on Shen Chuwei’s learning, and since it was dinner time now, he decided to stay for the meal.

Chun Xi had made sweet and sour fish tonight, which Xuetuan ate almost half of.

Even Xiao Jinyan, who doesn’t appreciate vinegar, helped himself to several pieces of fish, finding the taste agreeable, "What is this dish called?"

With a smile on her lips, Shen Chuwei replied, "Your Highness, this is sweet and sour fish."

Xiao Jinyan paused, because he doesn’t eat vinegar, he hadn’t realized it when eating the fish.

"Is something the matter, Your Highness? Don’t you like it?" Shen Chuwei asked, looking at the sweet and sour fish in front of her. If she hadn’t misremembered, Xiao Jinyan had taken several pieces to eat.

Xiao Jinyan shook his head, "No, it tastes good."

Shen Chuwei continued to eat, because dining with Xiao Jinyan meant eating slowly would result in an insufficient meal.

Xiao Jinyan instructed Liu Xi, "Tomorrow, have the chef learn this dish."

Liu Xi: "Yes."

Remembering the incident from the previous night, Shen Chuwei, seeing Xiao Jinyan drinking tea, felt a bit uneasy.

As Xiao Jinyan put down his tea cup and looked over, Shen Chuwei instinctively lowered her head as if to make him overlook her presence.

To Xiao Jinyan, that action appeared as a gesture of shyness.

"What’s your nickname?"

Shen Chuwei paused slightly upon hearing this; it seemed she didn’t have a pet name, only remembering that she often dreamed, and in those dreams, someone would call her "Xiaojiu."

Xiao Jinyan saw her hesitation and thought she was embarrassed to say it, "But feel free to tell."

Shen Chuwei replied, "Xiaojiu?"

Xiao Jinyan silently repeated, "Xiaojiu?"

Shen Chuwei was stunned for a moment when she heard it.

Xiao Jinyan said, "When we are alone, I shall call you Xiaojiu."

"Alright." Shen Chuwei did not care much; one name or another, Xiaojiu or Daji, it was all the same.

Before leaving, Xiao Jinyan instructed, "Rest early tonight, reading books is not urgent."

Shen Chuwei took his words to heart and, after bathing, she went straight to bed and under the covers, sleeping especially soundly while hugging her cat pillow.

Fengyi Palace

The Empress had been enduring for two days; the phrase "frantically missing" could no longer describe how much she craved Pickled Long Beans, Dried Radish, Sour and Spicy Potato Shreds... these appetizing dishes.

Today, the Empress sat at the dining table, devoid even of the desire to pick up her chopsticks.

The Empress had lost her appetite significantly, visibly losing weight, and Qing Ying was very distressed upon seeing this.

"Empress, your servant shall go to the East Palace to ask if these small dishes are available?" Qing Ying used a tentative tone, fearing displeasing her master.

The Empress wanted to act tough, but she genuinely craved the dishes, so she said, against her true feelings, "Just don’t say I sent you."

Qing Ying nodded vigorously, "This servant understands; it is this servant’s own initiative to inquire."

The Empress was then satisfied with a nod.

Without delay, Qing Ying turned and went to the East Palace.

Liu Xi saw Mammy Qingying approaching from a distance and greeted her with a smile, "Has Mammy Qingying come for a matter?"

With a smile, Qing Ying said, "The Empress’s appetite has declined, she’s hardly eating, and has visibly lost a lot of weight. Does Eunuch Liu still have some of those small dishes you sent last time? I would like to take some back for the Empress to eat."

"The Empress losing her appetite is a very serious matter," Liu Xi felt somewhat troubled, "but Mammy Qingying, those small dishes use very precious ingredients, and we don’t have any at the moment; we must wait a while more."

Upon hearing that they were unavailable, Qing Ying was somewhat disappointed; no wonder there had been no deliveries for many days.

"What should we do then? The Empress enjoys those small dishes as they whet her appetite."

After thinking for a moment, Liu Xi said, "Do not worry, Mammy Qingying, let our kitchen prepare a sweet and sour fish for you to take back to the Empress to try, how about that?"

Upon hearing it was fish, Qing Ying didn’t hold much hope, "We’ll have to settle for that."

"Mammy Qingying, please wait here for a moment, I will go fetch it right now," said Liu Xi, holding his fly-whisk and walking briskly toward the small kitchen.

Qing Ying didn’t have to wait long; soon Liu Xi came rushing over with the food box.

"Mammy Qingying, here is the sweet and sour fish. Please take it," he said.

"Alright," responded Qing Ying, quickly taking the food box back to the Fengyi Palace.

The Empress perked up upon seeing Qing Ying enter with the food box.

Qing Ying recounted what Liu Xi had said.

Only then did the Empress realize that it wasn’t that the Crown Prince had stopped sending her the small dishes, but that they simply weren’t available for the time being.

She had misunderstood the Crown Prince.

Qing Ying placed the sweet and sour fish in front of the Empress, "Empress, this is the sweet and sour fish. Eunuch Liu had your servant bring it back for you."

Upon seeing it was a very common fish, the Empress immediately lost her appetite.

In Fengyi Palace, fish and meats were plentiful daily, with all varieties available, and she had grown tired of them.

A bit disappointed, the Empress put down her chopsticks.

Seeing this, Qing Ying picked up a pair of chopsticks and held them out to the Empress, coaxing, "Empress, please eat a little."