Yu Xiaocao glanced at him and revealed a honey-sweet smile on her face. The words that came out of her mouth subsequently also delighted him to his core, “It’s not a bother at all! I’m happy to make food for you. Even the smallest detail needs to come out of my hands!”

As she spoke, she went back to her task at hand, leaving Zhu Junyang, who was touched beyond measure, to stand silently at the side. She heated up the wok and oil before searing the slender strips of fish and chicken in separate batches. Then, she took them out of the pot and left some oil in there before adding the fish back into the pot with some cooking wine and fine salt. She let it simmer until it produced a fragrant broth and then added some cornstarch to thicken it. Finally, she poured the cooked fish into one half of a prepared plate.

Following that, she did the same procedure for the seared chicken meat, making sure to also thicken the broth with starch at the end. She then poured the cooked chicken into the other half of the plate, creating a sort of yin-yang presentation between the fish and chicken. Finally, she stir fried some bean sprouts with some special seasoning and placed it in the middle of the chicken and fish meat in the dish. The final dish was complete!

Zhu Junyang looked at the beautiful dish that was in front of him. The simple and elegant aesthetics of the plate immediately conquered him and he shifted his attention away from the plate of shrimp in his hands. He shoved the remaining plate of large fried shrimp into Hou Xiaoliang’s hands and used a pair of chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish meat. Immediately, the tender and savory taste of the food invaded his mouth, tantalizing his taste buds. It was truly too delicious. It was fragrant and tasty and the two types of different meat complimented each other perfectly as if they were meant to be together. The food was so delicious that it was hard for a person to stop eating.

The dishes afterwards all satisfied the raging glutton within Zhu Junyang’s stomach. He ate and ate until his belly was about to burst. Only then did he finally reluctantly put down his pair of chopsticks in defeat. His lass’s food was seriously too good. If he could eat this kind of food very day, then he would have a very fortunate life. Unfortunately, cooking was too exhausting. Not only did she have to prepare all of the ingredients but many of the cooking processes were also time consuming. Furthermore, the kitchen was full of high heat and oily smoke. In the summer, the heat was almost unbearable, like you were being steamed alive. How could he bear to let his little lass endure such conditions all the time? Forget it, in the future, he needed to reign in his inner glutton in order to avoid making his little lass suffer too much.

Hou Xiaoliang had truly benefited from following his master around today! His future mistress’s culinary talents were heavenly! Even the imperial chefs in the palace likely wouldn’t be able to make food as delicious as the food she made today. He was so envious of his master. In the future, his master would be able to eat scrumptious food like this every day ah! That wouldn’t do. He needed to cling himself shamelessly to his master in order to find other opportunities like today. Perhaps on days when his master was in a good mood, he’d be rewarded a few dishes here and there. That would truly be the fortune of a lifetime for him!

That was right! Wutong wasn’t getting any younger. Shouldn’t he beg his future mistress for a favor and have her engage Wutong to him? His future mistress’s culinary talents were so good, so shouldn’t the maids by her side also be very good at cooking too ah? Then...in the future, wouldn’t he be living in the lap of foodie luxury?

Hou Xiaoliang happily fell into his own thoughts. However, how could he know that the maids under Xiaocao, other than Yangliu who had the talent and desire to learn more, were all dunces in the kitchen? In fact, Xiaocao often felt that they were pulling her back when they tried to help her prepare ingredients in the kitchen, which said volumes about their actual cooking abilities. Wutong, for example, might not even know how to properly cook rice! Thus, Hou Xiaoliang’s silly fantasies were quite off the mark!

Xiaocao felt a bit sorry when she saw Zhu Junyang shoveling down food as if he had never had a good meal in his life. She added a few bites of food to his plate from time to time and repeatedly warned him, “Eat slower, ah! I know you haven’t had a good meal in a while, but eating too fast will make your stomach hurt.”

“Not a problem. Don’t I have the medicine you gave me in the pouch ah?” Zhu Junyang ate and guzzled down food and drink before he was finally so stuffed that he couldn’t eat anymore. He regarded the remaining food on the table with a gaze full of regret. If he hadn’t eaten those cookies earlier, he would be able to eat more food now.

Yu Xiaocao slanted him a disapproving look and said, “The medicine I gave you is to treat you when unfortunate things happen, not give you an excuse to use your body poorly. If you continue to do this in the future, then believe it when I say I won’t cook food for you anymore!”

Zhu Junyang pulled at Xiaocao’s fair little hands and rubbed them between his large palms as he gently said, “If you don’t want to make food, then don’t! This prince doesn’t want his princess consort slaving away every day at the stove. In the future, ah, all you have to do is enjoy yourself at home. Plant some flowers, do some hobbies...don’t you like little animals ah? I heard that in foreign lands, there’s a type of small dog that looks a bit like a lion. It’s gentle, cute, and obedient. We can get two for you, if you like. If you get bored, then you can play and tease your animals! For everything else, this prince is here and you don’t need to worry…”

Hou Xiaoliang was dumbstruck by the words coming out of his master’s mouth, ‘Master, ah, you are truly too skilled at sweet-talking your wife. This is truly an example of the disciple overtaking the master. Master, you’re better than your father at this!’

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao wasn’t the least bit grateful for any of this. Her eyes opened wide and she stated in a somewhat threatening manner, “You want me to just idle around for the rest of my life until I become a simpleton ah?? You also know that I’m not the type to just sit around, doing nothing. If you keep me at home all the time, that’s the same as taking my life away from me! That won’t do. You need to promise me that I can do whatever I want after I get married to you and you won’t interfere either. Otherwise...otherwise, I’ll rescind this marriage, hmph!”

“Break the wedding off? This prince has already hugged and kissed you. If you don’t marry me, who will marry you instead?” Zhu Junyang immediately exploded after he heard her threat. His entire face turned pitch black like the bottom of a pot and he stared furiously at the little lass, who had successfully angered him. His entire body seemed to ooze out an imposing aura. If it were anyone else in front of him, they would have long fallen to the ground in abject terror.

Xiaocao, on the other hand, forcefully pulled her hands out of his and placed them on her hips. She snarled in a shrewish manner, “Do you want to make me into a hapless canary and shut me in a cage for the rest of my life? I would rather be single for the rest of my life than marry a stupid oafish pig like you!” Her attitude in front of Zhu Junyang seemed like a little kitten whose tail had just gotten stepped on. She roared and raged in an uninhibited manner.

Hou Xiaoliang surreptitiously scooted over towards the door. Flames were raging inside and he didn’t want himself, just a little fish, to get in the line of the fire. His future mistress was truly too fierce. When facing off with his master’s icy cold face, she wasn’t the least bit intimidated. However...how come it seemed like the two people in front of him resembled a tiny kitten confronting a giant wolf? It actually looked a little bit funny for some reason.

“You...this prince traveled without stopping day and night in order to see you sooner. I didn’t do this to fight with you. Calm down a bit!” Although Zhu Junyang was quite angry inside, he couldn’t bear to say a harsh word to the little lass in front of him. What was he to do with her?

“Do you think I wanted to fight with you too? You’re the one being too tyrannical, trying to force me into a life I don't want to live! You also know that I’m the type of person who has my own ideas and I love having freedom and independence. I don’t like it when people try to control me. You should have known all of this before you proposed marriage to me. I thought that you liked me for who I am, my entire self, and that you didn’t want to change me! If things go the way you described, then why don’t you just marry any noble young miss in the capital? That’s the type of life that they long for!”

Yu Xiaocao thought of how much she had missed this stupid fellow in front of her for the past year. In fact, she even spent a lot of time and effort making a table full of delicious foods for him, yet all she got in return was his grim and icy looking face. Instantly, the feeling of being wronged rose in her heart.

Zhu Junyang felt his heart fall when he saw the tears form in the little lass’s eyes. He hastily said, “You misunderstood this prince. This prince doesn’t want to control you. I just feel bad seeing you work so hard for the court’s matters while also managing all of your businesses. I’m afraid that you’ll become too tired, so I wanted to give you a comfortable and relaxing environment. If you don’t like it, then this prince won’t force you to become an idle young matron in the inner courtyard. In the future, you can do whatever you like, as long as you keep yourself safe and don’t tire yourself out. Is that okay ah?”

“You were the one who didn’t say it clearly, which made me misunderstand you. It’s all your fault!! Furthermore, you glared at me in such a hateful manner while yelling at me. You need to apologize for that!!” Apparently it was because the man in front of her cared too much about her and wanted her to be well rested. Why couldn't he say it clearly earlier? Yu Xiaocao blinked away the tears in her eyes as she pouted her little mouth. It was clear that she was stubbornly holding onto her position.

Zhu Junyang hurriedly took out a handkerchief and helped the little lass wipe away the tears on his face. He sighed again and said, “Alright, alright, alright! It was all my fault! In the future, this prince won’t glare at you ever again, okay ah? However, in the future, please don't say anything about breaking off the wedding. It felt like someone was stabbing a knife into my heart when I heard those words. Right now I’m still hurting!”

There wasn’t one person who was stronger in relationship issues between men and women. The outwardly heroic Royal Prince Yang easily acquiesced and bent his head down in front of his little lass, as if it were no big deal. As long as his little lass wasn’t sad anymore and would smile again, it was worth it.

“I’ll help you rub it a bit so it won’t hurt anymore!” The person in front of her had apologized sincerely. In addition, she also had some fault in the manner, so Yu Xiaocao felt a bit embarrassed now. She stretched out a little hand and began to massage Zhu Junyang’s chest. It didn’t look like she was trying to relieve a hurt. Instead, it looked more like she was taking advantage of him.

A few times, that little hand rubbed him in such a way that made him feel sensitive. Zhu Junyang simultaneously enjoyed her ministrations while being tortured by them. Finally, he restrained her naughty little hand. If he continued to allow her to stoke his fire, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to endure any longer without ravaging the little lass. He needed to wait a little longer; there was less than half a year left for him! The little lass didn’t have any adult women around to remind her at the moment so he needed to make sure he respected her. He needed to wait for the most important step of their relationship and do it on their wedding night. It would be an unforgettable experience.

“Is it bad that you didn’t come back with the army?” Yu Xiaocao quietly leaned against Zhu Junyang’s chest as she listened to the sound of his beating heart. She felt incredibly calm and secure at this moment.

“It’s not a big deal. Only Inspector Su knows about me coming back early. Before I entered the capital, I made sure to disguise myself, so no one saw me. Tonight, this prince will secretly go back to where the army is. There’s no need to worry. This prince isn’t someone who does things rashly!” Zhu Junyang had made sure to make all of the proper arrangements in order to see his lass earlier. It had taken quite a bit of effort for him.

Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and then worriedly asked, “If Sir Su knows, doesn’t that mean that the emperor will know too? Will the emperor use this as an excuse to make trouble for you?”

“Don’t think too much ah! At the worst, the prince could get rid of all of the duties that I was given. I’ll just go back to what I was before, an idle and leisurely royal prince. However, at that time, this prince will have a much lower income stream, so Wife, you’ll have to make sure I don't go hungry!” Zhu Junyang had absolutely no interest in keeping and obtaining political power. The only reason why he worked so hard right now was to improve his status and become a better shield for his little lass. That way, he could prevent all harm from reaching her.

Furthermore, from his understanding of the emperor’s personality, the situation would never get to the point that the lass worried about it. The lass was only being wary of shadows because she was concerned about him.

Yu Xiaocao forcefully nodded her head and said, “Alright! I’ll raise you ah!! All you have to do is keep yourself forever young and beautiful, and I’ll be in charge of the money in the household. Hee hee...it suddenly feels like I’m raising a little kept man at home!”

“What sort of nonsense are you spouting now? This prince was only horsing around. I don’t think my circumstances are that bad, alright? Do you really think this prince is someone who would happily live off my wife?” Zhu Junyang had a helpless expression on his face as he gently pinched the lass’s cheek to ‘punish’ her.