e water with a bowl, offering it to Old Lady Li.Li Laotai coaxed Jia Yin to drink two mouthfuls. The woman kept staring at Jia Yin, her eyes full of love.Seeing that the woman liked the child, Jiayin...Princess Three was in a good mood this morning after teasing the other noble ladies, and now seeing Shui Ling arrive with food made her even happier.

"Shui Ling, what delicious treats did you bring"

Shui Ling quickly curtsied and replied, "Princess, please wait a moment. Today is the day our County Master is debuting a new dish. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Let me just borrow the kitchen for a quarter of an hour."

Having said that, she followed the young maidservant to the kitchen. Caiyun also ran over to help.

In a short while, the rice congee was cooked and all the side dishes were prepared, so they were served to the Third Princess's table.

Shui Ling rolled up her sleeves. Now in the blue and white porcelain bowl, she had picked half a bowl of white rice noodles, then placed a handful of emerald green cucumber shreds on top, two slices of bright red tomato, two halves of cooked eggs, a spoonful of spicy pickled cabbage, and a sprinkle of cilantro in the middle.

Such a rich and vibrant color, it's almost making my mouth water just looking at it.

Cai Yun stepped forward and offered help, "Do you need some help mixing it"

"No, no, wait a moment." Shui Ling quickly stopped her and then opened another wooden box.

The bottom of the box was covered with crushed ice, holding down a white porcelain jar whose outer wall had beaded with icy droplets.

Waterling scooped some water into a porcelain bowl, following the rim of the blue-and-white bowl, and poured half a bowl of soup.

Light brown, with some melting ice pieces, and a faint white mist rising, making everyone instinctively take a deep breath of cold air.

Shui Ling nimbly pinched a little bit of cooked sesame seeds and sprinkled them on top. Then she pushed the blue-and-white bowl in front of the Third Princess, smiling like she was presenting a treasure.

"Princess, please try this. Our county princess specially crafted this cold noodle dish. It's sour, sweet, and delicious!"

The Third Princess's eyes were shining, she had just picked up a pair of chopsticks when the doorway suddenly became lively.

Everyone was interrupted and felt a little unhappy, so they turned their heads to see who it was.

It turned out to be the Crown Prince who led Eunuch Feng in. He glanced at everyone and smiled, "Sister Three, have you just finished your meal"

The Third Princess quickly got up and gestured for him to sit down at the table, saying, "Why are you here, Brother Crown Prince Shouldn't you be dining with Father"

The crown prince smiled and gestured for Feng Gonggong to present a beautifully carved box. Upon opening it, a set of ruby jewelry lay inside.

"Today is the day for choosing a bride, thank you for your hard work, sister. This set of jewelry was made by me before, and I thought you would like it, so I brought it as a gift."

The third princess coughed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed.

For half a day, she didn't put any effort into choosing a concubine. Instead, she played around with the prospective daughter-in-law...

She put the box aside, and was about to explain a few more things, when she saw the prince looking at the cold noodles on the table, as if he were very curious.

She then said, "Brother Crown Prince, would you like to try some of this cold noodles It was specially concocted by Jiayin as a summer treat. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know how it tastes."

"Alright," the Crown Prince readily agreed with a smile, "Your Grace is exceptionally talented at doing good deeds. Just look at the success of Xianke Lai and Huo Guo Lou."

"After I entered the palace, I had no chance to taste it. Today, thanks to my sister, I can satisfy my cravings again."

The Third Princess was delighted and excitedly urged Shui Ling to make another bowl.

Jia Yin has always been generous and tends to give a lot of extra when gifting.

In the past, at Zhi Lan Palace, when they baked snacks or tried new dishes, they would prepare extra to let the young eunuchs and maids also have a taste of something fresh.

This time I sent cold noodles. Although it's not enough to feed everyone in the palace, it's still enough for three or four people.

At least the three princesses had finished their share, and then Caiyun and a few other maids-in-waiting could try some.

It's not that I don't want to, but rather that the prince is getting a good deal.

The siblings had no qualms, each holding a blue-and-white porcelain bowl and taking a sip of the soup first.

Cool and sweet, with a hint of sesame aroma, it slowly slides down from the mouth, tongue tip to throat.

At this moment, the summer heat, irritability, and the pressure in my heart, seemed to have vanished all at once.

The siblings instinctively looked at each other, their eyes filled with amazement.

Pick up another mouthful of rice vermicelli and send it into your mouth, so smooth and chewy!

"Jia Yin is amazing, this cold noodle is perfect for summer!" Princess Three exclaimed while eating and praising.

The crown prince also nodded, without saying a word.

Su Ling was extremely proud and couldn't help but show off, "Our county princess said that without any special noodles, only rice flour can be used, and it's not very chewy. Otherwise, it would taste even better!"

The third princess ate half a bowl in one gulp and called to Shui Ling to add more soup, instructing, "When you return, tell the County Princess that I want to eat this again tomorrow!"

Having said that, she saw the Crown Prince looking over, instantly understanding. After a moment's hesitation, she added, "Also, Your Highness, I would like some too."

The Crown Prince smiled and immediately replied, "I heard that the County Princess enjoys collecting writing brushes, ink, paper, and inksticks. I just happened to obtain a rather good set yesterday. I'll bring it back later as a gift from me."

Feng Gonggong, upon hearing this, immediately turned his head and ran back to Xilong Pavilion to retrieve something.

So when Shui Ling left the palace, all the bowls and plates were empty, but there was an extra set of writing utensils and a carved box.

Yes, the jewelry that the Crown Prince sent to the Third Princess was also borrowed by the Third Princess to offer as a gift of thanks.

Shui Ling got into the carriage and secretly peeked inside the box at the red jewelery and then at the four treasures of the study. She felt a little strange about it.

Although she is keeping her grief private, the Third Princess is observing filial piety. How could the Crown Prince give her a ruby ornament

Luckily, the Third Princess passed it on to her own manor lord. Otherwise, it would have been disrespectful...

Inside the intricately carved box, rubies and gold ornaments—the fans, hairpins, and bracelets—lay together in silence. They couldn't help but grumble among themselves.

Could it be that we weren't originally meant for the third princess...

In Liu Jia's study, Liu Zhiheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and fanned himself vigorously with a paper fan.

He gritted his teeth, complaining to his father in a low voice.

"Father, I just feel something isn't right! These days are simply unbearable. When will the Marquis be able to drive the barbarians out of the border completely and return to the capital I'm afraid that if we delay any longer, by the time things in Xindu are settled, that person..."

Grandfather Liu glared at his son and slowly waved the ink-painted landscape fan in his hand.

"Planning is up to humans, but the outcome is in heaven's hands. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. No one can predict the results."

If the situation truly is unfavorable to us, then we can only face it head-on. Complaining will be useless.

Liu Zhiheng also knew this truth, but he just couldn't let it go.

At this time, the steward brought in a young boy and smiled, "Grandfather, Master, the County Princess of Suijintang has sent someone to deliver a food box."

Li's little servant also stepped forward to pay respects and smiled, "Master Liu is well, Master Liu is well, our county princess said that the weather is too hot today, so she specially made some cold noodles to relieve the heat and ordered her servants to bring some over."

Liu Zhiheng was delighted and immediately jumped up to personally take the food box. Upon opening it, he exclaimed, "It looks like there's quite a bit here. Go get Madam over to eat with us."

Immediately, a boy ran to the backyard.

The servant in Li's family had also eaten at home and even learned how to add side dishes.

So, when Mrs. Liu came from the backyard, three bowls of cold noodles were already ready.

When Old Master Liu picked up his chopsticks, Liu Zhiheng promptly held up a large bowl and happily gave a thumbs-up.

Mrs. Liu glared at him with displeasure, but her chopsticks didn't stop moving!

Old Mr. Liu ate a few bites and felt very comfortable. He couldn't help but criticize his son.

"You're like an ant on a hot pan all day long. Look at the County Princess, so calm and composed. You, my dear, are not even one ten-thousandth as good."

Here are two updates today ~~dies chimed in as well. One, who was likely Old Madam Gu’s niece, said, “My aunt was the most talented young woman in Kyoto back in her day. She was renowned for both her poetry and painting.”Someone...