Chapter 8: If you're not your own wife, then you're not good-looking!

"Fourth Brother, you're too biased. Whenever there's something delicious, you call Eighth Brother and Thirteenth Brother, and you don't care about your other brothers?"

Ninth Prince came over following the scent. Who could eat those hard pastries when there's such a delicious aroma?

Tenth Prince also came in, and as he entered, he also pulled Ninth Prince along, then found a seat. He meant to hurry Ninth Prince, but his grip was too strong, causing Ninth Prince to stumble. This made Ninth Prince so angry that he didn't bother arguing with this silly Tenth Prince.

But Tenth Prince didn't notice and said, "That's right, Fourth Brother is not thoughtful at all."

Fourth Prince didn't want to deal with Ninth and Tenth, he felt frustrated seeing these shameless looks on their faces.

"You've misunderstood Fourth Brother. This is specially made by Fourth Sister-in-law for Fourth Brother. Eighth Brother and I are shamelessly joining in to eat with Fourth Brother," Eighth Prince explained. Ninth and Tenth Princes were closest to him, and Fourth Brother often guided their studies, so he didn't want Ninth and Tenth to misunderstand Fourth Brother.

Thirteenth Prince also tried to smooth things over, "That's right, Ninth and Tenth Princes probably came over following the scent. I'm not exaggerating, Fourth Sister-in-law's cooking is really exceptional."

Before Thirteenth Prince could finish speaking, Tenth Prince had already grabbed a piece of fried chicken and stuffed it into his mouth. By now, the chicken pieces had cooled down a bit and didn't have the same crispy texture as when they were freshly fried, but Tenth Prince still kept saying how delicious it was.

He also grabbed a piece for Ninth Prince, who looked at it with disdain and didn't eat it, using chopsticks to pick up his own. Tenth Prince didn't mind and just threw it into his own mouth.

Fifteen minutes later, Su Peisheng called a little eunuch to come and clear the table.

What happened to "three meals a day"?

There were only empty plates and half a bowl of pearl soup left on the table.

No! Not even half a bowl of pearl soup was left. Because Tenth Prince drank it all in a few sips, wiped his mouth contentedly, and even burped with satisfaction.

If Emperor Kangxi were here, he would definitely be fuming. Were these his carefully educated sons? They were really something!

Su Peisheng was also puzzled. How did they finish even the cucumber and tofu? Normally, the princes didn't seem to love eating that much, and those dishes were usually not made for everyone?

In fact, he didn't know that Chu Yu's cooking included ingredients like scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili without restrictions. Royal meals usually didn't include such flavorful ingredients, and the Imperial Kitchen deliberately avoided them, so the flavors naturally lacked a bit.

In addition, Chu Yu's dishes were made with fresh ingredients, which they weren't used to. They were still growing and hungry, so naturally, everything tasted delicious to them.

The meal was too clean, and the atmosphere felt a bit off.

Fourth Prince had a blank expression, but he didn't know what expression to show. He was hungry, angry, and shocked. He had never seen such clean plates before!

Eighth Prince felt a bit embarrassed.

Thirteenth Prince, having eaten his fill, leaned back in his chair, looking a bit dazed.

Ninth and Tenth Princes seemed a bit uneasy.

"Fourth Brother, ask Fourth Sister-in-law to send more food next time. This little bit isn't even enough to pick your teeth," Ninth Prince said as he picked his teeth.

Fourth Prince raised his phoenix eyes without saying a word. How big are your teeth?

"Yeah, I'm still not full!" Tenth Prince complained, glancing at Ninth Prince. Ninth Prince could eat so much, could his small frame hold that much food?

Ninth Prince didn't catch his complaint. He was thinking about how to get Fourth Sister-in-law to send food every day.

He had a really good impression of Fourth Sister-in-law. She had the courage to send meals to the study, she was definitely a remarkable woman!

Before, his own mother had sent duck soup once, but after being scolded by the Emperor, no one dared to send meals to the study again.

Although everyone said Fourth Sister-in-law wasn't good-looking, she wasn't his wife, so it didn't matter if she wasn't pretty. As long as her cooking was good.

He had to find a way to help Fourth Sister-in-law, or else if she was scolded by the Emperor, he wouldn't have a place to get a meal in the future.

Ninth Prince's eyes lit up as he thought of a way to help Fourth Sister-in-law!

He suddenly stood up, said nothing, and walked out.

"Ninth Brother, wait for me!" Tenth Prince hurried to catch up.

The two of them ran off like a gust of wind, leaving Fourth Prince with furrowed brows, Eighth Prince looking embarrassed, and Thirteenth Prince looking indifferent.

Ninth Prince went straight to Qianqing Palace to see Emperor Kangxi.

As soon as he saw Emperor Kangxi, he knelt down.

Emperor Kangxi was very fond of this son, and seeing him kneel directly made him a bit surprised.

Ninth Prince went on to say that he wanted a consort and asked Emperor Kangxi to grant him one immediately.

Emperor Kangxi was annoyed by his son's sudden urgency. What's the rush for a twelve-year-old like you?

You still have several older brothers, can't you do without a consort?

So Emperor Kangxi curiously asked his ninth son why he suddenly wanted a consort.

Ninth Prince explained that Fourth Brother often neglected his health while studying in the study, and developed a stomach ailment from neglecting meals. They were all very worried, but after Fourth Sister-in-law came and took care of him, his health improved. He said that seeing Fourth Sister-in-law taking care of Fourth Brother made him envious, so he wanted a consort sooner.

Emperor Kangxi was pleased to hear this.

First, his son was very filial, not letting him know even when he was sick.

Second, his sons were very affectionate towards each other.

Third, it was the consort he had chosen. Although she was a bit immature when she first came, he had thought Fourth Brother was at a disadvantage, but now it seemed to be a wise choice.

So, when Kangxi Emperor was in a good mood, he promised to bestow the title of primary consort to Ninth Prince in the next selection, and also rewarded Ninth Prince with many gifts. He also casually gave a pair of exquisite walnuts, which had just been presented as tribute, to Chu Yu.

That night, he specifically summoned Fourth Prince to Qianqing Palace.

As soon as Kangxi Emperor saw Fourth Prince enter, he said, "Fourth Brother, why didn't you mention your stomach ailment earlier? You should take good care of yourself. I will have the imperial physician examine you thoroughly later."

"I am fine, Father. I apologize for causing you worry." Fourth Prince was touched by his father's concern but also puzzled as to how the Emperor knew about his stomach ailment.

"If it weren't for your Ninth Brother, I would have been kept in the dark. It's good to be diligent, but you must also take care of your health."

"I understand, Father. You should also take care of yourself. I've noticed that you've lost some weight in the past few days." Fourth Prince expressed his concern.

Fourth Prince experienced Kangxi Emperor's long-lost care in Qianqing Palace, and he was deeply moved.

Before leaving, Kangxi Emperor reminded him, "If your stomach is not well, eat when you need to. Don't hold back. Your wife has also shown great concern this time, so don't keep her at arm's length." It was then that Fourth Prince finally understood what was going on.

So, it was Ninth Prince who wanted his consort to send food, leading to this situation?

It's amazing that he came up with this just for food!

But how did Ninth Prince know about his stomach ailment?

Was it because he gave him boiled water before, showing concern for his stomach?

He still had some conscience. At this moment, Fourth Prince felt a hint of comfort.

But this was truly a beautiful misunderstanding. Ninth Prince guessed that he had a stomach ailment because one time he was massaging his stomach, and Su Peisheng looked a bit worried. Ninth Prince's sharp wit caught on to that.

As for the boiled water, it was simply because he ran out of the usual tea leaves that day and only had some high-quality ones left. He didn't want to use them, so he just served boiled water. After all, the tea cups were often just for show, and not necessarily for drinking.

When Fourth Prince returned to Ehsan Palace, he furrowed his brows. He was still thinking about the taste of the food the consort sent. Maybe he would reluctantly... try it when she brought it tomorrow?

At that time, he hadn't eaten a single bite, not even the snacks, and now he was starving and his stomach was aching.

The physician who was called in prescribed some useless remedies, advising him not to eat cold food and to have regular meals.

During dinner, he inexplicably had no appetite for the spread of food on the table, and all he could think about was the spread sent at noon.

It must be said that when it comes to uneaten food, especially when others praise it, people tend to have an especially strong longing for it.