Chapter 13 Crossing the bridge noodles

The Fourth Prince's thoughts were indeed interrupted by the aroma of the crossing-the-bridge rice noodles.

She glanced at Su Peisheng, then at the noodles on the table. She suddenly realized that he was also hungry, and his stomach was starting to ache.

"Master, this was sent by the Furen. There was supposed to be another food box, but on the way here, it was intercepted by the Tenth Prince, who took one and asked me to thank you on his behalf," Su Peisheng said, serving the Fourth Prince a bowl of soup.

That Tenth Prince, he never seems to make any progress.

The Fourth Prince took a sip of the soup and accidentally burned his mouth. He quickly sucked in a breath. Seeing the Fourth Prince scalded, Su Peisheng was startled and immediately sent a eunuch to fetch cold water.

"What kind of soup is this?"

The Fourth Prince waved his hand at Su Peisheng, indicating for him to stand up, and then curiously scooped up a spoonful of soup. It was just freshly cooked in the kitchen and delivered, but it wasn't this hot.

The soup emitted a rich and fragrant aroma, but there was no steam. When scooped with a spoon, it immediately steamed, but after scooping, the steam disappeared. The Fourth Prince became interested and leaned in to take a closer look. He discovered that a layer of oil on top of the soup trapped the steam, which cleverly preserved the heat. The Furen had put a lot of thought into this meal.

"Master, the Furen said this is called crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, made by a scholar's wife," Su Peisheng hesitated, then told the Fourth Prince.

"Hmm?" The Fourth Prince became interested.

"It is said that the scholar's study is across the bridge, a bit far away, and when his wife brought food there, it had cooled. So she specially made this food so that the scholar could have a hot meal. Because this food crossed the bridge, it's called crossing-the-bridge rice noodles."

After finishing his explanation, Su Peisheng glanced at the Fourth Prince and saw a calm expression on his face. Did he read too much into it?

In fact, he missed the hint of turmoil in the Fourth Prince's eyes.

At this moment, the Fourth Prince was a bit displeased with the Tenth Prince. This was meant for her husband, so why did he have to snatch it? He would have to take care of him during tomorrow's archery class.

The Fourth Prince didn't say anything and ended up eating most of the rice noodles brought by Chu Yu. If he hadn't been so full, he would have wanted to eat more.

Su Peisheng was hesitating whether to advise the Fourth Prince not to eat too much, but fortunately, he didn't have to ponder for long. The Fourth Prince put down his chopsticks, and Su Peisheng's heart also relaxed.

An hour later.

Su Peisheng also had some snacks and was dozing off on the side.

The Fourth Prince, holding a book, suddenly said, "Tell the Furen that I will go to the main courtyard tonight."

The Furen had put in so much effort just to have him visit her courtyard, and he didn't mind giving her some face because of her thoughtfulness.

Su Peisheng suddenly woke up, somewhat surprised, looking at the Fourth Prince, wondering if he had misheard.

The Fourth Prince's phoenix eyes still showed a hint of embarrassment. He felt awkward saying such words, and being stared at by Su Peisheng made him even more annoyed.

"Why are you still here?" The Fourth Prince's voice turned cold.

"Yes, this servant will go now..." Su Peisheng quickly ran out to deliver the message. If he ran too slowly, he would definitely get kicked.

Leaving the Fourth Prince alone in the room, his eyes flickered.

When Su Peisheng returned to the East Palace, Chu Yu was not there. The gatekeeper said the Furen had gone to the dog-raising place.

The dog-raising place?

Su Peisheng was puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he went to the backyard to inform the Furen's personal maids or Jiang Fuhai's grandson.

Arriving at the main courtyard, he found that the people serving the Furen had all gone with her. The Furen was really generous. Wasn't there anyone trustworthy left in the East Palace?

Su Peisheng hesitated and decided to wait at the gate for a while. The dog-raising place wasn't far, so he should be able to return quickly. He didn't want to miss the Furen if they took different paths.

While Su Peisheng waited at the gate, Chu Yu had already entered the dog-raising place.

Chu Yu learned about the dog-raising place from Zao'er. She didn't expect to find such a place in the deep palace. After learning that she could go, she left.

Arriving at the dog-raising place, she found that there were also places for raising livestock and falcons. The livestock place received the best treatment, while the other two places were not given much attention by Emperor Kangxi, but they still had dedicated attendants.

The eunuch in charge of the dog-raising place was surprised to see Chu Yu. They had never seen a proper mistress before.

Chu Yu pointed to the head eunuch and asked him to show her around.

Chu Yu took a look around and found that the dogs were well taken care of. They were mostly tribute dogs and looked adorable. She noticed a cat in the corner and found it strange. She approached and saw that it was a young orange cat.

The eunuch in charge of the dog-raising place, Xiao Linzi, was quick-witted. He explained, "Fourth Furen, this cat was not a tribute. It was picked up by a servant. Since it's just another mouth to feed, we decided to keep it here."

Chu Yu thought Xiao Linzi was also kind-hearted. The little orange cat, seeing Chu Yu approach, looked wary and ended up scratching her accidentally. This frightened the people around her.

Xiao Linzi hurried to take the cat away for handling. Oh no! They couldn't keep a cat that had harmed the mistress.

Seeing Xiao Linzi holding the cat, Chu Yu waved at him and, as he approached, she patted the cat on the head and said, "Little one, we're even now. Can I take this cat back?" She directed the last question to Xiao Linzi.

Xiao Linzi naturally had no reason to object. This place for raising dogs was originally meant to entertain the master of the palace, and it was never suitable to keep this young cat here. It was hard to bear to dispose of it, so it was best for Sifujin to take it back. Judging from Sifujin's expression, this little cat was truly fortunate.

When Chu Yu brought the little orange cat back, she encountered a young eunuch carrying a cage and muttering to himself, "Finally caught it. This time, I need to get a sturdier cage."

Chu Yu followed the sound and saw a grayish puppy inside the cage. The puppy also looked at her, and a sudden sense of familiarity overwhelmed her, causing her to tremble.

Victory, is that you?

The young eunuch saw Chu Yu and immediately knelt down. Chu Yu waved her hand and took a closer look, but the familiar feeling had vanished. Chu Yu mocked herself inwardly, wondering if she was hallucinating. Nevertheless, she still brought the puppy back with her.

Chu Yu asked Xiao Linzi to accompany her to Dong San Suo and inquire about his usual care routine for the animals. In less than fifteen minutes, Chu Yu returned.

Before entering the house, Chu Yu heard laughter. Su Peisheng, who was at the door, perked up upon hearing the sound. He looked like he was freezing.

Sifujin was accompanied by six or seven people, and behind them, Jiang Fuhai and a young eunuch each carried a cage containing an animal, a cat and a dog.

"Good fortune to Sifujin, I pay my respects," Su Peisheng hurriedly greeted.

Is this guy not very bright? Did he think he could scare her by suddenly jumping out from behind the door?

Waiting for her at the door in the middle of winter? That's quite sincere. His bright red nose is really eye-catching.

Not only Chu Yu, but also the people around her were startled and looked at Su Peisheng with some hostility.

At this moment, Su Peisheng also felt that he had spoken too loudly and felt embarrassed. He wanted to pat his head, but then realized he was wearing a hat, so he quickly said, "Sifujin, the master has asked me to pass on a message to you, saying that he will come to stay with you tonight."

"Oh, did he say what he wants for dinner tonight?" Chu Yu asked in surprise. The servants behind her eyes lit up. The master is coming to stay over?

"Our Fourth Prince didn't mention it. I believe the food at Sifujin's place will not disappoint." Su Peisheng flattered Chu Yu with a smile.

"Alright, I understand. Don't rush, have a hot tea with everyone before you go back. It's cold outside right now," Chu Yu said, noticing his bright red nose and reminding him.

Su Peisheng quickly agreed, feeling somewhat touched. In fact, he was a bit sensitive because the Fourth Prince was too reserved, and he had never received any care despite following him for so many years.