Chapter 18: Chuan Xiang

After Lady Wu returned, Chu Yu started preparing the evening meal.

In fact, Chu Yu was very surprised and a bit confused upon hearing about the Sixth Prince. Was this the Qing Dynasty she knew of? Didn't the Sixth Prince die young? In the Qing Dynasty she knew, the Sixth Prince was fine, just weaker in health. As for Lady Wufu, she shouldn’t have married into the family so early.

But now was not the time for Chu Yu to dwell on these thoughts. She had to adapt to the current situation. This Qing Dynasty seemed different from what she remembered.

It was her first time hosting the fourth prince's brothers, the Sixth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince, who were all full brothers of the fourth prince and all quite young. She had to be careful with this meal.

Chu Yu thought for a moment and had Wang Dali prepare a pot of rich soup with nourishing ingredients, without too much spice. She gathered the kitchen staff to skewer fresh ingredients and prepare some beef and lamb, along with homemade noodles for a barbecue feast in the evening.

For dipping sauces, she ground roasted sesame seeds and mixed them with oil, peanut crumbs, minced garlic, chopped chili, green onion, coriander, vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil. She also made beef and chicken paste, not too salty, so they could be eaten plain or mixed with rice. She even diluted the sesame paste with pear juice. When the Fourth Prince and his brothers returned, they could use the dipping sauces directly.

She also cooked a pot of rice with Chinese sausage, carrots, potatoes, peas, and a bit of salt in a clay pot to make a fragrant rice pot.

Of course, she didn't forget the Fourth Prince's stomach-nourishing soup, which was similar to rice noodles with pig stomach.

When Chu Yu was almost ready, Su Peisheng came to convey a message.

"Lady Wufu, the lord has arrived at the front yard with the Sixth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, and Fourteenth Prince. The lord said the meal can be served, and he invites you to join as well."

Having another Thirteenth Prince didn't change the amount of food Chu Yu had prepared.

Chu Yu asked Xing Er to keep an eye on things and then went back to change with Zao Er. She couldn't meet anyone in her current attire.

By the time she arrived, the tables were already set. Without giving her time to greet the Fourth Prince, the brothers stood up neatly and greeted Chu Yu, "Sister-in-law, may you be at peace."

They had been wanting to see Sister-in-law for a long time and were very curious about her. They all looked at Chu Yu frequently, who didn't restrain her beauty and appeared in casual attire.

Seeing how beautiful Chu Yu was, the brothers had different thoughts. The Sixth Prince frowned, wondering how the Lord allowed the Fourth Brother to have such a beauty as his consort. The Thirteenth Prince was relieved while the Fourteenth Prince blushed.

"Brothers, peace to you as well, please be seated," Chu Yu greeted the brothers and then made a formal greeting to the Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince furrowed his brows. Why was she speaking so casually to his brothers but being formal to him?

The brothers' differing expressions were hard to miss.

Sixth Prince: It seems the Fourth Brother doesn't like women as charming as her.

Thirteenth Prince: I'm worried for Sister-in-law.

Fourteenth Prince: Who is the Fourth Brother trying to impress with that attitude?

The Thirteenth Prince, who had tasted Chu Yu’s food previously, was mindful of his manners. He immediately reserved a seat for Chu Yu and smilingly said, "Sister-in-law, sit here."

The Fourteenth Prince nodded and appeared quite happy, sitting next to the beautiful Sister-in-law, as the Fourth Prince remained silent with furrowed brows.

In the Manchu family, there weren't so many formalities, and consorts could dine together with the lords.

Chu Yu had only intended to make a brief appearance but found herself hesitating and eventually taking a seat after the Thirteenth Prince offered her his place. To her left was the Fourth Prince, and to her right was the Fourteenth Prince. The Sixth Prince was seated next to the Fourth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince was next to the Sixth Prince.

Once everyone was seated, the meal began. It included not only the dishes Chu Yu had prepared but also those from the imperial kitchen, filling two tables.

After taking her seat, Chu Yu noticed the Fourteenth Prince's eyes light up. He was truly adorable, with fair and plump cheeks. She felt an urge to pinch them. When she noticed his curiosity about the skewers, she explained, "This is a barbecue. You can skewer whatever you want and cook it in the pot. Once it's done, you can dip it in the sauce." She then pinched the Fourteenth Prince's cheek and went to prepare the dipping sauce.

It felt quite nice!

The Fourteenth Prince was stunned. It had been a long time since his foster mother had pinched his cheek. He was already seven years old!

Not only him, but the others at the table were also taken aback. Was it acceptable to pinch a prince's cheek, even if she was his sister-in-law?

The Thirteenth Prince signaled to the Fourteenth Prince with a glance, reminding him not to get upset. The consensus was that the elder sister-in-law is like a mother.

The Sixth Prince looked a bit sympathetic but also furrowed his brows imperceptibly.

The Fourth Prince's furrowed eyebrows could squish a fly.

The Fourteenth Prince was torn between leaving and staying. He had persuaded the Fourth Prince for quite a while to bring him here, and even his foster mother had spoken up for him. However, if he left, it would damage his reputation. Being pinched by a woman, even if she was his sister-in-law, was embarrassing.

Without waiting for him to hesitate for long, Chu Yu quickly prepared the first bowl of dipping sauce and placed it in front of Little Fourteen, saying, "Little Fourteen, this is for you. You're still young, so let's skip the spicy for now. But this is also very delicious. You can try it later." Chu Yu smiled, her eyes shining, wondering what to do next.

Little Fourteen felt a bit uneasy seeing his sister-in-law like this.

But he was also a little uncomfortable. Why did she still treat him like a child? His face turned slightly red. Like Chu Yu, he was also particular about appearances. Seeing Chu Yu's beautiful face, he couldn't bring himself to be angry.

Chu Yu then prepared the second serving for Thirteenth Prince. Just like Little Fourteen's, it didn't have any chili. When she gave it to him and saw him smile cutely, she even patted his head, making Thirteenth Prince unable to smile anymore.

Sixth Prince saw Chu Yu preparing another serving and quickly grabbed a bowl to join her, saying, "Sister-in-law, please teach me." He was afraid of being patted on the head. His incredibly beautiful sister-in-law seemed quite close to his younger brothers, but he was much older than them. Seeing Fourth Brother's cold gaze, he felt like he could be killed just by standing there.

Was Sixth Prince overthinking? Thirteenth and Fourteenth were still young, and he was taller than Chu Yu. In ancient times, he could have been married already. Chu Yu was just fooling around by patting his head.

Fourth Prince thought to himself, "Is the Furen being foolish again? Why is she so inconsistent?"

Chu Yu nodded to Sixth Prince and simply prepared a mild serving for him, placing it in front of Fourth Prince. She didn't say much, not knowing what to say.

She then prepared a bright red bowl for herself, looking appetizing, and her mood improved.

Chu Yu also served Fourth Prince a bowl of his stomach-soothing soup, placing it next to him.

Fourth Prince had the soup for lunch, and now he didn't feel like drinking it for dinner, just sitting there expressionless.

In the eyes of the princes, it seemed like Fourth Prince didn't like Chu Yu anymore, as he didn't even speak during the meal.

Chu Yu didn't care much about what they thought. She had served the food, and whether he wanted to eat it or not was up to him. She needed to eat too.

She didn't need servants to wait on her, so she took a skewer for herself and shared some with her younger brothers. Little Fourteen couldn't stop eating after the first bite, so Chu Yu reminded him to eat slowly, as there would be more delicious food later.

After hearing this, Little Fourteen indeed slowed down his eating. He thought, "My beautiful sister-in-law is really nice. Besides my mother, no one has been like this."

Before long, everyone was almost full, and the little eunuch brought in the clay pot rice, still hot. When the lid was lifted, the steaming aroma made everyone's mouths water.

Chu Yu was satisfied and patted her belly. Everyone had eaten a lot, including Fourth Prince.

Thirteenth Prince wanted to eat more, feeling that it was really worth following her today. But his chopsticks were stopped by Chu Yu, along with Little Fourteen's. She said they were still young and couldn't eat too much, as it would be bad for their stomachs, using Fourth Prince as a negative example.

Thirteenth and Fourteenth Prince, who were both fascinated by this incredibly beautiful and knowledgeable sister-in-law, obediently nodded. Even Sixth Prince, who was holding his chopsticks, put them down awkwardly.

Is there really a rule to eat less with this sister-in-law?

After Chu Yu left, Fourth Prince's furrowed brows relaxed. The princes couldn't help but wonder if he really didn't like his Furen.

After the meal, Chu Yu returned to the backyard.

The study was quiet with only Fourth Prince and a few others left. It wasn't apparent when Chu Yu was there, but now that she was gone, it felt different.

After seeing off the others, it was half an hour later. Fourth Prince was still thinking about what Sixth Prince had said to him.

Fourth Brother, although Sister-in-law is incredibly beautiful, she is the legitimate Furen bestowed by the Emperor. Since she treats people sincerely, Fourth Brother should at least give her some respect.

Fourth Prince felt frustrated. Hadn't he given her respect? She had even eaten with his younger brothers. Was Sixth Prince also influenced by Tenth Prince recently, making his mind not work properly?