Gluttonous Crown Princess

ne of them, “What have you all gathered here to look at?”

Head bowed, the palace attendant replied, “Your Highness, Crown Princess is cooking inside.”

Pei Yan was slightly stunned, and his thick eyebrows frowned slightly, “She’s… cooking?”

The palace attendant, “That’s right.”

Pei Yan’s lips flattened; he then walked into the kitchen.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he was struck by a burst of strong aroma that made him a little dazed.
His throat also became choked with an itch, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

Hearing the movement, the group in the kitchen hurried to greet the crown prince.
Tao Ti turned around with a spoon in her hand; at the sight of the dashing Pei Yan at the entrance of the kitchen, her face also filled with surprise.

When she came back to her senses, she hurriedly put down the spoon, wiped her hands on her apron and walked hastily to him.
“Your Highness, why have you come? The kitchen is full of grease and fumes, and the chillies can irritate the nose, you’d better leave quickly.”

Pei Yan studied her and said, “Why are you cooking?”

Tao Ti was about to say, “Because of my cravings”, but before she could speak, a brusque voice interjected, “I didn't expect Crown Princess to be so virtuous, and even knows how to cook? But what is this, it’s so pungent, can it be eaten?”

Tao Ti was taken aback.
She raised her eyes towards the tall man in black behind Pei Yan, and her pretty brows wrinkled, Who’s this? He’s so rude.

Pei Yan glanced evenly at Zhan Ping, and introduced him to Tao Ti, “This is the second son of Marquis Wu'an, the Eastern Palace’s Left Guard, Zhan Ping.”

So, he was the commander of the Eastern Palace’s Guard.

Tao Ti looked at Zhan Ping.
In her memories, there was no enmity between her and Zhan Ping… So, was his attitude towards her because of the suicide attempt? Sigh, she really didn’t know how long it would take for her to wash herself clean of this unspeakable history…

“So, it’s Imperial Guardsman Zhan.” Tao Ti gave him a nod, then added, “Whether or not it can be eaten, you’ll know after giving it a try.”

Zhan Ping curled his lips, “Who’d want to eat that.”

Tao Ti glanced at him and said indifferently, “I won’t let you anyway.”

Zhan Ping choked and looked away, Who cares!

Footnotes:

1 Hulatang: 胡辣汤; Also known as hot pepper soup or spicy soup, it’s a kind of Chinese traditional soup with origins in the Henan region, although today it is a popular breakfast item in northern China.
Hulatang is characterized by its thick, sticky texture and its spiciness, which is imparted by large amounts of black pepper and chilli powder.

2 Shuijian baos: 水煎包 shuijian bao; Literally translated as “Water Fried Baos”, they are baos that usually contain a meat filling that are first pan-fried to form a golden base, then a liquid dough is poured in and the lid is covered to steam till cooked.
The liquid dough forms a crispy base that connects all the baos together.
These baos are similar in terms of technique (pan-frying with liquid) to 生煎包 shengjian bao (pan-fried baos/ mantou in English), but are not the same in terms of type of dough, fillings, shape/size.