The final day would test culinary skills, set at Mussel Tower. The ten women selected on the second day could bring their own daily cooking utensils and proceed in a randomly drawn order. They would choose the ingredients they needed from those prepared at Mussel Tower to make two dishes, then use an ingredient specified by Qin Sishan to create another dish in their own style.
The knife skills test took only half a day, so when Zhenzhen and Fengxian returned to their quarters, it was still early. After lunch, Fengxian shut herself in to study medicinal cuisine books, while Zhenzhen left the small courtyard to stroll nearby, pondering the various ingredients she might encounter the next day and how to prepare them in a way that would stand out.
As she reached the courtyard of Suitable Treasure Tower, she suddenly heard a child calling her "Sister Zhenzhen" from behind. Turning around, she saw it was Tang Guo'er, the seven-year-old boy from the neighboring family.
Tang Guo'er ran up to her with a smile and said, "My mother told me Sister Zhenzhen will be competing with many other sisters in a cooking contest tomorrow. Have you decided what to make?"
"You know about that too? News travels fast." Zhenzhen patted his shoulder and replied casually, "I haven’t decided yet. Would you like to help me choose?"
Tang Guo'er raised a slingshot to show her. "I’ll shoot a few birds for you. Roasted birds are delicious."
Before Zhenzhen could answer, he dashed to a nearby locust tree and began firing pellets left and right at the birds perched in the branches.
One of the birds was hit and fell from the tree. Zhenzhen hurried over to check and saw it was a magpie, with a yellow beak, black feathers, a long tail, and white shoulders and belly—quite beautiful. It had been hit in the leg but was still struggling to stand, flapping its wings as if trying to fly back into the tree.
Zhenzhen looked up and noticed a nest made of twigs in the large locust tree, about two zhang (over six meters) above the ground.
Tang Guo'er eagerly approached, reaching out to grab the magpie. The magpie let out a mournful cry, limping away to avoid him, while repeatedly looking up at the nest, its calls growing increasingly sorrowful.
As Tang Guo'er tried to catch it again, Zhenzhen stopped him. She asked, "Did you want to give this magpie to me?" Tang Guo'er said yes, so Zhenzhen replied, "The ingredients I need for tomorrow’s test don’t require me to prepare them myself. Since you’ve given this bird to me, I’d like to return it to its nest. Is that alright?"
Tang Guo'er readily agreed. Zhenzhen took a silk scarf, tore a piece off, and bandaged the magpie’s wound. Then, tucking it into her robe, she estimated the height of the branches, chose the lowest one, leaped up, grabbed the branch with both hands, and began climbing toward the nest.
For convenience during her outing, she was wearing men’s clothing—a short jacket and trousers. Having climbed trees with classmates since childhood, this tree posed little difficulty for her. Soon, she reached the nest. Peering inside, she saw three magpie chicks. Hearing the noise Zhenzhen made, they chirped loudly, opening their beaks wide toward the sky, clearly hungry.
No wonder the injured magpie seemed so concerned about the nest. Zhenzhen felt a pang of sorrow and immediately took the magpie from her robe, carefully placing it back into the nest.
Zhenzhen lingered by the nest, quietly watching the reunited magpie family for a long time. Thinking of her mother, she felt another wave of sadness. Her mother’s fate remained unknown, and even if she entered the palace, she wasn’t sure she would succeed in finding her. At this thought, her eyes grew warm, and two tears rolled down her cheeks.While wiping her tears, a pellet suddenly flew from beneath the tree, striking the edge of her boot. Though it didn’t touch Zhenzhen’s skin, it startled her. She looked down, but through the dense branches, the scene below was unclear. She could only faintly see Tang Guo’er jumping and shouting, “Sister Zhenzhen, come down quickly!”
Zhenzhen concluded that the pellet had been fired by Tang Guo’er and silently cursed, “That little troublemaker.” She immediately grasped the tree with both hands, preparing to climb down along the trunk. However, after moving just two steps, another pellet flew toward her, striking just above her left hand. Startled, Zhenzhen withdrew her left hand, leaving her body supported only by her right hand as she swayed precariously on the tree. Without bothering to look down, she quickly used both hands and feet to find new footholds. Yet the pellets continued to fly like a string of beads, striking left and right, always landing near her body but never injuring her. Furious, Zhenzhen thought to herself that once she reached the ground, she would grab Tang Guo’er and give her a good spanking. She hastened her descent, but another pellet whistled through the air with a gust of wind. Panicked, Zhenzhen missed her footing, her hands failed to grip the branches firmly, and she leaned backward, falling flat from the tree.
Zhenzhen thought, “This is bad,” and closed her eyes in pain, preparing for broken bones. Fortunately, someone leaped forward mid-fall, extending both arms to catch her descending body before she hit the ground.
Zhenzhen felt a warm embrace, the clean clothes exuding a fragrance reminiscent of citrus. As her heartbeat gradually slowed, she opened her eyes and saw a handsome face that seemed familiar. Bright eyes sparkled with flecks of golden sunlight, and the right corner of his lips curled slightly, the faint smile carrying a hint of mischievous cleverness.
She quickly searched her chaotic memories and finally found a name: “Song Ai?”
He blinked with a smile. “Long time no see.”
Tang Guo’er ran over and took the slingshot from his right hand. He relaxed his fingers, letting her take it, but his arms around Zhenzhen showed no sign of loosening.
Zhenzhen scoffed coldly. “Was it you who shot the pellets at me?”
He replied with a grin. “I’ve been here for a while. Who told you to only look at the birds and not at me?”
Zhenzhen said sternly, “Let go of me.”
He had no intention of obeying. “It’s been a long time apart. This distance is perfect for catching up.”
Zhenzhen suddenly exerted force, driving her elbow into his chest. He winced in pain and loosened his grip, allowing Zhenzhen to break free and stride away, maintaining a distance of several steps between them.
Unhurried and unperturbed, he looked at Zhenzhen, appearing quite pleased. “I heard you’re applying to become a palace attendant in the Bureau of Palace Provisions?”
Zhenzhen snorted, unwilling to elaborate. He didn’t seem to be waiting for her confirmation either, nodding as he said, “Good. Since you can apply, it seems you haven’t shared a horse with anyone else this past year.”
Remembering the physical examination, Zhenzhen’s face flushed red. She took two more steps back and scolded, “Stay away from me. If your improper behavior ruins my reputation, I won’t let you off.”
“That’s fine,” he laughed. “Though the lady’s reputation may not be much, if I ruin it, I’ll take responsibility.”
Zhenzhen asked, “How will you take responsibility?”
He pretended to ponder for a moment, then tilted his head as if seeking permission. “Marry you?”
“Deal.” To his surprise, Zhenzhen answered swiftly and decisively, like a bolt from the blue. “Tomorrow, I’ll be waiting at my Pu Bo’s house. Bring a matchmaker, follow the betrothal rituals, inquire about names, and recount the names of your ancestors for three generations—not a single one missing. A proper, formal marriage. Whoever doesn’t come is Tang Guo’er’s grandson.”This demand clearly stumped the young man before her. His smile froze, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Zhenzhen sneered and shook her head, saying disdainfully, "My mother was right—you noble sons just enjoy amusing yourselves with girls like me, without a shred of sincerity. You won’t even reveal your background, let alone expect honesty. Your words are just like my earlier promises—nothing but a joke. I won’t take them seriously, and I ask you to respect yourself. If we meet again in the future, I hope you will treat me with courtesy."
Hearing this, he unexpectedly shed his previous playful demeanor, gazed at her earnestly, and said solemnly, "Very well. If you wish to know, I can truthfully tell you everything about me."
He straightened his attire, bowed deeply to her with great formality, and then said, "My surname is Zhao, given name Ai, a native of Lin’an, with ancestral roots in Bianjing and the clan’s ancestral home in Tianshui. I have two brothers, and I am the second among them. Due to the taboo of naming, I cannot directly state my father’s name..."
"Then what does your father do?" Zhenzhen asked.
Zhao Ai thought for a moment and said, "He serves the Emperor."
Zhenzhen widened her eyes slightly, looking him up and down. "So, you are a prince?"
Zhao Ai nodded. "My title is Prince of Ying, and people call me the Second Great King."
Zhenzhen nodded expressionlessly. "Second Great King, do you know why others call me Seventh Young Master?"
"Why?" Zhao Ai followed her lead.
Zhenzhen looked directly at him and teased, "Because I am the Seventh Fairy who descended to the mortal realm."
Zhao Ai rubbed his forehead, realizing she didn’t believe him at all. Unsure how to defend himself, he could only laugh in bewilderment.
Just then, a woman not far away suddenly called out, "Zhenzhen." The two turned toward the source of the voice and saw that it was Fengxian, who had arrived unnoticed.
Fengxian walked slowly to the two of them, first whispering to Zhenzhen, "Everything he said is true." Then she curtsied to Zhao Ai and greeted him, "May the Second Great King be blessed."
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