However, Yin Qi remained oblivious, his breathing growing increasingly shallow and rapid, his body trembling involuntarily as if caught in a chill.
Zhenzhen called out to him again. He turned to look at her, but his gaze was vacant, once more appearing lost and desolate. After a few heavy breaths, he suddenly clutched his head in pain, his mouth opening as if about to let out a cry. Without a second thought, Zhenzhen rushed behind him, wrapping her arms around him—one hand encircling his neck, the other covering his mouth—to prevent him from making any loud noise.
Yin Qi struggled, but Zhenzhen used all her strength to restrain him within her embrace. He reached up and grasped her wrist, trying to break free. As they wrestled, her sleeve brushed against his face, and a familiar scent drifted into his nostrils—warm and sweet, reminiscent of the aroma of baked pastries lingering on clothing.
Yin Qi abruptly stopped all movement, falling silent for a moment. Then, gently, he took Zhenzhen’s hand and lowered his head toward her sleeve, seeking that familiar fragrance from his memories.
Zhenzhen was taken aback, sensing his sudden gentleness but unsure whether to release him. Two warm tears from Yin Qi had already fallen onto her sleeve. "Aunt..." he whispered softly, closing his eyes and sobbing like a child.
He had clearly mistaken Zhenzhen for Official Liu again in his dazed state. Realizing this, the tense atmosphere from moments earlier dissipated, and the word "Aunt" softened her heart. She slowly moved around to face him, using her sleeve to gently wipe away the tear stains on his face. When Yin Qi took her hand and called her "Aunt" once more, she smiled warmly at him. "Yes, I’m back, Jialan'er."
A flicker of confusion appeared amidst Yin Qi’s joy. "Where did you go, Aunt?"
"I went to make some pastries for you," Zhenzhen replied, placing the treats she had earlier asked him to guess with his eyes closed back in front of him. "Crisp seal pastry, peony cake, steamed stuffed bun, small steamer cake, noodles with shrimp and minced meat topping... Which one is your favorite?"
"My favorite, my favorite..." Yin Qi repeated, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the bowl of wonton that Zhenzhen hadn’t mentioned. He stared at it, his face pale, but couldn’t bring himself to say its name.
"Wonton," Zhenzhen said for him, pushing the bowl closer to him. "This is the chicken broth wonton I made today. Try it and see how it compares to the first time you had the wonton I made."
Yin Qi looked up at Zhenzhen, then back down at the wonton. After a moment of hesitation and with Zhenzhen’s gentle encouragement, he finally picked up a spoon and brought a wonton to his mouth.
Zhenzhen waited patiently as he savored it slowly. After he swallowed, she asked with a smile how it tasted.
Yin Qi now appeared much calmer and answered her question with ease. "It’s very much like the first time I had it. Back then, Aunt also made chicken broth wonton."
Zhenzhen remembered often eating her mother’s small chicken broth wontons as a child. She guessed that if Official Liu had made wontons for Yin Qi when he was young, she would likely have used chicken broth as well. Delighted to have guessed correctly, she beamed and pressed further, "Do you remember when you first had this kind of wonton?"
"It was at a banquet," Yin Qi replied, lowering his gaze as he drifted into childhood memories. "I had just recovered from an illness and had no appetite. The banquet was filled with food I didn’t like... I slipped away quietly and passed by the kitchen. I smelled a rich chicken broth aroma inside, so I went in and saw Aunt..."Zhenzhen suddenly understood: "So Aunt made you chicken broth wontons, soft and easy to swallow, and nourishing for the stomach and spleen."
Yin Qi remained immersed in the warm memories, revealing a childlike, pure smile: "Besides wontons, Aunt also gave me delicious pastries, sang songs to me... Aunt told me not to be afraid of taking bitter medicine, smiling as she said that whenever I drank the bitter medicine, I could come to her, and she would give me sweet treats... But what I loved most were the wontons Aunt made..."
At this point, his words faltered, a mist forming in his eyes. Suddenly frowning, he grabbed Zhenzhen's left wrist: "Why did they want to harm you? If I hadn't asked for that bowl of wontons, would you not have been taken away?"
Zhenzhen placed her right hand over his, looking directly into Yin Qi's dazed eyes, and shook her head: "What took Aunt away was an unavoidable misfortune, not the wontons you asked for."
"Misfortune?" Yin Qi murmured in repetition.
Zhenzhen continued to console him gently: "Can we prevent a storm from coming? Aunt's fate was like a storm—an unavoidable disaster. You did everything you could to build a fence for Aunt. Though it was destroyed by the wind and rain, it wasn't your fault. Aunt will always remember how earnestly you tried to protect her."
Yin Qi buried his head in his arms on the table and began to sob softly. Zhenzhen silently stayed by his side, waiting for him to calm down slightly before gently patting his back and speaking softly: "Let those unpleasant memories be blown away by yesterday's storm. There are still many wontons left in this bowl, each one filled with Aunt's affection. Come, finish them, and keep the love Aunt gave to Jialan'er in your heart."
With that, Zhenzhen picked up a spoon and brought another wonton to Yin Qi's lips. Yin Qi silently gazed at her for a long moment before finally opening his mouth, accepting all the food she offered him one by one.
After finishing the wontons, Yin Qi soon rested peacefully. The next day, when he woke up and saw Zhenzhen again, he recognized her immediately and did not call her "Aunt," appearing clear-minded. Unsure whether the shadow of the wontons had truly dissipated, Zhenzhen later quietly prepared another bowl and presented it to him. Yin Qi tasted it calmly without any signs of distress. Relieved, Zhenzhen privately rejoiced that things had unfolded as she hoped, and this psychological burden of his should now be resolved.
However, new troubles soon followed. Lady of Chen once again brought up the matter of taking a concubine, likely because she had seen how harmoniously Zhenzhen and Yin Qi had been getting along these past few days, reigniting her hopes. Zhenzhen still refused, and Lady of Chen, unable to save face, could not help but scold Zhenzhen for not knowing what was good for her. Zhenzhen remained indifferent and silent, while Yin Qi tried to mediate between them. Lady of Chen left in a huff, and Zhenzhen, thinking of the current unsolvable predicament, could not help but feel deeply troubled. Yin Qi noticed her distress and remained silent for a long time, likely feeling quite uneasy himself.
The Crown Prince's birthday banquet arrived in the blink of an eye, and as Fengxian had predicted, Yin Qi decided to bring Zhenzhen along.
On this day, the guests at the Eastern Palace banquet were mostly members of the imperial clan and relatives. Earlier, the Emperor had made an appearance, raised a glass of wine, and then hurriedly left, saying he had urgent state affairs to discuss with his ministers. With the Emperor absent, the remaining guests seemed much more relaxed. Conversations among the royal brothers and various cousins increased, and laughter flowed freely amidst the clinking of glasses.The second prince Zhao Ai and the third prince Zhao Hao were seated in order on one side below the Crown Prince's seat, while Yin Qi and his brother sat opposite them. Zhenzhen stood in attendance behind Yin Qi. Raising her eyes to survey the scene, she noticed Fengxian was also present, standing behind Zhao Ai, and at that moment Fengxian was looking at her as well. Their gazes met, and Fengxian gave a slight smile, nodding subtly to Zhenzhen as if to indicate that everything had been arranged.
The banquet at the Eastern Palace, much like an imperial feast, proceeded with Nine Cups of Wine, each round accompanied by several exquisite dishes, interspersed with musical performances, dances, and various entertainments. The songs and dances accompanying the first four cups of wine were all accompanied by sheng, xiao, and flutes. First, singers performed in a central melody, followed by male and female dancers and a troupe of young girls entering separately to perform before the guests' seats. When it came to the Fifth Cup of Wine, the music suddenly changed, with gongs and drums resounding powerfully. This time, two teams of male performers in military attire took the stage, brandishing unsharpened swords and performing a sword dance in rhythm with the music.
Simultaneously, the dishes accompanying the Fifth Cup of Wine were presented one by one: qunxianzhi, tianhua cakes, lotus meat cakes, taiping biluo... and one that resembled a soup, served in a small covered silver bowl, its contents still unknown.
Each dish was first delivered by the palace attendants of the Eastern Palace. Zhenzhen would receive them and then present them on Yin Qi's table. When the attendant delivering the small silver bowl approached Zhenzhen, she softly called her name. Turning at the sound, Zhenzhen realized it was none other than Yun Yinge.
Yinge handed the small silver bowl to Zhenzhen, smiling at her and whispering a reminder, "Be careful... don't burn your hands."
Zhenzhen had a vague idea of what it might be. After taking the silver bowl, she glanced at Fengxian and indeed saw her observing her as well, before shifting her gaze to the silver bowl.
Zhenzhen's heart suddenly raced. As she placed the small silver bowl on the table before Yin Qi, her hand trembled involuntarily, causing the silver vessel to emit a faint but distinct clinking sound against the table.
Yin Qi turned to look at her, then shifted his gaze to the small silver bowl. Before Zhenzhen could react, he lifted the lid of the silver bowl himself.
The fluidity in his eyes instantly froze.
The Crown Prince noticed Yin Qi's action and explained with a smile the origin of this delicacy: "This type of wonton was created by the newly arrived palace attendant, Lady Yun. It is filled with minced chicken, supplemented with pine nuts and hazelnuts, carefully seasoned, and has an exceptional texture. I quite like it, so I allowed it to be included in today's banquet to share with all of you."
Upon hearing the word "wonton," Yin Qi's younger brother Yin Ti immediately turned pale, frowning with concern as he looked at his brother seated not far away. However, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he could not immediately intervene to prevent his brother from touching the wonton.
Yin Qi remained silent, merely lowering his eyes to gaze calmly at the delicate and exquisite wonton on the table. His demeanor seemed peaceful, unlike his usual agitated state when provoked.
Zhenzhen felt slightly reassured and silently comforted herself: His previous psychological aversion to this dish had been resolved, so it should be fine...
Unexpectedly, in the next moment, Yin Qi slammed the table and stood up. Amid the still-resounding drums and music, he leaped into the dance area, forcibly seizing a sword from an unprepared male performer. Then, turning around and brandishing the sword, he advanced several steps, his eyes slightly reddened, and thrust the sword toward Zhenzhen, who was now stunned and speechless.
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