The reborn prince's little palace maid in the apocalypse

"Loach." Xiao Ba was still thinking about what delicious food she wanted, but her mouth was faster than her brain. The word "loach" just slipped out.

Upon hearing this, Yan Sinian frowned slightly. Even though his expression didn't change, Xiao Ba, who was extremely sensitive to his feelings, could still sense that he didn't like this mudfish.

Xiao Ba chuckled to herself, planning to use the loach as leverage to negotiate with Yan Sinian, promising never to drink this awful soup again. Anyway, she'd never eaten a fish called loach before; it would be nice if he gave her some, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.

Xiao Ba had just opened her mouth, before she could even utter a word, when the bowl of tonic was shoved into her mouth.

"Okay, finish this and you'll see it tomorrow."

After swallowing the medicine, Xiao Ba's thin face puffed up with anger.

"I want to catch it myself." Xiao Ba snatched the bowl from Yan Sinian's hand and finished it in a few gulps. With that, she burrowed under the covers.

Yan Sinian smiled and tucked the blanket around her, only to receive the back of her head in return.

Letting her catch it herself is definitely not an option. The muddy and cold water is something Yan Sinian would never allow her to go down there.

As Yan Sinian stepped outside, he glanced at An Jiu standing at the door.

"Bring a basket of loaches tomorrow morning."

"what?"

"Go and catch it."

"Master, how are we supposed to catch them at night? It's dark, the mud is dark, and the loaches are dark too!"

"Really? Those two baskets."

"promise!"

"Also, keep one that looks nice, and roast the rest until they're dry."

"So...beautiful?" Those things are all slippery and dark, how can any of them be more beautiful?

An Jiu ran into the shadows, sobbing, wanting to complain to An Yi.

Mantou and Jiaozi pushed open the door and saw Yan Sinian standing outside. They both bowed.

"Your Highness, the master is already asleep."

Yan Sinian nodded and looked at Mantou, saying, "Go tell Yu Shize to make the nightly medicine into pills, make them smaller, and coat them with a layer of sugar."

After giving his instructions, Yan Sinian turned and went back into the house, leaving the steamed buns and dumplings outside staring at each other in bewilderment.

"Meatballs? Sugar coating? Should we skewer them?" Dumpling secretly asked Steamed Bun.

Like master, like servant; even making a pill can make her think of food. Mantou rolled her eyes at Jiaozi, though she thought the same thing, she wouldn't say it aloud.

……

The Crown Prince's entourage set off again, and this time there were noticeably more people in the Crown Prince's carriage than before.

Outside the gate, on the covered walkway, stood Jia Mu, Jin Bao, and Shui Wuqing. Although they didn't stand as straight as the armored guards, they each found the most suitable position, always ready to protect the safety of the imperial carriage.

Inside the office at the entrance sat Huo Bingchun and Bai Miao, who were practically buried inside the files.

Since the Crown Prince's tour, everything that has happened—the cases investigated, the secrets uncovered, the local customs and the lives of the people—must be compiled into a list. After all, what can be said, what cannot be said, and to what extent the said can be presented—these two individuals are responsible for overseeing this. This list will then be given to the officials of the accompanying Imperial Household Department to prepare the materials. Once bound into volumes, it will be presented to His Highness the Crown Prince for review. Upon returning to the capital, all of this will be presented to the Emperor, and not a single mistake can be tolerated.

The two busy people weren't bothered by the files in front of them, but by the laughter and delicious smells of food coming from the dormitory behind them.

Bai Miao was in a better mood, but Huo Bingchun was getting restless.

It was as if there were needles hidden in the cushion, constantly shifting back and forth. It also kept glancing at Yan Sinian, who was sitting to the side with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

Meanwhile, Liu Meier was preparing a beauty and skincare balm and rouge for Xiao Ba, while Mantou was altering Xiao Ba's clothes. Although His Highness the Crown Prince had already ordered people to make a new batch of clothes for his master, some of the more intimate items still needed to be prepared by those around him.

As for the dumplings, I'm organizing the recipes and instructions that have been sent up below. If I come across a good or interesting one, I'll read it aloud and share it with everyone.

As for Xiao Ba? Of course, he was only responsible for eating.

"How many goose recipes have you given now?" Liu Meier suddenly stopped what she was doing and looked at Jiaozi, who was reciting the recipe for 'stir-fried goose'.

"There seem to be seven or eight, right?" Mantou asked, her needle and thread still in her hands.

Hearing what the two women said, Dumpling searched through a pile of recipes and cookbooks.

"Really? How come there are so many recipes for cooking goose?" Including those that weren't mentioned, Dumpling found a total of sixteen recipes.

"Could it be that geese are produced locally, so there are more ways to cook them?" Mantou thought of a reason.

"But I've never heard of her." Liu Meier was known as the most beautiful courtesan, and the number of people she had met and the places she had been to far exceeded the number of steamed buns and dumplings.

Xiao Ba, standing to the side, also shook her head. She had eaten several different kinds of goose these days, but definitely not sixteen.

"I know, I know," came Huo Bingchun's voice from outside the curtain.

While he was idly sorting through the files, half of his mind was already on listening to their conversation in the inner room, while the other half was outside the car.

"Go about two hundred li further ahead, and there is a place called Shuyan Town. Geese are produced there."

"Does that mean we'll arrive tomorrow? I'll have to take a good look at these recipes and make goose for Master later." Dumpling pointed to the recipes in her hand and smiled at Xiao Ba.

Xiao Ba nodded in agreement.

It wasn't that Xiao Ba didn't speak, but rather that her mouth was constantly busy, and she simply didn't have time to talk.

"Shuyan Town is ahead, that's true, but it's not on our route. If we want to eat goose, we'll still have to send someone to buy some. However, every household in Shuyan Town raises geese, each with at least dozens or hundreds. I just don't know if your goose-cooking skills are as good as the locals'. You know, goose, if not cooked properly, is both fishy and tough, but if cooked well, it's fragrant and tender."

Huo Bingchun kept muttering to himself, which drew several glares from Bai Miao.

Even the honest, simple-minded Master Yun could tell what he was thinking.

Huo Bingchun is a restless person who wants to run around whenever he has the chance. It's only because His Highness the Crown Prince is here that he's been obediently helping Bai Miao with his work these past few days.

If they wanted to run away, they needed their master's permission. But with two masters, Huo Bingchun didn't dare approach Yan Sinian. He could only look for an opportunity with Xiao Ba. If Master Yun wanted to go out, they would naturally follow.

Huo Bingchun was still muttering to himself about how big, fat, and delicious the geese in Shuyan Town were. Every family had their own unique way of cooking goose, and once you tasted it, you'd never forget it.

Hearing those words, Mantou wished he could sew his mouth shut with the needle in his hand.

Physician Yu had long ago said that the master's health was fundamentally damaged, and for the next year, he should remain still and avoid movement. If he could sit, he shouldn't stand; if he could lie down, he shouldn't sit. Otherwise, why would His Highness the Crown Prince hold the master in his arms every day, unwilling to let him take a single step?

Liu Meier pressed down on the steamed bun that was about to stand up in anger, "You can't beat him."

Although they are all Heavenly Stems Guardians, Liu Meier knows the others better than Mantou and Jiaotou do.

Looking towards Master Yun, he had already shown an interested expression upon hearing about the big fat goose.

Liu Meier smiled and said, "Master, don't listen to his nonsense. If you want to eat goose, you don't need to go there yourself. Just have the servants buy it and cook it to your liking. It's better than those vendors who don't know how to season it."

"Hehe, even if we buy a thousand, how many will Master Yun actually get to eat? We have so many people here. It's better to send people over. They can eat as many as they want, and they'll all be freshly slaughtered." Huo Bingchun quickly chimed in.

"Noisy." Yan Sinian didn't even open his eyes, and his two cold words immediately shut Huo Bingchun up.

When Xiao Ba heard Yan Sinian's voice, she happily ran out and snuggled into his arms.

Two oily claws were happily added to the front of Yan Sinian's clothes.