The reborn prince's little palace maid in the apocalypse

Goose sauce: Finely chop cooked head, tail, wings, feet, tendons, and skin, and mix with soy sauce, pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, and cardamom. (Sauce: a fermented boneless meat sauce.)

……

The verdant mountains are reflected in the clear river water, creating a beautiful and tranquil scene.

The riverside meadow is like a verdant painting, scattered with wildflowers like stars. A gentle breeze blows, and the grass and flowers whisper secrets, as if telling endless stories.

In the distance, leisurely white clouds embrace the blue sky, creating an incomparably pure atmosphere.

Such a beautiful view is a rare treat, so the Crown Prince's entourage decided to rest here for half a day before setting off again early the next morning.

Huo Bingchun lay half-reclined on the grass by the river, waving a large, golden-brown roasted goose leg in his hand. With each movement, grease splattered from the goose leg, earning him one eye-roll after another from Liu Meier.

"I told you, even if we send someone to buy geese, we might only get a few. We'll only get this one goose leg. It's so plump and fragrant, I almost don't want to eat it!"

With a swift movement, Xiao Ba squatted down next to Huo Bingchun. "I'm willing to eat it for you."

Huo Bingchun almost dropped the goose leg from his hand. He knew that Master Yun was skilled in martial arts, but he didn't expect him to be this skilled, so fast that he didn't even have time to react.

"Master Yun, look, Dumpling is back. What she has in her hand must be delicious. Hurry up, hurry up." Huo Bingchun rolled over, hid the goose leg behind his back, and pointed with his other hand at Dumpling who was walking over, or more precisely, at the jar in Dumpling's arms.

Dumpling just took the recipes for cooking goose to the chefs, and it seems they've succeeded.

Xiao Ba also looked at the dumplings.

"My lord, this is goose sauce. It can't be eaten now; it needs to sit for a while. But the rest is being prepared by the cook and will be ready soon. Ten big, fat geese—I guarantee you'll be very happy."

While coaxing Xiao Ba, Dumpling was looking for Lin Fengchun, intending to put the goose sauce she was carrying on his cart. Now, Lin Fengchun's little cart had become a special place for storing ingredients for Xiao Ba.

"Ten geese? Even if we tried every recipe on the menu, it wouldn't be enough. It's pitiful! We can't even get a whole goose to eat!" Huo Bingchun said, singing as he spoke.

Just then, Lin Fengchun walked over and, seeing Huo Bingchun's state, quickly handed over the goose meat he had been given.

"Brother Xiaochun, if you don't have enough, eat mine first."

Huo Bingchun looked at the unfolded oil paper in front of him, inside which was a goose wing and a few pieces of goose meat. "How can I accept this! We only got this little bit of meat. Why don't you keep a couple of pieces to try?"

Although his words were polite, his hands moved swiftly and decisively as he received the goose meat.

"He's old enough to be someone's grandfather, yet he still lies and calls them 'brother.' Aren't you ashamed?" Dumpling scoffed at Huo Bingchun's behavior.

To Huo Bingchun, these words could be considered a compliment.

But Lin Fengchun, standing to the side, lowered his head in embarrassment.

Previously, because of Huo Bingchun's baby face and eloquent tongue, he had always thought that Huo Bingchun was not much older than him. But after he learned the truth, he was completely under Huo Bingchun's thumb and was not allowed to change his mind.

Normally, it would be one thing to call him that, but now that Dumpling was teasing him, Lin Fengchun was so embarrassed that his face turned red and he turned and ran away.

Xiao Ba looked at the oil paper and goose meat on it in Huo Bingchun's hand, then at his face, her eyes full of envy.

I was squatting next to him, yet someone brought him meat to eat. Was it because I wasn't as good-looking as him?

Xiao Ba can't see his own face now, but he can see Yan Sinian standing in the distance. In comparison, Huo Bingchun can only be considered an ordinary human being.

Imagine if Yan Sinian and Huo Bingchun were squatting together, who would you give the good food to if you had it?

...Yes, I'll keep it for myself.

However, they could snatch the food from Huo Bingchun's hands and give it to Yan Sinian.

The cat crept forward, stealthily extending its paw. The goose leg in Huo Bingchun's hands had indeed changed hands.

Watching Master Yun carrying a goose leg towards His Highness the Crown Prince, Huo Bingchun clenched his empty hand. A playful smile appeared on his lips.

On the other side, Wei Rong had just finished reporting his recent itinerary and matters to Yan Sinian. He was explaining to him why he hadn't been able to purchase any geese.

Normally, such matters wouldn't reach Wei Rong, who was in charge. Even if His Highness the Crown Prince ordered the procurement of something, it would be handled by the relevant steward.

But the thought of the kitchen manager, crying and screaming, kneeling before him and refusing to get up, made Wei Rong silently wipe away imaginary cold sweat.

Time goes back to an hour ago.

The kitchen manager in the honor guard sat on the ground, tugging at the corner of Wei Rong's robe.

“Your Highness, you ordered those dishes with your own words, but this old servant can’t even buy a few geese. I have no face to see Your Highness! My lord, you must tell His Highness… No… this old servant has not done his best…”

Wei Rong was annoyed by the old man's crying and finally nodded helplessly.

Seeing Wei Rong leave, the steward's apprentice quietly approached and whispered, "Master, you were never going to see His Highness the Crown Prince anyway."

A mere kitchen steward, without His Highness's special permission, has no right to be granted an audience.

The steward was helped up from the ground by his apprentice. He wiped away imaginary tears, sighed, and said, "You don't understand. There's a lot to it. It's nothing for His Highness the Crown Prince to buy a few hundred geese to please his concubine, but that's all the geese there are in the area. Soon, rumors will spread that His Highness the Crown Prince cut off all the local ducks and geese for a meal for his concubine. If we don't cry and make a scene, we'll be implicated and no one will even speak up for us."

The young apprentice scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. "Really?"

"No! I'm afraid the rumors will only get worse."

Although the Wei family members were upright officials, they were not entirely ignorant of human relationships. The kitchen manager's request was merely an explanation to His Highness the Crown Prince, and it wasn't a major matter.

Yan Sinian simply nodded slightly at Wei Rong's words, indicating that he understood. He was about to gesture for someone to leave when he saw Xiao Ba talking to Jiaozi and the others by the river.

Yan Sinian changed the meaning of his words.

"The scenery here is beautiful; let's rest for a couple more days before we leave."

"promise."