Ping Zhao Lu

Here, Xu Zhouye had already sat down safely in the quiet and elegant courtyard outside the bedroom.

He moved gently and gracefully, carefully putting down the exquisite food box in his hand.

Then, he stretched out his slender white fingers, gently opened the lid of the food box, and then took out the delicious dishes that were tightly wrapped inside, three layers inside and three layers outside, and placed them neatly on the round stone table made of bluestone.

Just then, Chu Heyuan walked over slowly.

When his eyes fell on Xu Zhouye, he couldn't help but be stunned.

At this moment, Xu Zhouye was wearing a long gown as white as snow, and his sleeves fluttered in the wind, as if blending into the surrounding scenery.

His posture is as straight as a pine tree, and his temperament is otherworldly and ethereal, just like an immortal who has descended to earth.

In a trance, Chu Heyuan felt that the person in front of him was just like the gods described in the strange stories and anecdotes that he had secretly read.

"Greetings to the Queen." Shi'an was the first to bow respectfully when he saw Xu Zhouye.

This sudden shout instantly brought Chu Heyuan, who was immersed in his own thoughts, back to reality.

He first came back to his senses in a panic, then pretended to be calm and touched his nose. Then he took small, light steps forward, clasped his hands together, bowed, and said, "Your son greets you..."

Having said this, he suddenly paused, a look of confusion on his face, as if he was thinking about how to address this special person in front of him.

After a moment, he finally made up his mind and continued, "Your son greets you, father!"

Hearing Chu Heyuan's address to him, Xu Zhouye couldn't help but smile slightly, with a gentle look in his eyes.

He raised his hand, slowly helped Chu Heyuan up, and said softly, "Prince, there is no need to be so polite."

And at the moment when Xu Zhouye's wrist touched Chu Heyuan's arm, Chu Heyuan felt his heartbeat suddenly stop.

Immediately afterwards, a strange warm current quickly spread throughout his body along the place where the two people touched.

Suddenly, the scene of Xu Zhouye holding him tightly in his arms that day emerged in his mind. That feeling was very warm.

When he looked up at Xu Zhouye's face again, he immediately thought of the scene he saw after waking up in the government office.

His face suddenly felt hot and he quickly lowered his head to hide his embarrassment.

"Please sit down." Xu Zhouye did not notice his abnormality. "I cooked for you myself. Consider it a small gift for my meeting with the prince." After saying that, she raised her hand and gestured for him to sit down with a smile.

Chu Heyuan tried hard to calm himself down and nodded gently. His eyes quickly drifted to the delicious dishes on the table, which looked very tasty and fragrant. He couldn't help swallowing.

Even Shi'an, who was standing behind Chu Heyuan, had his eyes shining at this moment.

"Then... then I won't be polite."

Chu Heyuan had already forgotten all about etiquette. He quickly sat down and reached for his chopsticks impatiently, ready to feast on the food.

However, just as he was about to pick up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth, he seemed to suddenly remember something, and his movements suddenly stopped, and he slowly put down the chopsticks in his hand.

He raised his eyes, looked at Xu Zhouye with a hint of inquiry, and said softly: "I can't finish it by myself, can we eat together?"

Xu Zhouye was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "It's up to you to decide."

Chu Heyuan's face lit up with joy after receiving a positive response, but then he blinked a few times and added cautiously, "Then... I want Shi'an to come too. Shi'an is always the one who dine with me, and without him, I feel like something is missing."

Xu Zhouye followed Chu Heyuan's gaze and glanced at Shi'an, then replied with another smile, "Whoever you want can come along. There's no outsider here anyway, so there's no need to worry about too much formalities."

Chu Heyuan was filled with joy, a brilliant smile blooming on his face. With the corners of his mouth raised high, he said loudly: "Great, in that case, let's all sit down together and enjoy it!"

After saying that, he waved his arm gracefully, signaling to Shi'an and Qinghe and Su Ming who were standing aside, and Xu Zhouye who were following closely behind, asking them to take a seat quickly.

However, faced with Chu Heyuan's invitation, the three people seemed a little hesitant and stood there hesitating to move forward.

Xu Zhouye saw through their concerns at a glance. He smiled and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, there are only a few of us here. Don't be restrained."

"Yes, come and sit down together!" Chu Heyuan greeted excitedly.

It seemed as if he had forgotten the previous embarrassment.

The three people who had been waiting nearby saw that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was so kind that they couldn't refuse him, so they didn't want to spoil the fun, so they slowly walked to the table with some hesitation and sat down carefully next to the chairs.

Seeing that everyone was seated, Chu Heyuan contentedly picked up his chopsticks and prepared to feast on the meal.

But unexpectedly, when he just put a piece of meat into his mouth and started chewing, his expectant expression suddenly froze.

This taste... um... no, it seems to have no taste.

Shi'an had sharp eyes and immediately noticed something strange about the young master.

When he looked at the piece of meat in his bowl again, he couldn't help but murmur in his heart:

Is it unpalatable? Or is it very unpalatable?

Judging from the appearance, this piece of meat has an attractive color and distinct texture, so it shouldn't be too bad.

With a heart full of suspicion, Shi'an slowly lowered his head, and at the same time, he secretly glanced at Qinghe and Su Ming who were sitting next to him out of the corner of his eye.

I saw Qinghe chewing the food slowly and leisurely, his movements were graceful and natural, and his face showed no expression at all, as if he didn't care about the food in his mouth at all.

However, looking at Su Ming on the other side, the situation is quite different.

He frowned tightly, his facial features seemed to be squeezed together, and every swallow seemed extremely difficult.

Seeing this scene, Shi An suddenly understood.

Despite this, he still obediently stuffed the piece of meat into his mouth and chewed it carefully.

At this time, Xu Zhouye sat quietly at the table, with no intention of picking up his chopsticks.

I just finished cooking and don’t have much appetite.

He supported his chin with both hands and watched everyone eat with relish with a smile on his face.

After an unknown amount of time, Chu Heyuan was the first to put down his chopsticks and said guiltily, "I... I'm full."

As he said this, his eyes swept over the half-remaining food on the table.

Then, he cast his gaze towards Shi'an who was sitting not far away and continued, "I want Shi'an to accompany me for a walk to help me digest my food."

As soon as the words fell, Shi'an seemed to have heard the most beautiful words in the world, and his whole body instantly became energetic.

His originally tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and he quickly stood up, put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands without hesitation, and responded respectfully: "Yes, I obey your command!"

As he spoke, he looked at Chu Heyuan with great gratitude, then quickly turned to face Xu Zhouye, bowed, and quickly followed his young master's pace and left the yard together.

Xu Zhouye stared quietly at the table full of barely touched dishes in front of him, his brows furrowed involuntarily as he muttered to himself, "I'm full after just a little..."

However, before he could finish his question, Su Ming, who was sitting next to him, stopped what he was doing and slowly straightened up. With his usual respectful expression on his face, he bowed deeply to Xu Zhouye and said, "Your Highness, I suddenly remembered the matter you had instructed me to make regarding the brocade. I would like to check on the progress."

After saying that, he carefully raised his head and stole a glance at Xu Zhouye's face. Seeing that the other party did not show any displeasure, he slowly stepped back a few steps as if relieved, then turned around and left slowly with light steps.

Xu Zhouye turned his head with a puzzled look on his face, and his eyes happened to fall on Qinghe, who was eating hard but had a strange expression on his face.

The way she eats looks like she is carrying out an extremely difficult task, which makes people curious.

So, Xu Zhouye couldn't help but ask, "Is the food not to your liking? Or... is it just unpalatable?"

Qinghe was so surprised by his sudden question that her right hand, which was originally picking up rice, stiffened slightly and the chopsticks in her hand almost slipped.

She quickly gathered herself together and stammered, "No, it's not true. Your Highness's cooking skills are always superb. The Master and the Major General both praised it highly!"

After saying this, he forced a smile, trying to make himself look more natural.

"Really?" Xu Zhouye looked at Qinghe doubtfully, and began to feel uncertain.

He frowned and fell into deep thought.

Just as he was hesitating whether to taste it himself to verify it, Qing He seemed to have suddenly thought of something. She quickly stood up and said anxiously, "Your Highness, I suddenly remembered that I have something important to do. I will take my leave first!"

Xu Zhouye wanted to say something: "..."

There are still many untouched dishes on the table.

Xu Zhouye just felt it was a pity.

I'm not in the mood to try it myself right now.

Throwing it away is a waste.

While thinking, the figure of Chu Yunxiao flashed through his mind.

The lonely expression suddenly brightened up.