After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The Crown Prince sat by the charcoal stove with Lu Zhiyuan in his arms, his mind filled with memories of his birthday celebrations.

He was born in February, and coincidentally, that year had two intercalary Februarys. His first birthday celebration was held in the palace, using his status as the Crown Prince, and was naturally incredibly lively. However, the gifts and blessings were all for his status as Crown Prince and Prince. His second birthday was celebrated in the Eastern Palace, using his own status. His mother made longevity noodles for him, but could only have them delivered by her female attendants. His sister made longevity cakes for him, but due to palace rules, they could only be delivered by her nanny.

Lu Zhiyuan climbed over the wall, followed by Lu Yun and Liu Ying. Seeing him sitting alone on the rooftop drinking, she beckoned to him, asking him to carry her up.

I've seen the moonlight overhead countless times, but the moonlight that night was the most beautiful.

Knowing it was his birthday, A-Yuan pulled him into the kitchen to cook him something delicious. She wasn't even as tall as the stove, but she handled the cooking utensils with surprising skill. Even so, he still didn't believe that the eldest daughter of a marquis's family could cook. A noblewoman, even if she could make a simple pastry like his sister, would be quite good.

She pressed him for an answer, so he casually ordered tofu with egg white, leaving the rest of the dishes to her to decide. Unexpectedly, she cooked it even better than the imperial chefs in the palace.

She loves ham, so she made two kinds: vegetarian ham and honey ham.

Honey-glazed ham is made with high-quality ham, cut into large cubes with the skin on, and simmered in honey wine. Vegetarian ham, on the other hand, is the original ham, paired with various vegetables. A-Yuan made him asparagus and ham rolls, stir-fried asparagus and ham, and egg, ham, and asparagus pancakes. He had never known that ham and asparagus could be used to make so many dishes.

It was then that he realized it wasn't that the imperial chefs in the harem couldn't cook, but rather that they dared not cook freely. The tastes of the noble ladies in the palace were fickle and varied, changing according to their moods. A slight deviation from sweetness, saltiness, spiciness, or sourness could become a reason for a noble lady to kill them. To save their lives, they dared not use overly fresh ingredients, cooking methods, or flavors. They memorized the preferences and tastes of each noble lady, daring not to make the slightest change, and even if a noble lady requested it, they only dared to alter it a tiny bit.

As a result, the fruits and vegetables in the palace lost their original flavor and became the flavor that nobles loved to eat.

As she said this, A-Yuan held a piece of asparagus in her hand. "Does the Crown Prince know? I've only ever eaten non-spicy chili peppers in the palace. Chili peppers are spicy by nature. If you don't like spicy food, you can just leave them out. Why make them taste different?"

Ah Yuan's words made sense, and he couldn't refute them.

"What is Crown Prince thinking about?"

"I think of that birthday banquet, and how little A-Yuan looked when she was wielding the wok and spatula for her husband."

"When did Crown Prince start liking A-Yuan?" Lu Zhiyuan leaned closer, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment and replied, "Ah Yuan is wrong! It wasn't at that time that I liked her. I liked her from the first moment I saw her, but it wasn't the kind of liking between a man and a woman. At first, it was like an older brother liking his younger sister. After that, it became the mutual appreciation between friends. It wasn't until Father and Mother bestowed a marriage upon us that romantic feelings developed."

Lu Zhiyuan let out a long "Oh": "So it turns out that the Crown Prince only likes A Yuan because of the arranged marriage. Your marriage to A Yuan is indeed a marriage of convenience based on social status."

The Crown Prince grew anxious and argued, "It's not what A-Yuan thinks. Before Father and Mother bestowed the marriage upon us, A-Yuan was still a child. How could I possibly have such thoughts about a child? What kind of person would I be? With Father and Mother's bestowal of the marriage, A-Yuan is my fiancée. Even if A-Yuan is still young, I can wait patiently until she grows up and understands the feelings between men and women."

The Crown Prince raised his hand and swore: "My love for A-Yuan is real, and my affection for her is real. If I have uttered a single lie, may I be struck by lightning."

"Just kidding." Lu Zhiyuan pulled his hand down and kissed his cheek. "Where is General Gu taking us? This isn't the way out of the city."

The crown prince parted the curtain and glanced out: "It is indeed not the road out of the city."

Gu An rode over on horseback, lifting a corner of his straw hat. "Your Highness and the Crown Princess probably didn't expect this either, did they? This Marquis of Yongchang is hiding in Ganzhou City. You two might have even met him."

Ping An Tea House is an inconspicuous little tea house in Ganzhou City.

The innkeeper was an old man with white hair, always dressed in simple cloth, sitting in front of the door. Neighbors and teahouse patrons alike had hardly ever heard him speak; some said he was mute. There were two waiters in the teahouse, one responsible for attracting customers, and the other for brewing tea and serving fruit and snacks. There was also a storyteller; almost all the stories of Ganzhou City came from his mouth, including those about Lu Zhiyuan and the Crown Prince.

When the carriage stopped, Lu Zhiyuan noticed that the street was unusually quiet today. As she alighted, she saw bloodstains by the roadside. Besides the bloodstains, there were also signs of a struggle. A small tree next to the teahouse was broken, the break fresh and neat. There were footprints, knife marks, sword marks, and splattered blood on the teahouse.

"Was there a fight here? Were any civilians injured?"

“They were injured, but not seriously. A doctor has been called.” Gu An said, “The ones who died were the waiters from the teahouse and that storyteller! Don’t be fooled by the two waiters’ timid demeanor; they were quite troublesome. And that storyteller—he was actually the long-lost Bai Xiaosheng from the martial arts world.”

"Where is Marquis Yongchang? Is he injured?"

"No!" Gu An said, "Those two men and Bai Xiaosheng risked their lives to protect him, hoping he would escape, but he returned and was captured without resistance."

"Isn't this man strange? If he had surrendered sooner, his two henchmen and that all-knowing scholar wouldn't have lost their lives for him. The Marquis's thoughts are hard for ordinary people to fathom; we should still ask His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess to meet with him."

"He didn't speak?"

"They haven't spoken." Gu An pondered for a moment, "Perhaps they can't bring themselves to speak. In any case, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will know at a glance."

Upon entering the teahouse,

Then I saw the storytelling platform. Candles were lit on both sides of the platform, and a white-haired man was kneeling in the center of the candlelight. His hands were chained by two iron chains as thick as bowls.

Judging by his physique and appearance alone, he bore a resemblance to the Crown Prince. Upon closer inspection, however, he was more handsome than the Crown Prince. His features were more refined, his eyebrows and eyes more striking, and even his aura was almost demonic. If demons truly existed in this world, he would be a snake demon, or perhaps a fox demon in disguise.

With white hair and coarse clothes, yet without a single wrinkle on his face, one might mistake him for someone of similar age to the Crown Prince if they did not know his true identity.

Lu Zhiyuan walked over and took Yongchang Marquis's pulse. "Your Excellency has been poisoned, and it's a difficult-to-treat snake venom."

"So you're Lu Zhiyuan? The eldest daughter of the Lu family, chosen by my imperial brother to be the Crown Princess?" Marquis Yongchang spoke, his voice hoarse. "How about we make a deal? You're nearing the end of your life, but you're skilled in medicine. I have a long lifespan, but I know nothing about medicine. If we cooperate, I'll provide you with a formula for immortality, and you'll improve upon its shortcomings. With this medicine, you can live like me for thousands of years."