Xie PanāEr was annoyed with Lu Yunshengās pestering, so she didnāt reveal his identity at the crucial moment and headed to the kitchen with her vegetable basket.
These days, the Princess hasnāt been eating well, either exposed to the sea breeze or surviving on wild vegetables at the Daoist temple, sometimes not even having anything to eat, causing her to lose a lot of weight.
So, Xie PanāEr picked some decent-looking wild mushrooms, planning to make pork rib soup for the Princess.
"Itās all that Lu Yunshengās fault, making me so angry that I only bought mushrooms. The Princess loves roasted duck the most, and itās definitely not available here. Should I go buy a chicken and make soup to nourish the Princess?"
She was muttering to herself when she heard the voice of Princess Ata from outside.
"You! Always soaking in the kitchen thinking about what the Princess wants to eat all day?
What to drink?
Havenāt you thought about anything else?"
Xie PanāEr looked at her puzzled, "What should I be thinking about?"
"Shouldnāt you first think about whether His Majesty needs something to eat or drink?"
Upon hearing this, Xie PanāEr immediately realized that Princess Ata was teasing her!
"Youāre talking nonsense, what His Majesty eats or drinks isnāt something I can decide!
Iām not his imperial chef!"
"Youāre not his imperial chef, but if you really made something special for him, maybe he would find it tastier than the meals in the palace!"
"If you keep talking nonsense, Iāll think itās you who wants to make food for His Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, Princess Ataās eyes flickered slightly, and she meaningfully said, "If I were to make food for His Majesty, would you be very upset?"
Hearing this, Xie PanāEr blinked, took a long time to react, and said, "You... you wouldnāt..."
She didnāt finish her sentence because Princess Ata nodded and said, "Now, let me ask you again, do you really not like His Majesty?
If you truly donāt like him, I might just volunteer to be the Empress of the Great Han!"
Xie PanāEr tightly covered her mouth, her mind went blank, she had many doubts, and her thoughts were jumbled and countless, but all chaotic; she knew nothing, simply a tangled mess!
"Think it over, and when you are sure about your feelings, come and tell me."
Seeing her situation, Princess Ata smiled and turned to leave.
Xie PanāEr felt completely flustered; she didnāt know what was wrong with her.
Like the Emperor?
No!
No way, heās an Emperor, places like the Imperial Palace are full of filth, if itās the palace...
Xie PanāEr forcefully tapped her head, "Xie PanāEr, you mustnāt think of it, donāt have such thoughts; cut them off, you must cut them off. Even becoming a nun in a nunnery is better than entering the palace!"
She thought to herself and unknowingly said it aloud.
That day, Xie PanāErās heart was in turmoil.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didnāt even notice when General Moore from Nanjiang and his deputy began attacking the gates of Yunhang County, causing the citizens inside to panic and flock to the County Yamen for protection.
As dusk fell, when she was serving soup and helping the servant arrange the meal, she saw Ji Youzhi and Dugu Xiao both injured, allowing the temporary local doctor to bandage them.
"You... why are you both injured?"
Xie PanāEr was surprised; when she had seen them at the main gate earlier, they were fine!
Of course, their clothes were dirty, but there were no bloodstains.
Now, Ji Youzhi and Dugu Xiao both had a lot of bloodstains; one with a bandaged left hand, the other with a bandaged right hand slung around the neck.
The injuries were quite symmetrical.
"MoāEr is attacking the south gate, and Youzhi and I went to oversee it. We were caught off guard and fell for MoāErās taunt, got into a fight, and got injured."
Dugu Xiao explained briefly and then asked, "Is the food ready? Iām starving."
Xie PanāEr didnāt speak, but the servant woman who brought the meal with her quickly said, "Itās ready, itās ready, Miss Xie specially made pork rib soup, and even slaughtered a chicken, all prepared."
With that said, the two of them quickly set the table.
"Miss Xie, His Majesty and Suisui are still in the back room looking over the accounts; could you please help call them to come eat?"
Ji Youzhiās leg was also hurt and he didnāt want to move, so he called on Xie PanāEr for help.