Chapter 43
Dinner Engagement
An elegant young woman entered, wearing a yellow-gold, princess-cut Hanfu dress. Her hair was styled in a striking "peacock killer" fashion, and her fierce expression resembled that of a queen of the night. She had come to fulfill a royal blind date. The Liang Prince, who had never been caught off guard, was stunned. His usually narrow eyes widened in surprise, as large as an owl's.
"You!?"
"Yes, me."
Without waiting for an invitation, Chu Qiao sat down and propped her feet, wrapped in white socks, on the table. She toyed with her fingernails, ignoring the prince, her cold, indifferent gaze signaling disapproval of the unwanted blind date.
The usually composed Foxy Prince shook his head slightly. Wearing his ornate yellow robe, his fragrant presence filled the air as he held his breath. Then, flashing his two front teeth, he beamed at her. His foxy grin became even more pronounced, and Xiao Ce couldn't stop himself from smiling at her lovely face. He clapped his hands.
A servant appeared, and Xiao Ce ordered, "Bring me another table."
The servant quickly set up another table beside the one where Chu Qiao's feet rested. Xiao Ce gave her a charming smile while fiddling with something under the table.
Soon, Xiao Ce mirrored his guest's posture. He lifted his feet, also clad in white socks, and placed them on the table. With one hand tapping the table's corner, he rested his chin on the other, staring at her with his foxy eyes and a mischievous grin.
Chu Qiao, growing bored and irritated, sighed. This royal prince seemed as cold and aloof as the snow outside. She finally said, "I don't have time to waste. I have work tomorrow."
Still gazing at her as if he hadn't seen her in years, Xiao Ce replied, "Oh, apologies. A blind date isn't complete without dinner." He clapped twice, and a maid appeared to serve the meal.
Feeling that the prince was just as determined to annoy her as she had been for the past few minutes, Chu Qiao suddenly said, "Oh, pretty please, don't forget the whole turkey, slowly cooked and roasted..."
Her voice, sweet and husky at first, suddenly shifted into a booming tone like thunder. Staring at the prince's foxy eyes, she added, "I WANT IT WELL DONE AND ON FIRE!"
Xiao Ce's calm appearance didn't falter. He continued to smile at her with his seductive gaze. He leaned in closer, lifting her chin gently with a single finger. As he neared her face, Xiao Ce inhaled her scent and brought his lips closer to hers, closing his eyes with a smile. But then, the unexpected happened.
He suddenly pulled away, reclined in his seat, and slammed his feet back on the table. "FINE!" he exclaimed. "Your wish is my command! Bring in the turkey! And yes, WELL DONE AND ON FIRE!"
Maintaining a formal expression, Xiao Ce ordered his servants, who were frozen in place like statues, to obey. Then, he turned back to his beautiful guest with a grin, his eyes sparkling with happiness.
Meanwhile, inside the palace kitchen, the maids and staff were in a frenzy.
The sound of clanging and shouting filled the air as they desperately tried to set the turkey on fire. They knew they were in trouble if they failed.
"How are we supposed to get the turkey well done and on fire?" they whispered frantically.
It seemed like the palace was on the brink of a culinary emergency.
While the two VIPs waited in the Li Garden, the sounds of the frantic kitchen staff echoed in the background. Both continued their playful, unconventional blind date at the table.
Xiao Ce, restless, continued tapping his fingers on the table while Chu Qiao, cheeks puffed like a pufferfish, blew out a breath of air. Her bored expression was unmistakable.
This wasn't a good sign.
Her feet still propped on the table, Chu Qiao absentmindedly bit her fingernails, waiting impatiently for the promised turkey.
Unable to remain quiet, Xiao Ce finally broke the silence. "You know, I like you even more when you're upset. You look just as pretty as you did before."
Chu Qiao's mind caught on to something. "Before?" she repeated, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Xiao Ce gave no response.
Uninterested in engaging in further small talk, she replied, "You're not doing yourself any favors here."
She gestured toward a golden handkerchief lying nearby.
"And that golden handkerchief? How did it end up overshadowing all the noble privileges? What's in it for me?"
Chu Qiao rolled her eyes in frustration.
Xiao Ce put his feet down under the table, sat up straight, and grunted, "The Golden Handkerchief. Like a Golden Buzzer. It's a shortcut, baby! Why don't you like it?"
"I'm the high roller, the blue-chip, the one-time lucky dime, a jackpot prize!" Chu Qiao replied sarcastically. "Do I have to like this golden buzzer? And don't call me baby!"
Xiao Ce responded quickly, "No, but I think you should. And Icancall you baby! I'm someone others are dying to take on a date like this. Don't I deserve some praise? I waited for days, and yet you didn't come. Why?"
Chu Qiao's ears burned with anger. "I only got your invitation last night. Unlucky me, I didn't even have the chance to refuse! It's a one-way ticket, and there's more to this golden handkerchief of yours than meets the eye."
She paused, noticing Xiao Ce's twinkling eyes, and grew even more annoyed. "And... and... if I hadn't shown up..."
Xiao Ce interjected, "Surely, if you hadn't shown your face today, it would've been a case of beating the buzzer, baby!"
Xiao Ce continued to watch her while Chu Qiao shot him an awkward look.
Hmm...
The Prince, deep in thought, began to suspect someone might have intercepted his invitation. After all, he had personally chosen his bodyguard in disguise to deliver the message.
Chu Qiao snapped, "What if I kill you now so I won't have to sell my neck at your garrison yard!"
Chu Qiao's voice was still sarcastic and almost shouting, but the Foxy Prince only loved it more, becoming more attentive and energized.
"Kill me and bury me, baby. If you're the last face I see on earth, I'll be the happiest man to die."
"It's your call, baby!" Xiao Ce didn't stop his flirtatious remarks, and Chu Qiao didn't stop her trash talk to the "goat prince."
"Shut up with your smooth talk! Don't act so clueless!"
Chu Qiao's voice was still filled with irritation, but Xiao Ce relished every moment, frequently flashing his eyes and his perfectly white smile.
Inside the kitchen, the staff and maids were gossiping loudly enough to be overheard. One maid said, "I've never seen the Lotus Prince act like this before."
Another chimed in, "And I've never seen a woman like her breaking all palace protocols, with the Prince yielding to her!"
They burst into laughter, barely able to contain themselves, until Xiao Ce scoffed.
"The turkey? Do we have to wait forever?" he shouted, his low voice cutting through the noise with sarcasm. It was clear there would be some unpleasant feedback later.
The kitchen erupted into even more chaos, clanging sounds of panic filling the air.
Xiao Ce turned his attention back to his esteemed guest and asked, "Do you really want a turkey and not the royal meal that Liang's finest chefs have prepared for dinner?"
Chu Qiao, caught between irritation and amusement, secretly laughed to herself. She could see Xiao Ce was close to giving in. She knew the Prince's pleading glance was a silent request for her to cancel thewell-done turkey on firedemand.
The Liang Palace was descending into chaos, but the two continued their game of irritation and demands, oblivious to the commotion outside.
In the Throne Room, the situation had escalated to an emergency. The Jinwu Palace was now surrounded by smoke, and the royal palace guards had begun sounding alarms.
Suddenly, the sound of marching footsteps echoed through the palace. Xiao Ce, concerned, leaned to the side, trying to hear more clearly.
A squad of royal palace escorts, armed with shields and spears, headed toward Jinwu Palace. They had summoned the Head of the Kitchen Ministry. The palace corridors and courtyards were thick with smoke when a kitchen staff member rushed outside, carrying the turkey.
The royal escorts, following the trail of smoke, pursued him. Sensing the danger, the kitchen staff panicked and ran as fast as he could, but some guards intercepted him.
They found him, blocking his escape.
The guards looked displeased.
All of a sudden, they laughed at him and began to bully him.
The kitchen staff seemed trapped, with no way out of the situation. He put the burning turkey on the grassy ground, closed his eyes, and assumed a martial arts stance.
In the blink of an eye, he took all of them down.
He clapped his hands and picked up the burning turkey as if nothing had happened.
The royal guards, writhing in pain, couldn't react quickly enough and found themselves tied up. They hadn't expected that the Crown Prince's kitchen staff, despite his thin frame, would be so skilled in martial arts.
Returning to his normal posture, the kitchen staff bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry, but you were blocking my path and delaying official duties. Nothing personal. The Lotus Prince is in a life-and-death situation if this turkey isn't delivered on time. So I must go."
He quickly walked away.
The kitchen staff knelt and bowed his head before offering the whole, well-done but still flaming turkey to His Highness Xiao Ce. His face was smudged black from the turkey's smoke.
Xiao Ce, feeling proud of his kitchen staff, gave Chu Qiao a flirtatious glance, flashed a seductive smile, and asked, "Feel like marrying me now?"
Chu Qiao was about to respond when the Emperor's royal guards suddenly arrested the kitchen staff.
With his usual calm but foxy eyes, Xiao Ce turned to them, nodded, and asked, "Very well, what's the crime?"
An Eunuch from the King's palace, looking like an ugly duckling with soot on his face, stepped forward and read a decree. "The Head of the Ministry of Kitchens is hereby summoned and will stand trial to explain why the palace was filled with smoke, causing alarm as if it were on fire. The kitchen staff will be imprisoned and await the verdict within three days. This is the order of King Tang."
Tong!
The loud sound of a gong startled everyone, and they turned to see another Eunuch holding the King's palace gong.
The decree rang like music to Xiao Ce's ears, and the Foxy Prince winked.
He smirked slightly, enough for everyone to notice his relaxed composure, though the atmosphere around him remained tense.
Xiao Ce, downplaying the situation, gestured for the guards to leave. But before they did, he said, "I am the Crown Prince of Liang. Do you dare arrest my servants in front of the future Crown Princess and Queen of Liang?"
Xiao Ce's eyes suddenly sharpened, but he finished with a charming smile. Calm and composed, he shot a pleading glance at Chu Qiao, silently begging her to intervene on behalf of the kitchen staff.
Chu Qiao caught his look and said coldly, "If he is arrested tonight and I become the Crown Princess tomorrow, I won't forget what happened today."
With a fierce expression, she added, "I'll make sure to avenge him later."
Chu Qiao's intense gaze made Xiao Ce love her all the more. Always the opportunist, the Prince said, "In fact, I'm giving you the engagement ring tonight for making this the happiest night of my life. I've finally found my Qiao Qiao."
Chu Qiao, stunned, repeated, "Qiao Qiao? Who?"
She raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer from his foxy eyes.
Xiao Ce, admiring the beautiful lady before him, said, "We were supposed to be engaged. If you want to become the Crown Princess and get revenge for the poor kitchen staff, right?"
The Prince winked and flashed his charming eyes again. He took her hands and shouted to a nearby servant, "The Wild Lotus Flower ring?"
Xiao Ce opened his palms, waiting to receive the engagement ring, while Chu Qiao stared at him in disgust.
She remained still until, suddenly, a basket descended from the heavens between them.
Petals began to rain down, and the air filled with a fragrant scent. Everyone fell to their knees.
They watched as two cute rabbits approached, as if the female rabbit was expected to say yes. Xiao Ce, lost in a dreamy state, was already imagining it.
Suddenly, Chu Qiao, watching Xiao Ce with his eyes closed, gently tapped his temple and said calmly, "Try your luck next time."
Xiao Ce snapped back to reality. "Did I hear that right?"
"Yes, you did," Chu Qiao replied sarcastically.
"Does that mean I have a chance now? Tell me, Qiao Qiao, the last time I did this, I wished upon a star." Xiao Ce sounded sincere, but Chu Qiao wasn't convinced.
"I am not Qiao Qiao, or whoever she is. I'm not her," she said firmly.
Xiao Ce, now confused, asked, "You don't know me at all?"
His voice held a note of hurt.
Chu Qiao shook her head and said, "Royal Prince of Liang, it was a beautiful evening spent with you and this turkey. May I take it to go?"
Xiao Ce, still stunned, felt as though he were speaking to a stranger. He quickly regained his composure, bowed slightly, and said, "It was indeed a lovely, fiery, and splendid evening spent with you. And yes, the turkey is yours. I'll send another invitation, and you must come to meet me again."
Xiao Ce looked at his kitchen staff and, in a calm, low voice, added, "And you, next time, make sure the turkey is perfect."
The Prince stood and walked away, his finest servants following behind, scattering flower petals and diffusing fragrant scents along his path until he disappeared.
The kitchen staff handed the turkey to another servant and said, "A special 'to-go' order for the lovely lady. You'll accompany her and ensure she gets home safely with the turkey."
The blind date had ended, but the Prince of Liang couldn't stop thinking about Chu Qiao's peacock hair, her lovely eyes, and her face. He giggled like a child as he recalled the engagement ring and the burning turkey, wondering, "Of all the riches I can give, why ask for a turkey? Do I look like a poor prince?"
The Prince stared at himself in the mirror and ordered his servants to prepare the Tigers' comfort zone.
Meanwhile, on her way home, Chu Qiao asked the royal escort to stop by a street. She removed her cape and stepped out of the royal palanquin.
By this time, the turkey's skin had turned black from burning. Earlier, she had asked the servant to sprinkle a little water on it. Looking at three street children waiting for her, Chu Qiao asked them to fetch a knife. She peeled the skin off the turkey and told them, "Saturated fat isn't good for your health, so always remember to peel the skin off after it's been burned."
The kids obeyed her and ate heartily, exclaiming, "This is the best turkey I've ever eaten in my whole life. Thank you, Miss Chu."
The Liang servant, craning his neck, couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He thought it was the sweetest scene he had ever seen, deeply touched by how Chu Qiao had taken the finest dish from the Liang Palace and shared it with the poor.
Chu Qiao gently rubbed the children's foreheads and said, "I'm sorry I'm late today. See you tomorrow." She then returned to the palanquin and finally went home.
The next day, as Chu Qiao was walking, she suddenly found the street so crowded with people that she couldn't move forward.
She wondered to herself,"Did someone die or was a house raided?"
Looking around, she saw people dressed in their spring clothes, some wearing faux leather, fur capes, and thick Hanfu dresses. None of them seemed anxious or worried. Instead, they were whispering excitedly, and Chu Qiao overheard their words.
"My gosh, if I were the girl, I'd say yes."
"She's such a lucky girl. Who would have thought?"
"She's like Cinderella."
"If I were her, I'd marry him."
"A prince in love with a commoner chef, really?"
"A prince fell in love with a kitchen chef?"
"Maybe the fastest way to a prince's heart is through a turkey?"
"If only I knew, I would have cooked him the best-roasted turkey."
Ha… ha… ha…
The gossiping women and people around her kept chattering, and Chu Qiao couldn't help but hear everything. She had no idea they were describing her, but her brows wrinkled, and her cold eyes narrowed as she scoffed.
"Ahem, ahem... she can't fall just for these yellow flowers. Can I pass? Kindly let me pass?"
Her sharp gaze, like that of an owl in the slow-falling snowflakes, suddenly softened with amusement when she saw what had happened to their Kowloon Noodle House. A man had just finished decorating it and walked away.
Chu Qiao didn't catch a glimpse of his face but immediately noticed a note posted on the doorway of the Kowloon house.
It read:
"Wooing is like…"
"I want a well-done turkey on fire!"
"Suddenly, a palace in smoke and fire in spring, then sunrise came. A prince must answer to all his subjects."
"You broke my heart at first but left me a fire last night. Can't wait to see my Qiao Qiao again."
While the crowd around her was cold yet warm inside, swept up in a feeling of love, a man passing by noticed the yellow tulip flowers surrounding the Kowloon Noodle House. There was only a small space left, just wide enough for a customer to enter the main doorway.
The man observed the reaction of the fine woman. She looked somewhat shocked, as if searching for someone.
That day, the man did not reveal his face. He remained at a distance, watching the woman with a slow, cold gaze. He thought to himself:
"She's found an interesting suitor."
Realizing he had no space left for himself in her heart, he continued walking away from the scent of the tulip flowers.
Connect to Chapter 45: Graveyard of Flowers
Look back at Chapter 43: Dinner Engagement
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