Chapter 8: Oh! My Sweet Liar! (Wang Fei Bu Kao Pu)
FlamingoBees
Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)
Chapter Eight:
The Merciless Man
Xiong Xiruo gripped the chicken so tightly that it nearly slipped through her fingers, fearing discovery. If she was found out, the peculiar prince would surely not spare her—he would snatch the chicken from her and then have her dragged away and beaten to death.
The prince's cold, ruthless nature was something she had experienced firsthand.
Xiong Xiruo held her breath and kept herself hidden.
“Congratulations to my brother for finally having a child,” said the gentle female voice, full of joy.
“…”
Xiong Xiruo strained her ears but couldn’t hear the icy prince’s response.
“I had planned to have my brother dine here at Fangyi Hall before returning to the palace, but since he has urgent matters, I won’t insist. But he must try Fangyi’s dishes and taste the new recipes,” the woman who introduced herself as Fangyi said.
Wow, so all the food in this kitchen was made by this woman named Fangyi. Xiong Xiruo was surprised. She didn’t know about the other dishes, but the chicken she had was truly delectable, a taste she had never encountered even in the modern world.
Hehe, the icy prince was just a taste tester for Fangyi’s new dishes. How amusing!
Seeing the prince also getting caught in this situation made Xiong Xiruo internally rejoice.
Li Hongyi remained silent, took a bite of the dish, and nodded. “Not bad.”
Fangyi immediately smiled. “Thank you for the praise, my lord. Please try this roast chicken—eh, where is the roast chicken?” Fangyi glanced at the empty plate and then turned a reproachful look at the palace maid.
“Princess, forgive me. I don’t know where the chicken went,” Jing Rou, the palace maid, said, kneeling in fear.
“Could the roasted chicken have grown wings and flown away?” Fangyi asked sternly.
“I didn’t mean to,” Jing Rou said, repeatedly bowing her head.
Xiong Xiruo broke into a cold sweat, gripping the chicken even tighter.
Fangyi had already noticed the missing chicken. Her memory was impressive.
Rustling sounds… Xiong Xiruo was so nervous that she accidentally knocked some firewood, causing the chicken she was holding to fall to the ground.
“Who’s there?” Fangyi called out, alarmed.
“Meow…” In a moment of desperation, Xiong Xiruo imitated a cat’s meow.
Her face showed a forced, bright smile, but inside, she was lamenting the loss of her precious roast chicken.
“It’s just a cat. The chicken was probably stolen by the cat,” Jing Rou said, her voice laced with an apology.
It seemed they had finally figured out where the chicken had gone.
“That greedy cat,” Fangyi said with a hint of regret.
“Alright, I’m leaving for the east palace. You should read more books and not just focus on your cooking,” Li Hongyi said with his naturally cold tone.
Even though it was a simple remark, it still made Xiong Xiruo feel his icy detachment.
“Fangyi will heed your advice,” Fangyi replied with a polite bow.
Xiong Xiruo sighed with relief when she heard Li Hongyi was leaving.
“Catch that little greedy cat,” Fangyi ordered.
Xiong Xiruo’s nerves were still on edge as she heard Fangyi’s command. She looked around, trying to find a way to escape.
The surrounding firewood was being moved aside, and Xiong Xiruo clearly saw another palace maid in the same uniform as hers.
“Who are you?” The palace maid saw her and took a step back, wary.
“Hehe…” Xiong Xiruo forced a bright, awkward smile. She couldn’t run away, so she had to stick to a foolish grin.
Even if she ran, she’d be caught by the guards; her legs couldn’t outrun theirs.
Rather than being captured as an assassin, she might as well stay and try to defend herself.
“Bold palace maid, sneaking into the princess’s kitchen to steal food!” Jing Rou scolded with the princess’s authority.
“Don’t be angry. Don’t be angry,” Xiong Xiruo scrambled out from the firewood. “I’m Xiong Xiruo. I was just so hungry, and the chicken you made was so delicious that I couldn’t resist.”
“You’re Xiong Xiruo?” Princess Fangyi’s face showed delight, quite different from Jing Rou’s sternness.
She had heard about the new arrival named Xiong Xiruo, who was pregnant with her brother’s child. Although she hadn’t met her yet, she was thinking of visiting soon, and now she had the chance.
Xiong Xiruo quickly nodded, “Yes, yes, I’m Xiong Xiruo.”
Since the princess had been discussing her with the prince, she seemed unaware that the pregnancy was fabricated.
The princess dismissed Jing Rou and approached Xiong Xiruo, examining her carefully. “You’re quite pretty. My brother has good taste.”
Fangyi smiled warmly.
Xiong Xiruo blinked in surprise. “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Everyone else treated her as if she were their enemy, eager to have her executed, but this princess seemed so friendly.
Fangyi shook her head. “You’re my brother’s future wife. How could I be afraid of you? You must be here looking for my brother.”
Xiong Xiruo realized there was something ambiguous in Fangyi’s smile and wondered why she was looking for her brother.
“Um… I was just looking for food. I followed the delicious smell here. Your dishes are truly heavenly,” Xiong Xiruo praised Fangyi, giving her a thumbs-up.
It was the truth—she had indeed followed the smell of the food to steal a bite.
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It’s been a while since I’ve watched this drama… did the ML have a little sister?
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