In the main hall, servants brought out the food. Dean Chen and Sang Qi were already seated. Throughout the short morning, the Dean’s face had grown steadily darker.

’He really couldn’t understand how the dignified Crown Prince could be so preoccupied with food.’

They had barely covered a few pages of the state classics, and he had already eaten more than half a plate of pastries and drunk two cups of milk tea.

’And now he was staring at a table full of dishes. It looked like...’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Crown Prince, can you possibly eat more?" Dean Chen couldn’t help but ask.

"I can manage." Although Sang Qi wasn’t very hungry, the food before him was tantalizingly aromatic, and many of the novel dishes were things he had never seen before.

’The pastries were delicious, so wouldn’t the main dishes be even better?’

"Crown Prince, even if pastries and dishes are delicious, you must not overeat. You must exercise restraint," Dean Chen lectured. "Furthermore, you must learn to hide your preferences. Even if something tastes good, you cannot let it show. If someone with ill intentions discovered your tastes, they could tamper with your food, which would lead to disaster."

Sang Qi pressed his lips together, glanced at the food, and then said, "Dean, this student understands."

"It is good that you understand. You are different from others, so you must be even more cautious," Dean Chen advised gently.

’He was, after all, an eight-year-old child, still innocent at heart. He had so much more to learn.’

Ye Qianning and Sang Zhi entered the main hall and saw that her master and Sang Qi were already there.

"Master," Ye Qianning called out.

"Dean." Sang Zhi bowed to the Dean, then turned and bowed to Sang Qi. "Crown Prince."

"I send you to fetch one book and you still manage to mess it up. Useless," Sang Qi snorted with disdain.

"Sit down, the food is getting cold." As he spoke, Dean Chen’s gaze landed on Ye Qianning’s bandaged hand. "Is the injury serious?"

Ye Qianning sat down and waved her little hand. "It’s just a scrape. It’s my left hand, so it won’t get in the way of using my chopsticks."

"So reckless." Dean Chen shook his head.

"Brother, sit here," Ye Qianning said, pointing to the seat beside her.

Sang Zhi nodded and went to sit down.

"Brother, what do you like to eat? Everything here is delicious, I’ll get some for you." Ye Qianning was practically standing on her chair, her small hand deftly using chopsticks to place a little bit of everything into Sang Zhi’s bowl.

"I can get it myself. You should sit down, be careful not to fall." Sang Zhi reached out to steady her.

"I’m fine." Ye Qianning sat back down. "Go on, Brother, try it. Let’s see what you think of the chefs at the General’s estate."

"Mm." Only after seeing her settled did Sang Zhi pick up his chopsticks to taste the dishes in his bowl.

Ye Qianning stared at him with wide eyes. When she saw him take several bites in a row, her own eyes crinkled into a smile. "My family’s chefs are amazing, right?"

"Mm, it’s delicious." Sang Zhi had never eaten such a lavish and tasty meal.

"If you like it, then eat more! You should come over more often. My family’s chefs know how to make so many things," Ye Qianning chattered on as she ate.

’Lately, the chefs at home had seemed to get even better. She had added some water from her space into the well, which made the meals and pastries taste even more delicious than usual.’

’They had also started growing vegetables in the estate’s backyard, tended by a dedicated servant boy. The vegetables were also watered with that same well water, so they grew exceptionally well.’

’Of course, the small animals around the estate loved it too. She had noticed the local family of weasels had gotten quite chubby lately.’

Dean Chen sighed to himself. ’This little girl is far too good to the Eighth Prince. It’s "Brother" this and "Brother" that all the time. She even went out of her way to treat his eyes. She’s really taken him to heart.’

A dark expression fell over Sang Qi’s young face. The two of them had walked in and completely ignored him. ’All this "Brother" this and "little sister" that... it’s so sappy it’s infuriating.’

’It’s enough to make a person lose their appetite.’ Fuming, he snatched up his chopsticks, grabbed a random piece of food without looking, and shoved it into his mouth. The more he chewed, the tastier it became. He was hooked after a single bite.

His sulky mood quietly vanished, his mind now completely focused on eating.