FBC – Chapter 53 A Bowl of Soup

Mu Junyan sat in the study, reviewing the dossiers sent from the Ministry of War.

Dong Mo waited on him nearby and noticed that his lord hadn’t flipped a page in nearly two quarters of an hour—clearly, it was an important one.

Quietly and carefully, he poured a cup of hot tea. “My lord, would you like some tea to take a break?”

Mu Junyan set down the dossier, picked up the tea, and glanced at the three plates of snacks on the tea table.

One plate held lotus seed pastries, another had peach blossom brew cakes, and the last featured vividly green flower-shaped tea confections.

Mu Junyan narrowed his eyes slightly.

That night, Gu Hua had sat in his arms, her smiling face tilted up at him, cooing sweetly, “My lord, from now on, I’ll make you snacks every day.”

…And the next day, a so-called cousin-fiancé appeared out of nowhere to claim her.

Right off the bat, he offered a thousand taels.

And what about his snacks?

Gone. Vanished without a trace.

Mu Junyan felt a slight tightness in his chest. He sipped the hot tea and picked up a piece of peach blossom cake to taste.

Not overly sweet, yet fragrant and lingering.

Just like her when she wasn’t smiling—cool and aloof, like a proud snow lotus blooming in solitude.

He then tried a piece of lotus seed pastry.

The lotus petals bloomed open like her gentle, radiant smile.

Lastly, he picked up the green flower-shaped tea treat.

Its soft skin and sweet filling melted in his mouth, and to his surprise, Mu Junyan tasted a hint of her delicate, smooth texture in it.

He muttered slowly, “Not bad. Just a bit too much sugar.”

She knew how to win over the old madam with sweets but completely forgot the promise she made to him.

What a little fox, so good at charming people!

Dong Mo’s eyes rolled. “My lord, I’ll go fetch the evening meal.”

“Mm.”

Dong Mo first headed straight for the steward’s room in the front courtyard, whispered a few words to Zhou Chunyu, and then went to the kitchen.

Zhou Chunyu immediately made his way to Yayun Pavilion.

Zhou Zhilian, seeing her brother arrive, quickly came out and asked in surprise, “Brother, what brings you here?”

Zhou Chunyu whispered a few words to her, then left.

Gu Hua noticed Zhou Zhilian trying to stifle a laugh and asked curiously, “What’s so amusing?”

Zhou Zhilian pursed her lips into a smile. “My brother said life in the military is tough, with little good food. Since it’s rare for the lord to enjoy the snacks you make, he wants to trouble you—if you have the time, make some more snacks for him. The old madam likes sweets, but the lord prefers something lighter—less sugar is best.”

Gu Hua was stunned.

Did Mu Junyan eat her snacks while visiting the old madam?

If he wanted to eat them, he could’ve just had Dong Mo come and ask. Why beat around the bush and have someone else speak on his behalf, just to get her to make snacks for him?

Suddenly, she recalled—

That day, in his arms, she did say she’d make him snacks.

Her heart fluttered slightly, and her cheeks flushed red.

This was a good sign.

“Mm, I’ll go to the kitchen to make a couple of light late-night snacks for the lord after dinner.”

“Great.” Zhou Zhilian smiled mysteriously.

Gu Hua blushed even deeper.

She was making plans.

Tonight… she’d find a chance to bring up the matter of Concubine Pei switching the child and ask the Duke to send someone to help her.

When Dong Mo arrived at the kitchen, he happened to see Yin Zhi with a maid, placing a stewed soup bowl into Gu Wanru’s meal box.

“Concubine Yin, why are you personally here to fetch dinner?” he asked curiously.

Ever since she became a concubine, she rarely showed herself.

Yin Zhi glanced at him, her expression a bit stiff. “Oh, no big deal. The young madam made a bowl of nourishing soup for the young master and… for Second Miss Gu. I just came to take a look. You’re here to carry the lord’s meal? Perfect, you take this bowl.”

She pointed at one of the stewed soup bowls.

“Yes.”

Dong Mo looked at the three soup bowls on the table, a bit puzzled.

When the young madam made tonic soups for herself and the young master, she usually included one for the lord as well.

Whether the lord drank it or not depended on his mood.

But she had never made one for Miss Hua before.

So now… had her heart suddenly softened?

“Different ingredients?” Dong Mo curiously leaned closer to lift the lid of another bowl.

Yin Zhi hastily pressed his hand down. “They’re all made by the young madam herself using expensive tonic herbs she personally bought, stewed with squab. The ingredients and recipe are the same. Just put this one in the meal box. Don’t mix them up.”

If they’re all the same, how could he mix them up?

“Oh.”

Dong Mo found her expression odd but didn’t dwell on it.

“Dong Mo, here’s the lord’s meal box. Just add one soup bowl, and it’s ready.”

The kitchen steward personally handed over the lord’s dinner.

“Eh? What a coincidence. Dong Mo is here too.”

A crisp voice rang out—it was Dong Hua.

Dong Mo was about to pick up the soup bowl Yin Zhi had indicated when he heard her and turned around with a grin.

“Well, what a full gathering today. Concubine Yin is here too.”

Because of Gu Hua, Dong Hua disliked both Concubine Yin and the young madam. Seeing her, she didn’t even offer a proper greeting, just scoffed.

“Such a noble concubine, yet doing a servant’s job? Could it be you’ve forgotten your status and still think you’re a maid?”

Yin Zhi’s face darkened but she endured it without responding.

Dong Hua found it strange. Yin Zhi had always been arrogant, practically a mouthpiece for the young madam.

Now that she had climbed into the young master’s bed, had her personality changed?

Remembering how her own mistress had suffered under her, Dong Hua couldn’t help but continue mocking, “Oh right, you’re still a maid, after all.”

Yin Zhi had always prided herself on being above ordinary maids and was used to bullying Gu Hua. Now, being humiliated by Gu Hua’s maid in public, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“You still have to address me as ‘Concubine Yin.’ My status is higher than yours! Today, I’ll teach you what ‘rank’ really means on behalf of your mistress!”

With that, she stormed forward and raised her hand to slap Dong Hua.

Dong Hua turned her face and dodged, but the slap landed on Dong Qing, who had been trying to mediate.

A crisp smack—Dong Qing’s left cheek instantly swelled.

Dong Hua, seeing her sister slapped, was instantly enraged and rolled up her sleeves, ready to brawl.

Yin Zhi, having missed Dong Hua, raised her hand again but was stopped by a firm grip on her wrist.

“Dong Mo, how dare you touch me!” Yin Zhi glared, her face livid.

Dong Mo unceremoniously flung her hand away. “Yin Zhi, don’t go overboard. This is the kitchen. If you ruin the masters’ food and delay their meal, can you take responsibility?”

Yin Zhi was fuming, chest heaving with anger.

The entire Duke’s household didn’t take the young madam or her seriously. She had been forced to take the place of a lowborn woman and become Mu An’s concubine. Who knew how her beloved cousin must be suffering?

Yet she couldn’t even leave the residence, couldn’t even see her cousin once. All this pent-up resentment boiled over.

Yin Zhi couldn’t hold it in any longer. She grabbed an empty dish and hurled it at Dong Hua’s head.

Dong Hua wasn’t one to be bullied. She raised her arm to block, and the plate shattered on the ground with a loud crash.

“Hey! You brats came here to cause trouble? That plate cost 300 wen! Who’s paying for it? If you want to fight, take it outside! Smash my kitchen, and I’ll go straight to the lord and have you all sold off!” the kitchen steward screamed, jumping with fury.

“Hurry up and get out with the meal boxes!”

Yin Zhi gave them a fierce glare.

She turned and saw her maid had already packed the meal boxes.

Yin Zhi’s expression shifted. She walked over and asked in a low voice, “You didn’t get it wrong, did you?”

“No, I packed it just as you instructed.”

Yin Zhi let out a breath. Not wanting any further complications, she said quickly, “Let them deliver Gu Hua’s meal. We’re leaving.”

Yin Zhi took Mu An’s meal box, and her maid took Gu Wanru’s.

The maid was a second-class servant from the Gu family. After Yin Zhi became a concubine, she was assigned to serve her.

Yin Zhi had a terrible temper and acted like a proper mistress all the time. The maid was already unhappy and wasn’t exactly diligent.

Yin Zhi had personally placed one soup bowl into Gu Wanru’s meal box and arranged the other two together, instructing the maid to place one into the young master’s box and take the last one to Gu Hua.

But when Yin Zhi slapped someone, the maid turned around and saw the kitchen steward had already placed one of the bowls into the lord’s meal box.

She figured the ingredients were the same anyway, so she didn’t think much of it and put the one meant for the lord into the young master’s box.

Dong Hua watched Yin Zhi’s retreating figure. “Pah! What a piece of work.”

Dong Mo, carrying the lord’s meal box, scowled. “Enough, let’s go. We don’t want it getting cold. This one was made for Miss Hua—might as well take it.”

Dong Hua knew better than to start a fight in the kitchen. The steward might come after her for the broken plate. She quickly grabbed the meal boxes for Gu Hua and Zhou Zhilian and followed behind Dong Mo with Dong Qing.