Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Capturing a Man’s Heart

Speaking of Aunt Xu, Zhi Wan sighed. She found it hard to understand her choice to meet her death.

No matter how much she loved her daughter, she shouldn’t have just let her kill her without a fight. She ended up harming them both.

Unless Aunt Xu had some other unspoken hardship and wished to find release in death. That would be the only reason she would offer no resistance when her daughter came to kill her.

’But what sort of hardship could Aunt Xu have had?’

Zhi Wan was puzzled.

But Aunt Xu was already dead. The answer was likely buried with her.

After getting up, Zhi Wan went to check on Shuang’er. She was relieved to see that her injuries were stabilizing and she was in good spirits.

"My Lady, I heard from Nanny Fang that all those wicked people have been sentenced. That’s wonderful news!" Shuang’er had to lie on her stomach because of the injuries on her back, but her eyes shone brightly as she spoke.

"Yes. They committed heinous acts and deserve to be severely punished," Zhi Wan nodded.

Just then, a maid came in with a bowl of congee to feed Shuang’er. Zhi Wan took the bowl from her. "I’ll do it."

The maid curtsied to her and withdrew.

After making sure the congee wasn’t too hot, Zhi Wan scooped up a spoonful and brought it to Shuang’er’s lips.

"Thank you, My Lady." Shuang’er accepted without any polite refusal.

Though master and servant in name, they were as close as sisters in private.

After she finished eating, Shuang’er remembered something and asked with concern, "My Lady, yesterday in court, I heard Jiang Shi say the Princely Heir was injured. Have you been to see him? Is he going to be alright?"

At these words, Zhi Wan couldn’t help but recall the scene in her cousin’s room yesterday. Her face flushed, and she answered vaguely, "I went to see him yesterday... I think he’s fine."

"If you don’t have anything else to do today, My Lady, you should go see the Princely Heir again," Shuang’er said.

Zhi Wan had already been planning to do so. She nodded. "I’ll go in a little while."

"The Princely Heir loves the wontons you make. You should bring some for him when you go," Shuang’er urged.

Zhi Wan frowned. "Since when did you become such a nag?"

"I heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. If you make more food for the Princely Heir, won’t he become utterly devoted to you?" Shuang’er said with a playful grin.

Zhi Wan poked her on the forehead, amused. "And who did you hear that from?"

"Never mind who I heard it from. You should hurry and make some wontons, My Lady," Shuang’er pressed.

’Zhi Wan still couldn’t understand. What did capturing a man’s heart have to do with his stomach?’

Still, her cousin did love the wontons she made. It wouldn’t hurt to prepare some for him.

As she was about to leave, she remembered something and paused. "By the way, Shuang’er, what do you think of Jiang Shi?"

Her sudden mention of Jiang Shi made Shuang’er freeze for a moment. The image of him carrying her back yesterday flashed through her mind.

"He’s... very strong," Shuang’er blurted out.

Zhi Wan: "..."

Seeing her lady looking at her strangely, Shuang’er grew flustered. "I don’t know him well, but he was the one who brought me back yesterday. He just seems... very strong."

Zhi Wan gave her a knowing look. "Yes, he is very strong. Strong enough to carry you all the way back here. So, once you’ve recovered, how about you try out that ’way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’ theory on him?"

Hearing the teasing in her lady’s voice, Shuang’er grew vexed. "Jiang Shi and I aren’t familiar with each other. Please don’t tease me, My Lady."

"You’ll be familiar soon enough if you cook for him a few times," Zhi Wan said, then slipped out of the room, leaving a thoroughly embarrassed Shuang’er behind.

Zhi Wan asked Nanny Fang for help, and they quickly finished wrapping the wontons.

She packed them in a food box, planning to take them to the Duke Dingguo Mansion’s kitchen and cook them for her cousin there. If she cooked them first, the broth would spill, and the wrappers would get soggy, ruining the texture.

But as she carried the food box into the front courtyard, she saw a servant leading Princess Chang Le and Ouyang Zhenzhu inside.

Seeing them, Zhi Wan looked surprised. "What are you two doing here?"

"Zhenzhu told me you moved into a new home, so I came to have a look. What, am I not welcome?" Princess Chang Le asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not." Zhi Wan quickly recovered and shook her head, curtsying to the princess. "Zhi Wan greets Your Highness."

"Rise," Princess Chang Le said, helping her up. Noticing the food box in her hand, she asked curiously, "Were you on your way out? It seems we’ve come at an inconvenient time."

"Please don’t say that, Your Highness. It is my honor to have you grace my humble home. Please, come inside and have a seat." Zhi Wan said, turning to lead them into the main hall.

Once in the main hall, Ouyang Zhenzhu eyed the food box Zhi Wan had placed on the table. "What’s in there?" she asked curiously.

"Wontons I made," Zhi Wan explained as she poured them tea.

At that, Ouyang Zhenzhu’s mouth watered. She turned to Princess Chang Le and said, "Your Highness, the wontons Wanwan makes are absolutely delicious."

"Really?" Princess Chang Le looked at Zhi Wan doubtfully. "You can cook?"

Zhi Wan felt a little awkward. "Zhenzhu is exaggerating. I don’t know how to cook at all, I just know how to make wontons."

Ouyang Zhenzhu chimed in, "Your Highness, Wanwan can’t make any other dishes, but her wontons are fantastic. The filling is incredibly tasty—even Mr. Lu loves them!"

Hearing this, Princess Chang Le turned to Zhi Wan. "May I try some? I didn’t eat much this morning."

Zhi Wan: "..."

She had made these wontons for her cousin, and since she was in a hurry to get to the Duke Dingguo Mansion, she hadn’t made a large batch.

But with both of them asking, she couldn’t possibly refuse.

She figured she still had ready-made meat filling and wonton wrappers in the kitchen, so it wouldn’t be much trouble to make more. "These are all uncooked," she said. "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I’ll take them to the kitchen, cook them, and bring them right out."

Hearing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu stood up. "I’ll go with you."

"Then I’ll come along as well," Princess Chang Le said, also rising to her feet.

Zhi Wan tried to stop them. "That would be improper! Your Highness is of noble birth; how could you set foot in a kitchen? Zhenzhu, you shouldn’t go either. Stay here and keep Her Highness company."

Ouyang Zhenzhu looked reluctant but nodded anyway. "Alright. But I want a bigger portion of wontons. I haven’t had the ones you make in ages."

"Of course," Zhi Wan readily agreed.

"My portion can’t be any smaller than Ouyang Zhenzhu’s," Princess Chang Le added.

The corner of Zhi Wan’s mouth twitched. She agreed, "Alright." With that, she hurried off to the kitchen.

Ouyang Zhenzhu gave Princess Chang Le an indescribable look.

"What are you looking at me for?" Princess Chang Le shot her a sideways glance.

"I just don’t understand," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, frowning.

"Don’t understand what?"

"Aren’t you a princess?"

"And?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu twisted the handkerchief in her hands. "I thought princesses were supposed to have small appetites."

"Are princesses not human?" Princess Chang Le retorted, frowning. "Besides, you were the one who kept going on and on about how delicious Zhi Wan’s wontons are. Now I ask for a few more and you have a problem with it?"

’Ouyang Zhenzhu had a huge problem with it.’

’If Princess Chang Le’s portion was bigger than hers, it meant Wanwan would have to take some from her serving and put it in the princess’s bowl. Wouldn’t that mean she’d get to eat a lot less?’

"I wouldn’t dare," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, not letting a hint of her inner dissatisfaction show on her face.