L'hibiscus comme peinture

Chapitre 92

"Yes, it's Prince Jin, he..." The steward stammered, his voice trembling. Despite the cold weather, sweat was streaming down his face, indicating that he had been terrified by Ao Jun and Jin Xuan.

"Jinxuan? Is he here? What's wrong with him?" Upon hearing Jinxuan's name, Aojun's brows furrowed even deeper, and she leaned weakly against the headboard. Even if Jinxuan came, there was no need to make such a commotion!

"Yes, Prince Jin arrived early this morning, he..." The steward's expression became even stranger when he mentioned Jin Xuan; he wanted to laugh but dared not, utterly at a loss for words. Prince Jin was acting so strangely today, scaring everyone in the entire manor half to death.

"Where is he?" Ao Jun slapped his forehead and asked casually. It's just Prince Jin, isn't it? Why is it so hard to say? This is truly the wicked system of social hierarchy!

"He...he's in the kitchen." When the butler said the last two words, it was almost a gulp from his throat, his voice so low that it could barely be heard. His expression had reached its peak; if he held it in any longer, he would surely burst his blood vessels and die.

"The kitchen?" Ao Jun asked incredulously, her brows furrowing even deeper. Although the steward spoke softly, she, with her profound inner strength, heard it clearly. But what was a prince like Jin Xuan doing in her mansion's kitchen so early in the morning?

"Yes," the butler nodded.

"Ugh, what's he doing in the kitchen?!" Ao Jun almost fainted, asking weakly with half-closed eyes. Seeing the butler's face flushed red as if he couldn't say anything, Ao Jun thought that even if he spoke, she didn't know how long he would hold it in. She waved her hand, stood up, and said, "Take me to see!" She wanted to see what Jin Xuan was doing in the kitchen that made the butler look like he was about to burst out laughing but was trying hard to suppress it.

"Yes." The butler wanted to come over and help Ao Jun, but Ao Jun stopped him with a gesture, so he could only lead Ao Jun to the kitchen.

Ao Jun followed the steward to the kitchen, looking utterly dejected. She hadn't seen a single person along the way! Although her household wasn't large, surely there was someone there? Where had everyone gone? Reaching the kitchen entrance only increased her frustration. Wasn't he just Prince Jin? Did he really need everyone here with him? Honestly, tormenting her all night wasn't enough, and now he had to continue tormenting her first thing in the morning… Actually, she was quite curious; what was a prince doing in the kitchen?

Kyoto Chapter 67: The Choice of the Heart

Ao Jun followed the steward to the kitchen, looking utterly dejected. She hadn't seen a single person along the way! Although her household wasn't large, surely there was someone there? Where had everyone gone? Reaching the kitchen entrance only increased her frustration. Wasn't he just Prince Jin? Did he really need everyone here with him? Honestly, tormenting her all night wasn't enough, and now he had to continue tormenting her first thing in the morning… Actually, she was quite curious; what was a prince doing in the kitchen?

"Where is Prince Jin?" Ao Jun asked coldly, even more annoyed, seeing everyone craning their necks to look into the kitchen and paying no attention to her. She didn't like being the center of attention, but she also didn't like being ignored.

Hearing that chilling voice, which seemed capable of freezing one to death, the servants huddled outside the kitchen trembled, awkwardly turning their heads. Seeing the expressionless Ao Jun, they all shivered, lowering their heads, but none of them answered. Although their mistress treated them well, her cold demeanor was far from amusing; her chill was even greater than that of the 'Cold-Faced War God,' Prince Jin.

“The prince is… he’s cooking… cooking something inside…” a rather bold and quick-witted servant stepped forward and said.

"Cooking?" Ao Jun frowned and repeated. Ouyang Jinxuan can...cook? Good heavens! This was absolutely the most ridiculous joke she had ever heard in her life. A prince who had been waited on hand and foot since childhood could cook? No matter how you looked at it, Jinxuan didn't seem like someone who had ever been in a kitchen. How could he suddenly have the urge to go to her kitchen and start cooking?

"Yes." The servant glanced sheepishly at Ao Jun's displeased face, then quickly lowered his head again.

Ao Jun glanced up at the kitchen, from which thick smoke billowed. Her face turned even more ashen. She waved for everyone to leave before strode toward the kitchen that looked extremely dangerous. She wondered what he had done to her kitchen and hoped it could still be salvaged. Honestly, what was he doing cooking in her house? I think he came to demolish her kitchen!

"Cough cough..." As soon as Ao Jun stepped into the kitchen, she was choked by the thick smoke and coughed violently. The entire kitchen was so thick with smoke that it was impossible to see anything. If it weren't for her exceptional eyesight, she would have tripped and fallen as soon as she entered.

"Ouyang Jinxuan, what are you doing? Burning down the house?" Upon seeing the blue figure squatting in front of the stove, frantically adding firewood, Ao Jun couldn't contain herself and roared. Honestly, even if she rejected him, did he have to be so ruthless as to burn down her kitchen? And he even did it himself.

"Cough... Jun? What are you doing here? Get out quickly, there's too much smoke in here, you'll choke, cough..." Upon hearing Ao Jun's voice, Jin Xuan suddenly raised his head, wiped his face, and anxiously urged Ao Jun to leave, coughing violently as he spoke.

"What are you doing?" Ao Jun really wanted to laugh when she saw Jin Xuan's face, which looked like a cat's clown, but she didn't want to embarrass him, so she forced herself to suppress her laughter and asked calmly. Actually, she was practically bursting with suppressed laughter. This was hardly like a prince at all!

"Go out first, don't choke." Jinxuan didn't answer, but instead stood up and desperately tried to shove Aojun out of the kitchen. Once Aojun was completely out of the kitchen, he threatened with a stern face, "Don't come back in, or I'll burn your kitchen down." Then he turned back to continue battling the fire in his stove, but it seemed that there was only smoke and no fire in his stove.

"Hey, is this your kitchen or mine? Aren't you taking over my place like a cuckoo?" Ao Jun was really annoyed. She stood at the kitchen door and shouted inside. Even if you're a prince, you can't do this! Who occupies someone else's kitchen and kicks the host out? Besides, her kitchen is practically burned down now.

"Your house is my house, cough cough... wait outside for me." Jin Xuan's domineering voice immediately came from the thick smoke, but he was choked by the smoke and could not speak with any force.

"You..." Ao Jun was speechless with anger. How could someone be so domineering? Why hadn't she noticed this before? She thought he was different from other princes, that he wouldn't always put on such a princely air. But after finding out she was a woman, he kept putting on that princely air in front of her, it was infuriating! However...

"Hahaha..." Ao Jun suddenly burst into laughter. She remembered Jin Xuan's disheveled appearance earlier, his face covered in soot, which he kept trying to smear, only making him look worse, with two black 'mustache's' on either side. It was just too funny. She had never seen a prince with such a commanding presence and a 'laughing face' before. Jin Xuan was just too adorable, hahaha...

Just as Ao Jun was laughing uncontrollably, Jin Xuan, looking excited, came out of the kitchen, which was probably already dead, carrying a bowl of something he didn't know. He was coughing as he walked out. He was stunned when he saw Ao Jun laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face.

“Jun…” Jin Xuan came to Ao Jun’s side, raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked in confusion.

"Ah! You... Haha... I can't take it anymore, haha..." Ao Jun tried hard to hold back her laughter, but when she saw Jin Xuan like this, she couldn't help but bend over and laugh loudly. Forget about her image and her indifference, they all went to hell.

"What's so funny?" Jin Xuan saw Ao Jun laughing so hard she was almost out of breath, so he quickly patted her back and gently scolded her with a touch of affection. The usually aloof and indifferent Jun Zhiming was laughing so hard for no reason; had someone tickled her funny bone?

"Haha...cough...you...your face, haha..." Ao Jun laughed so hard she almost choked, pointing at Jin Xuan's face. If Jin Xuan hadn't patted her back to help her catch her breath, she definitely would have laughed herself to death.

"What's wrong with my face?" Jinxuan asked in confusion, reaching out to touch his face. When he looked down, his face was completely black. You could imagine how ugly his face looked, otherwise Jun wouldn't be laughing like that. Oh! How dare you laugh at him.

"Don't laugh," Jinxuan hissed, his face turning pale, then red, though it was hard to tell now. He had truly lost face this time.

"Cough... Okay, I... Heh... I won't laugh anymore, I won't laugh anymore." Seeing that Jin Xuan's already dark face had become even darker, Ao Jun politely stopped laughing, but she still couldn't help it because it was really funny.

"Laugh if you want to! Don't hold it in." Jin Xuan gently patted Ao Jun's back and said affectionately. He didn't like seeing her finally hold it in. He hoped that she could laugh when she wanted to laugh and cry when she wanted to cry. He hoped that she could let down all her coldness in front of him and live a carefree life without any burden, even if the person she was laughing at was him.

"Are you running a fever?" Ao Jun was taken aback by Jin Xuan's doting words and touched Jin Xuan's forehead. Not only did he come over early in the morning and keep her from sleeping, but he also inexplicably ruined her kitchen. Now she was laughing at him, and he was still so doting, telling her to laugh to her heart's content. Either he had a fever, or she was still asleep and dreaming.

"I don't have a fever. Here, eat this." Jinxuan chuckled as he removed Aojun's hand from his forehead and presented a bowl of dark, gooey stuff to Aojun like a treasure, looking at him expectantly.

"What is this?" Ao Jun frowned as she looked at the bowl of something that looked like poison. Could this be what he had spent all morning cooking? So he was a poison maker. He was making her eat this stuff that looked and smelled like poison. He might as well just kill her. Even if it was some kind of elixir of immortality, a youth-preserving elixir, or a divine medicine, she wouldn't eat it.

"This is the pork rib congee I cooked for you. It may not look very appetizing, but it should taste pretty good." Jin Xuan glanced at the bowl of so-called pork rib congee, his heart filled with happiness, and he looked at Ao Jun with pride and affection. He never imagined that cooking a bowl of congee would be more tiring than boxing all day, more difficult than fighting a war, but he still felt a great sense of accomplishment. It was his first time in the kitchen, and he had actually managed to cook a bowl of congee. It made him even prouder than fighting a war, and he realized that cooking for the one he loved was so blissful.

"You cooked this? Pork rib congee?" Ao Jun's mouth was agape, big enough to fit an egg. He swallowed hard, his eyes wide with disbelief.

So this dark, unappetizing thing was porridge? Her favorite pork rib porridge? She'd thought it was poison! And it was actually cooked by Jin Xuan himself! Had she misheard or was he mistaken? The dignified Prince Jin personally cooked porridge for her, making such a mess just for a bowl of porridge. Look at him now, where was his majestic Prince Jin demeanor? She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. A wave of helplessness washed over her, mixed with a sweet feeling. She had once told Xue that she hoped her future husband would serve her a bowl of hot, lovingly cooked pork rib porridge every morning when she woke up. Unexpectedly, Jin Xuan really did bring her a bowl of his 'hot, lovingly cooked pork rib porridge' when she woke up. It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved, and a lie to say she wasn't happy…

"Yes! Here, have some." Jinxuan scooped up a spoonful and held it to Aojun's lips, speaking gently. He looked every bit the gentle and considerate husband, but if you looked at his face, something seemed off.

"Jin...Jinxuan, can I not eat this?" Ao Jun looked at the spoonful of dark, unappetizing 'rib porridge' in front of her, suppressing the churning in her stomach, and pleaded. Yes, although it was her dream, and although she was moved and felt happy, that was one thing, and that was another. If she really drank this bowl of 'porridge,' she probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed for a month, and might even die young!

"No, you have to eat it." Jinxuan's face darkened, and he said coldly, his gentle 'husband' suddenly turning into a domineering 'husband'.

"No!" Ao Jun cried out as she looked at the 'rib porridge' that was about to reach her mouth, but it was no use, and the spoonful still went into her mouth.

"How was it?" Jinxuan looked at Aojun expectantly, just like a primary school student eager to get the teacher's approval. His deep eyes gleamed.

Seeing Jin Xuan like this, Ao Jun really didn't want to go against his wishes. She was about to nod and say it was delicious against her will, but she just couldn't take it anymore. Her stomach was protesting strongly, and waves of nausea were rising in her throat. When she saw that Jin Xuan was holding 'poison' in his hand, Ao Jun's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, almost foaming at the mouth. Her only thought before collapsing was: Jin Xuan was definitely doing this on purpose. He had tormented her all night, keeping her awake, and she woke up this morning with a headache and dizziness. This morning, he not only came to burn down her kitchen, but also gave her a bowl of 'poison' to eat. This was simply trying to kill her!

"Jun. Jun... what's wrong? Someone, call a doctor..." Ao Jun's sudden collapse threw the 'God of War' into a panic. Jin Xuan picked up Ao Jun and ran quickly towards the room while shouting loudly. He had completely lost his usual composure and calmness.

As night fell, the bustling Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's residence finally quieted down, seemingly no different from any other day, just as desolate. The only difference was that the master of the house had fallen ill. The cause of her illness was so simple it was almost laughable: she had food poisoning from a bowl of "rib porridge" lovingly prepared by the current Prince Jin. This alarmed everyone in the residence, including Prince Jin himself. He even summoned the best imperial physicians, and the emperor and empress were also alerted. They not only personally visited the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor's residence but also bestowed upon him many precious medicinal herbs, such as Tian Shan snow lotus and the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill… It was widely rumored that the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, Young Master Mo Jun, was extremely favored, the most trusted confidant of the current emperor, empress, and Prince Jin, wielding immense power and influence throughout the land.