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Глава 23

The method for preparing this osmanthus tea was devised by Ning Jin himself. Now, hearing Zhan Zhao's praise, he immediately looked away, feeling very proud: "This tea is extraordinary. You certainly can't drink it every day. Zhan Zhao, you've traveled all over the country and seen a lot. Have you ever tasted such fragrant tea?"

Zhan Zhao smiled and shook his head. In truth, tea was nothing more than a way to quench his thirst; he didn't care at all about the strength of the aroma.

"You haven't tried it either, have you?" Ning Jin glanced at Mo Yan.

"No." Mo Yan shook her head.

Seeing that she was willing to admit it, Ning Jin asked smugly, "When you drink it, can you taste any benefits?"

"This tea is scented with fresh osmanthus flowers, giving it a rich aroma and also having the effect of relieving gas and soothing the stomach," Mo Yan said after tasting it carefully. Ning Jin was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this little girl would also understand the wonders of this tea.

“However…” She frowned and paused slightly.

Upon hearing those two words, Zhan Zhao lowered his eyes helplessly, knowing full well that what followed was certainly not pleasant to hear, but it was too late to stop him.

"But what?" Ning Jin was eager to know what would happen next.

"However, tea has a pure flavor, but its nature is easily swayed. The pleasure of tea tasting lies in its pure fragrance. If you force these flowers and herbs into it, although the aroma may be stronger, it will ruin the original flavor of the tea and become vulgar and pretentious..."

Mo Yan spoke eloquently, unaware that Ning Jin's face was growing increasingly unpleasant, and even Zhan Zhao looked embarrassed.

"Are you saying I'm vulgar and tasteless?!"

Ning Jin clearly thought Mo Yan's impolite words were deliberately meant to embarrass him, but he was truly wrong about her. Mo Yan herself didn't care about the quality or aroma of the tea; these words all came from her second senior brother, Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen was blind, extremely sensitive to taste, and somewhat obsessive by nature. He himself disliked flower tea, so naturally he could offer reasons to criticize it. In reality, it was simply a matter of different tastes; there was no question of it being vulgar or pretentious. Mo Yan had been very close to him since childhood, and through this exposure, her views on things were about 70% similar to his. She didn't see anything wrong with what she was saying casually.

“I meant tea,” Mo Yan calmly corrected him.

If it weren't for Zhan Zhao, Ning Jin would definitely have Wu Zichu teach this arrogant girl a lesson.

"I think it tastes pretty good," Zhan Zhao interjected casually, then reminded Ning Jin to look at the chessboard, "Your Highness, it's your turn."

Ning Jin responded casually and turned his attention back to the chessboard. Since Zhan Zhao had given him a way out, it would be childish of him to argue with this little girl any further.

After game after game, regardless of winning or losing, Ning Jin always enthusiastically asked for another round. Although Zhan Zhao was tired, he didn't want to spoil Ning Jin's fun, so he patiently played through the game. During a break, he glanced up and saw Mo Yan curled up in her chair in an extremely uncomfortable position, her head tilted to one side as she dozed off.

After an unknown amount of time, someone respectfully said from outside the door, "Your Highness, the lotus seed soup is ready."

"Is it stewed until tender?"

"Your Highness, they're all stewed until very tender."

"Come in." Ning Jin put down the chess pieces, stretched, and said to Zhan Zhao, "You've been playing chess for so long, are you hungry? Have a bowl of lotus seed soup to warm yourself up."

Zhan Zhao put down the chess piece as instructed and was about to wake Mo Yan when he saw that she had woken up at some point and was staring at the steaming lotus seed soup on the tray with bright eyes, clearly very hungry.

Ning Jin naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to ask Mo Yan how the lotus seed soup tasted. Even though he saw her serve herself three bowls and eat them quickly without blinking, he pretended not to see it.

Zhan Zhao and Ning Jin each ate only one bowl. It wasn't that they weren't hungry, but rather that Mo Yan had served them all, leaving them with nothing to eat.

As the first rays of morning light streamed in through the window, Ning Jin, whose game of chess was not yet finished, took a piece of silk cloth and covered the chessboard, saying with a smile, "I'm tired today. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so let's save it for tomorrow night to enjoy the moon and play chess. Wouldn't that be more elegant?"

"I appreciate Your Highness's kindness, but I am busy with official duties and dare not slack off."

"Even if your Kaifeng Prefecture staff were made of iron, they couldn't be on duty 24/7," Ning Jin said impatiently. "Are you trying to accuse me of obstructing official business?"

"Zhan Zhao dares not."

"Then it's settled."

Zhan Zhao was about to refuse when Mo Yan hurriedly spoke up from the side.

"I can't come tomorrow night, I made plans to celebrate the holiday with my senior sister."

Ning Jin slowly looked at her, forcing a smile: "Miss, I invited Zhan Zhao, not you."

"That's good."

Mo Yan's bright smile almost made Ning Jin suffer internal injuries from anger.

On the way back to the city, Zhan Zhao did not use his lightness skill again, but walked slowly with Mo Yan. After leaving Hanshan Temple, the two walked for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts, in silence.

Zhan Zhao was thinking about those chess games.

Mo Yan was thinking about those bowls of lotus seed soup.

Chapter Seventeen

As they walked out of Fengqiao Town and reached the center of the stone bridge, the bell of Hanshan Temple rang out, and the two of them slowed down at the same time...

"You also think something's fishy?" Mo Yan couldn't help but ask.

Zhan Zhao nodded. Ning Jin only thought briefly during those games of chess, then played very quickly, his style of play unlike his usual steady one, clearly indicating that he had something on his mind.

"How did you notice anything amiss?" Zhan Zhao asked. Although Mo Yan didn't understand chess, her observation skills in other areas were meticulous.

Mo Yan licked her lips and said, "The lotus seed soup was reheated."

"Um?"

“The lotus seed soup was reheated, not freshly cooked, that’s not right,” she repeated. “Prince Ning is particular about his food, even his tea is so refined, how could his servants try to fool him with reheated lotus seed soup?”

"Was the lotus seed soup reheated? How do you know?"

“The lotus seed soup is made with the delicate fragrance of lotus seeds. Reheating it will greatly diminish the aroma.” Mo Yan frowned and shook her head. “You may not be able to taste it, but there’s no reason why someone like him wouldn’t be able to.”

“In other words, the lotus seed soup was cooked in advance, but it was not served.” Zhan Zhao fell into deep thought. “And Prince Ning clearly had no intention of playing chess, but he insisted on playing until the lotus seed soup was served before stopping… So perhaps the lotus seed soup was just a signal.”

"What signal?"