CHAPTER 497: CHAPTER 497 LIGHT AND SIMPLE

Agarwood Pavilion, inner room.

The maid brought in the food box and set the dishes on the table.

Su Jin was sitting on the Imperial Concubine’s Couch, reading with her back to the maid.

After the dishes were set, the maid stepped back and said, "Heir’s wife, the meal is ready."

"I know, you may leave," Su Jin said.

After the maid left, Su Jin turned around.

This time, she had eaten quite a bit of Lizhi; the red rash on her face hadn’t completely disappeared, and some small red spots were faintly visible, just not as obvious.

Xie Jingchen parted the bead curtain and walked in.

Su Jin stepped into her slippers to wash her hands.

When she returned, she saw a table full of fish.

Steamed fish, braised fish, sauced carp, pearl carp, pan-fried fish fillets...

Eight dishes and a soup.

The soup was fish soup too.

Su Jin’s eyebrows knitted into a twist.

"What’s the occasion today, why is it only fish?" Su Jin asked.

Xie Jingchen sat down and looked at Su Jin, "Don’t you really like fish?"

Su Jin rolled her eyes at him.

She did really like fish.

But there’s no need for a whole table of it, right?

This was basically a river fish feast.

She pointed to the rash on her face, "Brother, I’m allergic, and I can’t eat fish because of it."

Xie Jingchen, "..."

He really didn’t know that allergies meant she couldn’t eat fish.

Normally, whatever the kitchen sent up, he would eat.

Su Jin sat down and looked at the table full of fish, "Who has it in for me?"

And it’s so obvious too.

Xie Jingchen put down his chopsticks and said, "Prince NanAn and his people are impatient; Prince NanAn asked my father-in-law how to make them change."

"Father-in-law told them to fish to cultivate patience and temperament."

"These days, they’ve caught quite a lot of fish, knowing the Emperor rewarded you with a box of Lizhi, they brought four buckets of fish to exchange for some Lizhi."

"The fish would become stale if they died, and the little kitchen was worried they wouldn’t be eaten, so they made a table of fish so you could taste different flavors in one go."

This table of fish was carefully prepared by the little kitchen, naturally intending to please Su Jin.

Though they were all fish, the flavors were different, so you wouldn’t get tired of them.

But they accidentally hit the wrong note.

Loves to eat Lizhi, can’t eat it.

Loves to eat fish, but is allergic and can’t eat it either.

Su Jin suspected she offended some deity today, otherwise, why would she be unable to fight back?

The Emperor’s antics were out of affection for her.

The little kitchen’s blunder was an attempt to flatter her.

Seriously.

Su Jin almost couldn’t bear it and wanted to cry.

Xie Jingchen instructed Xingxing, "Go and ask the little kitchen to make a few light side dishes."

Xingxing dashed out.

The little kitchen still thought it was to praise how well they cooked the river fish feast.

The housekeeper greeted her with a smile, "Is the table of dishes to the Heir’s wife’s satisfaction?"

"My lady ate a lot of Lizhi, and after seeing the table of fish, she wants some light side dishes," Xingxing said.

Housekeeper, "..."

She quickly responded, "I was careless, I’ll stir up a few light side dishes and send them over."

Hmm.

The light side dishes made by the little kitchen were really light, even the oil was scarcely enough.

They didn’t know that Su Jin hadn’t touched a bite of that table of fish.

Watching Xie Jingchen eat happily, she almost bit through her chopsticks.

Xie Jingchen looked at Su Jin and said, "I’ll have them bring the fish they catch these days."

Su Jin looked at the fish on the table, a bit surprised, "Why is this fish so big, are there such big fish in the river?"

That fish filled an entire plate.

If Su Jin hadn’t mentioned it, Xie Jingchen really wouldn’t have noticed; he looked at the fish and rubbed his forehead, "This one probably isn’t from the river."

"Bought it?" Su Jin asked incredulously.

"Father-in-law instructed them to fish, they wouldn’t dare to falsify," Xie Jingchen said.

But where this fish came from, Xie Jingchen really didn’t know.

Hmm.

How could Xie Jingchen have guessed that Chu Shun and his group were fishing on a small boat in Longshan Lake?

Longshan Lake was the largest lake near the Capital City.

Green mountains on both banks, lush trees, the lake waters stretch far and wide, with serene beauty.

Despite the scorching sun, the lake breeze was pleasantly comfortable on one’s body.

Enjoying the scenery while fishing, even those without patience would gain some.

Making them sit quietly by the riverbank fishing really tested their patience.

The fish in Longshan Lake were plump and delicious, while river fish had more bones. When they brought the fish back, the kitchen would eagerly cook them.

After two days of eating fish, they nearly choked on the bones and instantly lost affection for fish.

Prince NanAn asked where the fish had fewer bones, and the Heir of Marquis Beining said, "The catfish in Longshan Lake don’t have many bones."

"Then let’s fish at Longshan Lake," Prince NanAn suggested.

Hmm.

Longshan Lake not only had many fish but they were also large.

You couldn’t catch a single fish by the river, but at Longshan Lake, you could catch a whole bucket in half a day.

At the city gate.

Chu Shun and his companions sat on horseback, eagerly watching.

They had agreed on the hour to meet at the city gate and then go to Longshan Lake to fish.

However, by the agreed hour, a quarter of an hour had passed, and Prince NanAn still hadn’t arrived.

They were getting impatient as they were growing restless.

Waiting and waiting.

Another quarter of an hour passed before they saw Prince NanAn riding over.

"Why so late?" Chu Shun asked.

"Don’t mention it, I was tossing and turning last night, couldn’t sleep from the frustration, so I woke up late," Prince NanAn explained.

Prince NanAn shared the condition given by Princess NanAn for a month’s deadline, asking Chu Shun and the others for ideas.

There were ideas, but unfortunately, they couldn’t be implemented.

Previously, in order to find the Jade Pendant, Chu Shun suggested drawing the pendant and posting notices to find it.

As long as a handsome reward was offered, would there be no news?

However—

Even though Prince NanAn had worn the Jade Pendant for over a month.

He only had a rough memory of it, and the drawing barely resembled it.

If notices were indeed posted, there would be countless fake pendants.

His impression of the pendant was already vague, and distinguishing the real from the fake would be impossible.

Moreover, although the pendant was given to him, it was an engagement pendant after all, humiliating his fiancée’s family. Prince NanAn didn’t mind much, but Prince NanAn and Princess NanAn were adamantly against it.

They’d rather force him to apologize than agree to a public search.

And so, Chu Shun and the others were stuck.

"Unless that thieving girl has a change of heart and returns the pendant to you, how could it possibly be found?" the Heir of Marquis Beining said.

"Meticulously stole my pendant, can it be returned?" Prince NanAn sighed.

"Impossible," Chu Shun said.

"......"

"I racked my brain all night and it’s about to explode, you guys help me think of how to make the other party initiate a breakup," Prince NanAn urged.

"Breaking up isn’t hard?" the Eldest Young Master of Duke Dingguo Mansion said.

"Stay in a brothel for a few days, get into a fight over the Oiran, and I guarantee once the news spreads, your future in-laws will come to break off the engagement."

"....Can your idea get any worse?"

"I fear before my in-laws arrive, my father would beat me to death first."

"......"

Their hearty laughter echoed far.

Upon reaching Longshan Lake, Prince NanAn and his companions dismounted.

Several young ladies stood under a tree in the distance, asking, "Is it them?"

"Four elegant young nobles, it must be them," one of the ladies said.

Chu Shun and the others tied up their horses.

The graceful ladies approached, coyly saying, "Why did you gentlemen come so late? We’ve been waiting."

Prince NanAn and his companions exchanged glances.

"Did you call the ladies?" Chu Shun whispered.

"I didn’t," Prince NanAn replied.

"Then who did?"

"It definitely wasn’t me. I don’t have money," the Heir of Marquis Beining said.

The ladies continued to call out, "Sir, sir...."

Prince NanAn grew weary and said, "Go sunbathe over there."

The ladies, "......"

"Sir, the sun is so harsh, how can you bear it?" one lady clung to Prince NanAn.

"I said go, so go. It’s cooler near the lake. Do you want to go?" Prince NanAn exclaimed.

The ladies blushed.

They had never met someone like this, spending a lot to hire them, only to have them sunbathe by the lake!

But having paid, before they left, the housekeeper warned them to serve carefully, not to neglect, or else face consequences upon return.

Chu Shun and the others set off in a boat to fish.

The ladies stood under the sun.

They stood for two quarters of an hour.

The Heir of Duke Chong and his group rode over.

Seeing the ladies sweating profusely and appearing miserable.

He frowned tightly, looking at the Heir of Uncle Yongcheng, "Are these the beauties you chose? Are you sure they’re not fools?"