Gluttonous Crown Princess

Gluttonous Crown Princess Chapter 22.1

After about two hours, the Sixth Princess awakened. To be precise, she was awakened by a tantalising aroma.

She followed the fragrance to the little kitchen. All the palace attendants she met along the way had the same expression as she did, sniffing the sweet aroma with an expression of enjoyment.

“Sister-in-law, what kind of sweets are you making? How can it smell so good?!” asked the Sixth Princess as she peered around.

“Greedy little kitten, you sure are good with your timing, aren’t you? These salted egg yolk pastries have just come out of the oven and here you are.” Tao Ti wrapped one in a piece of greaseproof paper and handed it to her. “Try it. Careful, it’s hot.”

The moment the pastry was in her hands, the rich sweet aroma became even more intense.

The palace attendants on the side couldn’t help swallowing their saliva, their eyes staring straight at the small golden pastry in the Sixth Princess’s hands, as if they could also taste it when she took a bite.

The Sixth Princess bit into it eagerly and her black eyes lit up. The pastry’s outer skin was soft and sweet, and when she bit down, there was first a layer of soft, glutinous snow skin pastry, then a sweet and rich red bean paste and a salted egg yolk. The sweet and salty flavours came together at just the right balance… It was simply delicious!

The Sixth Princess didn’t even have time to make any comments; she just stuffed bite after bite into her mouth. With bulging cheeks, she nodded at Tao Ti with a face full of surprise, “Ish thasty!”

Seeing her look of praise, Tao Ti laughed out loud. “Slow down, I’ve made a lot. If you want more, I’ll pack a plateful for you to bring back with you.”

“Thank you, sister-in-law!” said the Sixth Princess with immense admiration.

Seeing that it was getting late, before the Sixth Princess was about to leave, Tao Ti did indeed pack a plateful of salted egg yolk pastries for her, as well as four small jars of candied preserves.

The Sixth Princess was a little reluctant to leave. She tugged on Tao Ti’s sleeve and said affectionately, “Sister-in-law, may I come to play with you again next time?”

Seeing the dependence in those big eyes, Tao Ti’s heart softened. She stroked the Sixth Princess’s little head and said, “Of course you may. You are always welcome.”

Upon hearing that, the Sixth Princess was overjoyed.

Watching the Sixth Princess’s happy figure as she left, Tao Ti couldn’t keep a light smile from spreading across her face. This was probably the healing power of food.

She withdrew her gaze leisurely, turned around and filled another plate with the salted egg yolk pastries, then asked a eunuch to send it to Pei Yan as an afternoon snack.

Seeing the eager looks of her palace attendants, she wasn’t stingy and let them share the rest after keeping a portion for herself.

“This type of freshly-made salted egg yolk pastry has to be eaten fresh. There’s been too much rain recently and it’s quite humid, so they won’t last long. Rather than wasting it, it’s better for you all to share them.”

This reason allowed the Yaoguang Hall’s palace attendants to put down their fears and share the pastries with peace of mind—

“My goodness, this taste is simply amazing! The Crown Princess must be the reincarnation of the Kitchen God! Otherwise, how could she be able to make such a delicious pastry?”

“The Crown Princess is really ingenious. How is she able to make so many delicious things with just salted duck eggs alone? If she opened a restaurant outside, business would surely be booming, and money would just come rolling in.”

“Listen to yourself— who do you think the Crown Princess is? Why would she care about that amount of money?”

“Sigh, it’s so tasty, but it’s too bad that I only got half. I kind of understand why the Sixth Princess cried—the thought that I can only get to have this one bite of such a delicious pastry, I feel like crying too.”

“Previously, when I heard that I had to come to serve the Crown Princess, I was reluctant. Now, I won’t comply if anyone wants to transfer me away! The Crown Princess is really a goddess. As long as I can get such a mouthful of food from time to time, I’m willing to serve her for the rest of my life!”

“Me too!!!”

That afternoon, Yaoguang Hall was immersed in the rich fragrance of pastry, and the atmosphere was incomparably peaceful.

On the other hand, at Zixia Hall—

Preceptor Song was holding onto a piece of salted egg yolk pastry as he chewed slowly, his eyes narrowing with pleasure. “This is good. The pastry is crisp and fragrant, the filling is ample and rich; it’s truly unforgettable. With such good craftsmanship, Your Highness, you are truly blessed.”

Preceptor Song gave this compliment with full sincerity. After finishing the pastry, he was still a little hankering for more. If it wasn’t for his status, he would’ve picked up all the crumbs that had fallen to the plate to eat as well.

“Teacher, if you like it, have some more.”

“No, no. This is the Crown Princess’s regard for you. I’m fortunate enough to taste a piece today, and I’m very satisfied with that.” That’s what he said, but his eyes shifted honestly over to the plate of pastries.