In the large study in the front courtyard, He Sanlang, who was being worried about by Chu Lian, sat coldly across from the young royal prince Lu Tai. Three male accessories were already placed on the small table next to him.

Lu Tai anxiously looked at the chessboard in front of him. He regretted it as soon as he made his move. Wasn't this clearly jumping into He Changdi's trap?

Why didn't he see it earlier?

Due to his face, he couldn't take back his move.

Thus, under Lu Tai's pained gaze, He Changdi's slender fingers picked up a black jade chess piece from the chess cup next to him and dropped it on the chessboard with a clatter, blocking the white chess piece's path of survival.

He Changdi glanced at the somewhat stiff young royal prince. Seeing that he didn't have any extra accessories on him, he generously said, "Royal Prince, thank you for letting me win. Let's forget about this game."

This young royal prince of the Prince of Wei's Estate was also an extremely talented person. Although he was the legitimate son, he was not the eldest son. In the future, the estate would be handed over to the eldest royal prince. However, he had been given the title of Prince by the Emperor and was more valued by Emperor Chengping than the eldest royal prince.

However, this young royal prince Lu Tai had a hobby of playing chess and playing tricks on people.

Although he was a bit naughty and mischievous, he admired people who were good at chess the most.

Befriending him through chess was the best method.

He Sanlang had never thought of befriending Lu Tai. It was just that since the other party had come knocking on his door, he just went along with the flow.

Lu Tai stared intently at the endgame, his eyes shining. He didn't expect this newly promoted Marquis Dingyuan to be so good at chess.

It had been a long time since he had tasted defeat.

"Older Brother He, let's play another game!" As he spoke, Lu Tai had already picked up the black and white chess pieces and placed them into the chess cup next to him.

His affectionate manner no longer had any of the arrogance and teasing from before.

The way he addressed him had also changed from the distant Marquis Dingyuan to the intimate Older Brother He …

He Changdi froze for a moment and the corners of his mouth twitched.

In reality, it really wasn't because he had trained hard at chess that his skills were outstanding.

The truth was that Lu Tai was a terrible chess player. His own chess skills were only slightly above average.

In the past, when Lu Tai played chess with others, no one really dared to win against him due to his status. They would just try their best to go easy on him. He Sanlang won four games in a row, but he was only playing at his normal level.

Who told this young royal prince to be so blind and take a fancy to the jade thumb ring on his thumb? He insisted that he use the jade thumb ring as a gambling stake.

It wasn't easy for him to receive a gift from his wife, so he naturally treated it like a treasure. How could he really lose to someone else? Naturally, he tried his best when playing chess.

He Sanlang stood up and bowed towards the young royal prince. "Royal Prince, if you like to play chess, I'll visit you another day. I really need to go to the Left Guard to deal with some matters."

Since He Changdi put it this way, Lu Tai naturally couldn't refuse.

However, he uncharacteristically followed He Sanlang to the Left Guard to join in the fun.

There was a lot of preparation work to do before cooking the roast duck. It would be noon in two hours, so the roast duck could only be eaten in the evening.

Chu Lian and Royal Princess Duanjia changed into casual casual clothes and each brought a senior maidservant to the small kitchen in the Princess of Wei's courtyard. There were also two skilled female cooks in the small kitchen to help.

There were actually many kinds of roast duck. In modern times, Chu Lian had tasted roast ducks from different cities when she traveled to different places. They all tasted different.

Her favorite was Jinling roast duck and Peking roast duck.

Because she was a southerner and her home was in Jinling, she naturally learned Jinling roast duck.

The origin of Jinling roast duck could be said to be from the era of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. The most common methods were barbecued roast duck and stovetop roast duck.

Chu Lian was most familiar with stovetop roast duck. Today, she also taught Royal Princess Duanjia this method.

Before roasting the stovetop roast duck with charcoal, there were many procedures that could be described as cumbersome. However, with the help of two skilled female cooks, she and Royal Princess Duanjia were much more relaxed.

Royal Princess Duanjia, who was usually a bit arrogant, learned very seriously this time. She pursed her lips and carefully remembered every step.

From time to time, she would ask Chu Lian if she did it correctly.

When Royal Princess Duanjia asked her for the third time about the step of brushing oil, Chu Lian said doubtfully, "The steps to roast duck are very complicated. When I first learned it, I had to do it many times before I could remember. It's your first time doing it, so it's normal for you to make mistakes. You just need to do it a few more times.

If you're worried that you can't remember the steps, I'll write down the recipe for you after I'm done. "

Royal Princess Duanjia was stunned for a moment. Then, a sincere and bright smile appeared on her face. She pulled Chu Lian's arm and shook it, "Sixth Chu, really?

You want to give me the recipe? "

Chu Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had already taught her how to make roast duck. Wasn't the recipe just a matter of moving her pen?

"What else can I do?

There are so many steps. Do you think you can remember them all at once? "

Royal Princess Duanjia hugged Chu Lian's arm. Her big eyes instantly became misty, "Sixth Chu, you're so nice!"

Although Royal Princess Duanjia was a proud daughter, she was the only daughter in the Prince of Wei's household. Coupled with the special status of the Prince of Wei's household, her life in the boudoir was actually very lonely.

Because of her status as a noble lady in the capital, she didn't really have a good relationship with any of the noble ladies in the capital.

Chu Lian was the first sister that she had completely opened her heart to.

Chu Lian pursed her lips into a smile, her face beautiful, "Princess, you finally know that I'm good to you!"

Royal Princess Duanjia glared at her and flashed her little fist, threatening, "Sixth Chu, you're really an idiot. You don't even know what this recipe for roast duck means. Luckily, you gave it to me. If you gave it to someone else, you'd be crying."

After saying that, she felt worried and continued, "Sixth Chu, I'm telling you, you can't let anyone else know about this recipe of yours."

Chu Lian found it funny and could only nod in agreement.

In her eyes, the only benefit of these recipes, which were extremely precious in the eyes of others, was that they could be used to make a meal that suited her taste. That was all.

If she wanted to, her mind would be filled with them.

Seeing her nod, Royal Princess Duanjia felt a little relieved. She sighed mischievously, "This princess is now a little worried for Marquis Dingyuan. He has married such a prodigal daughter-in-law. He must watch over her in the future."

The corner of Chu Lian's eye twitched, "Didn't Your Highness dislike my husband in the past?"

Royal Princess Duanjia laughed dryly, "That was in the past!

I thought he didn't have any ability!

I didn't expect him to be made a marquis after just one trip to the north … You're now a first-rank Lady of Honor. The title of Marquis Dingyuan is worth more than the title of Jinyi Village Lord. "

"Your Highness, your views change so quickly!" Chu Lian complained.

Royal Princess Duanjia felt a little guilty. The reason why she flattered He Changdi so much was not just because he had made a great contribution. A large part of it was because of the older man, He Erlang …

Chu Lian sensitively sensed that something was wrong with Royal Princess Duanjia's expression, "What's wrong? Is it because you've been in the kitchen for too long that the smoke is making you uncomfortable?"

Royal Princess Duanjia hurriedly waved her hands.

By the time the roast duck was ready, it was already past lunchtime. The remaining steps were simple. They only needed to roast the duck over the charcoal fire and brush it with a special oil when it was out of the oven. The two kitchen maids could do this, so Chu Lian didn't need to watch over them.

The guards in the front courtyard had already informed He Changdi to go to the Left Guard. Chu Lian had lunch in Princess Wei's courtyard.

At around five in the afternoon, the roast duck was out of the oven.

Chu Lian personally brushed a layer of sesame oil on it. This would not only increase the gloss of the skin, but it would also remove the soot and increase the fragrance.

The entire small kitchen was filled with the enticing aroma of freshly baked roast duck.

It was getting late. Chu Lian wanted to leave, but Princess Wei asked her to stay.

"Jinyi, stay and eat with us. His Highness will be back soon. You've been here so many times, but you've never seen him!"

Royal Princess Duanjia also chimed in, "Chu Liu, aren't you greedy? We've been making roast duck for half a day and we haven't even had a good meal yet!"

Chu Lian couldn't resist Royal Princess Duanjia's enthusiasm, so she decided to stay at Prince Wei's residence for dinner before returning.

Unexpectedly, in the evening, not only did Prince Wei return, but he also brought back a few familiar young people.

The customs of the Great Wu Dynasty were very civilized. With the presence of elders, young men and women could still meet and talk. Some open-minded families even allowed men and women to eat at the same table. However, it wasn't common for noble families to eat at the same table.

Outside the courtyard, a servant girl announced that His Highness had returned.

Princess Wei waited in the reception pavilion with Royal Princess Duanjia and Chu Lian.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the sound of servants greeting him could be heard from outside.

Chu Lian and the others who were sitting in the reception pavilion suddenly frowned together.

When the felt curtains in the reception pavilion were pulled open by two servant girls, a middle-aged man walked in with square steps. He was tall and dignified. Although age had left its mark on his face, it didn't affect his elegant temperament.

After seeing the Princess of Wei, Prince Wei's originally stern face softened instantly, as if a breeze had blown past his face.

Four young men followed behind Prince Wei.

The most well-built of them was He Changjue, He Erlang.

He was dressed in the Dragon Guard's white flying fish robe with black patterns. A sword hung at his waist. His face was resolute, his shoulders were wide and his waist was narrow. His skin was slightly dark, but his temperament was sunny. He didn't seem like the two men behind him, who seemed to be able to freeze everyone within ten li when they walked together.

He Changdi's hair was black and his handsome face was cold. His phoenix eyes were deep, and his facial features were delicate and strong. When he stood next to Xiao Bojian, the two of them gave off a strange feeling that they were incompatible.

He was slightly taller than Xiao Bojian, and his temperament was colder than Xiao Bojian's. At a glance, he looked like a high and mighty 'flower on a high mountain' …

Xiao Bojian was dressed in a deep purple robe with a slightly darker purple cloak draped over him. His figure was thin and had the typical figure of a civil official. His face was like the work of the gods, breathtakingly beautiful. In particular, there was a hint of gloomy temperament between his brows, which made people want to tolerate him a little more.

The last one was the young prince, Lu Tai. He wore a sapphire blue official robe and a white jade crown to tie up his hair. Because he was still underage, his hair was only tied up in a bun, leaving the other half hanging behind him. Combined with his slightly immature features, he had the unique handsomeness of a young man.

The corners of Lu Tai's mouth curled up slightly, and his eyes seemed to be smiling yet not smiling. On such a cold day, he was still holding a sandalwood folding fan and waving it slightly. Was he not afraid of getting sick from the cold?

Each of the four young men had their own strong points in terms of appearance. They practically encompassed most of the 'beauty' that the young ladies of Shengjing pursued.

However, if one were to look at the beauty standards of the Great Wu Dynasty, the one who ranked first was, of course, Xiao Bojian.