Ultimate Motive

The head chef of the imperial kitchen was under immense pressure. He still couldn’t find a way to make the dried pears after racking his brains. While studying the recipe, he broke a piece of the original dried pear. This caused the crown prince to cry over it for some time. The head chef was really at his wits’ end.

“Aren’t these pretty good?”

Eunuch Su looked at the plates of dried fruits regretfully. He couldn’t tell what was wrong with them.

“These are either too dry or too soggy. The taste was not right either. It’s too difficult to get things just right.”

The head chef was on the verge of tears. He had been working in the imperial kitchen with his master since he was young. He had been working in the palace for more than forty years and had never encountered any problems. To think that he was now stumped by this little dried pear. It was really embarrassing.

“Young man, don’t be anxious. Continue with your hard work.”

Eunuch Su could tell that the chef was on the verge of giving up, so he tried his best to encourage him. He must not leave. If he left, there would be no one left to make the dried pears.

“…” The head chef looked completely dejected. What young man was Eunuch Su talking about? His grandson is old enough to date girls.

Eunuch Su was indeed the chief steward. By deploying kindness and authority, he was able to convince the chef to get on with his work obediently without any complaints.

“Alright, keep working hard. I’ll go visit the little crown prince.”

Seeing that he had been successfully brainwashed, Eunuch Su smiled and left with his men.

The head chef of the imperial kitchen watched Eunuch Su leave and immediately immersed himself in the making of the dried pears again. He felt that Eunuch Su was right. If he could get this done properly, he would have achieved great merits.

That’s right! He didn’t believe that a small dried pear could stump an old master like him!

“Aunt Zhixia.”

“It’s Eunuch Su.”

Zhixia stopped and smiled at the man.

“How is the Crown Prince? Is he still crying?”

Zhixia smiled and shook her head. “No, he’s not crying anymore. He’s gotten tired from crying. We have run out of hot water in the house. He is asking me to make this for him using hot water.” As she spoke, she showed Eunuch Su the small jar in her hand.

“Oh? What is this?” Eunuch Su looked at the black substance and asked curiously.

“I heard from the Crown Prince that it’s called Autumn Pear Syrup. He brought it back from there.”

“Autumn Pear Syrup? What exactly is it?”

Eunuch Su took it and sniffed it. The smell of pears and medicine was really strange.

“The Crown Prince can’t explain it clearly either. He just said that the pears were brewed with medicinal herbs. He also said that the General’s wife specially brewed it for him to bring back.” Zhixia closed the lid. “Since his voice had gotten hoarse from crying, he asked me to make a glass of this for him.”

“Oh? You drink this when your voice is hoarse?”

“That’s what he said. This works for coughs too. He also reminded me of the exact amount. Just a spoonful would do.”

“How novel.” Eunuch Su looked at the thing called Autumn Pear Syrup. Would drinking this help with sore throats?

“It’s just a small matter. You don’t have to do this. Someone, come and help.”

As Eunuch Su ended his sentence, he immediately tried to call someone over.

“Sigh, no, no. The Crown Prince doesn’t want anyone else to touch it. It’s very precious to him.” Zhixia smiled and got ready to leave. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. I have to get back to work.”

Eunuch Su nodded and quickly made way for her. After she left, he knocked on the door to visit the crown prince.

“Eunuch Su? I thought it was Aunt Zhixia.”

When Xiaoyi saw who it was, he sat down in disappointment.

“Aiyo, Your Highness, don’t sit there. Come, sit here. It’s warm by the fire.”

Eunuch Su’s heart ached as he helped Xiaoyi up. He handed him the stove and adjusted the fur scarf around his neck.

Xiaoyi sniffled and said aggrievedly in a hoarse voice, “It’s no fun in the palace at all!”

“Shh…” Eunuch Su quickly covered his mouth and said fearfully, “Baby, you can’t say that casually. The walls have ears.”

Eunuch Su was referring to the current empress of the side palace. The crown prince wasn’t her biological son after all. What if she targeted the little crown prince?

“Hmph.” Xiaoyi turned his head to the side and said unhappily, “I’m telling the truth. It’s not warm at all in the palace. Besides, this thing is not hot at all. It’s cold here in the house, unlike Zhuang Zhuang’s place. I don’t even have to wear a coat there. It’s so hot even though I was just dressed in my underwear. And…”

Xiaoyi told Eunuch Su about the benefits there and compared it with the palace.

“Then what do you want, little ancestor?” Eunuch Su was already old. Hearing these words made his head hurt.

When Xiaoyi heard what he wanted to hear, he secretly revealed a smile, this means that his plan had succeeded. Then, he pretended like nothing had happened and said word by word firmly.

“I! Want! To! Go! To! The! Peach! Flower! Village! To! Find! Zhuang! Zhuang!”

He secretly added in his heart, “And Zhuang Zhuang’s mother.” As the crown prince, he can’t just acknowledge anyone as his closest kin. But in his heart, Xiaoguo was his mother. Zhuang Zhuang had agreed to this.

“Ancestor…”

Eunuch Su let out a long sigh. So the purpose of this commotion was to return to Peach Blossom Village.

“About this…”

“Ah, I don;t want to hear this. No, no, no.” Xiaoyi covered his ears. He could guess what Eunuch Su was going to say. He definitely wouldn’t agree to it.

Just as Eunuch Su was about to give in and help him beg the emperor, Zhixia happened to enter the house with the autumn pear syrup.

Xiaoyi stared at the floor in dissatisfaction. If only Aunt Zhixia had come in a little later. His plan had fallen into the drain.

Eunuch Su heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Zhixia had come in. Otherwise, he would have fallen into his trap.

“Come, drink it while it’s hot.”

Zhixia handed him the glass. Xiaoyi held it in his hands and drank in small sips. He was such a good boy. He still remembered what Xiaoguo had said. Drinking one glass a day was good for the respiratory tract. Although he didn’t know which path the respiratory tract was, he remembered that it was good for the throat.

He couldn’t think about it anymore. The more he thought about them, the more he wanted to go back. Xiaoyi’s eyes were red as he sipped on the autumn pear syrup drink.

His pitiful look made the two adults in the room feel sorry for him. When had he ever made a fuss about anything? It was really heartbreaking to see him like this.

Eunuch Su stayed for a while more before leaving. Before he stepped out, he could not help but steal a glance at Xiaoyi. At the same time, Xiaoyi was putting up his most pitiful look to show Eunuch Su. Eunuch Su was feeling bad for the boy—he was planning to seek the emperor’s permission to let Xiaoyi spend a few more days at Peach Blossom Village.

When he returned to the emperor’s side, Eunuch Su was hesitant and didn’t know how to broach the subject. It was hard for Shao Zhan to ignore Eunuch Su’s actions. After all, it was quite disconcerting to see such an old person twisting and turning right beside him.

After countless attempts from Eunuch Su to bring up the matter, Shao Zhan couldn’t help but slam down his brush.

“Eunuch Su, if you have something to say, just say it.”

“Then… then I’ll be so bold.” As he spoke, tears welled up in the corners of Eunuch Su’s eyes. He sniffed twice and said, “Your humble servant had just come from visiting the crown prince. Don’t even mention to me about his pitiful face. It’s only been a day since I last saw him, and his face has turned so sallow…”

If Shao Zhan hadn’t known better, he would have believed it. The corners of his eyes twitched. Eunuch Su was too good at making things up.

“So, your humble servant suggests that the crown prince be allowed to return to the general’s house to play for a few more days, since he likes it so much.”

“Sigh, you have been completely fooled by Xiaoyi.” Shao Zhan shook his head helplessly.

Eunuch Su did not understand what he meant. “Your Majesty…”

“Alright, stop talking. Xiaoyi can’t go out anymore. He’s not getting any younger. It’s time for him to settle down and study.”

As soon as Shao Zhan said that, Eunuch Su shut up. He understood what the emperor meant. Sigh, such was the fate of a crown prince. He was destined to be bound within the palace.

Eunuch Su looked melancholic. He wanted to help the crown prince make the request, but he was powerless.

“You may leave.” Shao Zhan rubbed his eyebrows and waved at him to leave.

Seeing this, Eunuch Su bowed and left. Before leaving, he suddenly heard the emperor cough. He looked at him worriedly. The weather had turned cold recently. Was the emperor feeling unwell?