Chapter 35: Su Yingxue walked to where the peach blossom cake had fallen earlier and gently crushed it underfoot.

After Su Yingxue stepped out from behind the beaded curtain held by her maids, she appeared in the princess ceremonial dress she wore for her hairpin ceremony that day. Adorned with pearls and jade, her brocade gown shimmered brilliantly. Her graceful figure, noble and elegant like a peony blooming among hundreds of flowers, remained peerlessly charming, surpassing all others in beauty.

The moment Chu Xingchen looked up, he was captivated by Su Yingxue’s appearance. He had to admit she was an exceptionally beautiful woman who embodied both elegance and nobility. Raised since childhood as royalty, her every gesture exuded the refinement and dignity of the princess’s palace.

Though sometimes madcap and willful, when sitting quietly without speaking, she resembled a celestial maiden descending to the mortal realm—so beautiful she seemed otherworldly. Chu Xingchen had to acknowledge that Su Yingxue appeared to inhabit a world entirely different from his own, a perfection beyond compare.

After the palace maid finished explaining the situation, the woman before him let out a soft laugh. With beauty like a fairy, she smiled down at him from her height as he knelt on the ground. “Rise. Lift your head and let This Palace have a good look at who dares to be so bold as to shatter This Palace’s peach blossom cake.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Xingchen obediently raised his head, revealing a young, handsome face full of heroic spirit to Su Yingxue. Though his features hadn’t fully matured at that time, he was already an extremely handsome youth brimming with vigor.

Dressed in simple yet clean palace attire, he carried an innate nobility and unyielding pride, much like a young eaglet that inevitably aroused curiosity.

Chu Xingchen’s expression was cold and resolute, but his starry eyes shone as brightly as dazzling stars, clear and luminous, filled with untamed defiance.

A mere lowly servant—yet in his eyes, she saw a sense of pride and stubbornness unlike any other servant or guard she had ever encountered. His gaze held countless thoughts, but not an ounce of reverence or submission toward her. How interesting.

Truly fascinating. Su Yingxue thought this was an intriguing palace servant.

“Which palace are you from? Speak well, and This Palace will not only refrain from punishing you but will also reward you.” Su Yingxue smiled as she walked up to him, stopping not far in front of him and fixing her gaze upon him.

“Your Highness the Eldest Princess, this humble servant… this humble servant comes from the Cold Palace,” Chu Xingchen replied in a hoarse voice, mimicking the tone of a servant.

“You are truly handsome,” Su Yingxue teased with a laugh. “This Palace has taken a liking to your appearance. If you are willing to serve as This Palace’s male consort, I will forgive you for breaking the plate earlier. Not only will you escape punishment, but you will also be gifted with brocade robes, pearls and jades, wealth and gold—a life of luxury and splendor.”

“This humble servant is lowly and unworthy, unfit to taint Your Highness’s eyes or defile the Eldest Princess’s palace.”

Chu Xingchen never expected that this Eldest Princess—an unmarried young woman who hadn’t even completed her hairpin ceremony—would speak so improperly at first meeting! Indeed, one should not judge by appearances; a beautiful face does not necessarily mean a virtuous woman.

“Audacious lowly slave! Her Highness the Eldest Princess, with her esteemed status, has favored you—this is your fortune and destiny! If you remain so ungrateful, you deserve death!” The palace maid Mei Kai’erdu began to rebuke Chu Xingchen angrily.

“This humble servant is of base status and unworthy of serving by Your Highness the Eldest Princess’s side. I beg Your Highness to forgive my offense.” Chu Xingchen knelt firmly on the ground, resolutely refusing.

“How interesting. You are quite special.” Su Yingxue laughed. “Since you are so determined, This Palace will give you two choices.”

Su Yingxue walked over to the peach blossom cakes that had fallen earlier, gently crushing and grinding them one by one under her palace slippers until they were flattened into misshapen pieces.

With a smile, she declared, “This Palace gives you two choices. First, you may become This Palace’s male consort, serving in the Princess’s Palace from now on, where wealth and honor shall be yours.”

“Second, if you do not wish to be This Palace’s consort, you may crawl over from there while barking like a dog, come to This Palace’s feet, pick up every piece of peach blossom cake from the ground, and eat them all in front of This Palace. Then This Palace shall spare your life, neither punishing you nor forcing you to reside in the Princess’s Palace.”

Su Yingxue sat smiling on the long bench, speaking words that were utterly infuriating. Upon hearing this, Chu Xingchen’s eyes turned cold, a fleeting glint of frost flashing within them.

Clenching his teeth, he swallowed his rage and, without showing any emotion, humiliatingly knelt and crawled over to her feet. After hesitating for a long time, his hands trembling, he finally picked up the flattened peach blossom cakes one by one and forced them into his mouth until he had eaten them all.

Only after finishing the last piece did he hoarsely say, “Thank you for Your Highness the Eldest Princess’s mercy. This lowly one has finished eating.”

Seeing Chu Xingchen obediently comply, Su Yingxue inexplicably felt her mood improve. She stood up with a smile and gently patted his head as if petting a dog, saying cheerfully, “Well done. Attendants, reward him with double the usual amount.”

After watching him kneel and beg before her, and seeing him eat all the fallen peach blossom cakes, Su Yingxue felt immensely satisfied. She had always believed that everyone in this world could be trained to her liking. How boring—she had thought he was made of sterner stuff, but he had yielded so quickly!

In an instant, Su Yingxue lost interest and hastily let the matter pass. Fortunately, she was not one to torment others excessively at that time, so she still rewarded him and allowed him to leave.

Chu Xingchen stared at the peach blossom cakes before him—they were the first thing he had ever disliked in his youth. Perhaps it was because, despite that person’s dazzling beauty and opulence, her heart was so malicious. He disliked her, and he disliked peach blossom cakes.

But over the years, Chu Xingchen had suffered too much. Food worse than those peach blossom cakes was commonplace. The servants in the Cold Palace often gave him spoiled meals, while the peach blossom cakes had merely fallen to the ground and been stepped on a few times. Yet, when eaten, they were sweet. Sweet in the mouth, bitter in the heart—such was the absurdity of the human world.

“Younger Brother, why aren’t you eating?” Su Yingxue looked at the silent Chu Xingchen before her, noticing only his cold expression and deep, intense gaze fixed on her. His dark eyes were like a deep pool, filled with too many emotions she could not decipher.

Could it be that he feared she had poisoned them?

Frowning, Su Yingxue picked up a piece of peach blossom cake and took a bite herself. The fragrance lingered between her teeth, the sweetness delicious and refreshing. It was already winter—how could there be peach blossoms at this time? The small kitchen in the Princess’s Palace had gathered enough fresh peach blossoms in spring, made them into peach blossom paste, sealed them in jars, and stored them frozen in the ice room.

Thus, while other palaces only had seasonal delicacies, the Princess’s Palace enjoyed peach blossom cakes every day after the noon nap, without fail, year after year, regardless of the season. This was a mark of Your Majesty’s deep favor, a unique privilege and splendor reserved for the Princess’s Palace alone.

Chu Xingchen gazed at the person before him in silence, extending a slender, pale hand to take a piece of Peach Blossom Cake and bite into it. Compared to what he remembered, this one was noticeably sweeter.

“Thank you, Elder Sister,” Chu Xingchen said coolly.

Good, good, he’s starting to talk. Zhang Susu was still pleased. Sincerity truly is the ultimate weapon. As the saying goes, isn’t the way to connect with someone to start by sharing what you love?