Front hall.
The morning sunlight, shining through the wooden lattice fra, scattered onto the dining table in the front hall.
Liu Wanwan and Ji Mingyue ca out of the kitchen, carrying a tray in their hands, on which were several bowls of steaming braised beef noodles.
The broth was rich and fragrant, the noodles chewy, topped with thickly sliced braised beef, sprinkled with scallions, and each bowl had three golden, shiny poached eggs.
"Co, co, eat while it’s hot!" Liu Wanwan called out with a smile.
Catching the familiar aroma, Jiang Ning imdiately felt his appetite roused.
"Sister-in-law, I’ll go get the remaining noodles!" He imdiately stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
A mont later.
Liu Wanwan had just set the noodles on the tray and was about to return to the kitchen when she saw Jiang Ning carrying two trays, each with several bowls of braised beef noodles and a large bowl of braised beef.
"Uncle! I want this bowl!!" Little Dumpling saw a bowl of braised beef on Jiang Ning’s tray and almost jumped up on the chair.
"You wish!" Jiang Ning put down a tray and lightly tapped her on the head.
Seeing her pitiful look while covering her head, he couldn’t help but smile faintly.
He then arranged the bowls in front of everyone.
Liu Wanwan and Ji Mingyue also reached out to help.
Zhong Ling set the chopsticks in place.
"Slls so good!" Jiang Li’s rough voice suddenly ca from behind.
"Big brother, just in ti, sit down!" Jiang Ning said.
"Brother, guess who I just ran into on the road?" Jiang Li said with a smile.
"Who?" Jiang Ning looked puzzled.
"The Third Prince!" Jiang Li said.
As his voice fell, soone walked in from outside the door.
Tall and quite gallant in appearance.
It was the Third Prince, Ji Mingyu.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning stood up.
"Third Prince!"
The Third Prince looked at Jiang Ning and the others, smiling cheerfully.
"Sorry for the sudden visit! I just heard about the return of the Dongling Marquis and Shiqi to the Royal Capital, and happened to et Brother Jiang Li on the way, so I decided to co and see how the Dongling Marquis is doing, and to check if Shiqi has lost any weight recently."
"Has the Third Prince had breakfast? If not, why not join us?" Liu Wanwan stood up and courteously invited.
Upon hearing this, Third Prince Ji Mingyu rubbed his stomach, looking friendly.
"I haven’t had a chance to eat, so I’d be imposing a bit!"
"Then please have a seat, Third Prince." Liu Wanwan said politely.
She then turned and walked towards the back kitchen.
"Third Brother."
Ji Mingyue put down her chopsticks and stood up, calling softly.
A trace of unnoticeable complexity flashed across her brows. She wasn’t naive; she knew the Third Prince’s visit wasn’t simple.
Moreover, Jiang Ning and she had just returned to the Royal Capital, and normally news wouldn’t travel back so quickly.
"Shiqi looks a bit thinner, seems it was tougher outside than in the Royal Capital." Third Prince Ji Mingyu stepped forward, his warm gaze lingering briefly on Ji Mingyue before turning to Jiang Ning, maintaining his smile: "Dongling Marquis, it’s been a while. You seem even more impressive than before. I heard about your decisive actions in Guangning Prefecture recently, truly admirable."
His tone was calm, as if it were just common pleasantries.
Jiang Ning remained composed, nodding slightly: "The Third Prince flatters . Please, take a seat first."
He understood that the Third Prince Ji Mingyu’s visit at this ti had ulterior motives and wasn’t solely to see Ji Mingyue and strengthen sibling ties.
In terms of sibling relations, it would be with Eighth Prince Ji Minghao that Ji Mingyue shared deeper bonds.
Ji Minghao and Ji Mingyue were born of the sa parents, naturally making them much closer than other siblings within the Imperial Family.
"Alright!" Ji Mingyu nodded in response to Jiang Ning’s invitation and sat down.
"Master State Preceptor!" He greeted Su Qingying politely.
At this mont, Su Qingying didn’t look up, simply using her chopsticks to pick up a few noodles seasoned with a bit of scallion and ate them with satisfaction.
Witnessing this, Ji Mingyu wasn’t upset.
He knew well that until he sat on the throne, he held no stature before Su Qingying.
Having spent many years in the Royal Capital, he understood how aloof this State Preceptor was, seldom interacting with outsiders.
"Now that the Dongling Marquis has returned to the city, any plans? Has the health issue been resolved?" Ji Mingyu asked Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning calmly replied: "No plans, burdened by a curse, rely struggling between life and death now."
After speaking, he shook his head: "I no longer dwell on these matters, just want to make the most of each day now."
With that, he also decided to skip further pleasantries with Third Prince Ji Mingyu.
He picked up his chopsticks and pressed the poached egg into the noodle soup.
"Ah, this beef! It’s best enjoyed with ample broth; it turns bad if left too long!"
Speaking, he stirred up the noodles from the bottom.
Picking up a thick slice of braised beef, he tossed it into his mouth, then scooped up a large bunch of noodles.
Slurp——
His mouth opened, drawing in a bundle of noodles.
"Satisfying!" With the noodles in his stomach, he showed a contented expression.
He then picked up a soaked poached egg and bit into it.
"Delicious!!" Ji Mingyue nodded emphatically from the side: "No wonder you always missed Sister-in-law’s noodles before."
Ji Mingyue looked at Jiang Ning, her eyes crescent-moon shaped with a smile.
At this mont, Ji Mingyu watched this scene, maintaining his gentle smile.
He could discern the aning behind Jiang Ning’s words.
Just then, Liu Wanwan appeared before the group, carrying a tray, with a bowl full of noodles.
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