The final day would test cooking skills, with the location set at Yibei Lou. The ten women selected the previous day could bring their daily cooking utensils and proceed there. They would draw lots to determine the order, then according to sequence, select the ingredients they needed from those prepared at Yibei Lou to make two dishes, followed by using one ingredient designated by Food Service Officer Qin to create another dish in their own style.

The knife skills test had taken only half a day. When Zhenzhen and Feng Xian returned to their lodgings, it was still early. After the midday meal, Feng Xian immediately shut herself in her room to study medicinal cuisine books, while Zhenzhen left the small courtyard to stroll nearby, guessing what ingredients she might encounter tomorrow and contemplating what methods to use to stand out.

Walking behind the Shizhen Lou courtyard, she suddenly heard a child calling “Sister Zhenzhen” from behind. Turning around, Zhenzhen saw it was seven-year-old Tang Guo’er, a little boy from the neighboring family.

Tang Guo’er ran to her side with a smile, saying, “My mother said Sister Zhenzhen will compete in cooking with many sisters tomorrow. Have you decided what to make?”

“You know about this too? News travels fast.” Zhenzhen patted his shoulder and replied casually, “Haven’t decided yet. Why don’t you help sister choose?”

Tang Guo’er raised his hand to show Zhenzhen a slingshot: “I’ll help you shoot some birds. Roasted birds are delicious.”

Without waiting for Zhenzhen’s response, he ran to the locust tree nearby, shooting left and right, sending pellets “pop pop” toward the birds in the tree.

One bird was hit and fell from the tree. Zhenzhen hurried over to check and saw it was a magpie – yellow beak, black feathers, long tail, with white shoulders and belly, quite beautiful. It was hit in the leg but still struggled to stand, flapping its wings as if trying to fly back to the tree.

Looking up, Zhenzhen discovered a nest built of twigs in the large locust tree, about two zhang high from the ground.

Tang Guo’er came over enthusiastically, reaching out to catch the magpie. The magpie cried out mournfully, limping away while constantly looking up at the nest, its cries becoming increasingly sorrowful.

When Tang Guo’er tried to catch it again, Zhenzhen stopped him. She asked, “Do you want to give this magpie to sister?” Tang Guo’er said yes, so Zhenzhen continued, “Sister doesn’t need to prepare her own ingredients for tomorrow’s test. Since you’re giving this bird to sister, sister wants to return it to its nest. Is that okay?”

Tang Guo’er readily agreed. Zhenzhen took out a silk scarf, tore it open to bandage the magpie’s wound, then tucked it into her embrace. Estimating the height of the branches, she chose the lowest one, leaped up, grabbed the branch with both hands, and climbed toward the nest.

She was wearing a short jacket and long trousers in men’s clothing for convenience, and having climbed trees with classmates since childhood, this tree posed no great difficulty. Soon she reached the nest. Peering inside, she saw three young magpie chicks. Hearing the sounds Zhenzhen made, they all chirped and opened their mouths wide toward the sky, looking eagerly for food.

No wonder the injured magpie seemed so concerned about the nest. Zhenzhen felt a pang of sadness and immediately took the magpie from her embrace, carefully placing it back in the nest.

Zhenzhen lay beside the nest, silently watching the magpie family reunion for a long time. Thinking of her mother, she felt another wave of sorrow. Her mother’s fate remained unknown, and even if she entered the palace, she didn’t know if she could find her mother as hoped. At this thought, her eyes grew hot and two tears spilled out.

Just as she was wiping her tears, a pellet suddenly flew from below the tree, striking near the edge of her boot. Though it didn’t touch Zhenzhen’s body, it startled her. Looking down through the dense branches, she couldn’t see the scene below clearly, only vaguely seeing Tang Guo’er jumping and shouting: “Sister Zhenzhen, come down quickly!”

Zhenzhen determined this shot came from Tang Guo’er and silently cursed “this troublesome child.” She then grabbed the tree with both hands, preparing to climb down the trunk. But just as she moved two steps, another pellet flew up, hitting above her left hand. Zhenzhen was startled and pulled back her left hand, her body supported entirely by her right hand, swaying unsteadily in the tree. She couldn’t spare time to look down and hurriedly used both hands and feet to find new support points, while pellets continued flying up like pearls, left and right, all landing near her body without harming her. Zhenzhen burned with anger, thinking she would definitely catch Tang Guo’er and spank him once she got down. She quickened her movements downward, but another flying pellet came whistling with the wind. In her panic, Zhenzhen missed her footing, failed to grip the branches firmly, and fell backward from the tree.

Zhenzhen thought “this is bad” and painfully closed her eyes, preparing to accept broken bones and injuries. Fortunately, someone leaped up midway, extending both arms to catch her falling body before she hit the ground.

Zhenzhen felt a warm embrace, clean clothing emanating a citrus-like fragrance. She opened her eyes to the gradually slowing heartbeat and saw a seemingly familiar handsome face. Bright eyes sparkled with golden flecks of sunlight, the right corner of his mouth slightly raised, that thin smile revealing two parts of mischievous cunning with ill intent.

She quickly searched her confused memories and finally found a name: “Song Ai?”

He smiled and blinked: “Long time no see.”

Tang Guo’er ran over and took the slingshot from his right hand. He relaxed his fingers, letting Tang Guo’er take the slingshot, while his arms holding Zhenzhen showed no intention of loosening.

Zhenzhen said coldly: “You were the one shooting pellets at me?”

He replied with a smile: “I’ve been here for quite a while. Who told you to only watch the birds and not me?”

Zhenzhen said coldly: “Let me go.”

He didn’t want to comply: “After such a long separation, this distance is suitable for catching up.”

Zhenzhen suddenly exerted force, striking her elbow toward his chest. He loosened his grip in pain, and Zhenzhen took the opportunity to break free, walking away quickly to maintain several steps’ distance from him.

He was neither urgent nor annoyed, facing Zhenzhen with apparent pleasure: “I heard you’re applying to be an internal member of the Royal Kitchen?”

Zhenzhen “hmph”ed, too lazy to explain in detail. He didn’t seem to be waiting for her confirmation either, nodding: “Good. That you can participate in the selection shows you haven’t shared a horse with anyone else this past year.”

Zhenzhen thought of the physical examination and couldn’t help blushing. She stepped back two more steps and scolded: “Stay away from me. If you behave improperly and ruin my reputation, I won’t spare you.”

“That’s no problem,” he laughed, “though the lady’s reputation may not have much left, if I ruin it, I’ll naturally take responsibility.”

Zhenzhen asked: “How would you take responsibility?”

He appeared to ponder, then turned his head to ask: “Marry you?”

“Deal.” Unexpectedly, Zhenzhen answered with lightning speed, “Tomorrow I’ll wait for you at Uncle Pu’s house. You bring a matchmaker, perform the betrothal ceremony, ask my name, recite three generations of ancestral names – not one less – and marry me properly with full ceremony. Whoever doesn’t come is Tang Guo’er’s grandson.”

This request clearly stumped the young man before her. His smile froze, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Zhenzhen smiled coldly and shook her head, saying disdainfully: “My mother was right. Young masters like you just love to toy with little girls like me for amusement. You have no sincerity at all. You won’t even reveal your own background, let alone hope for honest treatment. Your words are just like my promise just now – merely a joke. I won’t take them seriously, and please conduct yourself properly. If we meet again in the future, I hope you can treat me with proper courtesy.”

Hearing this, he actually changed his previous playful expression, gazing at her seriously: “Fine. If you want to know, I can tell you everything truthfully.”

He straightened his clothing and bowed deeply to her with ceremony, then said: “My surname is Zhao, given name Ai, from Lin’an, ancestral home in Bianjing, family seat in Tianshui. I have three brothers, and I rank second. Due to naming taboos, it’s inconvenient to state my father’s name directly…”

“Then what does your father do?” Zhenzhen asked.

Zhao Ai thought for a moment and said: “He serves as the official family.”

Zhenzhen’s eyes widened slightly as she looked him up and down: “So you’re a prince?”

Zhao Ai nodded: “My title is Prince of Ying, people call me Second Prince.”

Zhenzhen nodded impassively: “Second Prince, do you know why others call me Seventh Young Master?”

“Why?” Zhao Ai asked, following her lead.

Zhenzhen looked at him mockingly: “Because I’m the Seventh Fairy descended from heaven.”

Zhao Ai touched his forehead, understanding she completely disbelieved him. Not knowing how to explain, he could only laugh awkwardly.

At this moment, a woman’s voice suddenly called “Zhenzhen” from not far away. The two looked toward the source and saw it was Feng Xian, who had arrived at some unknown time.

Feng Xian walked slowly to the two of them, first telling Zhenzhen softly: “Everything he said is true.” Then she curtsied to Zhao Ai and said: “Second Prince, ten thousand blessings.”