The prince longs for me every night after mastering thought-reading
Chapter 155 - 154: A Certain Crown Prince’s Jar of Jealousy Spilled Over

Chapter 155: Chapter 154: A Certain Crown Prince’s Jar of Jealousy Spilled Over

The originally short journey, she had traversed at a snail’s pace.

Lady Liang arrived at the entrance and saw the Empress and Xiao Jinyan having their breakfast. She clutched her handkerchief tightly and slowly walked in.

She stepped forward and curtsied, "Aunt, Your Highness."

The Empress said, "Lanlan, come and sit down to eat."

After eating vegetarian meals for three days, the Empress’s mouth felt so bland she could almost taste water, and her mood wasn’t great, naturally affecting her tone.

Lady Liang’s heart raced, sensing the Empress’s mood; it seemed she wasn’t very happy, probably because of what had happened yesterday.

She walked to the table anxiously and sat down without any appetite for breakfast.

Shen Chuwei was eating a steamed bun and glanced at Lady Liang, noticing her staring at her bowl with a distracted look, and smiled as she took a bite.

The bun was slightly sweeter than the ones she’d had the day before, perhaps because sugar had been added these last two days; the texture had improved too.

No one at the table spoke; there wasn’t even the sound of chewing.

Lady Liang held a white steamed bun and occasionally stole glances at the Empress, who was sipping her porridge with a stern face and then took a bite of her bun.

The Empress didn’t bring up yesterday’s events; was she expecting her to admit her mistake voluntarily?

Or was she pretending not to know, to avoid a confrontation?

Lady Liang had barely touched her white steamed bun, eating only two bites without any real interest, and then stood up to follow the Empress and His Highness to the temple to pray for blessings.

Before leaving, Xiao Jinyan instructed, "Don’t wander around recklessly, rest well in the chamber."

Shen Chuwei obediently nodded, "As you command!"

Turning around, Shen Chuwei lifted her skirt and went to wander around the temple.

Baima Temple was the largest temple within a hundred miles and occupied a substantial area; even the design of its gardens was beautiful.

Shen Chuwei, holding a white steamed bun, ate as she strolled and spotted a vegetable garden in the distance, piquing her curiosity.

When she came closer, she saw a young monk crouching and pulling radishes in the garden.

Seeing his profile, she immediately recognized him as the monk from the night before—once a stranger, now familiar.

Lifting her skirt, she entered the vegetable garden and called out before she even reached him, "Little monk, will you have radishes for lunch?"

The young monk heard her soft, tender voice and turned to see Shen Chuwei approaching him. Her pink Fox Fur was strikingly out of place against the simple backdrop of the garden.

He stood up, palms together, and asked puzzledly, "Lady Shen, what brings you here?"

Shen Chuwei explained, "My leg hurts, so the Empress didn’t ask me to join the prayer for blessings. I had nothing to do, so I came out for a walk. I’m returning to the palace tomorrow."

The young monk looked at Shen Chuwei’s legs and said warmly, "I have some ointment here; please follow me, Lady Shen."

Shen Chuwei quickly stopped him, "No need, I’ve already used ointment, I’m fine."

In fact, she had her own ointment, but Xiao Jinyan had taken the initiative yesterday, so her ointment remained unused.

Shen Chuwei finished speaking and took another bite of her bun.

The young monk breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and looked at the bun in her hand, asking, "Lady Shen, how do you find the bun compared to the other day?"

Shen Chuwei replied, "It’s sweeter than the one from the other day and softer too; it feels like sugar has been added, and the taste is good."

The young monk said, "That’s good."

After finishing her white steamed bun, Shen Chuwei dusted off her hands and glanced at the vegetable garden; it was more than ten times larger than her own.

"So the temple’s food is all grown here; I thought it was purchased from outside."

The young monk smiled faintly, "Growing it ourselves helps save expenses. We’ll have white radishes for lunch; do you still like them, Lady Shen?"

"That depends on how you cook them. Light dishes usually lack flavor," Shen Chuwei paused before adding, "Stewed radish with meat is quite delicious."

When the young monk heard ’meat,’ he remembered the scene when she was catching a rabbit, saying she wanted meat, and chuckled, "Lady Shen really loves meat."

Shen Chuwei nodded, "Of course, no joy without meat."

The young monk nodded, understanding.

Shen Chuwei continued, "Actually, it’s not that I can’t be without meat, but the dish must be oily. For example, vegetarian food won’t do; a dish needs color, fragrance, and taste to be appetizing."

The young monk commented, "These past few days have been hard on you, Lady Shen."

Shen Chuwei didn’t feel aggrieved; she just wanted to eat delicious food.

"You exaggerate, little monk. I’m going back to the palace tomorrow anyway. It’s not like you who have vegetarian food every day." As Shen Chuwei spoke, she realized she sounded a bit boastful.

The young monk smiled, "I’m used to it; it’s no different. The master says that growing vegetables is a spiritual practice, and eating is too."

Shen Chuwei nodded in agreement, "That makes sense. We just pursue different things."

The young monk had harvested quite a few radishes and put them into a basket, then slung it onto his back.

He was much taller than Shen Chuwei, about 180 cm tall, slender, and though he was bald, he was rather handsome.

Shen Chuwei lifted her skirt and followed the young monk to the Dining Hall; they hadn’t even entered when she heard the sound of stir-frying.

Upon entering, she saw two adult monks at the stove, wielding oversized spatulas, cooking in giant iron pots.

She turned to the young monk, who was taking the white radishes out of the basket and placing them into a wooden basin, with another monk sitting beside him washing the radishes.

After arranging the radishes, the young monk noticed Shen Chuwei staring at them and asked, "Lady Shen, is there something else?"

After thinking for a moment, Shen Chuwei said, "Could I borrow a pot to use? I want to cook a couple of dishes myself."

The young monk was surprised, "Can Lady Shen cook?"

Shen Chuwei humbly replied, "I can cook a little. Do you have a spare pot?"

"Yes, please wait a moment," the young monk said as he turned to open a cabinet and took an iron pot out, asking Shen Chuwei, "How about this pot, Lady Shen?"

Shen Chuwei, holding the pot, joyfully said, "It’s the perfect size."

Then she added bashfully, "Could I also get some ingredients?"

The young monk, puzzled, asked, "What ingredients does Lady Shen need?"

Shen Chuwei listed a series of ingredients, "A radish, ten green peppers, two celtuce."

"I will get them right away," said the young monk before leaving the Dining Hall with the basket.

Shen Chuwei didn’t wait long before the young monk returned.

"Lady Shen, please wait while I wash the ingredients," the young monk said, already placing the items in the wooden basin.

The water was cold in winter, and when someone offered to wash the vegetables, Shen Chuwei naturally wouldn’t decline. She just felt a tad embarrassed.

Once the ingredients were clean, Shen Chuwei took the kitchen knife and chopped with efficiency, impressing the young monk with her knife skills.

Grand Hall

After the prayer for blessings was finished, Xiao Jinyan followed the Empress out.

"Mother, I will go check on Lady Shen first," he said.

The Empress nodded, "Go ahead."

Xiao Jinyan agreed with a sound and headed back to the chamber.

When he pushed the door open and didn’t see Shen Chuwei, his brows furrowed.

He stepped outside again, gazing over the vast temple grounds, suddenly recalling the monk from the previous evening.