Chapter Four: Spicy Crayfish Delight
The current Crown Princess Lü, fuming, pulled her precious son away.
Zhu Xiongying, meanwhile, squatted on the intricately carved rosewood chair, happily cracking open a small crayfish and savoring it carefully.
“A product of the system, truly a masterpiece!”
Each crayfish was large and robust, incomparable to those of later generations.
“If only there were a few bottles of ‘Boldly Roaming the World’ to go with this—it would be perfect!”
With a strong pull of her small hands, the pure white crayfish meat was revealed.
Before stuffing it into his mouth, Zhu Xiongying noticed from the corner of his eye two small heads quietly peeking in at the door.
They looked slightly younger than him.
Their faces were pale and pink, with large eyes that resembled his own remarkably.
Recalling memories from the original owner, he realized these two were his full biological younger sisters.
Yilun and Jiangdu, the Commandery Princesses!
The current Crown Princess was a secondary wife, their mother was the daughter of Chang Yuchun and the original wife of Zhu Biao.
Unfortunately, she passed away not long after giving birth to Zhu Yunxu.
This had given Lü the opportunity!
Life without a mother was difficult.
Lü was skilled at putting on a facade.
In public, she was a loving mother; behind closed doors, a venomous stepmother!
This caused the two little girls to cower timidly, their status in the Eastern Palace even lower than Lü’s personal maid, Cai Huan.
Zhu Yunxu was no different. A healthy royal grandson, yet bullied into a timid mouse.
He stammered whenever nervous!
Zhu Xiongying took a deep breath and waved to the two little girls, “Yilun, Jiangdu! Come here! I’ve got something delicious for you!”
However, the two girls shook their heads slightly, their timid gaze fixed nervously on the crayfish scuttling around on the floor.
Zhu Xiongying suddenly understood, “Shunzi! Get two people to catch these crayfish and put them in the garden pond. Make sure none escape!”
The system only rewarded a limited number of crayfish.
He had purposely cooked half and saved the rest to breed.
If they ate them all now, who knew when the next reward would come!
“Yes, Prince!”
A young eunuch of about ten bowed and immediately went to carry out the order.
The guards acted swiftly, and within moments, every crayfish crawling about in the room was caught without a single one left behind!
Only then did Yilun and Jiangdu carefully lift their skirts, step over the high threshold, and cautiously enter.
Fearing even one or two might have slipped through and hurt them!
They had all seen Zhu Yunxu’s miserable state just now!
Zhu Xiongying generously handed a freshly cracked crayfish directly to Princess Yilun, “Try it, it’s guaranteed delicious!”
Yet Yilun kept retreating, hiding her small hands behind her back, “No, no, I don’t want it!”
Jiangdu shook her head as well, “Brother, these strange bugs look so scary!”
“Don’t be afraid. These are called crayfish, a true delicacy of the human world...!”
Zhu Xiongying tossed one into his mouth, chewed thoughtfully, and showed a face of delight, “Spicy, fresh, and flavorful—truly satisfying!”
“No...”
But the two little girls clenched their mouths tightly and refused.
Zhu Xiongying’s eyes flicked, remembering the small round mirror the system had rewarded earlier—the kind sold at dollar stores in later times.
He reached into his pocket, activated his perception, and took it from the space.
“If you take just one bite, this will be yours!”
He opened his hand, the mirror’s surface facing up, reflecting the two curious little heads, who then stepped back repeatedly, faces full of fear.
“Brother, this... this...?”
“What’s there to fear? That’s you inside!”
“Us...?”
They hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached.
Looking closely, the faces reflected were indeed exactly like their own!
“Wow... it’s so clear, I can even see each strand of hair!”
The two little girls blinked their eyes, delighted.
They did have bronze mirrors in their chambers, but compared to this one, they were barely usable.
The reflections were blurry and could only show vague outlines!
“Brother, then... we’ll just eat one, okay?”
To obtain this clear mirror, the two little girls steeled themselves.
They were all in!
“Hahaha! Good!” Zhu Xiongying laughed.
He was sure once they tasted one, they wouldn’t be able to stop!
The two little girls clumsily imitated him, peeling the shells.
They closed their eyes and popped the meat into their mouths.
“Hm?”
However, the meat did not taste as expected.
Instead, the texture was firm and tender, without any bitterness!
The only discomfort was that it was too spicy!
“Sha... sha...”
After swallowing one crayfish, the two little girls stuck out their tongues, burning.
Chili peppers hadn’t been introduced to the Ming Dynasty until its late period, so they had never encountered such spiciness.
It was their first time, and they felt uneasy!
Once the heat subsided, they found it quite exhilarating!
“Well... Brother, I swallowed too quickly just now and didn’t taste much. How about... I try another?”
Yilun licked her lips, feeling reluctant to stop, a little embarrassed.
Jiangdu beside her nodded in agreement, looking at Zhu Xiongying with hopeful eyes!
“Haha! I told you it’s delicious...”
Zhu Xiongying grabbed two more and handed them over, “These are spicy, fresh, and flavorful—you can eat as many as you want!”
The two little girls happily accepted, ready to dive in.
Suddenly, a low voice full of resentment sounded from outside the door, “You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you...!”
Immediately, the Crown Prince, Zhu Biao’s father, stormed in angrily, “Yunwu was pinched by those strange bugs. It must be these things, right?”
Zhu Xiongying understood immediately.
Lü had surely been crying and complaining!
No wonder Zhu Yunwu complained at once—there was a hereditary factor involved!
After showing a look of disdain, he grabbed a crayfish and peeled it carefully, leisurely saying, “Father, I was trying kindly to treat my younger brother to crayfish. He’s the one who’s restless, jumping about. Can you blame me for him getting pinched?”
“You...”
Zhu Biao shook his sleeves in frustration; he couldn’t do anything about this son.
When he left the palace earlier, old Zhu had specifically warned him never to hit the children.
If he found out, he’d be beaten to death with a cane!
“I’ve already ordered the pond’s insects to be caught and thrown out! After all, you are the great-grandson of the Ming Emperor... hmm...”
Zhu Biao stood with hands on hips, scolding his son.
Unexpectedly, during a moment of speech, Zhu Xiongying stuffed a shelled crayfish into his mouth.
*Crunch... crunch...*
It actually tasted quite good.
“Um... Shunzi, quickly tell the folks in the back courtyard, don’t throw those bugs away just yet!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
...