Chen Wei rode a cloud back to the Vanguard Camp. The moment he pushed open the door, the sweet fragrance of glutinous rice wafted into his face.
Beside the table, his four trusted subordinates-Ma Muzhi, Pang Long, Xiao Yan, and Chu Feng-sat in a circle, each holding a Celadon Bowl and noisily gulping down its contents.
Ma Muzhi was the first to look up. Seeing their Chief Official return, he immediately waved and called out, "My lord! Come quick! Lord Yang cooked Tangyuan herself, everyone's favorite!"
Tangyuan?!
At those two words, Chen Wei nearly stumbled.
He had only just finished the Third Holy Mother's sickeningly sweet Tangyuan. Now that he had finally made it back, he had to endure another round of sugary torment?
Was Tangyuan his destined calamity today, a tribulation of two meals he could not escape?
Before Chen Wei could think of an excuse to decline, Yang Niansan approached with a huge bowl brimming with Tangyuan, her face full of anticipation. "My lord! Eat them while they're hot!"
"Lord Yang, today I haven't..." Chen Wei hurriedly began to refuse, intending to bluff his way through with an excuse about having just absorbed the essence of the sun and moon and feeling full.
But before he could finish-
Yang Niansan lowered her eyes, her voice heavy with wounded reproach. "Oh? Do you no longer enjoy them, my lord? Of course, I'm clumsy and awkward, nothing like those clever, deft-handed celestial maidens. Naturally, the food I make could never meet your discerning standards. Had I known you despised it, I should never have spent four whole hours cooking, only to annoy you for nothing..."
That torrent of words rained down on Chen Wei, making his scalp prickle. Why was she pinning another accusation on him?
The Third Holy Mother