“Oh, no. I just thought of another way to cook it.” She then walked up to the hawker. “Can you give me a few catties of chicken feet, sir? Don’t worry, you can sell them to me for the price of roast chicken feet.”
That particular dish was not popular here, so it would be difficult to get raw chicken feet.
The hawker widened his eyes, of course he would love to sell raw chicken feet for the price of roast chicken feet! He immediately asked, “How many catties would you like?”
Lu Liangwei thought for a moment, then said, “Five.”
The hawker agreed readily. “Just a moment, miss. I’ll get them ready for you.”
“Thank you.” Lu Liangwei sat back down at the table.
The others stared at her in astonishment.
“Why did you buy so much chicken feet?” asked Yuan Xin curiously.
Lu Liangwei chuckled. “If you’re not busy today, why don’t you have dinner with us at the coaching inn before going home?”
Yuan Xin did not mind, but…
“You can cook?”
“I know a few homemade recipes.” Lu Liangwei grinned.
Yuan Xin was astounded. “You’re remarkable, Lu Er.” She could make poisons, cure illnesses, and even cook!
Lu Er was always full of surprises.
Remembering something, she grabbed Lu Liangwei’s hand and said, “I just remembered that the Emperor’s birthday is in two days, and I’ll have to attend the celebration in the palace. Concubine Shangguan’s going to perform a dance in honor of the Emperor, but I…”
Lu Liangwei immediately understood her concern and reassured her, “She’s just a concubine, and you’re the princess consort; there’s no need to compete with her. But she might try to ridicule you at the birthday banquet, so you’d better prepare something as well.”
Yuan Xin thought so too, which was why she was asking for ideas from Lu Liangwei. “But I can’t dance very well.” That was her main concern, as there was probably no one in the entire capital city who could surpass Shangguan Lei when it came to dancing.
“Then don’t. Besides, there are plenty of amazing dancers in the palace. It’ll be boring if everyone dances at the banquet,” Lu Liangwei pointed out.
“Then what should I do?” Yuan Xin looked troubled. She detested Shangguan Lei and refused to be outshone by her.
“Can you play the zither?” asked Lu Liangwei.
“I can play it fairly well.” Yuan Xin’s face relaxed slightly.
From her reaction, Lu Liangwei could tell that she was a brilliant zitherist.
“Then you should play the zither at the banquet,” Lu Liangwei concluded.
“But it’s not that different from dancing. There’ll be plenty of young noblewomen performing at the banquet, and most of them will choose to play the zither or dance.” Yuan Xin was a little hesitant.
“But you’re better at playing the zither than dancing. Besides, all the dancers in the palace have gone through strict training. Do you really think you can outshine them?” Lu Liangwei arched an eyebrow questioningly.
Yuan Xin’s shoulders sagged. “You have a point. But Shangguan Lei’s an exceptional dancer; I’m sure she’ll stun the audience with her performance.”
Lu Liangwei more or less knew what her intentions were, having sensed her desire to compete with Prince Rui’s concubine.
“I have a way to help you stun the audience and keep Prince Rui’s attention on you.” Just then, Lu Liangwei offered teasingly.
Yuan Xin blushed and averted her gaze in feigned annoyance. “Nonsense! Who said I was interested in catching his attention?”
“You know the answer to that yourself.” Lu Liangwei did not expose her either, and her expression grew serious. “The birthday banquet’s in two days. Let’s go back and start practicing right away, or there won’t be enough time.”
