Chapter 21: The Innocent Prince and the Bitter Gourmet
The moon of the Higher Heavens hung low over the Imperial Battle-Galleon, casting a silver glow over the private observation deck. The air was thick with the scent of night-blooming jasmine and the faint, underlying hum of the ship's defensive arrays.
Xu Yanluo was currently "resting." His head was pillowed against the soft, ample lap of Yao Qingxue. The Regent Consort was running her fingers through his long white hair, her eyes filled with a doting, maternal warmth that could melt glaciers.
"My little prince," Qingxue whispered, pinching his cheeks playfully. "You were so well-behaved at the banquet today. Even your father was impressed. You looked so innocent standing there, I almost forgot how much of a troublemaker you can be."
Yanluo let out a soft, sleepy hum, snuggling deeper into her embrace. 'Innocent?' he thought, a dark smirk hidden against her robes. 'Yes, darling. To you, I am the purest soul in the Three Thousand Realms.'
The Triple-Layered Game
While Qingxue was convinced she was cuddling a lamb, the reality was much more scandalous.
Seated on a low stool nearby was the Goddess Tian Ling. Yanluo had commanded her to stay, claiming he needed her "divine aura" to sleep. Beneath the silk covers, Yanluo's hand had found its way to hers. He was lazily tracing circles on her palm and interlacing their fingers, pulling her hand toward his thigh.
Tian Ling's face was a vibrant shade of scarlet. She looked at Qingxue—who was smiling blissfully—and then at Yanluo, who was "asleep."
'This man...' the Goddess thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. 'He's playing a dangerous game. If the Regent sees this...'
In his spiritual palace, the Maid-Empress Yaoyin was watching the feed with her jaw dropped. 'He's flirting with the Regent while taming a Goddess under the table? He's not a Prince; he's a professional calamity!'
Driven by a sudden spark of jealousy, the Goddess leaned down as if to check his "temperature" and sharply bit the back of his hand.
Yanluo's body gave a subtle, involuntary shake.
"Oh! Did the wind chill you, darling?" Qingxue asked, hugging him tighter.
"Just a dream, sister," Yanluo murmured, his voice muffled by her chest. Meanwhile, beneath the covers, his hand moved from the Goddess's palm to her cheek, pinching it firmly in retaliation. He subtly shifted his body to hide the movement, keeping the Regent entirely distracted by his "vulnerable" state.
The Pest Arrives
'Ling,' Yanluo messaged the system mentally. 'Status on the kitchen rat?'
[System: The "Immortal Chef" Ye Fan is approaching with a tray of 'Dragon-Liver Stew.' Warning: The stew contains 'Void-Wither Poison.' He's aiming for a clean kill.]
'Maid-Empress,' Yanluo called out to Yaoyin. 'I'll spend the whole night with you—kisses, hugs, the works—if you handle this pest for me. Do we have a deal?'
Yaoyin let out a haughty cough, crossing her arms over her frilly apron. "Who would want to spend time with a lecherous brat like you? ...But, do you promise? Promise, promise, promise?"
'I promise.'
"Fine! I'm only doing this because I'm bored. It has nothing to do with your promise!"
The Alchemist's Betrayal
The doors opened, and Ye Fan stepped in, looking humble in his chef's whites. But in his mind, he was talking to his own spirit. 'Empress, once he eats this, he's dead. We'll take Ye Ziyun and escape!'
Inside the Chef's ladle, the Alchemist Empress looked out at the scene. Her heart stopped. She saw a Goddess serving the Prince. She saw the Maid-Empress in his soul. And then, she saw him.
The Prince was breathtaking—white hair like fallen snow, eyes like crushed rubies, and an aura of such sheer, overwhelming dominance that it made her own "Master" look like a street vendor.
'He... he is the Second Prince of the Immortal Dynasty?' she thought.
She remembered how Ye Fan had rescued her, but then treated her like a mere tool for his cooking. He called her "friend," but never looked at her as a woman. Seeing Yanluo's "interaction" with his harem, she felt a sudden, violent pang of envy. 'If I stay with this chef, I'll be a soup-stirrer forever. If I go to the Prince... I might finally be a Queen.'
The Humiliation Begins
"Your Highness," Ye Fan bowed low, offering the bowl. "A special tonic for your recovery."
Before the bowl could touch the table, Yao Qingxue's eyes snapped from "Doting Mode" to "Executioner Mode." She didn't even move from her seat. A ripple of pressure turned the air into a solid wall.
"Poison?" she hissed, her voice cold enough to freeze the stew mid-air. "In my presence?"
Yanluo "woke up" slowly, his eyes glinting with malice. "System, initiate 'Admin Command: Subjugation' on his Ladle."
[Ling: Master, his system's firewall is still up. You need to humiliate him and break his spirit first!]
"Fair enough," Yanluo smirked. He stood up, the Goddess and the Regent flanking him like divine bodyguards. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a new technique: [Celestial Binding Mandate].
Golden chains of law erupted from the floor, wrapping around Ye Fan and dragging him to his knees. The Chef tried to fight back, but the Alchemist Empress inside his ladle deliberately sabotaged his mana flow.
"Do you really think," Yanluo stepped forward, lifting the poisoned bowl with a finger, "that you can poison an Immortal Prince and walk away to cook another day?"
Yanluo tipped the bowl, pouring the toxic soup over the Chef's head. "Eat up, Hero. I hear the 'Void-Wither' poison has a very... bitter finish."
Ye Fan screamed as the poison began to sizzle, but his gaze was fixed on his Ladle—which was currently floating toward Yanluo's hand.