8. The Test from the Crown Prince

"Both Royal Highnesses are here and they're waiting to taste the pastries you made."

With a horsetail whisk in his hand, Wang Ying walked in, his back straight, and looked everyone with his head held up high.

"Chief Wang," everyone bowed and greeted. Naturally, Chen Mo couldn't be the exception, so he bowed down as well and said, "Chief Wang, it's already done."

Chen Mo pointed to the birthday cake on the table.

"Is this the novel pastry you spoke of?" Wang Ying circled around the birthday cake, and immediately said, "It's indeed novel, but how do you eat something this big in size?"

"It has to be cut with a knife." Chen Mo took out the wooden knife he had already made and showed it to Wang Ying.

"Well, bring it over." Wang Ying asked a little eunuch to eat a little bit, waited a quarter of an hour, and then tasted a little bit himself. After he confirmed that he did not spoil the overall aesthetic of the birthday cake, he ordered Chen Mo to bring it in.

"Roger that." Chen Mo narrowed his eyes slightly, that must have been the poison test. There are so many rules in the palace.

The original person indeed screwed him over badly. If everyday was like this, he could guarantee that he would not survive till the Great Turmoil nine days later.

...

Chen Mo originally thought that Wang Ying's test was the last test.

However, when he arrived outside of the Empress hall, he saw four women dressed as guards outside. All of them looked like heroines with a unique aura.

Chen Mo arrived outside of the hall and was immediately stopped.

A woman, expressionless, walked up to him, took out a leather bag from her bosom, and then picked out a silver needle from the leather bag. After she poked the cake, she then examined the needle under the sun.

Only when the silver needle did not change color, did she finally say, "Go in now."

Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief and walked in nervously.

Even if this cake was completely okay, it made him anxious with the amount of rules in the palace.

As soon as he entered the outer hall, he heard a burst of laughter from inside. There was a delicate laughter, which made Chen Mo feel like he was gently brushed by a spring breeze. The voice sounded like an ethereal songbird.

"Who's outside?" Just as Chen Mo paused, a slightly neutral voice came from the inner hall, and the chatter and laughter inside also stopped.

"Is it Little Hong?" He then heard Xiao Yunxi's voice immediately.

"Your majesty, it's me, the dessert you asked for is ready," Chen Mo said respectfully. "Come in."

"Roger that."

Chen Mo took a deep breath, opened the bead curtain, and walked in with the birthday cake.

As soon as he lifted his head, what caught his eyes were two beautiful ladies, one young and one mature, who sat on the long chair.

The mature one was naturally Empress Xiao.

The youngest one was likely Princess Fumao.

The girl looked similar to Empress Xiao. She was dressed up in elegant clothes and make-up. Her eyebrows were like willow branches, fine and gentle. Her skin was as fair as jade. She possessed a graceful charm and looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. She looked over, her red lips slightly pouted. "Mother, this is the little eunuch serving you. He is so handsome!"

When Chen Mo heard this, he suddenly shivered, and his back became lower as he used the cake in front of him to cover his face.

Fu*k, this b*tch is trying to screw me up.

Xiao Yunxi smiled, "Fujin, you scared him."

"Huh? Mother, I'm obviously complimenting him, how could I scare him?" Zhao Fujin looked puzzled.

Xiao Yunxi didn't explain. She looked at the thing in Chen Mo's hand, and said, "Little Hong, is this the pastry you talked about? It's indeed novel."

"Yes Your Majesty, that's right," Chen Mo said.

"Well, bring it up."

"Roger."

...

Chen Mo walked up quickly and he did not dare to raise his eyes. When he was about to put it down and leave, he was stopped by Zhao Fujin: "Little...Hong, I...this is the first time I've seen this pastry in the palace, do you have a name for it?"

Chen Mo glanced up before he lowered his head again, and said, "Your Highness, this pastry is called a birthday cake."

"Birthday cake?!" Zhao Fujin's eyes lit up.

"Birthday cake?" Xiao Yunxi couldn't help but be stunned when she heard the name of the pastry, and immediately said to Chen Mo, "Little Hong, you're indeed thoughtful."

"This is what I should do," Chen Mo said.

He didn't want to be in the limelight.

He was forced to this point

He had to do this.

There were just a few kinds of pastries he could make.

And only a birthday cake was something he could present.

"Little Hong? What's your real name?" At this moment, a handsome young man wearing a four-clawed python robe, who sat below the chair, suddenly said.

Chen Mo followed the sound and saw a majestic face. He looked about the same age as himself, eighteen or nineteen years old, but he had the temperament of someone who had been at the pinnacle of power for a long time. That temperament made Chen Mo feel awe.

"Your Royal Highness, my name is Chen Hong," Chen Mo said respectfully, with a little fear in his voice.

Suddenly, the man stood up and patted his shoulder with one hand. Chen Mo suddenly felt a strange force rush into his body, which felt warm.

But soon a wave of strong pain came from his shoulders, which caused Chen Mo to kneel directly on the ground. It was so painful that he began to sweat.

But Chen Mo couldn't care about the pain at the moment, and hurriedly knelt down and begged the man for mercy.

Although he did not know where he had offended the crown prince, his life was worthless after all, and he had no right to question the crown prince.

In short, he had to beg for mercy.

At the same time, the sound of the system also beeped in his mind.

[Ding! Orange talent has been expanded!]

"Chong'er, what are you doing? Today is your sister's birthday, it's a bad omen to see blood." Xiao Yunxi was also taken aback by Zhao Chong's sudden action.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Zhao Fujin also stared at Zhao Chong with her eyes widened open.

Zhao Chong arched his hands towards Xiao Yunxi, then said respectfully, "Mother, it was I who misunderstood. I thought Little Hong was a cultivator."

A gleam of light flashed in Zhao Chong's eyes.

After he finished, Zhao Chong threw a jade bottle out of his sleeve and gave it to Chen Mo, and said, "Apply it once in the morning and evening, and you will get better in two days."

"Thank... Thank you, Your Royal Highness." Chen Mo felt that his entire right shoulder felt weak and he could not use any force, but soon, he felt the pain in his right shoulder dissipated little by little.

"Little Hong, you can go and rest now." Although all of this was just Zhao Chong's guess, Xiao Yunxi would definitely not blame her son because of an eunuch. 

"Roger that."

After Chen Mo put down the wooden knife and explained that it was used to cut the cake, he left the hall.

...

Outer hall.

When Wang Ying saw Chen Mo come out with an injury, he was startled and asked what happened. After he learned that it was just a test, he breathed a sigh of relief. After they left the palace, he said, "Little Chen, you are quite lucky, the crown prince is a master of the fourth-realm, if he really wanted your life, with your physique, you would have died immediately, not to mention he gave you medicine..."

Wang Ying said a lot, but in short, he wanted Chen Mo to remember to not hate on the crown prince.

What a good dog.

Chen Mo smiled bitterly and said, "How dare I."

"Not daring is the best, otherwise, your life and death will be the will of the crown prince." Wang Ying left after he finished speaking.

Chen Mo stared at Wang Ying's back and a look of vengeance suddenly appeared in his eyes.