Jian'an Wang, whose surname was Zhou and given name Guan Jing.
From birth, he never lacked for food or clothing.
Although his elders were strict, he always got what he wanted.
He studied literature and martial arts, and never had to worry about household affairs.
Occasionally, he would go on outings with a few friends, drinking and dining, and his life was quite smooth.
When he turned fifteen, he began to get involved in household matters.
He also accompanied the steward to the manor outside the city, learning how to manage it and how to collect accounts.
There was no other way, as he was the only son in the royal mansion.
Even if he didn't have to handle these small matters personally in the future, he still needed to know where the money came from and the state of the family's assets.
Although it was said that one should not use someone if one did not trust them, and not doubt someone if one used them.
But servants were still servants, and workers were still workers.
No matter how much trust one had, one could not completely let go.
The human heart was unfathomable.
As his father said: "You must make the people below feel your trust, and also make them fear you."
"You cannot forget who the master is, nor can you forget which things can be touched and which cannot."
At that time, Zhou Guan Jing, who was still the Crown Prince (Jian'an Wang), couldn't fully understand, but he felt his father's words were reasonable.
Moreover, he was quite happy to be able to go out and roam around.
The main reason was that some of the princes had been causing trouble recently, and they had to lie low.
"Your Highness, we have arrived."
The carriage rumbled to a halt.
The steward alighted first, then walked forward and said.
Zhou Guan Jing jumped off the carriage and looked around.
There were mountains and water, and as far as the eye could see, vast golden rice fields.
Without those bothersome things.
"This place is indeed quite good."
Although he couldn't go on outings, it was nice to walk around here when he had free time to clear his mind.
The steward smiled gently, showing sufficient loyalty and respect to the only heir in the royal mansion.
He introduced, "Your Highness, this is one of the royal mansion's best manors in terms of harvest, mostly fertile land."
Zhou Guan Jing nodded absentmindedly, "Mm."
As they were walking, a small black and white dog suddenly darted out from the grass beside them.
Its nose twitched, likely sensing a strange scent, and it barked fiercely.
"Woof! Woof woof woof~!"
"Da Bai, no barking."
Behind the small black and white dog, a slender figure stumbled forward.
She held the dog's leash in one hand and a long stick in the other, with a woven bamboo basket on her back.
Likely due to rushing, her hair was slightly messy, and her clothes were speckled with grass leaves.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, Da Bai didn't hurt anyone, did he?"
The woman, panting, approached with the long stick, feeling her way forward.
Her movements were slow and cautious.
Zhou Guan Jing noticed her eyes were vacant.
Looking again at her tentative steps, he made a judgment.
The manor's supervisor looked at the Crown Prince, then at the woman and the dog.
His face stiffened, and he reprimanded,
"Girl, why did you come out? Didn't we tell you that His Highness would be visiting today and that we would bring whatever you needed?"
"What if you offend His Highness?"
He turned back, quickly bowed, and smiled ingratiatingly at the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, this girl is a bit foolish, but she's an excellent cook. Shall I have her apologize to you later?"
This man, while seemingly scolding the girl, was actually pleading for her.
Zhou Guan Jing found it amusing but showed nothing on his face.
The steward glanced at the Crown Prince's expression and waved to the manor's supervisor.
"Go, go, don't disturb His Highness."
"Yes, yes."
The manor's supervisor quickly responded and fell two steps behind the Crown Prince.
He quickly nudged the girl holding the dog and whispered,
"Xiao Yan, hurry back and get ready. His Highness will be having lunch after his tour."
"Okay, Uncle." The woman called Xiao Yan nodded slightly.
She remembered that distinguished guests were coming today, so she had gone out early.
She had originally planned to take Da Bai out for a walk and pick some vegetables to take back, thinking she had plenty of time.
But she hadn't expected the distinguished guests to arrive so early.
"Da Bai, home."
She tugged on the dog's leash, exploring the ground in front of her with the long stick.
Step by step, she walked towards the home she remembered.
"Woof~"
Da Bai looked at the group of strangers, then turned and followed his owner.
Soon, he ran ahead of his owner.
After a few steps, he would look back to see if his owner was following.
...
Meanwhile,
Zhou Guan Jing and the steward toured the manor and returned to the room prepared by the manor's supervisor.
When traveling, there were not so many formalities.
After a simple wash, he sat at the dining table.
Having finally gotten out for some fresh air, Zhou Guan Jing had left early that morning.
After traveling and inspecting the manor, his stomach was already rumbling.
Looking at the table full of delicious-looking dishes, he quickly devoured two bowls.
He suddenly thought of something and asked curiously,
"Did the girl with the dog make this?"
The manor's supervisor quickly leaned in, "Replying to Your Highness, yes."
Zhou Guan Jing: "She can't see, how did she judge if the dishes were good or how they looked?"
He had heard of blind swordsmen, but this was the first time he had heard of a blind cook.
The manor's supervisor smiled ingenuously, "Your Highness may not know, but this girl only went blind two years ago."
"When her parents were alive, they were excellent cooks. This girl also learned some skills."
At that time, after experiencing a tragedy, losing her parents and becoming blind...
Everyone thought this girl's life was over, that she had a pitiful fate.
But what they didn't expect was that
A few days later, this girl stood up again.
If she was blind, she would use a cane, and she even asked someone going out to buy things to bring back a puppy.
After getting used to not being able to see, she even picked up her cooking skills again.
"Now, whenever there's an event in the manor, we ask her to help with the cooking."
One was to help her, and the other was that this girl's cooking was indeed very good.
Zhou Guan Jing recalled the girl he had just seen, her stumbling yet not flustered figure.
And the way she yelled at the puppy had quite some spirit.
"Where is the kitchen?"
He stood up, his interest piqued.
"I want to see how she cooks."
The manor's supervisor hesitated, "This..."
Zhou Guan Jing raised an eyebrow, "What, are you trying to fool me?"
The manor's supervisor immediately knelt down and repeatedly explained,
"No, no, how dare I fool Your Highness, it's just that the kitchen is smoky..."
"If Your Highness wishes to see, I will take you there now."
...