Hearing the Princess Consort's scolding, Li Yao's bowl slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor, the remnants of the crystal sugar jelly splattering across the wooden planks, the deep red syrup spreading like spilled ink.
Li Yao's small face paled as she stammered, "M-Mother..."
The Princess Consort, seeing Li Yao, only grew more furious. "At this hour, you should be in your chambers practicing tea-making. How dare you interrupt your brothers' studies and hinder their futures?"
Li Yao lowered her head in distress. "Mother... my brothers have been working so hard. Recently, a dessert shop in Yanjing has been selling exceptionally delicious sweets... Yao'er asked the nanny to buy three portions, one for each of them..."
Her brothers were always busy and exhausted, and Li Yao had missed them terribly. She had only wanted to bring them a small treat.
It had been so long since she had shared a meal with them.
