Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace

“Let us now begin.”

Yui Mei prepared four types of solutions with different tastes, and she promptly began the examination.

The saucers were lined up, each containing one of the four flavors – sweet, salty, sour and bitter, ranging from thinned to very concentrated.

She would then place each of them at a specific spot on Princess Pan’s tongue, and have her answer which taste was it.

“Princess Pan, please answer as follows. ‘No taste’ if you didn’t taste anything, ‘Not sure which it is, but there’s a taste’ if you sense anything but can’t distinguish it.”

After explaining that, Yui Mei took a little bit with a spoon from one type and placed it on top of Princess Pan’s tongue.

“How is it?”

“…None.”

They started with the lightest flavor, but Princess Pan couldn’t taste anything.

They continued on until they reached the relatively strong flavored ones, but Princess Pan still shook her head.

“Ah, what is this taste?”

She finally reacted, but no matter which flavor it was, she could only taste those that were concentrated.

It was decided, then.

“As I thought, Princess Pan has a taste disorder, and it is serious.”

Yui Mei declared the results, then she had the other three taste the salty solution Princess Pan reacted to as having a slight flavor.

All of them puckered their faces after tasting it.

“What’s ‘slight’ about this? It’s so salty that it’s intolerable.”

The crown prince said, and the other two agreed.

“Eh, no way…”

Princess Pan was dumbstruck when she saw their reactions, and Yui Mei then further explained.

“You also have a little loss of taste. Well, with that rich color, you should be able to identify it by its smell.”

“True, it’s easy to know which liquid is sour just by the odor.”

Li Min also nodded at Yui Mei’s words.

Indeed, the liquids that Princess Pan finally reacted to were emitting a strong smell despite their small amounts.

Salt was a usually odorless seasoning, but this one had a strong briny smell.

“With this, it’s only natural that Princess Pan Yu would lose her appetite. No matter how scrumptious the meal is, since she couldn’t taste nor smell them, it’s the same as eating sand and stones. We might think that only the tongue is used for tasting, but in fact, the smell, appearance, sound, and texture of food are also very important.”

She already told the crown prince about this yesterday, but Li Min also agreed with what she said.

“That’s understandable. The freshly made food’s sound arouses the appetite, and the delicious aroma is also enough to make one salivate.”

“Indeed.”

Li Min earnestly said that, and Yui Mei agreed.

Mealtimes that seemed like she’s eating sand and stone must have been a terrible experience for the ill Princess Pan.

However, she still had to eat in order to live.

“Princess Pan Yu, perhaps, you have been requesting porridge and similar foods that are readily consumed, in order to finish your tasteless meals as soon as possible?”

“That’s…”

Princess Pan averted her face and fell silent, so Li Min said “That’s right.”

Apparently, he already had confidence in Yui Mei.

She could totally understand Princess Pan’s lack of appetite for those tasteless foods.

However, chewing was also very important. If she continued drinking without chewing, her jaw would weaken, and it would not be good for her stomach and intestines.

‘But still….’

Li Min then asked the crucial question, believing that Yui Mei would have the answer since she understood Princess Pan’s illness.

“Will Lady Yu be cured!?”

“Of course.”

Yui Mei answered Li Min, who appeared very serious.

However, she also had some misgivings as to why it reached this point.

“The taste disorder that happened because of a cold usually doesn’t have long-term effects. However, Princess Pan Yu caught the cold near the end of winter, is that right?”

Yes, this illness had dragged for far too long.

This stumped Yui Mei.

It was a more serious illness than normal, so perhaps there was something different – it was only natural that she thought that way.

“Sorry, but please let me ask you a question. Before catching a cold, did Princess Pan Yu properly eat her meals?”

“….”

Princess Pan remained silent once again, and Li Min answered for her.

“Actually, Lady Yu had a small appetite, and she disliked meat and fish, only preferring to eat vegetables.”

Yui Mei raised her brow when she heard the answer she was expecting.

“So that’s why the after-effects of her illness was worse. Her taste had already weakened even before. She was lacking in Zinc, the important nutrient for taste, and it is especially abundant in meat, fish and seafood.”

“No way…”

Princess Pan was shocked at Yui Mei’s revelation.

She already knew that she should be eating them, but she didn’t realize that it was important to this extent.

“But, I don’t want to eat meat and fish…”

Princess Pan tried to reason out, but Yui Mei asked her another question.

“Also, Princess Pan, do you usually drink plenty of water?”

“…I don’t really like drinking.”

When she heard Princess Pan’s answer, Yui Mei tried to stop herself from grimacing.

“Princess Pan, you shouldn’t do that. Since your intake of fluids had been reduced because you’ve been eating less, you need to drink more. Taste disorder can also occur if there’s not enough saliva, and the mouth is dry.”

“My goodness, if I had been more diligent in persuading Lady Yu to eat and drink, this would not have happened…”

Li Min was depressed after he heard the reason why Princess Pan became this way.

Princess Pan bit her lip as she stared at him.

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