Chapter 173 Goal Achieved

The cold wind that blew all night blew away the last trace of haze in the sky, revealing the long-lost blue sky.

The sunlight shines on every corner of the palace, bringing out the laziness in people's bones.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Chu Liuzheng slung a green leather bundle over his arm and walked slowly towards the imperial kitchen on the bluestone slabs.

When passing by Changchun Palace, he happened to meet Qiu Sui escorting Concubine Zhu out.

Chu Liuzheng stepped forward and bowed: "Blessings, beauty."

Zhu Meiren glanced at her and said, "Get up."

Chu Liuzheng stood up, and even with her head slightly lowered, she could still sense Concubine Zhu examining her. Fortunately, it was only for a moment before Concubine Zhu withdrew her gaze and left with the maid.

Qiu Sui smiled at Chu Liuzheng and took the initiative to greet him: "Is your injury healed?"

Chu Liuzheng nodded: "Thank you for your concern, auntie. I'm much better now. I can remove the gauze in a few days."

Doctor Li was worried that Chu Liuzheng would accidentally knock off the scab on the wound, so he insisted on wrapping her hand with two layers of thin gauze and would not remove it until the scab fell off.

"That's good." Qiu Sui glanced at the bundle on her arm and asked with a smile, "Where are you going, young lady?"

Chu Liuzheng said truthfully: "Go to the imperial kitchen."

She didn't say much, and Qiu Sui didn't ask any further questions. She just pulled her aside and said a few words before returning to the palace.

Chu Liuzheng let out a sigh and continued to walk towards the imperial kitchen.

We were delayed for a while and arrived late.

Chen Shouping was standing at the door, looking out. He smiled when he saw her figure and walked over to her. "Finally, you're here. It's been a while since I last saw you. You seem to have lost a lot of weight."

"Thank you for waiting, Eunuch Chen," Chu Liuzheng said. "I wonder if you're used to drinking the Junshan Silver Needle that Eunuch Yu brought back last time?"

Chen Shouping was stunned: "Junshan Silver Needle?"

Chu Liuzheng nodded, a smile on his face. "It was given to me by His Majesty. I thought you liked the tea so much, so I kept it for you. Last time, Eunuch Yu happened to come by, so I asked him to bring it to you to try."

Chen Shouping didn't receive any Junshan silver needles at all. After hearing this, how could he not understand that Xiao Yuzi had secretly taken his things.

His eyebrows immediately rose, and he cursed angrily, "Hey! This little bastard is so bold that he actually stole the girl's things. When he comes back, we will definitely expose his skin!"

Chu Liuzheng opened his mouth slightly in surprise, "Is this really true?"

"Miss, you don't know, that little brat is not an honest person. He often steals food in the kitchen. My family took pity on him because he was young and hungry, so we turned a blind eye. We never thought he would become such an ungrateful person."

Chen Shouping was so angry that his face turned red. If Xiao Yuzi was right there, he would have kicked her.

"Thank goodness you brought it up today, otherwise we would still be kept in the dark by that brat."

Seeing that he was so angry that he was breathing heavily, Chu Liuzheng hurriedly spoke to comfort him: "Don't be angry, eunuch. Maybe Eunuch Yu forgot. You can ask him about it when he comes back."

"Girl, please don't protect him." Chen Shouping's anger did not subside, but instead became even more fierce. "When he comes back, our family will definitely not let him off!"

Chu Liuzheng's eyes turned slightly.

In fact, she had no idea that Xiao Yuzi had stolen the tea.

She originally thought that Xiao Yuzi was someone Chen Shouping could trust, so asking Xiao Yuzi to bring things should not be a mistake.

Yesterday she saw in the system that the person who put the heart-destroying pill in her chicken soup was Xiao Yuzi. Puzzled, she casually flipped through the gossip related to Xiao Yuzi.

Only then did I realize that Xiao Yuzi often did this kind of thing, deceiving her superiors and hiding the truth from her subordinates. She had robbed Chen Shouping of many things, but she was very good at choosing the right time, making it difficult for both parties to detect.

For example, last time Chu Liuzheng asked him to bring tea, because Chu Liuzheng was recuperating from his injuries, he would not often go to the imperial kitchen. After a while, he naturally forgot about it, so Xiao Yuzi got away with it.

This time, Xiao Yuzi was bribed with money to work for Xixia. While Chu Liuzheng was searching, he happened to see him steal the jar of Junshan Silver Needles and gave it to Eunuch Yu of Wanshou Palace to show his favor.

Xiao Yuzi had long wanted to stop working in the imperial kitchen. Knowing that Eunuch Yu wanted to adopt a godson, she tried her best to please him, and she did it very smoothly.

Poor Chen Shouping was still kept in the dark.

Now Chu Liuzheng brought this up, firstly to remind Chen Shouping to be more careful next time he hired people, and secondly because he couldn't let the things she gave away go to waste, at least he had to make some noise.

As for what Chen Shouping would do, it was none of her business.

Chen Shouping cursed angrily a few more times before he stopped talking.

"I originally thought that if you like it, I would bring it to you next time I get it. I didn't expect this to cause you to be angry." Chu Liuzheng stretched out his arm towards him, and the green leather bundle hanging on it swayed twice with his movement. "I wonder if these two cakes of Tongqing Laoyuan tea might make you feel better?"

When Chen Shouping heard this, the anger on his face disappeared and he smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared on his face.

The Pu'er tea cakes of Tongqing Tea House are only supplied to the royal family. Outsiders cannot even ask for them, but he was allowed to have a taste of them.

He quickly reached out to take the bundle and said happily, "Miss, you are so thoughtful. Without you always thinking about our little hobby, how could we have such good tea?"

"You're joking, sir. With your ability, you can make any good tea you want." Chu Liuzheng retracted his arm.

Chen Shouping said, "Miss Siyue came yesterday and said there were bugs in her chicken soup. We helped investigate, but unfortunately we couldn't find out where the bugs came from. However, please rest assured, from now on, we will keep an eye on everything we give you and will make sure that no pickled food gets mixed in. Just enjoy your meal with peace of mind."

With his words, Chu Liuzheng's purpose of giving this gift today was achieved.

She didn't want to be suspicious about what she ate in the future. Although it wasn't too much trouble to check with the system, it would really affect her appetite.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Chu Liuzheng said goodbye.

The smile on Chen Shouping's face fell only when he could no longer see Chu Liuzheng's back. He glanced at the green leather bag he was carrying, pondered it for a moment, and his face gradually became gloomy.

He returned with his bag and ordered in a cold voice, "Bring that little bastard Xiao Yuzi back to us. We're going to teach him some lessons today!"

On the other side, Chu Liuzheng walked and flipped through the information about Zhao Yue in the system. Just like what she saw a few days ago, there was not much change.

When the jade falls, she will be able to tell her the news about Zhao Yue, and the matter will be settled.

[Alas, I was thinking about going to the Royal Garden to see the ice sculptures, but the Tyrant was actually discussing matters with Butterfly and Yin Taiyu there. Is the Royal Garden a place for meetings?]

Chu Liuzheng decisively gave up his original itinerary, turned around, and decided to take a detour back to Nong Yunyuan to take a nap.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. Even if you don’t look for trouble, trouble will look for you.

Just as they were about to reach Nong Yun Garden, a person suddenly appeared from a fork in the road and walked straight towards Chu Liuzheng.

[Frog Fun! Isn't the butterfly in the Imperial Garden? How come it's here?]

Chu Liuzheng paused, lowered his head and stepped aside, ready to wait until Wei Mingliang passed before leaving.

Wei Mingliang's steps were neither hurried nor slow.

As he got closer, the slightly sweet scent of agarwood wafted into Chu Liuzheng's nose, and a pair of black boots appeared in his sight. The front ends were slightly tilted, and the heels were inlaid with a red agate the size of a quail egg.

[As expected of a butterfly, even her boots are inlaid with agate, so she's not afraid of losing them.]

She was complaining in her heart when she suddenly saw the boots stop, then turn on the bluestone slabs, the hem of the clothes lifted slightly, and the owner of the boots faced her.