Chapter 77 The Crown Prince Arrives: The Secret in the Grass Carp Soup

"Looks like I'm in for a treat tonight?"

Xiao Ce walked over with light steps, looking at Meng Yanzhi with a smile.

Meng Yanzhi hadn't expected the Crown Prince to come so suddenly. She immediately put down the grass carp in her hand, knelt on the ground, and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Get up quickly, there's no need to be so formal here." Xiao Ce stepped forward and gently helped Meng Yanzhi up.

Meng Yanzhi stood up and smiled at Zhang Xuanyun: "Sir!"

"You can fish?" Zhang Xuanyun looked at Meng Yanzhi with some surprise: "Such a big fish?"

"Of course! I grew up in the countryside. Going up mountains and down rivers is what I'm best at." Meng Yanzhi didn't think that growing up in the countryside was anything shameful.

Her eyes crinkled into a smile, and then she looked at Xiao Ce: "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

"I have something to say to you." Xiao Ce's expression was somewhat solemn.

Mingchu and Luping, who were standing nearby, immediately understood and quickly walked into the room. For a moment, only the three of them remained by the river.

Meng Yanzhi smiled and then said, "Your Highness probably wants to know where the hidden weapon I mentioned is located, right?"

"You are indeed incredibly clever. Where are you?" Xiao Ce raised an eyebrow, looking at Meng Yanzhi with a faint smile in his eyes.

Meng Yanzhi shook her head: "Your Highness, I'm not a fool. Does your asking me this mean you're already willing to cooperate with me?"

"She really is a clever and mischievous little girl, Mr. Zhang. Your student is quite remarkable!" Xiao Ce smiled and looked at Zhang Xuanyun.

But Zhang Xuanyun's eyes were full of worry when he looked at Meng Yanzhi.

He frowned and asked, "Miss, do you really know?"

"Of course I know." Meng Yanzhi smiled slightly, then said, "Don't worry, sir, I will naturally protect myself. His Highness the Crown Prince is the rightful heir, and defending his position is in accordance with the will of Heaven!"

She said all this not to show Xiao Ce her determination, but to let Zhang Xuanyun know what destiny meant. After all, in the previous life, Xiao Ce had successfully ascended the throne and become emperor, and he was a very, very good emperor.

Reborn, Meng Yanzhi has no intention of changing history. She believes Xiao Ce is a good person and will be a good emperor in the future, so she is willing to support him.

As for Xiao Xingyuan...

Although he was very wise and capable, in fact, he was in poor health and had long been depleted internally, so he wouldn't live much longer.

Thinking of this, Meng Yanzhi sighed helplessly.

"Your Highness, if you are truly willing to cooperate with me, you must agree to one condition." Meng Yanzhi looked at Xiao Ce with a smile, but her eyes were full of seriousness.

This time, Xiao Ce was genuinely curious: "What do you want me to promise you?"

"I want freedom. Once His Highness the Crown Prince successfully ascends the throne, I want a large sum of money, and then I want freedom." Meng Yanzhi directly expressed her deepest thoughts.

Having lived two lives, Meng Yanzhi finally understood one thing: she didn't like either the imperial court or the inner palace. What she wanted and missed most was her life in the countryside. So what she wanted was freedom.

Xiao Ce had considered many possibilities, but he never expected that Meng Yanzhi only wanted such simple freedom.

He frowned and looked at Meng Yanzhi: "You only want this?"

"Yes, this is all I want!"

"If Your Highness agrees, I am willing to do everything in my power to help Your Highness ascend the throne smoothly!"

Meng Yanzhi spoke very seriously.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce felt as if a piece of his heart had suddenly emptied, but he still smiled and agreed.

"Alright, I agree!"

"Then Your Highness, please prepare someone who can dive. Tonight, I will lead you to the location where the weapons are hidden!"

Meng Yanzhi readily agreed.

She was overjoyed as she looked at the large grass carp that was still jumping around.

They took two people up the mountain and caught two rabbits, so lunch was sorted out.

Meng Yanzhi quickly cleaned everything up and then headed to the kitchen. She chopped the rabbit into pieces and stir-fried them in a pot. The fragrant aroma soon filled the air.

Xiao Ce and Zhang Xuanyun were also helping out, but soon Xiao Ce noticed something was wrong. He frowned and asked, "Why is there no one here?"

“This is the Meng family’s estate. It’s perfectly normal that there’s no one here at this time.” Meng Yanzhi didn’t pause for a moment and quickly added some water to stew the rabbit meat.

She turned around, looked at the messy kitchen, rubbed her temples with a headache, and looked at Xiao Ce and Zhang Xuanyun: "Why don't you go out for some fresh air?"

Xiao Ce was indeed not good at this. Looking at the kitchen stove that he had made a mess of, he felt embarrassed and hurriedly grabbed Zhang Xuanyun's wrist and walked outside together.

Meng Yanzhi immediately stepped forward and cleaned the large grass carp neatly, separating the meat from the bones. The fish meat was used to make fried fish chunks, while the bones were used to make a delicious grass carp soup.

When all of these were served, Xiao Ce was also attracted by the aroma.

He had been raised in luxury and had eaten many delicious foods, but this was the first time he had ever felt such a strong craving.

"It smells so good."

After sitting down, Xiao Ce looked at the food on the table, his appetite was whetted, and he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat without any hesitation.

Meng Yanzhi then waved to Lu Ping and Ming Chu: "Come on, let's eat!"

"This servant wouldn't dare!"

They hadn't felt anything when eating at the same table with Meng Yanzhi before, but now that the Crown Prince and Zhang Xuanyun were both there, the two young girls really didn't dare to.

Xiao Ce glanced at the two little girls: "Let's eat together."

"Yes, thank you, Your Highness!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yanzhi pouted in dissatisfaction: "I did all of this!"

"Thank you, miss!"

The two of them immediately complied and grinned foolishly at Meng Yanzhi.

This was the most harmonious meal Xiao Ce had ever eaten. Although the ingredients were simple, they were fresh. Most importantly, Meng Yanzhi's cooking skills were simply too good. Even the imperial kitchen in the palace could not compare to this taste!

Meng Yanzhi watched them eat heartily, feeling very satisfied. As a young cook, she absolutely loved seeing this scene.

The Imperial Palace.

"What is this thing?!"

Xiao Xingyuan put down his chopsticks and looked coldly at Wang Huanhai.

Wang Huanhai first knelt down to beg for forgiveness, then carefully picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, quite puzzled, after all... was this any different from usual?