A sharp-eyed eunuch spotted it and shouted in a shrill voice, "Quick! The Phoenix Cloud Sable has run away!"
The two palace maids were responsible for following Xiao Diao at all times and were not allowed to leave his side for even a moment. Hearing the eunuch shout this, they lifted their skirts and hurriedly chased after him.
The eunuchs couldn't answer the missing fish, so they all rushed out. They wanted to see the fish alive or dead.
After all, the Phoenix Cloud Sable and the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish are both royal pets. If this matter really comes to His Majesty's attention, there's no guarantee that His Majesty will take sides.
Xi Xizhi left the others far behind, running familiarly through the corridors and alleys. A dozen or so palace maids carrying platters of food came towards her. They were startled when they saw the little sable suddenly appear. The platters in their hands tilted, and the fragrant delicacies splashed out.
If it were just one palace maid who suffered, that would be one thing, but a small sable ran right past them. Afraid of stepping on the sable, the group of palace maids tried to dodge it in a panic. Because they had no clear direction, some palace maids went forward and some went backward, causing many of them to bump into each other, and all the food plates were knocked to the ground.
These dishes were all for His Majesty's lunch, and now they've all spilled. Their lives are probably in danger. A group of palace maids wept and sobbed, tears streaming down their faces.
"The Phoenix Cloud Sable seems to be heading straight for the Imperial Kitchen!" the leading eunuch shouted. "Little Liu Zi, hurry and report to His Majesty in the Imperial Study. This fish is definitely not going to survive. Let's try to reduce our punishment as much as possible."
After so much time, the Phoenix Golden-Scaled Fish must have died of thirst. They dared not scold or beat the little sable, so they could only inform His Majesty first, hoping there might still be a way for it to survive.
Xiao Liuzi stopped, stood there stunned for a moment, then immediately turned around and ran down the side road. He thought raising golden fin fish would be the easiest job, but he never expected to encounter this unfortunate thing just a few days after being transferred here.
Upon seeing the Imperial Study come into view, Xiao Liuzi quickened his pace, bent down, and tried to rush in, but was stopped by the guards outside.
Just then, Lynn brought in tea and saw Xiao Liuzi. She glared at him and said, "Which palace are you from? Can't you watch where you're going? What if you disturb His Majesty while he's reviewing memorials? Don't you want your head?"
When Xiao Liuzi first met the Grand Steward, his shoulders trembled with fear, and he stammered, "It's...it's Fengyun...Diao..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lynn eagerly asked, "What happened to the Phoenix Cloud Sable?"
Considering how much His Majesty values that sable, if anything were to happen, none of these servants would have a good life.
An Honghan had already heard the commotion outside, and said in a cold, gloomy voice, "Come in!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it had the air of a king, making people dare not resist from the bottom of their hearts.
The young man stumbled in, breathless, and reported, "Your Majesty, the Phoenix Cloud Sable jumped into the Qingyuan Pond, caught a Phoenix Golden Scale Fish, and ran towards the Imperial Kitchen."
An Honghan, who was handling government affairs, paused slightly with his brush in hand, without looking up, and said, "Since it likes to eat, send a letter to Yuyun Kingdom and ask them to send another batch of fish."
Lynn stood there dumbfounded. The Phoenix Golden-Scaled Fish was worth a fortune, and there were only about twenty of them in the entire Qingyuan Pond. And His Majesty not only condoned the little sable's wanton hunting behavior, but also made such a precious fish its food.
In ancient times, foolish rulers spared no expense in building magnificent palaces to please their concubines. And you! You have actually allowed an animal to go to such lengths.
You used to go to Qingyuan Pond to admire the fish whenever you had free time, but today you actually let the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish end up in the belly of a sable.
Little Liuzi was even more surprised than Lynn. His Majesty didn't even seem to intend to punish him; instead, he pushed the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish to Little Marten as food.
In comparison, the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish is utterly defeated. Moreover, they worry that twenty fish won't be enough for the little sable for several meals, and they'll need the Kingdom of Luyun to send another batch. While the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish isn't as rare as the Phoenix Cloud Sable, its value is in no way inferior.
An Honghan picked up his pen and drew a line on the memorial, saying, "Lin En, go and keep an eye on the imperial kitchen."
Lynn bowed his head meekly and replied, "This servant obeys."
Xiao Liuzi didn't know what to do. Seeing Steward Lin walk out, he remained kneeling. Since His Majesty hadn't told him to rise, he dared not move.
Xi Xizhi rushed into the imperial kitchen, soaking wet.
Several imperial chefs' faces fell when they saw Xiao Diao appear at this moment.
With each step the ferret took, it left a trail of water. From the doorway to the stove, the wet footprints were the most noticeable.
"Your servant begs you, we still have many dishes to deliver to the concubines. If we delay any longer, we will all lose our lives here," a fat imperial chef said, bowing down and looking down at the little sable.
He was the head of the entire imperial kitchen and had the best cooking skills.
Xi Xizhi loved his cooking the most. She ran over to him, held the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish in her mouth, shook it, and then let go, causing the fish to fall to the ground.
The Phoenix Golden-scaled Fish had already stopped breathing, but it hadn't been dead long; its body was still very elastic. When it hit the ground, it bounced twice.
All the cooks looked this way. "Does the Phoenix Cloud Sable want us to cook fish for it?"
Many chefs had the same thought.
Anyway, His Majesty's lunch is already prepared. Cooking a fish won't take much time. The fat imperial chef picked up the fish and said, "Feng Yun Diao, this servant will cook you a braised fish, but please don't cause any trouble in the imperial kitchen. Look, we still have a lot of things to do. The concubines in all the palaces are waiting for us to deliver the dishes."
Perhaps after being tormented by this ferret for so long, the imperial chefs became confused and started trying to reason with a little ferret.
Surprisingly, after thinking for a while, the little ferret shook its head and nodded solemnly.
"I'll take that as a yes, and I'll make it for you right away." The fat imperial chef took the fish and placed it on the cutting board. Just as he was about to remove the scales, a group of eunuchs dressed in dark green rushed in. When they saw him about to cut the fish, it was as if they were about to die. "Don't scale it! That's a Phoenix Golden Scale Fish, His Majesty's favorite fish."
Although no one had ever seen what the Phoenix Golden Scale Fish looked like, they had heard that His Majesty had specially built a palace wall and constructed the Qingyuan Pond just to raise this kind of fish.
Just as the fish was about to be cooked, Chen Yaojin suddenly appeared, making Xi Xizhi grind her teeth in anger.
The palace maids, lacking the stamina of the eunuchs, leaned against the doorframe, panting heavily, unable to utter a complete sentence. However, judging from their tense expressions, they probably disapproved of the little sable eating the Phoenix Golden-scaled Fish.
Despite being favored, the little sable, like the phoenix-scaled fish, is still His Majesty's pet. If His Majesty were to investigate, it's uncertain whether the eunuchs of Qingyuan Pond or they would suffer the consequences.
The fat chef was so frightened that he withdrew his knife. No wonder he had never seen this fish before; he never expected it to have such a remarkable background.
Seeing the dead Phoenix Golden Scale Fish, the eunuchs couldn't help but cry and reached out to take the fish carcass back.
It is an animal's instinct to guard its food. Xi Xizhi suddenly jumped onto the chopping board and held onto the dead fish with both paws.
She's definitely going to eat this fish today!
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