Chapter 69 Locking the Phoenix Tree (Part Two) Ha, little fat cat! ...
Old Zhao has been a vegetable supplier for over twenty years, but he has only been employed by the Prince's Mansion in the South City for less than half a year. This was because the previous vegetable supplier had a family crisis, and it was his turn to take over.
After following Old Zhao on his journey, Song Qiling finally understood the hardships faced by vegetable farmers.
According to Old Zhao, vegetable farmers must get up before dawn to pick the freshest vegetables from their own fields. Fruits and melons must be picked while still wet with dew and then wrapped in damp cloths to prevent them from wilting. Live fish and chickens are killed and bled on the spot and then placed in bamboo cages or wooden buckets.
Next came the task of transporting vegetables. To save on transportation costs, Old Zhao simply pulled the cart with all his might, which meant he was always drenched in sweat every day.
“Once you enter the vegetable alley, you will encounter the guards of the Prince’s Mansion.” Old Zhao lowered his head and took off the wooden plaque from his waist. “Take out this and hand it to the official for inspection.”
Song Qiling nodded, making sure she remembered everything.
Seeing this, Old Zhao scratched his head. "I'll take care of picking the vegetables and loading them onto the cart. If you find it troublesome, I can push the cart too..."
Upon hearing this, Song Qiling smiled and shook her head, saying, "That won't do. If we run into someone with ulterior motives, we might give ourselves away."
The two discussed the matter for a while in front of the vegetable garden, and in the end, Song Qiling gave up on picking vegetables, simply because she was sweating too much and her makeup would melt when it got wet.
"That's all. Once the vegetables are delivered to the kitchen, the accounting department will count them. After that, we'll help unload them." Old Zhao looked up at the sun and continued, "Of course, I'm not the only vegetable supplier for the Prince's Mansion. The old lady of the mansion is having a big birthday celebration, and there will definitely be a banquet. We need to deliver more vegetables, sometimes three or four times a day."
After explaining some other trivial matters, Old Zhao bowed and bid farewell to Song Qiling with trepidation.
Although he didn't know what the strangely dressed man in front of him meant, he had already agreed to the deal. Having taken the money, he couldn't go back on his word, so Old Zhao had no choice but to swallow his questions and pretend to be mute.
-
Back in the dilapidated courtyard, Song Qiling asked a locksmith to install a sturdy brass lock on the gate before finally feeling at ease and going back to her room to lie down.
She had planned to sneak into the Prince's mansion under Gu Lianzhou's name during the Old Madam's birthday celebration, but Chu Yue's appearance disrupted her plans, forcing her to devise a new scheme.
Using the position of vegetable vendor allows one to enter the Prince's mansion ahead of time. Although one can only move around in a small courtyard, it is still a forbidden area. With a little effort, it is not impossible to tour the entire mansion.
Of course, this "strolling" is not the same as that "strolling".
The next day.
Following Old Zhao to the side gate of the Prince's Mansion, Song Qiling obediently lowered his eyes and did not look around aimlessly.
The guard only glanced at her twice before letting her pass.
After walking along the path for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two arrived at a small courtyard filled with the smell of fish. Song Qiling stopped and heard Old Zhao say with a smile, "Pingniang, let's kill some fish."
"Yes." The woman's cold voice came from the front, accompanied by a dull knocking sound.
Song Qiling looked up and saw a woman wearing a headscarf and an apron standing behind the stove. She was holding a kitchen knife and knocking the lively fish unconscious. Then she began to scale the fish with deft movements, followed by gutting it and removing the fishy line.
Old Zhao stopped the vegetable cart, gave Song Qiling a wink, and the two of them started unloading the vegetables together.
The woman named Pingniang caught a glimpse of the unfamiliar face in the courtyard out of the corner of her eye. She paused in her work of preparing the fish, looked up at Song Qiling, and asked, "Why are you willing to ask for help today?"
Old Zhao, without even looking up, said, "He's my cousin from the countryside. He's just sitting around doing nothing anyway, so let's find him something to do."
Upon hearing this, Pingniang hummed in agreement and continued cleaning the fish in silence. After a long while, she said, "Your cousin doesn't look like you at all."
“They are not from the same mother, so naturally they don’t look alike.” Old Zhao turned to look at Song Qiling, his voice trembling. “Guisheng is new here, and he will probably need your help, Pingniang, in the coming days.”
"Oh? What do you mean?" Pingniang deftly removed the fish gills, the bright red gill filaments sticking between her fingers. She shook her hand and looked at Old Zhao. "You're quitting?"
Old Zhao put down his vegetable basket, straightened up, wiped the sweat from his brow, and gave a wry smile: "My wife isn't feeling well, so I have to take leave to go back and take care of her. I'm just too busy..."
“You’re quite considerate,” Pingniang nodded in agreement. “We should hire a helper.”
She looked at Song Qiling and greeted her, "Your name is Guisheng?"
Song Qiling picked up a cabbage and responded in a muffled voice.
This nickname was given to her by Old Zhao in a moment of inspiration, which saved her a lot of trouble.
"She seems like a reliable and capable person." After saying that, Pingniang lowered her eyes and continued to deal with the fish on the cutting board.
This brief and monotonous exchange came to an end.
Following Old Zhao's example, they unloaded the vegetables and tidied up the mess on the ground. The two stood there waiting for someone to come and take inventory.
Song Qiling took advantage of the empty space to look around at the scenery.
This kitchen is located in the northeast corner of the Prince's Mansion. It is a row of low houses with blue bricks and gray tiles, and it looks quite dilapidated.
When they pushed the cart in, they passed a courtyard full of firewood, which should have been the firewood and charcoal courtyard. The place they were in now was a vegetable shed. Looking back, the roof with smoke rising from it should be the kitchen of the Prince's mansion.
Because of its filth and disorder, no one from the inner quarters ever set foot in this vegetable shed.
As my thoughts drifted, a plump raccoon came into view. This gluttonous creature followed the fishy smell into the vegetable shed, bypassed the dark red and stained blood on the ground, stepped on the wooden buckets containing fresh fish, and stuck its head inside.
As the fluffy white cat paw reached inward, Song Qiling pursed her lips and, as if possessed, remained silent.
Pingniang remained silent as she continued to gut her fish, blood flowing from the cutting board and down the sink to the stone floor.
Having succeeded, the cat retreated triumphantly with the palm-sized grass carp in its mouth.
"Oh dear, a fish thief!" Song Qiling exclaimed, chasing after the cat and disappearing into the bushes under Old Zhao's astonished gaze.
Pingniang glanced up, her gaze sweeping over the black and white fur of the raccoon dog. "Is that 'Cai Ge'er' raised by the head of the kitchen?"
Old Zhao was already sweating profusely from watching. He stood there, rubbing the hem of his clothes, unsure whether to chase after him or wait for him, just like an ant on a hot pan.
This is the Prince's Palace!
If that person were to injure the cat and cause trouble, and the higher-ups found out, he would likely be implicated and suffer the consequences!
As the weighing room manager and his entourage slowly approached, Old Zhao braced himself and went to greet them.
He caught a glimpse of Song Qiling out of the corner of his eye, and his heart jumped again.
“Brother, that fish thief got away.” She grinned, revealing a silly smile. “I thought it was plump and strong, but it ran away so fast that we didn’t even touch a hair on it.”
Upon hearing this, Old Zhao breathed a long sigh of relief and whispered, "That's the kitchen's guardian beast. You mustn't mess with it. If you ever see it again, you absolutely mustn't try to catch it."
"Ah, so that's how it is." Song Qiling scratched the back of her head, feigning annoyance. "I've got it."
As they were talking, the manager of the weighing room had already come up to them.
After checking the produce against the shelves and registering it, and exchanging some trivial chatter, the group dispersed.
Pushing the empty cart back the way it came, Song Qiling had lost patience. She made an excuse to go ahead and returned to her residence in Hushi Lane, where she retrieved cinnabar ink and brush and began to draw talismans to activate the formation.
Only when the sun was high in the sky and hunger burned in his stomach could the magic array be completed. Song Qiling raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his temples, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the yellowish-brown stain on the back of his hand, and couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.
This disguise cream is so not waterproof at all.
She muttered to herself, then turned and lay down on the couch, closed her eyes, concentrated, and softly chanted a spell.
Suddenly, the pitch-black vision brightened, and what came into view was a long, thin, pink tongue with barbs tirelessly and frantically licking the fluffy fur.
Song Qiling, sharing the cat's perspective: "..."
Having eaten and drunk its fill, the little tabby cat is now nestled in the dry grass, engrossed in grooming its fur.
After waiting patiently for a moment, the fat cat retracted its tongue, grunted, and slowly closed its eyes.
The world was plunged into darkness.
"..."
By the way, what is the routine of the cat?
Song Qi sat up abruptly, scratching his disheveled hair with a troubled expression, and turned to look out the window.
Sunlight streamed through the windows without obstruction, shining brightly onto the brickwork in the center of the house, almost blindingly so.
Song Qiling narrowed her eyes and decided to go out to find some food.
-
After hastily finishing a bowl of soup noodles, Song Qiling lay back down on the couch.
This time, the raccoon didn't sleep. It was slowly strolling along the pebble path. When it saw a butterfly by the roadside, it stopped, silently gathered its strength, and then suddenly rushed out like an arrow released from a bow!
They came up empty-handed.
With the camera angle shifting between high and low, near and far, Song Qiling experienced firsthand what hunting, maneuvering, and... dizziness were all about.
Perhaps peeping into the Prince's mansion through the peephole wasn't the best option, and she was already starting to regret it.
Accompanied by a series of "meow meow" sounds, a figure suddenly appeared in the low and limited field of vision.
Song Qiling's heart tightened.
The cat's paws suddenly stopped, its pink nose twitched twice, and then the person chuckled softly. A tall figure squatted down not far away, reaching out to it while making soft "sucking" sounds.
Perhaps familiar with the man's scent, the raccoon did not run away. Instead, it took small steps forward and rubbed its furry head against the man's legs.
"Ha, little fat cat." The man's clear voice lasted only a moment before he strained his throat, making a strange sound, "Are you hungry? I have some jerky here..."
With mixed feelings, Song Qiling watched as the view gradually rose, revealing the intricate patterns embroidered with gold thread beside the man's neck, highlighting his extraordinary status.
Riding on this person, the cat's vision suddenly opened up, and the surrounding buildings and cobblestone paths became clear.
At the end of the road, a gilded pavilion stands above the pond, surrounded by craggy artificial rocks, clearly indicating its extraordinary cost.
Three people sat under the pavilion, while a group of people dressed as servants stood quietly to the side.
Song Qiling held her breath when she suddenly saw someone waving at her and calling out, "Guan Yan, come quick!"
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