"Okay, you've all worked hard today, go back and rest, and call Su Xin in."
Seeing Yuanyue and Suxin come into the house excitedly, Meng Qi knew that the matter was done.
"Princess, Ms. Zhang really stole a jar of wine." Su Xin said softly.
Meng Qi nodded. "It's hard for you to stay in that small kitchen cubicle for quite a while."
Su Xin waved her hands quickly, "Princess, please don't say that. This is my duty. After you left today, Concubine Wu brought Ms. Zhang here. As you instructed, Yuanyue asked a few questions. Concubine Wu just said that she had been helping to taste the dishes recently and she was not very sensitive to the taste. She wanted Ms. Zhang to help her."
Yuan Yue burst out laughing when she heard this. "I pretended to be embarrassed, saying that you had ordered that ordinary people were not allowed to enter the small kitchen. Then Ms. Zhang gave me this and said she was just curious and wanted to take a look, not touch anything."
Looking at the excellent jade pendant in Yuanyue's hand, Ms. Zhang really invested a lot of money.
"After Concubine Wu and Ms. Zhang entered the small kitchen, Mrs. Hu and the cook went through the complete sequence of the dish again and specifically mentioned a few precautions. I watched from the compartment. Ms. Zhang took notes very carefully and even deliberately asked a few more questions about the wine. Mrs. Hu also pointed at it to her as if unintentionally, and said that it was thanks to the wine, otherwise the taste would have changed completely." Su Xin continued.
"At noon, I saw Ms. Zhang standing at the back, near the wine jars. When no one was paying attention, I took a jar and put it under my skirt."
Yuan Yue was surprised and asked, "How did she put it in there? Isn't she afraid that it will fall directly to the ground?"
Su Xin chuckled, "I saw it clearly. Ms. Zhang really did a great job with her equipment. It turns out she sewed a large pocket inside her skirt, tied directly around her waist. And today she deliberately wore a very wide skirt and a cloak, which she hadn't taken off. She said she hadn't been feeling well recently and was afraid of the cold, so she kept it on."
Meng Qi thought about how Ms. Zhang looked at that time and burst out laughing. What an idiot! She didn't even think about it. If she hadn't done it on purpose, how could her clumsy performance not attract other people's attention?
"After she put the wine jar in her pocket, she pretended to have a stomachache and told Concubine Wu that she might have eaten something bad that morning and had to go home. Mrs. Hu thought she had diarrhea and asked her to use the guest rooms in Jing'an Garden, but she refused and hurried away, clutching her stomach." Su Xin, perhaps recalling the situation at that time, smiled and said, "San Ya secretly followed her out. When she saw her leave the back corner gate of Jing'an Garden, she took out the wine and ran away."
Meng Qi put away her smile and asked, "Who did she give the wine to?"
Su Xin shook her head. "No, she didn't give it to anyone. She took it directly to the west corner of the mansion. There was a peddler outside. Ms. Zhang opened the door and handed the wine to the peddler."
"So, she doesn't have anyone in the mansion to support her or provide cover?"
Su Xin nodded, "San Ya said that she was alone the whole time, and it seemed like she had agreed with the peddler to go directly to the West Corner Gate."
The west corner gate of Prince Rui's Mansion is a small gate for servants to enter and exit. On weekdays, servants go back to the back street, or buy something, or deliver water or transport goods, etc. They all go through here.
Meng Qi nodded. It seemed like Ms. Zhang had always been working alone. Perhaps she had been bribed by Prince Jing when she was assigned by the Imperial Household Department to serve as his female historian to Prince Rui. If she had been alone all this time, she wouldn't have been able to convey any valuable information over the years. And given Prince Jing's attitude toward Prince Rui, he probably didn't hold much hope for this spy stationed in Prince Rui's mansion.
"Okay, your mission is completed. Tonight, everyone will eat 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall'," Meng Qi said happily.
Su Xin and Yuan Yue looked at each other and agreed in unison.
That evening, at Bibo Hall, Song Chengze looked at the boiled cabbage in front of him and said with a smile, "I heard that everyone in Jing'an Garden ate 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' today? They said it tasted amazing. The aroma wafted far before the lid was even opened."
Meng Qi was setting the chopsticks for him. Hearing this, she smiled slightly, "It seems someone said that this plain cabbage is most to his liking."
Song Chengze laughed out loud, "Just tell me what I said, I don't mind."
Meng Qi pursed her lips and smiled, then turned to Yuan Dong and said, "Go and bring it over."
Yuan Dong smiled and retreated.
"I knew that the princess cared about me the most. She knew that I had been running all day, so she gave this to me to replenish my energy."
"Are you busy with Third Master Yue's affairs?" Meng Qi poured a glass of wine for Song Chengze. "This is yellow wine. Drink a couple of glasses to warm your stomach and heart."
Song Chengze hummed, "Yue Zhen praised your third brother today, saying that he was born to be a martial artist. If he had chosen a different path earlier, he would have made great achievements by now."
Meng Qi thought about Meng Wei, who was dragged down by her in her previous life, and was even happier for Meng Wei who found his own direction in this life.
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