Su An sent the palace maids outside the kitchen and went into the kitchen alone to start tinkering.
Before long, the kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma that made everyone's mouth water.
The palace maid couldn't help but peek out curiously and asked, "Miss Su, what delicious food have you made? It tastes even better than what the imperial chefs in the imperial kitchen make."
That's for sure. She wouldn't dare say anything else, but when it comes to cooking, in the entire Great Chu, if she claims to be number one, no one would dare to claim to be number two.
Hearing the praise, Su An was so proud that his tail almost wagged.
She temporarily put aside her worries, smiled, took two pork intestine buns from the bamboo basket, and handed them to the palace maid.
"How about giving it a try?"
After spending several days together, the palace maid seemed to have gotten used to it and didn't refuse. She smiled and took the pork intestine bun, carefully took a bite, and her eyes lit up instantly.
"These steamed buns have thin skin, tender filling, and an irresistible aroma—they're absolutely amazing!"
Seeing that she was enjoying her food, Su An felt a sense of satisfaction and stuffed two more pieces into her hands.
"There's still some in the bamboo basket, I'll make sure you eat your fill today!"
The palace maid, her mouth stuffed full of fatty intestines, thanked him with a muffled sob.
After picking all the pork intestines out of the pot, Su An cooked another home-style dish and then brought it to the pavilion, where they ate while admiring the flowers and feeding the fish.
Suddenly, the palace maid's expression changed. She hid the bun in her hand behind her back and silently retreated three steps away.
But Su An didn't notice anything amiss and continued to take big bites of the bun in her hand.
A bright yellow figure suddenly flashed past her eyes and sat down directly opposite her.
Then Chu Yi straightened his sleeves, took a steamed bun from the bamboo basket as if they were old friends, and began to eat it slowly and deliberately.
The juice burst open between his lips and teeth, and the aroma of the fatty intestines filled his mouth. Chu Yi couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly and nod in praise: "Hmm, Miss Su's steamed buns are still the best."
Seeing how much he enjoyed his food, Su An suddenly felt a little tasteless.
No, he's sick!
They accused her of poisoning someone, but then acted as if nothing had happened and even dared to eat her food. Aren't they afraid of actually being poisoned to death?
Su An quickly stuffed the bun in her hand into her mouth, then slammed her chopsticks on the table, crossed her arms, and lay back in her chair, rolling her eyes at Chu Yi with annoyance.
"Taking without asking is stealing. As the emperor, you can't possibly not understand this principle, can you?"
Chu Yi, however, didn't seem to care. He chuckled and continued to chew his bun slowly, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Now that you're in the palace, what you eat, wear, and use isn't mine? I eat my own food, what's wrong with that?"
Speaking of this, Su An gets furious.
She glared at Chu Yi through gritted teeth, narrowed her eyes, and clenched her fists.
"Pah! If it weren't for your despicable and shameless trickery, I would have left this godforsaken place long ago. Who would want to eat your food or use your things?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi paused, put the half-eaten bun back in his hand, and leisurely sipped his tea.
Then, his gaze became distant, as if he were recalling the past.
Do you know why I resent my uncle so much?
Upon hearing this, Su An was taken aback, frowned, and stared intently at him.
But before she could respond, Chu Yi sighed and began to explain on his own.
“When my father passed away, he entrusted me to my uncle. I thought he would teach me as carefully as my father did, but I was wrong. Over the years, no matter what I do, all I get in return is his denial and suppression, as if I am just a slave who can be beaten and scolded in front of him.”
As he spoke, Chu Yi's body began to tremble slightly, and his emotions became unusually agitated.
"Later, I discovered that as the ruler of the country, my words carried far less weight than his, and the court officials all obeyed him. As long as he lived, my empire and my life would not be under my own control. Therefore, he had to die!"
By the end, Chu Yi's voice was almost a growl, the words seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
Upon hearing this, Su An was startled, and a complex expression flashed in his eyes.
This really proves the saying: "There's always a reason why someone is pitiful."
She admitted that Chu Yi's previous experiences were indeed pitiful, but his methods were perhaps too extreme.
Just as she was lost in thought, Chu Yi suddenly chuckled, a hint of malice in his eyes.
"Now that things have come to this, I'm not afraid to tell you: this time, Imperial Uncle will surely die in his attack on the Northern Barbarians!"
Upon hearing this, Su An was startled, his brows furrowed, and he anxiously rebuked him.
"What do you mean by this? What did you do to Fu Zhun? Are you crazy? The Northern Hu have been eyeing the Great Chu for so many years but have not dared to invade easily because of Fu Zhun. You killed Fu Zhun, do you want to hand over the country?"
Compared to her anxiety, Chu Yi appeared unusually calm, a disdainful smile playing on his lips as he coldly snorted.
"What's there to be afraid of? I had already foreseen this. They signed a contract with me, and as long as I can help them take the head of the Imperial Uncle, they will immediately withdraw their troops and never invade again."
"Only then will the Great Chu truly be my domain."
As he spoke, he opened his arms and greedily inhaled the air.
There's no hope for them!
Su An stared at him coldly and cursed him without any politeness.
"Utterly foolish! The people of Great Chu are incredibly unlucky to have an emperor like you!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Yi frowned unhappily, about to say something.
Su An's expression suddenly changed, her pupils contracted sharply, she stood up and shoved Chu Yi, shouting, "Watch out!"
The next moment, the cold blade grazed past Chu Yi's face.
Chu Yi fell to the ground, still in shock, crawling backward while shouting.
"Guards, protect the emperor!"
Before Su An could react, the man in black grabbed her arm and pressed the blade against her neck, dragging her backward.
In order to save his life, Su An had no choice but to retreat in a panic.
"Big brother, are you sure you haven't arrested the wrong person? I'm just an ordinary citizen, my life isn't worth much. Why don't you go and arrest him instead!"
She lowered her eyes, on the verge of tears, and murmured in a trembling voice.
The man in black didn't speak, but kept a wary eye on Chu Yi as he moved closer to the artificial hill.
Before the palace guards could attack, the man in black swiftly led Su An into a secret passage in the artificial hill.
They continued downhill until they came to a stone gate.
Behind him were the palace guards relentlessly pursuing him.
After entering the stone gate, the man in black pressed a button somewhere, and the stone gate slammed shut, shutting out the palace guards.
Su An swallowed hard, her body trembling slightly with fear.
Oh no, she's useless as a hostage now. Is he going to kill her to silence her?
Just as she was lost in thought, the man in black gently grasped her shoulders, turned her around, and pulled off the black mask from his face, speaking to comfort her.
"Don't be afraid, it's me!"
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