Chapter 3: The Trials and Tribulations of the Imperial Kitchen
The Prince's Residence.
The two eunuchs who had been dismissed finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The second prince's reaction seemed to indicate that he had accepted their reassurance.
"Let His Highness have some peace and quiet." Xiao Dezi felt very sorry for him, but there was nothing they could do; they had already done their best.
Xiao Chengzi was short and chubby, and a bit more taciturn. He looked at the sky and stepped out the door: "I'll go and bring back His Highness's dinner. So many things have happened today, and His Highness hasn't eaten or drunk anything. He must be starving."
"Come back early, be careful not to cause trouble," Xiao Dezi couldn't help but say, then hesitated. He knew Xiao Chengzi was meticulous, not talkative, and never tried to show off in front of His Highness; he was a reliable and steady person, but…
With today's news out, the palace, known for its sycophantic and opportunistic ways, will likely make things difficult for them again.
"I'll endure it." Xiao Chengzi lowered his eyes and didn't say anything more. Their dignity as eunuchs meant nothing, and being harassed and tormented was one thing, but today there would probably be some unpleasant things circulating in the palace about the Second Prince... It would be hard for a few of them, who were loyal to him, to bear such a situation.
Even if you can't help it, you have to swallow your anger.
Your Highness's situation in the palace is already difficult enough... If you argue and make a scene, no one will stand up for you. Xiao Chengzi no longer wants to see Your Highness return empty-handed after arguing, only able to show a helpless, indignant, and desperate look.
"I'll cover it up properly," Xiao Chengzi repeated earnestly before heading out.
...
In the Second Prince's residence, Qi Chengming, who had spent the entire afternoon trying to extract information from the prince, was also exhausted. He sat on a low couch, resting his chin on his hand, and pondered to himself.
I understand now.
Let's organize what he knows...
The second prince's maternal family was the Marquis of Weiyong's Mansion, a name that sounds prestigious, but in reality, it was a case of discarding a useful tool after it's been used and then forgotten – now only an empty title remains. The old man is recuperating at home, riddled with injuries, penniless, powerless, and without soldiers. His daughter died young after entering the palace, and his son and eldest grandson both perished on the battlefield. His second grandson's remains have never been recovered. Only a young grandson, ten years old this year, remains in the mansion. He is the second prince's cousin, but not yet capable of upholding the family's honor.
...No wonder such a maternal family has no presence in stories about the struggle for succession.
When the Second Prince was framed by the other princes and sent to his fiefdom in Liuzhou, they couldn't help him at all, and the news was probably delayed. If it weren't for the Imperial Clan Court helping to screen the quality of the hundred imperial guards, Qi Chengming was afraid that he would have been killed before he even arrived at his fiefdom.
Before he went to his fief, he probably had to leave the palace to comfort the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in his household.
...
Then, combining the basic introductions from the novels about the struggle for the throne that Qi Chengming had read, along with the additions from the two eunuchs, he also completed a mental review of the princes' basic information:
The current Hongren Emperor had seven sons and four daughters, but only five sons and one daughter survived.
The eldest prince is fifteen years old this year, the son of Consort Shu. He is intelligent, studious, and gentle, and has been participating in court affairs for two years. He is the first prince in the dynasty to be exceptionally allowed to remain in his fiefdom instead of going to his fief. As the eldest son, many people believe that he has the potential to become the crown prince.
Then, the Third Prince was the same age as the original owner of this body, thirteen years old this year, which meant he was already an adult and eligible to go out and take up his fief. However, the Emperor's decree was delayed, and before Qi Chengming transmigrated, there were rumors in the palace that the Third Prince might be exceptionally allowed to stay in the palace.
—Because the Third Prince is the son of Consort Rong, excelling in both literature and martial arts, he is highly favored by the Emperor and even more outstanding than the First Prince. With the heir apparent still undecided, how could the proud Third Prince possibly be willing to go directly to his fiefdom and forfeit his eligibility to vie for the throne?
Many people also believe that unless the emperor directly intends for the eldest prince to be the crown prince, he would not send the third prince out.
The fourth and fifth princes both died young, though they were known to be exceptionally intelligent in their childhood.
The Sixth Prince is the Empress's legitimate son, but he is only ten years old this year. Even though he is not yet old enough to participate in the struggle for the throne, his older brothers are already showing signs of vying for it, and he cannot sit idly by. He is the object of loyalty for another group of people who adhere to the principle of "establishing the eldest son if there is one legitimate son, and only establishing the eldest son if there is no legitimate son." Not to mention that the Empress is also very important; her father is the Governor-General of the Outer Waterways, a high-ranking official of the first rank.
The seventh prince is the youngest, eight years old this year. Although he was born to a palace maid, he was adopted by Consort Shun. Although Emperor Hongren neglected him somewhat, he also showed him some affection because the seventh prince was clever and quick-witted at a young age, was the youngest son, and had the original owner of the body as a comparison.
Emperor Hongren's only daughter, the legitimate princess born to the Empress, is twelve years old this year.
...
Qi Chengming sighed.
After considering all the possibilities, only the original owner of this body was truly tragic, and there are many suspicious points surrounding him.
The original owner of this body was the second prince. His birth mother seemed to have once held the rank of concubine, but she could no longer be found. As a result, the original owner grew up alone in the prince's residence, without any other concubines to adopt him, and the emperor showed no intention of showing any kindness. Only Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi stayed with him.
He was the lowest-ranking prince in the palace. Although he was ranked high in the family, he was deliberately ignored by the emperor. Even the seventh prince, who came from the lowest social class, was more favored than him. The third prince, who was the same age as him, often bullied him, and he had no one to stand up for him.
Although the uncle of the Imperial Clan Court Master was on good terms with his maternal uncle, the relatives of the Imperial Clan Court Master could not appear in the palace at any time, let alone help the Second Prince. They could only secretly take care of him during festivals.
"What exactly happened back then..." Qi Chengming murmured, stroking his chin.
His wet nurse hadn't been in the palace for long either, so it seemed he'd have to find out more about her before going to his fiefdom. Qi Chengming had a premonition—it was crucial to understand what had happened back then.
Otherwise, the emperor's ambiguous attitude towards him would be too disadvantageous in the future struggle for the throne.
Even just surviving becomes incredibly difficult.
"Hey... that's too much!" "But..."
A sudden commotion broke out outside, but it quickly subsided.
Qi Chengming had already been alerted. He got off the bed, put on his boots, opened the door, and asked with a frown, "What happened?"
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi stood at the door, surrounded by several familiar palace maids and eunuchs, all with grim expressions. Upon seeing Qi Chengming appear, their expressions shifted to a mixture of anger and suppressed resentment; the atmosphere was incredibly somber.
"Your Highness, this..."
"Xiao Chengzi, you speak," Qi Chengming called on a student.
He saw that the person being surrounded was mainly Xiao Chengzi. The little eunuch was carrying a food box, his face was very pale, and he was covered in dirt, as if he had just been pushed and beaten.
"The food the kitchen provided today was really..." Xiao Chengzi's voice was low and hoarse, and he could barely continue. His head was hanging low, and he pursed his lips in shame.
He had prepared himself for trouble today, and sure enough, when he arrived at the Imperial Kitchen, he was bombarded with gossip: "The Second Prince has been banished to his fiefdom, it seems the Third Prince will have to stay." "I heard the Emperor was furious." "Do you think the Second Prince will make it to his fiefdom alive? That's Lingnan, what's the difference between that and exile?"
Xiao Chengzi could only clench his fingers tightly to pretend nothing was wrong, until his palms were pierced. He finally endured until it was his turn to collect his food, but the two head eunuchs gave him another round of harassment. He had to put on a fawning smile and hand over the silver, only to find—
Steamed buns, thin porridge, and a bowl of stewed sunflower and mixed vegetables until very soft.
Although the stew was plentiful, who didn't know... that steamed buns and porridge were for the palace maids and eunuchs? It was so simple that it couldn't possibly be served to the Second Prince!
Xiao Chengzi wanted to add some more silver to get some edible food, but the people in the imperial kitchen all thought the disgraced and eliminated second prince was a dead man.
The tone was still polite. "Want some food?" "No." The food on the stove was all prepared for the other concubines; there wasn't enough room. The stew was also one of the princes' rations; even if you were picky, that was all you could get.
Even the most patient Xiao Chengzi couldn't hold back any longer at this point.
He didn't try to argue, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere. He simply grabbed a plate of eight-treasure rice without a word, picked up the food box, and ran away.
"……Then what?"
Qi Chengming had already crossed the threshold and reached the doorway. Looking at the mess on the ground outside, he already had a guess and continued to ask.
"It's my fault... I ran too slowly." Xiao Chengzi stood stiffly, feeling guilty, wishing he could bury his head in the ground.
He hated his short, chubby figure, wondering why he was so useless. If it had been the tall, thin Xiao Dezi who went today, he might have done a better job than him.
The result was...
The kitchen staff got angry and chased after him, saying something like, "The ingredients for each palace are limited. This belongs to another concubine. You really can't take it!" They overturned the plate of eight-treasure rice, shoved and slapped him a few times, and then quickly left without saying anything more.
They were well aware of who they could swagger over, and even if they looked down on the Second Prince, they wouldn't openly humiliate him. Similarly, they wouldn't dare to actually overturn the food box that Xiao Chengzi was carrying, leaving the Second Prince without a single bite to eat.
"It's not your fault. You're not just bringing up my food." Qi Chengming's expression was indifferent, showing no anger.
He first comforted Xiao Chengzi, who was blaming himself.
That food box was so heavy, and it contained the evening meals for Xiao Chengzi and Xiao Dezi, the two personal eunuchs. Xiao Chengzi carried the food for three people by himself and ran all the way, and he was only caught up when he was almost inside the prince's residence. That's already quite impressive, and we shouldn't criticize him.
"Besides, who said that steamed buns and porridge are too simple and that I wouldn't be able to eat them?"
Qi Chengming tried to crack a joke, though he probably thought he was telling the truth: "Maybe when we get to Liuzhou, I won't even be able to eat such good steamed buns and porridge anymore—come on over, let's eat first."
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the prince's quarters seemed to have been dealt a heavy blow, becoming even more somber.
The eunuchs and maids slowly dispersed, each returning to their duties. What else could they do? The Second Prince was always being tormented; things had come to this point, and that was the end of it… just like every other time.
However, some palace servants had shifty eyes, seemingly lost in thought, as if they had some new idea.
Qi Chengming glanced calmly outside, no longer observing the palace servants' reactions. He genuinely invited Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi into the hall to finish their meal first.
Although before he transmigrated, this kind of dinner was just a normal, ordinary dinner for him, and not considered a mistreatment of a prince as precious as him, the fact that Xiao Chengzi was suffering all of this happened right under his nose.
Qi Chengming couldn't swallow this insult.
...He was to be sent to Liuzhou to assume his fiefdom, but he was not being exiled, much less dead!
We need to find a way to get back at them.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Mini-theater:
At that moment, Wang Shuo was sitting at home crying over a stewed chicken: "Waaah... I can't eat this!"
(Thinking about the miserable life his cousin had as a child... he couldn't eat.)
(Even if they had taken my cousin back to their Marquis of Weiyong's mansion to raise him, he wouldn't have developed such a sickly and weak body!)
Old Master Weiyong, who's still old but can still beat his grandson: "?"
Enraged, he grabbed a boot and started circling the grandfather and grandson: "—Can't eat anymore? I bet you're not hungry yet! Will you eat the boot? Will you eat the board?"
"Awooo! Awooo!"
.
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