Chapter 03 The Third Kill

Before leaving, Xiaoyu still finished making the duck with soy sauce that Manager Zhu was looking forward to.

Her target of assassination is here, so it is better to maintain a friendship with him than to have a quarrel with Manager Zhu.

After two hours of dawdling, it was finally time to leave. Xiaoyu carried the small bag she had brought with her, said goodbye to the greasy butler Zhu, and walked out of the palace gate.

Fortunately, the palace was generous enough to pay her a lot of wages in the past few days. She could find an inn and stay there for ten days or half a month.

I just don't know what reason I have to get close to the Regent's Palace again.

After reluctantly leaving the house, Xiaoyu saw a large carriage with four horses parked at the gate of the palace. On the scarlet lantern hanging on the carriage was a word "Zhou". She thought it should be the carriage of the owner of the palace, Regent Zhou Xunran.

Sure enough, the next moment the main gate of the palace opened and Zhou Xunran walked out surrounded by people.

Different from what he saw in the garden in the afternoon, this time he was wearing a crimson-purple official robe with wide sleeves and walked towards the car with a stern look on his face.

When getting on the car, Xiaoyu saw that he was wearing a string of brown Buddhist beads on his right wrist.

It seems somewhat familiar.

Xiaoyu couldn't remember where she had seen him before. While she was distracted, Zhou Xunran had already boarded the carriage. She hurriedly took two steps forward and shouted at the carriage that was starting to move: "Prince! I will definitely come back! I want you to personally..."

No!

".....Let you kiss..."

This statement does not seem to be correct.

“…Let you taste the food I cooked!”

This statement seems to be correct, Xiaoyu thought to herself. As soon as she said this, she saw the guards riding horses beside the carriage stop their horses, then turn around and run towards her.

Xiaoyu didn't think twice and ran back with the bag in his arms.

But how can a human leg be compared to a horse's? After just two or three breaths, she was blocked by someone. The guard on the horse had an indifferent expression, just like the Regent. He looked at her with squinted eyes as if he was looking at an ant. He said, "The prince asks the young lady to return home."

What are you doing back in the palace?

Naturally, she had to be killed to silence her.

Xiaoyu felt a little guilty and tried to defend herself: "I just said a few words to his carriage. Is this a capital crime? Is there still law in this capital?"

Damn it, if she had known this would happen, she should have practiced martial arts carefully when she was at Jieyoumen, and followed the path of martial arts killing instead of doing some literary killing. Now she is surrounded so closely, in broad daylight, and with her half-baked martial arts skills, she doesn't know if she can escape.

Their actions, which took place on the crowded Yu Street, attracted many passers-by. After hearing Xiaoyu's words, one of them complimented him loudly, "In this capital city, the king is the law!"

Xiaoyu glared at him and said, "You are so good at flattering me. I hope you will be a horse brush for the rest of your life!"

The other side had more people and more power, Xiaoyu had no choice but to follow the guards into the palace again.

The destination this time is the East Courtyard...a small room under strict guard.

"Brother!" Xiaoyu watched the door being locked. She leaned over the door and called out to the guard who was about to leave. "Brother, brother, brother, brother, what is it that the prince called me back for?"

The guard had a grim expression and spoke with extreme impatience: "How can you and I guess what the prince is thinking? Just wait here!"

If the man wasn't under the eaves, Xiaoyu really wanted to give him a handful of Chuanchang San.

"When will the prince come back?"

"I don't know, wait!"

This wait lasted until after 9:00 the next day. Xiaoyu was hungry and sleepy. Just as she fell asleep, she was woken up by someone saying, "The prince wants to see you."

Xiaoyu quickly got up from the ground and brushed off the dust on his body. "Is he here to see me or to kill me? If he wants to kill me, don't blame me for being rude."

The guard this time was much gentler than the fierce and impatient one before. After hearing what Xiaoyu said, he smiled and said, "Of course I want to see you. Don't worry, the prince is not the kind of person who can't tell right from wrong. Get up quickly and follow me."

Xiaoyu followed him out of the room half-believing and half-doubting.

The courtyard was filled with the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers. Even the air was much fresher than that of the west courtyard. Xiaoyu took a deep breath and exhaled the foul air in her body. The guard led her out of the courtyard and into the nearby courtyard gate.

The guards in this courtyard were very strict, with a guard standing almost every three steps at the door of the main house.

"It's right here, girl, please follow me."

Xiaoyu remembered the position of the guard on duty and followed him into the room.

The room was a bit dull with all the windows closed. Xiaoyu immediately spotted a man sitting behind a desk, writing with his head down. He was still wearing the same wide-sleeved crimson-purple official uniform he wore when he left the mansion yesterday. He must have not slept all night.

The guard bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the person has been brought here."

Zhou Xunran put down his pen and looked up at them. "Well, you leave first."

The guard turned and left.

Xiaoyu stared at him, his face pale and puffy, a light layer of stubble on his chin, his lips tightly pursed, as if he was worried about something. Looking up, his eyes, as deep as a lake, could not hide the fatigue.

[I really haven't slept all night. It seems that being a prince is not easy. 】

[He endured like this, his body looked like it would break at the slightest touch, how come he didn't die from the endurance? ]

The two looked at each other, and Xiaoyu immediately came back to his senses and bowed to him like a guard: "Hello, Your Majesty."

Zhou Xunran looked at her: "Where are you from? Who else is home?"

Xiaoyu stood on tiptoe, pointed at the death contract in front of him, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty has seen it all, why are you still asking me?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Xiaoyu saw the fierce look and overwhelming pressure in his eyes.

"Answer whatever I ask you. If I find out that you've lied, I'll have plenty of ways to make you live a life worse than death." He said calmly.

He is indeed a heartless and heartless regent who regards human life as worthless.

Xiaoyu was startled by his casual tone and spoke timidly, "I came from Zhao County. I have no parents. I was a wandering beggar. Later, I was adopted by the chef in the restaurant and learned the craft from him."

[Is this story tragic enough? This prince seems to be a cruel person. If I had known earlier, I would have made it more tragic, including all the abuse, beatings and scolding.]

Zhou Xunran's brows furrowed even more. He continued to ask, "Then why did you come to the palace?"

Facing Zhou Xunran's direct gaze, Xiaoyu didn't think twice and raised her hands and waved them, full of ambition: "Get rid of the chef of the East Courtyard and become the head chef of the palace! Let my culinary reputation spread throughout the world!"

She finished speaking passionately, and seeing Zhou Xunran still staring at her, Xiaoyu felt a little guilty, but she also thought that she couldn't be weak, so she puffed out her chest, pinched her waist, and stared at him blankly.

[What are you looking at? It's bigger than your eyes. I can definitely beat you! ]

[Still looking? If you look again, I will tell you that I came to the palace to kill you! Someone doesn't like you and wants to spend money to hire a killer to cut off your head! ]

Zhou Xunran paused for a moment and called out to the outside: "Zhou Yi."

The guards waiting outside immediately pushed the door open and walked in: "Your Majesty."

It was the guard who had brought Xiaoyu here earlier, with a gentle smile.

Zhou Xunran said: "Take her down first and let her stay at Fenghe Courtyard."

Zhou Yi paused for a moment, "Yes. Miss Xiaoyu, please follow me."

Not wanting to be chased away, Xiaoyu happily followed Zhou Yi out of the room: "Guard Zhou, where is Fengheyuan? Is it close to here?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yi stopped and pointed to the gate in front of him and said, "This is Fenghe Courtyard."

Xiaoyu looked at Zhou Xunran's study, which was only separated by a wall, raised her eyes, and said with emotion: "This is really a good place~"

Being so close to Zhou Xunran, how many opportunities would she have to assassinate him in a day!

"Miss Xiaoyu, please take a rest first. If you need anything, just let us know."

Xiaoyu nodded and saw Zhou Yi off with a smile.

What could she need? She needed nothing. She had the dagger and the poison. All she needed now was a chance for her and Zhou Xunran to be alone.

Xiaoyu returned to the room and moved the soft dagger she had hidden close to her body into her sleeve. She thought of various ways to kill Zhou Xunran. Her tense mind relaxed, and after a sleepless night, she fell into a daze while lying on the bed.

Xiaoyu was awakened by hunger at noon. He touched his stomach and suddenly an idea came to his mind.

She was a cook in the West Courtyard, and now that she stayed in the East Courtyard, she had to be a cook. Maybe Zhou Xunran let her stay because he was moved by her desire to be the chef of the palace.

Xiaoyu acted immediately. She went out, asked Zhou Yi about the location of the kitchen in the east courtyard, and then entered the kitchen smoothly.

The process went quite smoothly. Even when she said she wanted to cook a dish for the prince, the chef in the East Courtyard readily gave the pot to her without even asking any questions.

Xiaoyu remembered that the chief steward Zhu from the West Courtyard had said that the chef from the East Courtyard was a very petty person, and that his most important things were his pot and chopping board. If anyone else touched them, or even looked at them, he would stare at them.

Xiaoyu cooked by herself, and kept paying attention to the chef's expression from time to time. When her steamed egg custard with minced meat came out of the pot, the chef said, "Miss, this steamed egg custard is really well made. It smells really good. The prince will definitely like it very much."

This was simply mindless exaggeration. Even though she added some small ingredients to her steamed egg with minced meat to make the egg custard softer and more delicious, it was not enough to make a chef in the palace praise and admire her.

Xiaoyu had no idea what he was up to. He packed his lunch and said with a smile, "Thank you for the compliment, Master. It's getting late, so I'll send it to the prince."

"Troublesome girl."

"It's no trouble."

After the greetings, Xiaoyu returned to the study with her lunch. Zhou Yi was still guarding the door. When he saw her coming back, he asked, "Is this the lunch sent by the kitchen?"

Xiaoyu nodded: "Where is the prince, have you rested?"

Zhou Yi frowned: "You said you're not sleepy, but you're still processing memorials from all over the country."

Although most of the government affairs have been handed over to the current emperor, some important matters and wars will still be sent to the Regent's Palace for the prince's review before being sent to the palace.

Xiaoyu said, "That won't do. Guard Zhou, please help me open the door. I'll persuade the prince to eat something."

Zhou Yi didn't ask any more questions, didn't even check the food box, and just opened the door to let her in.

When he came in again at this time, unlike the nervous mood in the morning, Xiaoyu was in a good mood to observe the surroundings.

The study was very large, with five bays. On the right was a row of bookshelves with various books and wooden boxes on them. In the middle was a set of tables and chairs, which should be a place for entertaining guests or discussing matters. On the left was Zhou Xunran's desk, and on the Luohan bed under the window was a small wooden table, which was used as a short resting place.

Xiaoyu put the food box on the small wooden table and said to the person behind the desk, "Prince, it's time for lunch."

Zhou Xunran said "hmm", put down the book in his hand, stood up and walked towards her.

He was very tall, not as tall as the legendary nine feet, but eight feet tall. He was no longer wearing the official uniform he had worn when they met in the morning, but a long green gown with a bamboo leaf embroidery belt of the same color tied around his waist, which made his waist look almost as thin as hers.

[The first strategy of the Thirty-Six Strategies of Killing: Attack directly, strike with the knife. I brought a soft dagger today. He is so thin, it will be troublesome if I cut his bones and he can't be killed in one blow. Where should I cut him? The blood vessels on his neck should be thick enough, or should I cut his neck?]

Zhou Xunran sat down on Luohan's bed and watched her take out the dishes from the lunch box one by one. He casually said, "There are sixteen guards around the study at the same time."

Xiaoyu was a little confused when she heard him say this out of the blue: "Huh?"

Regent Zhou Xunran said, "So it's safe here. You don't have to carry a dagger with you all the time. In the palace, no one dares to use a knife without my order."

As he spoke, his eyes fell on her left sleeve where the soft dagger was hidden.

Xiaoyu smiled awkwardly and explained, "I was just scared. I always ran into hooligans before, so I had to protect myself."

[How come his eyes are so sharp? My dagger is soft, and I didn't reveal any shape, but he could see that? Looks like I have to use my "Thirty-Six Strategies of Killing: Killing with a Borrowed Knife". Sorry, chef, I put Hedinghong in the soup you made. Don't worry, after Zhou Xunran drinks it, I will immediately destroy the soup and put Hedinghong in my egg custard. I will definitely not implicate you.]

Xiaoyu arranged all the dishes and served the minced meat and egg custard she made herself: "Prince, I made this myself. Try it and see if it tastes good. The rest were all made by your chef. I didn't touch any of them."

She emphasized the last sentence.

Zhou Xunran took the egg custard from her hand, raised his chin slightly, and motioned for her to sit opposite him.

Without thinking, Xiaoyu sat down opposite him and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhou Xunran placed the bowl of red soup in front of Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu was confused: "Prince?"

Zhou Xunran looked at her and said slowly, "This is a reward from the king. Drink it."