Chapter 11 Imperial Kitchen, Part 4
The sunset glows like gold, the moon shines like frost, and a lone wild goose soars through the mirror-like water.
As night fell, Majutsu had just returned to the food preparation area and was about to collect his vegetables and fruits when he was led away by two eunuchs.
He then heard the other party say that he had been temporarily appointed as the eunuch in charge of serving meals and that he was to take up his post immediately.
Shinjuku was stunned, wondering if this was the common saying, "A pillow is given to someone who is sleepy"?
Soon after, he was led to a small room, where several servants brought him a dressing case, bowed their heads respectfully, and said to him, "Please forgive our impertinence, but we will wash your face and apply powder for you."
Looking puzzled, Mayuko asked, "Is my face dirty?"
The servants then looked up at the newly appointed eunuch in charge of serving meals and were surprised to find that he was quite young, with a handsome face and fair skin that looked as if water could be squeezed out of it. His cheeks radiated an enviable good complexion.
This...this doesn't need any powder or makeup at all! They're both eunuchs...how come he's so naturally beautiful? The servants realized they had said the wrong thing and quickly knelt down to admit their mistake.
Shinju had no reason to argue with them over such a trivial matter. Upon inquiring, he learned that this was actually a fixed procedure, because the eunuch in charge of serving the food was responsible for serving the dishes. When serving the dishes, he would likely need to be close to the emperor, so his appearance and attire could not be taken lightly and were all of a high standard.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Shinju stretched his body, raised his arms slightly, and let the servants come forward to serve him with great familiarity.
A short while later, the servants looked at Shinjuku, who had only changed into a plain undergarment and a light blue sash, combed his hair, and put on a three-peaked crown. He had shed his youthful air and transformed into a senior official with an imposing, noble, and aloof demeanor. They couldn't take their eyes off him for a long time until Shinjuku cast a slightly questioning glance at them, at which point they hurriedly lowered their heads.
"Then I'll be going now." With that, Shinju turned and left.
Scorpion Shadow Palace.
There were no gatekeepers at the palace gates, nor were there many guards. The huge front courtyard was deserted and quiet, with only the footsteps of the messengers and the occasional distant cawing of crows.
When they were about to enter the palace, they were stopped. The head palace maid, Zhixi, only allowed Zhensu to pass through, while the others had to retreat outside the palace. So, Zhensu carried two multi-layered food boxes and went to the side hall with the head palace maid.
The atmosphere inside the mansion was quite different from that in front of the palace. Everywhere, there were trailing gauze curtains, layer upon layer, like smoke and mist, filling all directions, almost making Shinju think that he had stepped into some kind of illusion.
After wandering around for a long time, turning left and right, one would most likely get lost without someone leading the way. Passing by, a magnificent crimson curtain swayed and rose in the night. Behind the curtain, shadowy figures could be vaguely discerned, and one could vaguely make out a tall and elegant figure standing there.
However, Shinjuku's exceptional five senses did not truly perceive the presence of a person, so he stopped paying attention and turned a corner to arrive at a side hall, where an eight-person table was set up, just big enough to hold eighteen dishes.
Shinjuku still remembered what others had told him before he came: one of the essential tasks of serving food was to taste it. He had to pick out the stale or strangely flavored dishes, paying close attention to the emperor's preferred tastes, as well as dishes that were appropriate for the season and climate, and even considering whether the foods were incompatible. The second task was to test for poison.
Unfortunately, they didn't have time to tell him anything more specific, so Shinjuku was completely clueless. He could only pick up his silver chopsticks, take a little bit from each dish, put it in his dipping saucer, and then taste it one by one.
Every bite was tasteless, like chewing wax. Shinju frowned deeply, not as if he were savoring some delicacies, but as if he were testing for mines. The head maid stood to the side, thinking that his reaction was quite normal. After what happened yesterday, sending such a young newcomer to serve the meal was probably just a way to make him a sacrificial lamb.
Then, the head palace maid noticed a sudden look of joy in the boy's eyes, making his already upturned eyes even more charming. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that he was just a child who had picked out his favorite food. At such a critical moment, he could still be happy.
What she didn't know was that Masaya did indeed pick up what he liked to eat, but what he 'liked' to eat wasn't delicious, but poisonous.
At this moment, Shinju thought: This is too lucky. He was given poison on his first day on the job!
Shinjuku could sense the head maid's secret gaze, so he immediately composed himself and chose to eat the dish that contained the poison first.
The rest cannot be said to be completely free of poison, after all, he only selected a small portion of each dish for testing. If any poison escaped and was presented to the Emperor, he would likely still lose his head.
"..." After pondering for a moment, Shinjuku decided to refine the poison immediately! While pretending to pick and choose, he covered his lips with a handkerchief, inadvertently wiping away the blood that had spilled from the corner of his mouth, and then put the handkerchief into his sleeve.
But at that moment, he suddenly felt a cold touch in his sleeve. Shinju quickly reached out and pulled out a huge living creature from his sleeve!
Even Shinju was somewhat surprised that he had caught a scorpion, a giant scorpion with a sharp stinger, an obsidian-like carapace, and an arm's length.
The head palace maid, who was standing nearby, had witnessed the entire scene. Even she, who was usually cold and aloof, couldn't help but show surprise. She hadn't expected that this young man would be completely unafraid of the Tongshan Giant Scorpion. Apart from the Emperor and the five palace maids of the Scorpion Shadow Palace, everyone else who had ever seen a giant scorpion for the first time was terrified and lost their composure.
Seeing that Shinju's golden eyes were shining and he was staring intently at the giant scorpion's stinger, she couldn't help but smile slightly. She reached out and took the giant scorpion, explaining, "This is His Majesty's pet—the Tongshan Giant Scorpion. Its stinger is highly venomous, but don't be afraid. It is very careful and won't sting people for no reason."
Shinju nodded knowingly, concealing the regret in his eyes. Taking advantage of the head palace maid's departure to settle the giant scorpion, he quickly resumed the refining process. After several dozen breaths, he regained his sense of smell and taste. He then immediately began to create the six senses according to the technique. Thanks to his many previous failed attempts, he had become very familiar with the process, so this time, he succeeded in one fell swoop!
With his six senses awakened, Zhen Su slowly closed his eyes. The moment he opened them, the head palace maid who had just returned from outside was no longer clad in brocade robes and had become, in his eyes, a human-shaped mass of red and blue veins, the direction of her blood and energy clearly visible.
When his gaze fell on the table, the food turned into patches of color. Several dishes were dotted with dark spots, scattered like stars, which shocked Shinjuku.
The black color is the manifestation of poison. Although the amount of poison is minuscule, even if all of it were collected together and ingested by a mortal, it probably wouldn't kill them. But no one can withstand being fed this every meal... The person behind this is truly too vicious.
Shinjuku didn't have time to think too much right now. He closed his eyes again, and the surrounding scenery instantly returned to its normal colors and shapes.
With important business at hand, Shinjuku quickly selected the non-poisonous dishes before the head maid urged him on, and then handed a booklet to the head maid for review. This booklet recorded the origin of the ingredients, the royal chefs who handled them, and even their names, because the names of the servants at each step of the preparation process also had to be recorded.
After tasting the food, he waited for about an incense stick's time. The head palace maid asked him if he felt unwell or if there were any signs of poisoning. Shinju replied that he did not, and then he was told that he could leave.
Shinjuku thought he would need to serve the dishes next, but the head maid repeated the order and told him to leave. Then she put the dishes Shinjuku had chosen into the food box, picked up the food box, and walked into the crimson curtain next to her.
Shinjuku's eyes widened slightly, surprised that there was actually someone there? And it even seemed to be the Emperor?
He wasn't particularly interested in knowing what this Emperor Yuhu looked like, because he remembered that the Nian Kingdom's ruler, as recorded in historical books, was a weak and frail man with little sense of responsibility or courage.
Historical records state that the late emperor's decision to depose the eldest son and install a younger one in his place led many to believe that Emperor Yu Hu's ascension to the throne was illegitimate. Various conspiracy theories then flourished, with some even using the opportunity to criticize him in court. Emperor Yu Hu, however, failed to quell the public outcry, remaining completely passive. Throughout his reign, the maternal relatives held considerable power. Although the Empress Dowager had no real authority, Emperor Yu Hu never once questioned her interference in politics, demonstrating an excessive degree of blind filial piety. Nian Kingdom was not a large state; its neighbor, Feng Kingdom, was far more powerful. However, due to a deep-seated enmity, Nian was unwilling and unable to submit to the enemy, and possessed a large tract of fertile black soil. This made it a target of Feng Kingdom's constant attacks. Only the loyal and capable General Xi and his army prevented Nian's annihilation. However, the court excessively favored civil officials over military ones, continuously reducing the army's benefits. Emperor Yu Hu was caught in the middle, pleasing neither side. Even his affairs within the harem remained shrouded in mystery, making him the most targeted and persecuted ruler in history.
But now that he wasn't allowed to serve the food, he lost the chance to meet the Emperor, which instead piqued Masakatsu's curiosity.
If not today, then let's wait until tomorrow. So, Shinjuku didn't linger, picked up the remaining food box, and returned to the outside of the palace by the same route.
As soon as Shinju left, the crimson gauze curtain was blown aside by the wind, revealing a section of bright yellow silk brocade sleeve that trailed on the ground. A giant, jet-black scorpion nimbly swayed its body, climbed up the blue dragon pattern on the sleeve, and rested on its beloved master's broad shoulder.
In an instant, the giant scorpion's tail hook and the lips of its master, who was standing nearby, simultaneously curled up.
"It really is him."
.
Early the next morning.
Shinju changed into the light blue sash for serving meals, put on the three-peaked crown, and headed slowly towards the imperial kitchen. The thought of being able to officially use his six senses, which had been awakened yesterday, brought a smile to his eyes.
To his surprise, as soon as he entered, the governor's eunuch told him that he could go back to wash vegetables, but he had to take off his uniform and headdress immediately.
A note from the author:
----------------------
The country mentioned in the article is not Canada.
There will be another update at midnight tonight, although it's counted as tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
