Chapter 16 Imperial Kitchen, Part 9
Shinju recalled that he had been stopped by this guy once when he was catching thieves in Nishibaba, but he still couldn't figure out who this guy was.
Just like last time, this time Shinju also smelled the ambergris on the other party, and among the royal nobles, there were only a few who could frequent the harem.
If a prince wishes to stay in the inner palace at night, he must obtain permission from the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. However, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor recently visited the Yun Guang Taoist Temple together. It is unlikely that the Emperor would privately allow a young and strong prince to enter the inner palace. It is even more likely that the prince would stay in the inner palace without permission for an affair.
If it were a prince, the eldest prince would only be seventeen this year, and he had long ago established his own residence in the capital, no longer living in the palace. It was also said that he was a pitiful person with a disability in both legs. However, that person was extremely agile and had a mature demeanor, which was clearly inconsistent with the eldest prince.
After much deliberation, only one candidate remained in Shinjuku's mind.
...He couldn't possibly be that unfortunate Emperor Yu Hu, could he?
Shinjuku smiled and shook his head.
Impossible. Even assuming the Emperor has been out of the palace for several days and has returned secretly, it's highly unlikely he would act alone twice without a single bodyguard. As the ruler of a nation who has faced assassination attempts for years, his protection wouldn't be so lax.
After much thought, as long as it's not the emperor, it won't have much impact on this little world. Who cares who it is?
Shinju put his troubled thoughts aside, turned off the light, lay down on the bed, and silently tried to re-enact the broken penis-shrinking technique.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
The eagles in the sky were still circling in the darkness.
The Third Prince finally awoke to find himself lying on the cold stone floor, while several men in black stood in a circle, whispering amongst themselves, without even glancing in his direction. Enraged, the Third Prince yelled at them, demanding to know why they weren't helping him up.
The men in black then fell silent and looked at the Third Prince, but still showed no intention of approaching.
The third prince was dizzy from the dull pain in the back of his neck, so his mind wasn't quite working properly; otherwise, he would have likely noticed the familiarity of the black-clad men's attire and waist badges. He continued to curse recklessly, while the black-clad men suddenly all rushed in one direction and knelt before a tall, imposing figure.
The Third Prince was furious: "You bunch of dog slaves, the more you bark, the more you run away! Get back here and help me up. You stupid things, believe me or not, I'll throw you all back to the castration room and castrate you again!"
"What kind of trash are you all surrounding? Could they possibly be more valuable than this prince?! Did you all hear me?! You worthless ears are useless; I'll really turn you all into deaf slaves!"
Upon hearing this, the men in black couldn't help but shudder, their hearts pounding for the outspoken Third Prince, and they couldn't help but steal glances at their lord's expression.
Unexpectedly, the king showed no reaction. He crossed his arms and stared into the distance, wiping his lips with his fingertip, as if he hadn't seen them at all. He simply walked away, carried by the night wind.
The Third Prince could only stare dumbfounded as their figures disappeared, leaving him standing there. After a while, he finally remembered why he had come tonight. He propped himself up and got up, turned around and found Xiao Hengzi lying next to him. He reached out to pat his face, trying to wake him up, but his palm felt sticky.
He didn't realize what it was, and even brought his hand up to his nose to smell it. His sense of smell, which had been numb from being in the outhouse, was suddenly awakened. His stomach churned, and he dry-heaved repeatedly. It took him a while to recover. He stretched out his hand and kicked Xiao Hengzi's butt, but he lost his balance and fell down instead. "Ouch! It hurts so much! Ugh, it stinks! Get up and help me clean myself up!"
However, when he fell, his face seemed to have been hit by a small pebble on the ground. The Third Prince subconsciously reached out to wipe it, only to find that something even more foul-smelling came off his face. He immediately burst into tears, howling like a banshee.
Xiao Hengzi was finally woken up, but before he could figure out what had happened, he was taken away by the group of men in black who had returned unexpectedly.
Not long after.
"My lord, the person has been interrogated. He said the aphrodisiac was obtained from a brothel. The target is a servant in the Imperial Kitchen named Xiao Qingzi."
The King of Zhen let out a sneer from his chest, "It is Qing Chuan Shan."
The man in black was slightly surprised, not expecting that his master knew the other party. Considering the Third Prince's despicable methods this time, which were aimed at the other party, the man in black was afraid of provoking a thunderous wrath, so he immediately suggested, "Why don't I go and take care of Xiao Hengzi?"
As for the Third Prince, he was never someone that a mere secret guard could decide. The Prince of Zhen always let him off lightly when he committed offenses, probably because he wanted to spoil the Third Prince into a complete waste, so as to restrain the ambitious maternal relatives.
Unexpectedly, the King of Poison said, "His family members are all in the hands of others, so he would probably rather die than reveal the clue to obtaining the medicine."
As the man in black pondered the imperial meaning behind those words, he heard the Poison King say, "Train them to become blind and mute slaves, then send them back to An Shijun (the Third Prince)."
"yes!"
.
Six or seven days have passed since Uncle Wu was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail. I inquired at the Imperial Kitchen and everyone said that at least we would have to wait for the Emperor to return before there would be a conclusion. Uncle Wu is quite old. Even if he wasn't subjected to severe torture, the conditions in the jail are inhuman. It goes without saying that it must have been extremely difficult for him.
Unfortunately, the Emperor was never around, and apart from giving the Third Prince the love potion, Doctor Guan was very well-behaved and rarely left the Imperial Hospital. Even if Zhen Su wanted to hand over this line in exchange for Uncle Wu's return, he couldn't do it.
Upon arriving in this small world, Shinjuku encountered countless acts of malice, while kindness was far more rare.
Uncle Wu's eyes were sincere, and his concern for him as a junior was genuine. It was no exaggeration to say that one is obligated to accept gifts or favors. In the cultivation path of a cultivator, cause and effect are always important.
Shinju glanced at Uncle Wu's empty seat and decided to go to the Bureau of Ceremonies.
Shinju put on his waist tag indicating he was to be served food and entered the Imperial Ceremonial Office without being stopped. The gatekeeper was very welcoming, which made him feel a little wistful.
As it happened, Steward Shan was among those on duty that day, so he stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Lord Shan. I haven't come here since entering the Imperial Kitchen..."
When Steward Shan saw that Master Zhen had arrived, he was quite surprised. He glanced at the table where Steward Chao was sitting and dozing off, raised his hand as if to stop him, and interrupted, "What is it?"
Shinju could sense that the other party's attitude was not as warm as before. After a pause, he still asked, "I would like to ask, how can I visit someone in the Ministry of Justice prison?"
The steward narrowed his long, narrow eyes. "Who are those people in the prison to you?"
"It's Chef Wu from the Imperial Kitchen. After I joined the Imperial Kitchen, Uncle Wu took good care of me," Masakuni said earnestly.
The steward's tone immediately hardened as he said, "Chef Wu's case is a serious matter and is still under trial. No one is allowed to visit him."
Then he urged, "Is there anything else?"
"If people can't come in, can we send in some blankets or food?" Shinjuku asked hastily, seeing that the other party was planning to end the topic quickly.
Unfortunately, no matter what he asked, Master Shan just shook his head. With no other option, Master Zhen had to return home.
However, after leaving the main hall, Shinju used his five senses and "saw" that Master Shan was fawningly chatting with Master Chao beside him.
Therefore, Shinjuku did not linger and strode out of the main gate of the Shangyi Bureau.
That afternoon, Shinju passed by the royal kitchen and suddenly heard a lively noise inside, so he stopped and looked inside.
Upon looking, he unexpectedly spotted Uncle Wu, whom he hadn't seen for many days.
Little Jingzi clung to Uncle Wu, her voice booming, asking questions incessantly, "Uncle Wu, Uncle Wu, it's so good you're back, so good you're back! I've been so worried about you every day, I couldn't eat or sleep properly!"
Uncle Wu patted Xiao Jingzi on the shoulder, trying to smile, but his smile was a bit forced. He looked very tired, and his usually quick and steady hands were trembling slightly upon closer inspection.
A hint of worry flashed across Shinju's eyes. He was about to step forward when Keiko's next words made him stop in his tracks.
Xiao Jingzi, no longer loud, suddenly softened her voice and said to Uncle Wu, "Speaking of which, Uncle, you're back. If Qing Chuanshan knew, he would be very happy! Why don't I go and inform him for you?"
Uncle Wu immediately wiped away the weariness from his expression, opened his eyes wide, and looked at Xiao Jingzi, asking him, "Who? Qing Chuanshan, could it be...?"
"Qingzi, who used to wash vegetables. Ah, he was promoted to cook after you went in, so you probably don't know."
Uncle Wu was even more confused. If Qing Chuan Shan was Xiao Qing Zi, why would Xiao Jing Zi have this attitude?
Previously, every time he praised Xiao Qingzi, Xiao Jingzi would always pour cold water on him, complaining that he was a castrated man and that being a castrated man was very unlucky. In Uncle Wu's opinion, there was no difference between a castrated man and a castrated man, but castrated men seemed to have an inexplicable sense of superiority over castrated men.
Therefore, Xiao Jingzi's willingness to volunteer at this moment puzzled Uncle Wu.
Shinjuku, who was eavesdropping outside the door, was also puzzled, but recalling the time when the emperor sent someone to bestow earrings upon him, and how Keiko looked regretful, Shinjuku roughly understood.
Shinju entered the royal kitchen, but to his surprise, the crowd made way for him, and he walked up to Uncle Wu without any hindrance.
He asked, "Uncle Wu, you're back. Is the case closed? Are you feeling unwell?"
Uncle Wu turned his head and saw Shinju. He was both surprised and delighted, and his brows were about to relax, but when he saw Shinju's serving clothes, his brows furrowed. He grabbed Shinju and looked him up and down, and said with heartache, "Little Qingzi! Little Qingzi, are you alright? This serving job is so dangerous, why did they have to choose you..."
Shinju was surprised that Uncle Wu's first words were of concern for him. He himself had been imprisoned and must have suffered a lot, the mental anguish alone was enough to torment him. This feeling of being cared for was quite rare, and Shinju couldn't help but feel touched, his golden eyes casting a gentle light.
However, this position of serving food was somewhat appointed by the Emperor. With so many people around, Masakatsu was worried that Uncle Wu, who was unaware of the inside story, might give him something to talk about. So he hinted to Uncle Wu that he should go outside and talk to him in detail.
Uncle Wu, being an old man who had spent a considerable amount of time in the palace, naturally understood what Shinju meant. After thanking everyone for their concern, he pretended to be tired, took his leave, and went with Shinju to a quiet spot outside to sit down and chat.
Keiko insisted on coming along, but after being given a silent glance by Masakuni, Keiko immediately backed down and slunk off to do her own thing.
Uncle Wu was still worried about Masakatsu's safety and asked him again if the matter of serving food was true. After all, Uncle Wu himself was involved in the poisoning case and knew best how great the risk of poison must be when serving food.
Shinju showed him his waist token, "I only went there temporarily, but once the imperial decree arrived, it was finalized."
“Don’t worry, I have a very keen sense of smell, nothing will happen,” Shinjuku added.
Even if what he said was true, Uncle Wu was just an ordinary person, unaware of his true identity, so how could he possibly understand? Zhen Su didn't know how to explain either, so he simply changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, why did the Ministry of Justice suddenly release him? Did they find the murderer?"
Uncle Wu suddenly seemed to remember something, and his eyes immediately reddened, almost bringing tears to his eyes. "The case is pending trial for now, and we still don't know who poisoned me or where it came from. It was Consort Shao... Consort Shao clearly ingested poison by mistake and lost her voice, yet she still pleaded for me, and that's why they released me."
“Such a lovely girl who loved to sing little tunes…Oh my, what a tragedy!” Uncle Wu said, his slightly hunched back trembling as he choked up.
At this moment, a pair of strong hands patted his back firmly, one after another. The force was a little heavy at first, but after a few pats, Uncle Wu felt that his body and hands stopped shaking. The soreness and discomfort in his body had disappeared, and he was full of energy!
It's so nice to have a little girl to care for you. When you're in a good mood, your health improves too. He should cheer up. Uncle Wu's face was full of smiles, and he looked at Shinju as if he were looking at his own child.
While Shinju was still pondering whether there was something amiss in Uncle Wu's words, he asked, "Whom did that lady plead for?"
Uncle Wu was about to thank Shinju when he was suddenly asked, so he could only reply, "It's probably because of the Emperor..."
"The Emperor is not in the palace; he is at a Taoist temple with the Empress Dowager and has not yet returned."
“Ah, yes, yes, I couldn’t remember for a moment. Perhaps it was something the Emperor asked for before leaving the palace…” Uncle Wu said. “Speaking of which, the Emperor should be returning soon. I just heard them say that Feng Kingdom has sent an envoy who has already entered the gate and is expected to arrive within two days. At that time, the palace will hold another grand banquet, and we’ll be quite busy.”
"?" Upon hearing this, Masakatsu almost stood up in excitement.
The Emperor is finally returning? And there's going to be a grand banquet? Now that he's officially in charge, won't he eat and drink to his heart's content, trying to reach the mid-stage of poison cultivation?!
A note from the author:
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