Chapter 67 Attendant Thirty-One
As Shinju stepped into the imperial kitchen, the mingled smell of medicine filled the air. Although it was a great victory, because the Emperor was ill, the imperial kitchen was not busy preparing lavish feasts, but rather preparing medicinal dishes according to the doctor's orders. The imperial chefs had been working on this for quite some time, and the palace servants coming and going inevitably smelled of medicine.
Brewing the medicinal soup was the most time-consuming task, so much so that even though it was usually dinner time, the messenger still hadn't set off.
This caught Masaya completely off guard.
Before Shinju reached Uncle Wu, several imperial chefs along the way had already recognized him. Unlike the court officials, the imperial chefs had worked and spent far more time with Shinju, and they did not look down on him because of his eunuch status or lack of seniority. Therefore, when they saw someone who looked seven or eight parts similar to Keisuke, and whose attire and demeanor made him instantly recognizable, they were taken aback by his suddenly tall stature and for a moment, no one stepped forward to greet him, simply watching him walk toward the corner.
Uncle Wu, who was sitting on a low stool watching the fire, suddenly felt a shadow fall over his head and envelop him. He turned his head and froze instantly.
Uncle Wu hesitated for a moment, then called out uncertainly, "...Xiao Qingzi?"
The delicate-looking boy from his memory had transformed into a mature man after reaching adulthood, now almost as tall as Xiao Dunzi. Yet his smile remained as dazzling as the stars, causing Uncle Wu to unconsciously smooth out the furrows between his brows.
"Uncle Wu, I'm back." Shinju helped the man to sit down on the long bench next to him, then sat down on the low stool in front of the stove, turning to the side and saying, "Let me watch the fire for you, Uncle, you can rest for a bit."
"Hey, hey..." Uncle Wu wanted to refuse, but he couldn't quite come to his senses for a moment, so he let him take the palm-leaf fan.
After a long pause, Uncle Wu finally said, "It seems like a long time has passed... but if you think about it carefully, it seems like only a month, which isn't a long time. Xiao Qingzi must be suffering on the frontier, right?" When Zhen Su had just left the capital with the king, he was so worried that he tossed and turned every night, causing his wife to suspect he was ill. A few days ago, ominous rumors circulated in the palace, making him even more depressed. If it weren't for Xiao Dunzi constantly reassuring him that Zhen Su was really alright, he wouldn't have been able to stop thinking the worst, but his heart was still somewhat aching. Now that he had finally seen him, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally returned to normal.
"Actually, it wasn't that hard. His Majesty..." took very good care of me. Shinju silently swallowed the rest of his words. Although it was true, he felt that there was something strange about saying it that way.
"That's the front line of the battlefield after all..." How could it not be tough? Uncle Wu knew that Shinsuke never complained about hardship or fatigue, nor did he like to take credit; he just worked silently. Thinking of this, Uncle Wu felt even more heartache, and his eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.
Before Masakatsu could say a few words of comfort, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the back door next to the food preparation area.
Then a figure swept towards them like the wind. Just when Shinju thought the other person was about to rush at him, the other person suddenly stopped half a step behind him. The wind that the other person brought even made Uncle Wu feel a chill all over his body, and he almost sneezed.
Even before the other person got close, Shinju knew that it was Kodama. He was pleased that Kodama recognized him without him even having to look at him, but little did he know that Kodama, who had come following his bloodline connection, was also stunned as if struck by lightning when he saw Shinju's face turn around.
Xiao Dunzi was even more speechless than Uncle Wu, and after a long while he could only utter the word "Qing".
Taking the opportunity, Uncle Wu asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time: "Xiao Qingzi, how did you grow up to be this size?"
Shinjuku had thought that growing up overnight would be astonishing for a mortal, but he was still quite surprised when the people in the palace thought he had grown up in a month.
"So it's about setting off?" Shinju feigned ignorance and changed the subject, then took out a souvenir he had brought back from Cloud City. "I brought back some food that can be stored, and some other odds and ends."
Soon, the table was laden with local delicacies such as mare's milk wine, jade ice cakes, fried glutinous rice cakes, and exquisitely colored ghee. In addition, there was a set of knives supposedly crafted by a master craftsman, food molds, rare spices considered as precious as gold, and expensive soup ingredients. Even the containers used for serving were valuable collectibles, each possessing a distinct local style, and the intricate and unique patterns on them were something even collectors in Beijing might not have seen. It was clear that great care had been put into the preparation.
Hiding behind a pillar, Keiko watched with envy, but Shinjuku seemed oblivious, only calling over the other royal chefs and servants to let them choose.
When he reported to Prince Zhen, he had made a purchase list, but it didn't include all these items. His salary wasn't much, and the money was left in the palace; he'd forgotten to bring it. So he had to borrow some from Prince Zhen. Unexpectedly, Prince Zhen directly placed two silver ingots in his hand—not even silver ingots, but complete boat-shaped ingots. He wanted to say that it couldn't have cost that much; it could probably buy a large mansion in the capital. But Prince Zhen seemed to remember being criticized for being wasteful by Shinju's gaze and specifically explained, "It came from my private treasury."
In the end, Shinju still refused to accept the goods, so King Zhen had his men exchange them for some loose silver. Logically speaking, that amount of loose silver shouldn't have been enough to buy so many good things, but King Zhen had secretly arranged for someone to make up a large difference in price. As a result, Shinju, who was unfamiliar with the prices in the border regions, thought that buying things in the border regions was always so affordable, and thus returned home laden with goods.
The people in the kitchen were flattered, especially those who had little interaction with Shinju in the past. No one expected that the emperor's favorite, although promoted from their kitchen, had really little connection with it. With his meteoric rise, he could have been arrogant and dismissive of everyone, yet he still remembered them, these insignificant people who had been of no help to him.
Everyone was happily dividing the food at the table, but Masakuni noticed that Kodama wasn't choosing anything at all, and was just constantly glancing at him.
The two are now of similar height, with the smaller one being slightly more robust. If they were to stand separately, the younger one would appear to be taller.
Xiaodunzi held back his words without uttering a sound, his eyes reddening. He lowered his head slightly and stood close to Shinjuku's side. His appearance made one think that if he had dog ears and a big tail, they would definitely be drooping at this moment.
Shinjuku patted the top of Kodun's hat lightly and asked him, "Didn't you see anything you liked?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaodunzi bit his lip, shook his head, then hurriedly nodded before glancing at the table. He looked left and right before finally settling his gaze on the set of knives.
Although Shinjuku was not skilled in cooking, he had some knowledge of the sharpness of weapons and the thickness of their blades. Therefore, judging from the craftsmanship alone, even if it was not truly made by a master craftsman, it was indeed a fine kitchen knife.
Several imperial chefs had long coveted this treasure set—a complete set including heavy cleavers, boning knives, straight slicing knives, and even pointed and curved blade knives for carving. The gleaming silver steel surfaces and sharp blades made the chefs' hearts itch with desire.
Xiao Dunzi had no interest in it, nor did he intend to improve his culinary skills. He simply thought: it was a steel knife, the thing that could last the longest among these souvenirs.
Seeing that he liked it, Shinju took it for him and placed it, sword and all, into Kodama's arms.
Xiao Dunzi slowed his breathing, raised his eyebrows, and asked in surprise, "You really can give it to me?"
Mayuki nodded.
The others knew their friendship wasn't as deep as the two of them, and even if they were envious, they wouldn't dare to steal what the other loved. They could only utter words of envy, their eyes filled with mocking smiles.
"Thank you... Qingqing." Xiaodunzi rarely called Masatsugu like this in public, always remembering Masatsugu's instructions to call him Qing Suishi in public. But after such a long separation, Xiaodunzi insisted on calling him by this nickname, even though it was no longer appropriate for the handsome young man in front of him.
Masakatsu didn't seem to care much about this and continued chatting with everyone.
Before long, the medicinal meal was ready, and Xiaodunzi had to set off to serve it. Zhensu left the Imperial Kitchen with him and headed towards the Imperial Hospital, with Xiaodunzi glancing back every few steps.
At this hour, the palace gates were already locked, but Shinju thought that Zhao Kelin might be on duty, so he still went there, carrying a gray-blue gradient shawl that resembled the feathers of a falcon.
However, before he even reached the corridor, a royal physician recognized him and came to chat with him.
"Is Eunuch Qing here to see Lord Zhao?"
Seeing that Zhen Su nodded, the other party said, "It's strange, Lord Zhao hasn't come to the Imperial Hospital for roll call for five or six days. He clearly stayed at the hospital for days and didn't even go home. When His Majesty summoned him at noon but he didn't show up, so Imperial Physician Lin and Imperial Physician Ma were sent to examine him."
Shinju's brows furrowed, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
.
The next day.
With the triumphant banquet approaching, preparations for the military merits and rewards should be made accordingly.
In reality, the detailed rules for rewards and punishments had already been drafted by the Prince of Zhen in the camp, but the specific documents were not confirmed by the Privy Council and the Ministry of War, and lacked proper procedures and legal basis.
General Yan's promotion from a low-ranking officer appointed in a time of crisis to General of the Guards was a foregone conclusion. The rewards and punishments for the generals were largely unbiased, but the war criminals under investigation were closely watched by the Silver Scorpion, with even the Ministry of Justice forbidden from intervening. Their heavy blood debts were suppressed, a situation many soldiers couldn't understand. Remembering their brothers and comrades who died on the battlefield, their pent-up resentment had nowhere to go, and they were quite dissatisfied. However, what they didn't know was that the Poison King's inaction at this crucial moment made those behind the scenes uneasy. It was as if a guillotine hung over their necks at all times, causing them immense anxiety, yet they couldn't wait for the other side to make a move, making the ordeal increasingly unbearable.
Therefore, in such situations, the promotion of a person by the King of Poison becomes a sacrifice for those behind the scenes who are eager to demonstrate their power, instantly provoking fierce opposition.
King Zhen personally drafted an edict to reunite the East and West Horse Ranches. In recognition of his merit in rescuing the Xi family, he appointed Qing Zhensu as the Director of the Imperial Horse Administration, holding the "Seal of the Imperial Horse Administration." This position not only held management authority over the East and West Horse Ranches and was responsible for allocating troops and horses for ceremonial purposes and travel, but also allowed him to mobilize the Imperial Guards and supervise the military horses of various military camps.
During Yu Zhenwang's reign, the restrictions on the power of eunuchs were so severe that it was a crackdown. This was the first time that a eunuch had been given such great military power.
No wonder the court reacted so fiercely, like water being poured into cooking oil.
The memorials pouring in dared not criticize the Prince of Zhen, but only condemned him: the treacherous minister Qing Zhensu used sweet words to bewitch the emperor, intending to seize military power and use it for personal gain. Setting such a precedent would plunge the nation into dire straits; such a sycophantic minister must never be employed, and deserves death!
However, they were unaware that this whole affair stemmed from a question posed by the treacherous Shinju to King Juro: "Where should my dwarf horse be kept?"
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Author's note: [Revision] I've done some simple polishing.
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