C51 Part3

....

Murong Ci was sitting in front of the dining table and was waiting for Shen Zhiyan to finish making the new dishes.

She was so hungry that she felt her stomach pressed and squished against her back.

She drank a cup of tea and went to the hut. Once she returned, Shen Zhiyan's new dishes were not ready yet.

Qin Ruo guessed:

"Master Shen won't do 'that' this time, will he?"

Ruyi suggested:

"Your Royal Highness might as well eat two of these pastries to stuff your belly in the meanwhile."

Really hungry, Murong Ci picked up a piece of mung bean cake and was about to deliver it into her mouth, when a loud voice came from outside the Hall:

"Here it comes!"

In the next instant, Shen Zhiyan hurriedly rushed into the Dining Hall holding a tray.

His handsome face was flushed and covered with sweat, and his light snow-colored robe was stained with soot and soaked with sweat.

However, he smiled charmingly and brightly from ear to ear.

When the tray was put down, they craned their necks and stared at the two large bowls of dishes.

"It smells good."

Murong Ci, Qin Ruo and Ruyi said in unison, with their eyes gleaming, swallowing drool.

The thin snow-white porcelain bowl was crystal clear, and the color was bright.

Inside the bowl there were some green vegetables and parsley, with some red peppers.

The color matching was very eye-catching, and the bowl was filled with a lightly burnt fish and some other aromas, which made everyone impatient to dig in it!

"What's this? Fish?"

Murong Ci asked curiously, picking up the silver chopsticks to start eating.

"This is sashimi.

Your Highness, you can eat it with confidence.

It has no fish bones."

Shen Zhiyan picked up the rice and was about to start eating.

"Qin Ruo and Ruyi, you also eat together. Today I made two bowls, enough to eat."

Qin Ruo and Ruyi had long been drooling down after smelling the scent of the fish, but as subordinates they could not eat with the master, so they waved their hands and refused.

Murong Ci smiled and said:

"It's okay, today I will allow you to try Zhiyan's new dishes."

Now that His Highness had agreed to it, they happily fetched some of the fish from the bowl with chopsticks and sat down to eat together.

The fish fillets were cut very thin, as thin as petals, and would tear if too much pressure was applied to it with the chopstick.

Murong Ci carefully put the sliced fish into her mouth, chewing slowly...

'It's amazing!

She had never eaten such a delicious fish!'

"Your Royal Highness, how does it taste?"

Shen Zhiyan asked excitedly, full of hope.

"Just one word: amazing!"

She quickly ate another slice.

"The fish smell isn't too strong, the taste is smooth and delicate, and it melts in the mouth.

It's fresh and tender, and seasoned just right...

In short, it's amazing!"

Qin Ruo and Ruyi desperately praised after they tasted:

"It's so delicious!"

As a result, the three of them hurriedly divided up the two bowls of fish slices, into their plates, and completely ignored the rest of the pastries and dishes on the side.

If the dishes of the dining Hall left aside could speak they would have said with a tearful face:

'Why do they all despise us?'

Seeing His Highness and the others were full of praise, Shen Zhiyan smiled triumphantly.

He didn't eat, and began to mutter:

"Your Highness, do you know?

This is a sea bass from the river.

It has no small fish bones and is most suitable for fish fillets.

I used a sharp kitchen knife to cut the fish into thin slices, piece by piece.

This reminded me of when I dissected a dead person for autopsy..."

Murong Ci, Qin Ruo, and Ruyi automatically ignored his introduction and become deaf, focusing on the food in front of them.

He didn't realize that he was already wandering into the sky of his endless talks, spitting wildly, talking so brightly, that the sun and the moon were dark in comparison.

In the end, Qin Ruo couldn't bear "listening" to his blabbing and took a piece of mung bean cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

Only then did Shen Zhiyan return to his senses.

He lowered his head and saw,

'Uhm...?!'

The two bowls of sashimi fish slices were completely clean, not even a bit of fish soup was left.

"What am I eating?"

He stared in amazement, and therefore the rest of the other dishes were also cleaned up.

"Uh..."

Murong Ci burped after eating and drinking, and smiled,

"Zhiyan, you either have to eat a few more pastries to fill-up your stomach and then go back home for dinner, or go to the dining room and cook a few more dishes."

"Oh."

Shen Zhiyan took another piece of mung bean cake and nibbled it.

After tidying up the dishes, Qin Ruo offered a cup of tea.

Murong Ci took the cup of tea and drank it.

While enjoying tea, she noticed that Shen Zhiyan's snow-colored light robe was dirty, and there was also a smell of burnt and sweat as the result of being in the cooking room.

Shen Zhiyan frowned and said,

"Your Royal Highness, my robe is dirty.

I'll go to the Side Hall and get changed first."

Qin Ruo went with him, and ordered a maid to take him to the Side Hall to change his clothes.

Fortunately, he often came to the East Palace, and the East Palace kept his robes all the year round for emergency needs.

It was a hot day and Murong Ci ate some iced melon to cool down a bit, while thinking about the case of Concubine Zhao's death.

The maid shook a snow-white feather fan to cool His Royal Highness.

Qin Ruo returned in a few minutes, stepped forward quickly and said:

"Your Royal Highness, a Palace man is here to report......Yuan Qiu is dead."

Murong Ci was about to reach out for another piece of melon, and her hand froze in midair after hearing this.

After a moment of thinking, she withdrew her hand, staring at Qin Ruo and asked,

"How did she die?"

"The Palace man said that Yuan Qiu's body was found in the water tank today."

Qin Ruo replied.

"Let's go and see."

Murong Ci made a decision immediately.

Before, she had ordered people to pay close attention on Yuan Qiu and Yuan Fang's movements, and after all, something had happened!

Shen Zhiyan came back after changing clothes and learned that Yuan Qiu was dead, so he went to see Yuan Qiu's residence with her.

After the death of Concubine Zhao, most of the Palace staff in the Jingfu Palace were re-arranged by the Internal Service Bureau.

Yuan Fang was transferred to the Liushang Bureau, and Yuan Qiu went to the handyman's Hall.

Whenever Palace staff made mistakes or offended the Master, most of them would be transferred to the handyman's room to do rough work.

The handyman's Hall was the same as the Clothing Store.

They did rough work from morning to night.

Not only did they work hard, but also they are rough.

Once in the handyman's Hall or the Clothing Store, unless the Master spoke for them, there was no hope of leaving.

....

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END of CHAPTER 51 PART 3

.....................to be continued