Chapter 620: That Simple (Part 2)
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Su Mei timely served hot tea, and Mingzhu leisurely drank her tea without a hint of a smile on her face. She didn’t even glance at the expressions of the people in the kitchen, focusing solely on her tea. The more calmly she behaved, the more uncertain Eunuch Qiu and the others felt.
Even Huayang Wangfei couldn’t guess what Mingzhu would do to Jin Sanpei. She wanted to ask Mingzhu, but seeing her demeanor, she involuntarily closed her mouth. Then she thought, Mingzhu’s current appearance, so composed and calm, was just like Ying Wang, who rarely smiled or spoke. They were indeed a couple, very compatible!
After about half an incense stick’s worth of time, the several low-profile eunuchs came back. The leader walked up to Mingzhu and bowed, saying, “Wangfei, Jin Sanpei has been dealt with according to palace regulations. Considering the festive occasion, his punishment was lessened, and he was given the death penalty as a whole corpse.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was filled with gasps. So ruthless! It’s really eye-opening! Everyone had heard of the fame of Ying Wangfei, knowing that she was arrogant and domineering, but they didn’t expect her to be so ruthless, considering human life as insignificant. It was truly terrifying. She actually killed Jin Sanpei, the most famous chef favored by Empress Dowager Min!
Huayang Wangfei’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Although she felt relieved, she couldn’t help but… Well, anyway, she couldn’t do it herself.
Eunuch Qiu, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he had something to say. He had disliked Jin Sanpei for a long time but had no way to deal with him. Now, he had received hints from Zhaoyang Palace, urging him to make things difficult for Ying Wangfei. In other words, if this Winter Solstice Banquet went smoothly, he wouldn’t have a good time. That’s why he didn’t dare to listen to Mingzhu’s words. Now that Mingzhu had killed Jin Sanpei, he could justify himself to Zhaoyang Palace, saying that they were all forced by Ying Wangfei. She was really too cruel!
Mingzhu calmly looked at everyone, handed the tea cup to Su Mei, and slowly said, “Originally, I just wanted to give him fifty lashes, but he was eager to die. It’s almost New Year, there’s really nothing I can do. Whoever wants to oppose me, if you don’t want to help with this Winter Solstice Banquet, come out and tell me now. If you don’t do it, there are plenty of others who want to. Don’t lose your life over a meal, it’s such a waste.” She cleared her throat and said, “Steward Qiu, what do you think?”
Eunuch Qiu nodded and bowed, “What the Wangfei ordered, this servant will carry out, carry out.” He then selected a chef who was good at steaming dishes, “You will fill in for Jin Sanpei from now on.” He scolded the others who were still hesitating, “Hurry up and get to work! If you delay the Winter Solstice Banquet, you’ll all be dead!”
There were also people from the Great Empress Dowager and Yuwen Chu’s side in the kitchen. Seeing this, they immediately took the lead in working. In just a moment, the kitchen became busy and orderly, completely different from before.
It turned out that to do this well, it was that simple? Huayang Wangfei breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to Mingzhu, “It’s still Sixth Sister-in-law who knows how to handle things.”
Mingzhu smiled faintly, “Did I scare you just now?”
Huayang Wangfei was indeed frightened, but she didn’t admit it, “No, he deserved it. If he didn’t die, the Winter Solstice Banquet wouldn’t go smoothly, and we’d be the ones embarrassed.”
Mingzhu said, “There are laws in the country and rules in the family. He can be picky about this and that, but he shouldn’t have kicked someone onto the long table, causing so many dishes to be overturned. In terms of guilt, killing him ten times would still not be excessive. Giving him a whole corpse was truly lenient.”
Huayang Wangfei thought about it, and indeed, that was the case. If such a person caused trouble in her mansion during a large banquet, she would have to publicly beat him to death. So she was relieved and smiled as she spoke to Mingzhu, supervising the work.
The two of them supervising on the side put great pressure on Eunuch Qiu and the others. No one dared to be lazy or mischievous, fearing they would be the next Jin Sanpei.
Watching their busy and energetic appearance, Huayang Wangfei remembered the bowl of bird’s nest soup with added ingredients that she had almost eaten earlier, and became worried again, “They won’t add anything to it, will they?”
Mingzhu smiled, “It’s very possible.” If she were Zhongshan Wang, it was rare to have such a large banquet. As long as she managed to sneak someone in and poison one of the dishes, the royal family would be in chaos, leaving only her faction. Wouldn’t it be easy to seize power?
Eunuch Qiu had been eavesdropping on their conversation and couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. He couldn’t resist coming out to explain to them, “Ladies, you’re joking. The rules here are very strict. Chefs are searched when they enter and leave. It’s absolutely forbidden to carry anything. After a dish is prepared, it has to be tasted by three or more people to ensure safety. Even after it’s served at the banquet, it has to be tasted again. If anything goes wrong, everyone is implicated. No one can escape.”
Mingzhu smiled, “Although it’s a joke, Steward Qiu, you still need to be vigilant. These things have to be consumed. We must not allow any mishaps.”
Eunuch Qiu promised, but he still wasn’t satisfied. He brought two other deputy stewards over, subtly hinting to Mingzhu that these two deputy steward had strong backgrounds. One came from the Great Empress Dowager’s palace, and the other was left behind by the former emperor. With the three of them in charge, they couldn’t guarantee minor problems wouldn’t occur, but major issues were unlikely.
Mingzhu didn’t dwell on this issue anymore. Anyway, she wouldn’t eat much at this banquet.
Eunuch Qiu respectfully invited Mingzhu and Huayang Wangfei to sit in the next room, “It’s smoky and hot here. It’s better for the two Wangfeis to go to the next room. Later, Linan Wangfei and Miss Min will also come.”
Mingzhu saw that the timing was about right, so she followed Huayang Wangfei to the next room. After sitting for a short while, the Wusun Princess and Min Baoyun came in, chatting and laughing. Both of them looked triumphant. Min Baoyun asked Mingzhu as soon as she arrived, “Is everything going smoothly here with Ying Wangfei?”
Mingzhu replied indifferently, “No, just killed someone.”
Min Baoyun thought she must have misheard or that Mingzhu was deliberately trying to scare her. She laughed dismissively, “Ying Wangfei is quite the jokester.”
However, the Wusun Princess looked at Mingzhu with a grave expression and then at the few eunuchs standing by the door, who were looking down respectfully. She remembered that these eunuchs had not been around before; they had only started following Mingzhu that morning. From her observation, these eunuchs were all of similar height, moderately built, broad-shouldered, sturdy, and with a stable stance. Occasionally, when they lifted their eyes, their gaze was sharp and fierce, indicating they were not to be trifled with. So, Mingzhu’s claim about killing someone seemed entirely plausible.
Mingzhu patiently explained to Min Baoyun, “I’m not joking. Do you know Jin Sanpei?”
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