Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Tang Qingsong set down his wine cup, his gaze sharp and displeased as he looked at the man surnamed Sun.
“You’re a grown man, yet you’re bullying a child? Yan’an is already frail. If something actually happens to him, will you take responsibility?”
“Quickly, help the Young Master sit back down. Can’t you see how ill he is? The seating was arranged by Commander Wang himself. If you have any complaints, take them up with him. It’s just a birthday banquet; what’s the point of fussing over rankings?”
Another old general, somewhat stout and wearing a smile like a Maitreya Buddha, chimed in.
“We’re all on the same side, so the seating can be casual. Since Commander Wang arranged it himself, it’s not for others to criticize.”
Even if there was a mistake, wasn’t it Commander Wang’s mistake?
After all, he was the one who had arranged these seats.
The smile on Wang Hu’s face was barely holding together, looking stiff and unsightly.
Ji Yan’an was supported as he sat back in his original position with a composed air. This time, no one dared to say another word.
Food and wine began to be served at the banquet.
Jiang Yunsui stealthily grabbed several pastries and stuffed them into her mouth, tucking others into the small satchel hanging from her shoulder.
She had asked her aunt to make this bag specifically to carry snacks.
She loved to nibble on things from time to time.
“Eat less,”
Ji Yan’an whispered a warning, his eyes lowering slightly as he watched Jiang Yunsui’s cheeks puff out like a squirrel’s beside him.
These snacks were on his table, after all. If this little thing finished them all, he didn’t want that fellow Wang Hu to get suspicious and think he was the one eating them.
Could a sickly person suffering from poisoning really eat that much?
He wasn’t worried about the food being poisoned; in a setting like this, if anything truly happened to him, Wang Hu wouldn’t be able to escape the blame.
Jiang Yunsui let out an “oh.”
“But it’s free. It’d be such a waste not to take some.”
If she didn’t snatch more free things, her heart would ache.
Ji Yan’an: “…”
*Am I depriving you of food?*
Jiang Yunsui’s eyes darted around. “I’m going out to play on my own! I’ll scout for information for you.”
Without waiting for Ji Yan’an to react, the Little Mushroom scurried away and vanished from his sight.
Seeing her run off, Ji Yan’an knew he couldn’t call her back, so he made a hand signal for his hidden guards to follow her.
Ji Si went after her.
Not long after, Ji Si returned looking dejected.
Though his facial expression remained hidden, his entire aura radiated gloom and frustration.
“What happened?” Ji Lu asked in a low voice.
“I lost her. I can’t find her.”
His voice sounded strangely aggrieved.
Ji Lu: “…”
“Don’t blame yourself. Even our Boss has lost track of her before.”
Ji Si remained silent and sullen. He wasn’t just upset because his skills had failed him, but because he was afraid Jiang Yunsui might be in danger.
The Prince’s Manor was a completely foreign place to her.
In fact, before they arrived, Ji Yan’an had shown her a floor plan of the Prince’s Manor and told her to memorize it.
But the Little Mushroom’s simple brain couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Even with a professional patiently explaining it to her,
She had remained dazed and confused, unable to remember it even after a whole day of trying.
It was useless even when Ji Yan’an tried to bribe her with gold.
So, Jiang Yunsui was currently wandering aimlessly through the Prince’s Manor.
Her sense of direction was poor, but her nose was sharp.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one could detect her, Jiang Yunsui was strolling along when she suddenly caught a delicious scent.
Following the aroma, she arrived at the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, everyone was bustling about.
Dishes were being prepared to be sent to the banquet.
Jiang Yunsui’s mouth watered as her small hands gripped the doorframe, her tiny body huddling behind it as she tried to make herself as small as possible.
She didn’t dare go inside, fearing she might get stepped on.
*Wuwuwu… I want to eat so badly.*
Unfortunately, the Little Mushroom had the heart of a thief but the courage of a mouse; she didn’t actually dare to steal anything.
After watching for a while, she finally left, looking back every few steps.
Like a little tail, she followed two men who were delivering dishes.
She happened to overhear them talking.
“Damn it, that man named Wang certainly knows how to enjoy himself. Who knows how much of the people’s blood and sweat he squeezed out to get all this?”
“Shh, keep your voice down.”
“But I can’t swallow this anger! Our little sister is still suffering in this manor. We finally managed to sneak in by taking advantage of this opportunity-are we really going to do nothing?”
The speaker was a noticeably younger man, his eyes filled with resentment as he complained.
The other, more composed man said, “Of course not.”
“Then can I poison this dish?”
The steady man asked, “Do we have poison?”
The hot-tempered youth fell silent.
Their family wasn’t wealthy to begin with, and they had spent their last bit of silver just to sneak in here.
Poison cost money too.
They simply couldn’t afford it.
Furthermore, they couldn’t be certain that the dishes in their hands would actually be served to Commander Wang.
Thinking of this, both men grew quite dejected.
Jiang Yunsui strolled behind them with her hands behind her back like an old man, taking in every word they said.
“Pah!”
The hot-tempered youth suddenly spat into the dish.
Jiang Yunsui: “…”
Why take your anger out on the food!
Having witnessed it with her own eyes, Jiang Yunsui instantly lost her appetite for that particular dish.
“What are you doing?”
“I asked the Steward earlier. Even if the dishes in our hands aren’t served to that bastard Wang, they’ll likely go to his most trusted subordinates. Since I can’t poison them, I’ll at least disgust them to death. Those guys aren’t any good either!”
The steady man was helpless. It was already spat; could he make him swallow it back?
Jiang Yunsui memorized the faces of those two men and hurried back to the banquet before them.
She had to tell Ji Yan’an quickly, otherwise, what if that unlucky guy ‘hit the jackpot’?
There were many people at the banquet. Even though Jiang Yunsui knew they would ignore her, she still tiptoed and circled around the back to get near Ji Yan’an.
Crouching like a thief, she cautiously shuffled over to Ji Yan’an and tugged on his sleeve.
Ji Yan’an was startled, nearly reaching for the dagger at his waist by reflex.
Looking down to see an innocent little face looking up at him, Ji Yan’an felt a strong urge to pinch her cheeks right then and there!
Jiang Yunsui blinked her eyes, her hands suddenly moving in a flurry of wild gestures.
‘Someone spat in the food, it’s disgusting, I’ve come to give you a heads-up…’
Ji Yan’an: “…What are you gesturing?”
Jiang Yunsui: Hehe, it was her own self-invented hand signal.
In her previous life, she had seen human soldiers make gestures like that. Although the Little Mushroom didn’t understand them, it didn’t stop her from thinking they were mysterious and cool!
A certain Little Mushroom felt she was very cool at this moment.
However, in Ji Yan’an’s eyes: What kind of fit is this girl throwing now?
The Little Mushroom gave him a ‘you’re so stupid’ look, then hooked her little finger at him.
“Lean down a bit, I’ll tell you quietly.”
“Hurry, hurry, it’s very important!”
Ji Yan’an took a deep breath, pretended to drop his chopsticks, and then calmly leaned down under the gaze of Wang Hu and the others.
Jiang Yunsui quickly leaned into his ear and whispered everything that had just happened.
Ji Yan’an: “…” Stop talking, he was feeling nauseous too.
Therefore, this dish must not let those two brothers’ efforts go to waste; it had to be arranged for Wang Hu.
Jiang Yunsui thought so too.
She reached out, grabbed a pastry, and stuffed it into her mouth. She crouched on the ground, pretending to be a mushroom, her head swaying back and forth.
Delicious, delicious.