Chapter 332: My Mother’s Clan
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The banquet in Prince Qi’s Manor was full of festive drinking. Su Ying heard a series of noisy footsteps outside the door before she emerged from the room.
As soon as she walked out, Jiang Yang, who was slightly drunk, was pushed into the bridal chamber by the crowd.
Su Ying didn’t stay behind to join in the fun. Instead, she turned around and returned to her own courtyard.
There weren’t many people in Prince Qi’s Manor, to begin with. After the caretaker purged the spies sent by the palace, the rest of the people in Prince Qi’s Manor were just their own people.
The banquet was almost over, and Zhang Shuming was so busy that he couldn’t even keep his feet on the ground. It wasn’t easy for him to send all the guests away. He was so tired that he flopped down on a small stool outside the main kitchen.
Zhang Shuming sat there for a while before he saw Hea Shouyi walking over from the back door of the main kitchen.
The dishes used in today’s wedding banquet all came from Prince Qi’s Manor. Hea Shouyi was the chef in charge. It could be said that he had been busy since yesterday.
“Chef Hea, we’re done with the work at the front. Sit down and rest for a while.”
Zhang Shuming and Hea Shouyi had been getting along quite well recently. Usually, when he had nothing to do, Zhang Shuming would come to the main kitchen to sit down. Hea Shouyi would occasionally make some fresh snacks for him to taste.
When Hea Shouyi heard Zhang Shuming calling out to him, he was astonished for a moment before turning his head to look at Zhang Shuming somewhat dumbly.
When he saw Hea Shouyi looking in his direction, Zhang Shuming waved at him.
Hea Shouyi walked toward him and sat down beside him. “Caretaker Zhang, are you done with your work? Why are you free to come here?”
Zhang Shuming took out a bag of melon seeds, grabbed a handful, and asked if Hea Shouyi wanted to eat them. Hea Shouyi shook his head in a daze. When he saw Hea Shouyi’s refusal, Zhang Shuming simply took the melon seeds and munched on them leisurely.
“Where did Chef Hea go just now?”
Hea Shouyi recovered himself and replied, “1 went to the backcourtyard to take a look. 1 gave them some instructions to take care of some miscellaneous matters.”
Zhang Shuming was just asking casually. “Today, all the guests said that the dishes at the banquet were delicious. Chef Hea’s culinary skills are really extraordinary. Your culinary skills are quite similar to a chef I knew in the past. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but the more 1 ate, the more I felt that you two were the same person.”
Hea Shouyi’s eyebrows twitched at once. “Who is it?”
“The former head chef in the palace, but he was expelled from the palace because of a crime. 1 haven’t seen him since.” As Zhang Shuming spoke, he turned to look at Hea Shouyi and realized that Hea Shouyi’s expression had changed. “What’s with your expression? Don’t tell me you know this person too?”
“I don’t know him.” Hea Shouyi shook his head without hesitation.
However, Zhang Shuming laughed. “You old fellow, 1 haven’t even mentioned his name yet, and you’re already saying that you don’t know him. Do you know who I’m talking about?”
Hea Shouyi’s face turned even more unsightly. He stood up and said, “I still have to tidy up the kitchen after everything has ended. I’ll go and do my work first. Caretaker Zhang, rest for a while before going back to your work.”
Zhang Shuming looked at his departing back profile and shook his head. He felt that Hea Shouyi was a little distracted today.
Lin Zhuyu got married today, and although a small interruption like Lin Jin had appeared midway, Su Ying’s overall mood was still very happy.
Even when she returned to her room, she was humming an unknown tune.
Xiao Jin walked into the room reeking of alcohol. He looked at Su Ying, who was sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, and felt that he couldn’t get enough of her.
Su Ying raised her head and glanced at him. She saw that his face was slightly red, and his deep dark eyes were also suffused with a layer of misty light. That appearance was really alluring.
The alluring man delivered himself straightaway into her arms. He sat down on the soft couch and then he held her face and studied it carefully. After that, he smiled in satisfaction. “Appearance isn’t too outstanding, and temper is very bad, but I like it.”
Su Ying slapped his hand away. “Your face is all you have left.”
“Do you like it?”
“I like it.”
Xiao Jin laughed loudly, feeling very pleased.
Before his laughter died off, he collapsed on her body and fell asleep.
“You can’t even hold your liquor. Just this bit and you can’t take it.”
Bai Shuang walked into the room and happened to hear what she said. “Your Highness, you may not be aware. His Highness drank several jars of wine with the guests. If it wasn’t because the caretaker was worried that everyone would become drunk and dared not to serve more wine, His Highness would probably continue to drink.”
Su Ying didn’t expect Xiao Jin to be so happy. It made sense. They were all people who had gone through life and death with him. He could only relax a little in front of these people.
Su Ying had also consumed some wine so she decided to nap next to Xiao Jin.
In her sleepy stupor, Su Ying felt a person on top of her. She half-opened her eyes, and after confirming the person’s identity, she raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck.
Su Ying felt that this thing was pleasurable and did not require any effort from her, so she let him be. After all, she was also happy to do it.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside was already dark.
Su Ying heard footsteps outside the door and saw Xiao Jin sit up, put on his robe, and walkout.
Su Ying didn’t feel sleepy anymore after sleeping for the entire afternoon, so she simply got up as well.
She had just finished tidying up when Xiao Jin walked back with an expression that was not very pleasant.
“What’s wrong?”
“Follow me out of the manor to meet someone,” Xiao Jin said.
Su Ying was a little puzzled. “Who is it?”
“Someone from my mother’s clan.”
Su Ying was slightly surprised. Wasn’t the Wei family totally executed back then? How come there were still survivors?
However, Xiao Jin wouldn’t lie to her. After changing her clothes, Su Ying followed him out of the manor.
“From the Wei family?” Su Ying asked of her own accord when she was in the horse carriage.
Xiao Jin’s voice sounded a little muffled in the dark horse carriage. “Mm-hmm. When the Wei family was in trouble, my Uncle’s wife happened to be outside. After receiving the news, she was so scared that she gave birth to a baby boy prematurely.”
In order to ensure the safety of the child, the Wei family had a loyal servant take the child out of the capital but announced to the public that the child was stillborn.
After the whole Wei family was executed, the loyal servant used the spies left behind by the Wei family to send a message to Xiao Jin’s birth mother, asking her to find a way to settle down the Wei family’s only descendant.
“Back then, Mother was worried that this child was too far away from her, so she found a well-off family in the capital and let them raise the child. Later, before Mother got into trouble, she told me about this.”
However, Wei Siyuan was still aware of his own background. When Xiao Jin went to the army camp, he wanted to follow Xiao Jin and swore to avenge his family.
Wei Siyuan had also accrued a lot of military merits in the army camp initially, but he and Xiao Jin had a tacit understanding to give the military merits to other people. Now was not the time for him to appear in public.
After Xiao Jin was exiled, Wei Siyuan took over the factions Xiao Jin had nurtured in the capital and had been waiting for Xiao Jin to return.
“Then why are you bringing me to see him so late at night?”
Xiao Jin’s sharp eyebrows furrowed as he said, “There’s a problem with him. You’ll know when you go and take a look.”
Wei Siyuan’s residence was very secluded and it was very inconspicuous among the crowd of commoners’ buildings.
The horse carriage entered the residence through the back door.
When Xiao Jin and Su Ying alighted from the carriage, they saw a servant waiting with a lantern.
The servant stepped forward and bowed to Xiao Jin before bringing them to the courtyard in front..