Chapter 18: Almost Got Blown Up

The Crown Prince rose, bare-chested, and walked toward Jiang Jiang Mingyu; one could see his solid physique, his Adam's apple, collarbones, pectoral muscles, and eight-pack abs, all radiating masculine hormones.

The Crown Prince came up behind Jiang Jiang Mingyu, placed both hands on his shoulders, and asked softly, "Why haven't you eaten anything?"

Every hair on Jiang Jiang Mingyu's body stood on end, raising a cold sweat all over him.

"Replying to Your Highness, this subject... this subject is not yet hungry."

No sooner had the words left his lips than his uncooperative stomach immediately let out a gurgling sound!

The Crown Prince picked up the wine pot, poured a bowl of cloudy wine, placed it before Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and demanded he drink it dry!

Having no other choice and truly forced into it, Jiang Jiang Mingyu half-resisted and half-complied, drinking the bowl of wine dry.

The Crown Prince said, "This soup, this wine, and these pancakes have no poison in them; you need not worry at all."

"No, no, no..." Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately sat up straight and quickly explained, "This subject did not mean that; I am truly not hungry..."

The Crown Prince pressed down on Jiang Jiang Mingyu's slightly trembling right hand and comforted him.

"Knowing you come from the south and have seen little of the world, I, this Prince, have specially brought you here today... to open your eyes and broaden your horizons."

While the Crown Prince spoke, Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked toward Wangshitang with a twisted expression; seeing the three hundred fierce men before him, he could not help but feel nauseous!

"Although I am protected by the Eastern Palace Guard, the Eastern Palace Guard falls under the jurisdiction of the Inner Guard; on the surface, they protect this Prince, but in reality, they monitor..." The Crown Prince continued, "I still need a force of my own, to be ready for emergencies; these three hundred armored soldiers before us are my death warriors!"

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was so frightened that his face turned pale as dried wood; not only did he not utter a word, but he also trembled uncontrollably!

The Crown Prince pressed his upper body directly against Jiang Jiang Mingyu's back, wrapped his arms around him, and spoke near Jiang Jiang Mingyu's right ear.

"I do not care whether the power behind you is Prime Minister He or Prime Minister Mei; in any case... from now on, you are one of my Crown Prince faction! If you are unwilling, you may push this Prince away right now."

At this moment, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was completely stunned!

He had made absolutely no mental preparation to face this sudden turn of events; he had even naively thought that a Reader was merely to accompany the Crown Prince in reading books and writing characters, never imagining he would be plunged into an unfathomable storm of power struggles filled with deceit and treachery!

Even more unimaginably, his own body might also be sacrificed, becoming the Crown Prince's playmate!

Seeing that Jiang Jiang Mingyu offered no resistance and showed no intention of fleeing, the Crown Prince escalated his actions, directly attempting to help him undress!

"Your... Your Highness."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu mustered his courage and spoke with a stutter, "This subject... this subject is not yet prepared; may this subject be granted a few days to prepare before proceeding with... the... the joy of the broken sleeve?"

"Prepare for what? Choosing a day is not as good as seizing the day..."

The Crown Prince did not agree and continued to fondle Jiang Jiang Mingyu as before, attempting to forcibly conquer him!

Taking advantage of a moment when the Crown Prince was not paying attention, Jiang Jiang Mingyu broke free from the embrace, spun around, and quickly knelt and prostrated himself on the ground!

He respectfully said, "Your Highness, forgive this subject's rudeness!"

"What is wrong!" the Crown Prince asked with an displeased expression.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said, "Replying to Your Highness, this subject has had stomach discomfort these past few days, occasionally suffering from diarrhea; I hope Your Highness will forgive me. The reason I was unable to eat just now was precisely due to this."

"Huh... so you have a stomachache!"

Upon hearing the words "diarrhea," the Crown Prince, who had a cleanliness obsession, no longer insisted, and said with slight disappointment, "Then I will not trouble you; later... I will have Li Li Xuanren come to your residence to check your pulse and diagnose you."

At this time, Xiao Chengzi returned from the back hall, his clothes disheveled and panting heavily; following closely behind was General Du Gu Qiubai; he too was bare-chested, with a chest full of hair, striding forward arrogantly!

His joyful and proud expression formed a stark contrast with Xiao Chengzi's wretched state.

Xiao Chengzi first helped the Crown Prince put his shirt and armor back on, and then tidied up his own attire.

Meanwhile, the three hundred fierce men in Wangshitang also finished their exercise and began putting their clothes, trousers, and armor back on; before long, everyone in the entire Wangshitang returned to their usual appearance, as if Tong Shi Cao Ge had never been performed there.

A little later, Jiang Jiang Mingyu left the Left Guard Command together with the Crown Prince's procession.

This time, he did not return to the Eastern Palace; instead, as soon as he passed Qinglong Gate, he immediately used his abdominal discomfort as an excuse, bid farewell to the Crown Prince, and rode his horse home.

That same afternoon, Lord Tu led his nephew "Ah Wei" and followed Eunuch Ming's footsteps to the Imperial Kitchen Bureau.

While Eunuch Ming was speaking with the Chief Eunuch "Eunuch Hai," Lord Tu whispered and repeatedly warned Ah Wei.

"This is your last destination; you must keep your eyes wide open and not cause any more trouble! If you cause trouble again, not only will I, your uncle, be unable to help you, but I am afraid even my own head will be forfeit!"

"Rest assured, Uncle..."

Ah Wei patted his chest and promised, "This is the Imperial Kitchen of the royal family; how could I mess around? That would mean the execution of nine generations!"

Ah Wei had previously worked in three restaurants, and in the end, he successfully drove all the shop owners out of business!

He became a notorious jinx in the catering industry around Jingcheng!

Ah Wei originally hoped to ask Lord Tu for a recommendation to work as a cook at Zui Zui Baxian, but alas, his reputation was so loud that Tie Zhang Ba Ji flatly refused!

With no other recourse, he had to pay a heavy bribe to Eunuch Ming and, through an indescribable channel, get him arranged to work as a cook in the Imperial Kitchen Bureau.

Although the Imperial Kitchen Bureau was also in the same industry, it was a relatively closed system; industry gossip from outside the palace basically could not get in, so no one here knew of Ah Wei's notorious exploits.

After accepting Lord Tu's bribe, Eunuch Hai naturally accepted Ah Wei, casually assigned him a position, and let him stay in the Imperial Kitchen Bureau.

"Xiao Weizi..." Eunuch Hai pointed to the small palace gate on the south side of the kitchen and said, "Do you see that gate?"

Ah Wei said, "Yes, this humble one sees it. What's up, Eunuch Hai? What's so special about that gate?"

Eunuch Hai said, "Look again; do you see the two inner palace guards wearing flying fish robes in front of the gate?"

Ah Wei said, "Yes, yes, yes, I see them all."

Eunuch Hai said, "Don't say I didn't tell you; since you have not been castrated, you can at most walk inside and outside this stove area; if you dare cross that gate, your head will be moved!"

Ah Wei said, "Yes, this humble one understands and will keep it firmly in mind!"

Ah Wei thought: If I'm not allowed in, then I'm not allowed in; I'll just stay quietly in the kitchen, which saves a lot of trouble.

Next, Eunuch Hai took Ah Wei to start getting to know the work environment.

The two walked one after the other around the kitchen for half a day; walking and walking, they arrived at the food storage; it was stocked with all kinds of ingredients from the great rivers and mountains north and south, from home and abroad, a dazzling array yet orderly.

Sharp-eyed Ah Wei spotted a magnificent brocade box left open on the workbench in the storage room at a glance. He directly shouted, "Mopan Mopan Xungu!"

Eunuch Hai said, "Oh... what, do you recognize this thing?"

"How could I not recognize it? This is an imported ingredient worth its weight in gold!" Ah Wei said shyly, "In the past at a restaurant, I once saw a master chef prepare it and secretly learned a couple of moves."

Eunuch Hai said, "You understand how to cook this thing?"

A-Wei: "I know a little."

Because the Mopan Mopan Xungu mushrooms had such an overpowering taste, the Imperial Chefs of the Shangshan Bureau had been at a loss since receiving them; moreover, since they were a tribute offered by the Crown Prince, they could neither discard them nor keep them, leaving them to worry about how to dispose of the matter.

Now, just as A-Wei had arrived, he claimed to know how to cook.

Thus, the Mopan Mopan Xungu mushrooms became the first trial he faced after entering the kitchen...