Chapter 3: The Guard’s Report – Something Big Happened

“How am I supposed to get past this?!”

Having excitedly made her way from the imperial kitchen in the rear court, she even detoured to the small pharmacy, taking both usable and unusable herbs along with the medicine cabinets!

By now, it was already the Chou hour (1:00-2:59 AM).

With the imperial kitchen of the Empress’s quarters just before her eyes, a locked moon gate abruptly blocked her path!

“Can’t you climb a wall?”

Wanru innocently shook her head: “My nanny never taught me to climb walls!”

It’s true, a little girl who has been raised in confinement since birth might not even have the concept of “climbing a wall.”

“Ah! I’ve got it, a dog hole! I can crawl through a dog hole!”

The little girl’s face lit up with excitement as she eagerly searched along the wall for a dog hole!

Unexpectedly, a skill she learned during her only rebellion could actually be used!

Although that rebellion resulted in a scolding, it seems worthwhile now, right?

Xiaodu…

I didn’t realize this little girl knew about dog holes. It seems she wasn’t completely stifled by confinement; her brain isn’t stupid at least!

Sure enough, behind a cluster of peony flower beds, she found a dog hole that could only accommodate a small child.

She pulled out two bricks, lay her small body on the ground, and inch by inch, wriggled through. The other side of the hole was blocked by a broken wooden basin. She gently pushed it aside, crawled out, and put the basin back in place.

It felt like she had accomplished something extraordinary, Wanru’s excited face flushed red!

Perfect!

Clearly, the Empress’s imperial kitchen held a much more important position. There were four guards: eunuchs and maidservants.

Two eunuchs were dozing off, and two maidservants were gathered around a tea stove, drinking tea and bragging about who received more rewards…

Wanru tiptoed in, took a pinch of the aconitum from the small pharmacy, and sprinkled it into their teacups.

The two maidservants, thirsty from their chat, gulped down their tea. Although they noticed the taste was different from before, they simply assumed the tea had brewed longer and become stronger.

They never suspected an invisible person was right under their noses!

“Ah~ I must not have rested well yesterday. I’ll take a nap first; you keep watch, call me if anything happens!” The short and stout maidservant yawned widely, her eyes slowly closing as she spoke.

“Okay, you sleep first. I’ll go check if the deer penis soup for the Crown Prince is ready.”

“Oh~ Snore…”

Wow, she fell asleep fast!

The tall and thin maidservant got up to check the deer penis soup, turning down the fire under the stove, leaving only a small flame to keep it warm.

She shook her head, feeling a little drowsy herself!

This… something’s not right…

She leaned against the wall, trying to call for help, but her limbs felt weak. Eventually, she slowly slid down the wall, sitting on the floor and falling into a deep sleep…

Sure enough, the Empress’s imperial kitchen was extravagant!

There were over ten types of grains alone: barley, wheat, oats, soybeans, black beans, red beans, green beans, rice, corn, and so on, everything you could want!

Compared to the vegetables in the rear court kitchen, these were clearly the finest, hand-picked selections.

The variety of meat was even more abundant. Besides the common ones, there was deer meat, bear paws, bird’s nest, abalone, sea cucumber, and other high-end delicacies!

Wanru didn’t hold back at all. With plenty of space, she swept away everything edible and usable.

Then, she set her sights on the storage area for utensils.

The items here were clearly valuable and even locked!

After a moment’s thought, Wanru got up and searched the two maidservants, finding a key ring!

It makes sense; the kitchen often had people coming and going to get food and drink. They couldn’t ask for permission every time they needed a bowl.

She smoothly opened the storeroom door.

True to its reputation, even the tableware used by the Empress’s quarters was of superior quality.

Various golden, silver, jade, and agate bowls, chopsticks, plates, basins, and cups – she took everything she could see.

After clearing everything out, she silently carried away a room full of treasures, leaving the imperial kitchen as she had arrived.

Looking at the moon, she felt she still had time. Under Xiaodu’s guidance, she successfully located the Shanggong Bureau, which managed the palace’s clothing and bedding, and packed away all the bedding, fabrics, cotton, and clothing.

She had originally planned to visit the Shangyi Bureau, but seeing the time, nearing the end of the Chou hour, fearing that the palace staff would discover the missing items when they came to work and the palace would be placed under lockdown, Wanru made a decisive decision to return to the Cold Palace.

As if already knowing she was going to die, her small courtyard was only visited by the little palace maid who brought her meals daily. No one else ever came.

She didn’t wait long at the Cold Palace gate before Aju, the maid who delivered breakfast, slowly walked over. As usual, she took out her key, opened the door to the Cold Palace, and carried the food box inside.

“Mrs. Wanru, your breakfast is here!”

At this hour, the kitchen hadn’t even started a fire yet, but breakfast was already delivered. It was obvious that it wasn’t freshly made but leftovers from the previous day’s meals for the servants.

This was the usual fare for those in the Cold Palace.

I wonder if those who gave them their leftovers will regret giving them away when they find out there’s no food this morning…

Wanru thought darkly from the side.

Entering the room, Aju felt a gust of wind brush past her, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms.

What’s more, the abandoned concubine, who usually came out at her call, was strangely silent. For some reason, her scalp tingled.

She decided to call out again. Receiving no response, she decided to leave.

So, she cautiously called out again, “Mrs. Wanru? Your breakfast…”

“I know! Put it down, I’m not hungry; I don’t want to eat right now.”

Aju breathed a sigh of relief. No supernatural events, that’s good!

It’s a pity, really. She’s kind and gentle, yet she was born into such a family and even after entering the palace, she’s not favored by the Emperor.

She probably doesn’t have an appetite knowing she’s going to die!

She shrugged, put down the food box, and slowly backed out of the Cold Palace, locking the door from the outside.

Only after she left did Wanru come out of the room and carry the food box inside.

Well, breakfast: a steamed bun, a bowl of porridge, and a small dish of pickled vegetables. Although they were cold, at least they weren’t spoiled.

After eating, I’ll take a nap. I need to prepare some travel money tonight and get enough rest…

While the little woman slept soundly after a busy night, the cooks who came to work in the morning to prepare breakfast for the various palaces were horrified to discover that the food was gone! The vegetables were gone! The knives and chopping boards were gone, and even the cooking pots were gone…

Did they move last night?

Why wasn’t anyone notified?

When we found their top leader, Shan Zheng, we realized that this was not a move at all, it was clearly a theft!!

For a moment, the palace suddenly became chaotic!

A large number of guards entered the palace to search for clues…

The Emperor, having just woken up, rinsed his mouth and was about to read some memorials before breakfast, when the Captain of the Guard rushed in to request an audience.

“Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. The imperial kitchens in the rear court and the Empress’s quarters, the rear court pharmacy, and the Shanggong Bureau were robbed last night…”

Emperor Dayan didn’t take it seriously, not even raising an eyebrow, calmly asking, “Oh? What was stolen? Send someone to investigate. If they are found, execute them!”

The Captain of the Guard wiped the sweat from his brow, stammering, “Your… Your Majesty, everything… everything is gone…”

The usually unflappable Captain of the Guard was unusually flustered, causing the Emperor to curiously look up and glance at him…

Not getting the point, he looked amusedly at the sweating Captain of the Guard and asked, “Gone is gone, what are you panicking about?”

“Your Majesty, everything is gone. Even the pots in the kitchen are gone…”

Realizing he had heard something unbelievable!

Emperor Dayan exclaimed, “What? How is that possible?”

The Captain of the Guard smiled wryly. That was his reaction when he first heard the news!

But the truth was true!

“Who is so bold as to treat the guards and eunuchs in this palace as decorations? Investigate! Let the Imperial Guards search every palace. I don’t believe such a large amount of supplies could have flown away!

I want to see who is so bold as to steal from under my nose…

Once caught, don’t report it to me, just execute them~~”

“Yes!”

For a time, the Imperial Palace was in turmoil!

After drinking the porridge sent from the small kitchen, Emperor Dayan went to court with a belly full of anger.

It was said that he was in a bad mood and reprimanded several unlucky ministers.

Of course, our Wanru was still asleep, unaware of the storm brewing outside…