Chapter 57: An Incident

Words : 1237 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: An IncidentSu Jin clattered down the steps and ate grilled fish by the stove with Xingxing. Couldn’t deny, Xingxing’s grilled fish was fantastic. Crispy on the outside, tender inside, fresh, smooth, spicy, leaving a lingering taste. Su Jin ate half a fish and was still unsatisfied, gobbling up quite a lot of grilled vegetables. Such was their mistress and servant— Xie Jingchen was used to it. What he couldn’t accept was that even his Hidden Guard was tempted, not only joining in but also bringing plenty of food from the small kitchen as an accomplice. Xingxing was flipping the vegetables, glanced at Su Jin, and said, "Master barely ate anything tonight; can he eat a bit during the herbal bath?" "Sure." "Then I’ll bring it," volunteered the Hidden Guard. But as he carried the plate up the stairs, just arriving, he received an angry glare from his Eldest Young Master. Xie Jingchen was really annoyed. At night, he only ate a piece of braised pork rib; soaking in a herbal bath isn’t just bathing, it’s exhausting. How could he not be hungry? Thankfully, the little maid remembered him, while his own Hidden Guard ate joyfully, completely forgetting about him. As a result, the glare was too powerful, scaring the Hidden Guard to not dare ask if he wanted to eat, swiftly turning away with the plate. Xie Jingchen, "...!!!" Seeing the plate being put down, Xingxing felt a bit disappointed. "Why doesn’t Master eat?" she asked. The girl and the Hidden Guard praised her cooking so much that she felt a bit proud. She wanted to know if the Master liked it. The Hidden Guard glanced at the stove; it was obvious why the Eldest Young Master didn’t eat. While he suffered upstairs, they feasted by the stove, anger enough to burst. Su Jin grilled a small fish; though slightly burnt, she was quite satisfied. She handed it to Xingxing, who shook her head repeatedly. She offered it to the Hidden Guard, who quickly claimed he was full. Su Jin placed the small fish on the plate—the very plate the Hidden Guard had tried to deliver to Xie Jingchen but returned—and stood up. Xingxing, "..." Hidden Guard, "..." Could she say that the fish Su Jin grilled was both unsalted on one side and double-salted on the other side? Afraid Su Jin would ruin more fish, she held back from telling her— Now, Master would suffer with misfortune. Xingxing felt a bit guilty, silently sympathizing with the Master. He seemed particularly unlucky. Su Jin carried the plate up the steps, sat next to Xie Jingchen, and said eagerly, "I’ll feed you." "I don’t eat." Xie Jingchen hadn’t opened his eyes, but his anger was evident. Su Jin picked a bit of fish, held it to his lips, saying, "This is my first time grilling fish, give me some face, okay?" Xie Jingchen glanced sidelong at Su Jin, "I barely have enough face myself, how can I give you any?" Su Jin, "..." Xie Jingchen spoke so confidently, Su Jin looked at him with a bit of scrutiny. They had just met, yet his words made her almost speechless; how would they continue enjoyable conversations in the future? However, he wasn’t wrong—being mugged in public, losing face, seemingly never recovering, perceived by everyone as self-destructive. With a light cough, Su Jin said, "No face means you should eat it all the more; eat my grilled fish, overflowing with face." Xie Jingchen, "..." He feigned a glaring expression. Su Jin asked, "What kind of look is that?" "Your face shines so brightly, I can’t look directly," Xie Jingchen replied. "..." Was he saying she was boasting about herself? Su Jin’s little temper almost slapped the plate on his face; her eyes flashed with danger, "Will you eat or not?" "I’ll eat." Xie Jingchen thus succumbed. Succumbing not under Su Jin’s glare, but the aroma of grilled meat wafting into his nose, surrendering to the allure of good food. Only when Su Jin fed him with fish did Xie Jingchen regret. "Your fish hadn’t been salted, has it?" he asked. "It’s salted." Su Jin bit into a piece of fish. Xie Jingchen’s eyes fixated, an unusual sensation passed through—a chopstick he had just used. Su Jin tasted it and almost twisted her mouth. Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Seemed really unsalted. Yet she clearly added salt, and quite a lot. Su Jin turned the fish over, picked another piece, tasted it, and spat it out. Too salty. Xie Jingchen had a black line across his face; he could already guess the situation without explanation. However, what Su Jin did next left him dumbfounded. Su Jin poked some flesh from both sides of the fish and fed him, saying, "Together it’s less salty, isn’t it?" Xie Jingchen, "..." Did he marry a fool? As Su Jin pushed the food his way, Xie Jingchen was about to speak but was fed fish meat, alternating between salty and bland—the taste, truly— "Tastes good, right?" Su Jin asked eagerly. "..." The Hidden Guard intervened, "Eldest Young Madam, let me feed the Eldest Young Master instead." "Alright." Su Jin handed the plate to the Hidden Guard, gazed into the distance, watching the sun’s last glow disappearing over the horizon. Behind her, Xie Jingchen glared at the Hidden Guard, "Don’t waste the fish Eldest Young Madam grilled, eat it all." Hidden Guard, "..." Peony Garden. Princess Nanzhang had little appetite; at a table full of delicacies, she barely took a few bites before pushing it away. Mrs. Zhao cooked some swallow’s nest porridge and brought it over, saying, "Commandery Princess, you’ve hardly eaten anything all day, I’ve prepared swallow’s nest porridge specially, please eat a bowl." Mrs. Zhao held the porridge to Princess Nanzhang, who scooped a spoonful but before tasting, a small maid approached, saying, "Commandery Princess, an incident occurred at the Agarwood Pavilion." Princess Nanzhang’s loss of appetite stemmed from anger at the bandit father and daughter; hearing of trouble at Agarwood Pavilion, Mrs. Zhao immediately smiled, "What happened?" "A maid poisoned the Eldest Young Madam, detected by her using a silver needle; the maid was hung on a tree, others punished as well," the maid reported. Mrs. Zhao’s smile stiffened. Testing food for poison before eating?! Even in the palace, only the Emperor tested for poison before meals! Just as she thought this, a clang sound jolted her heart. Princess Nanzhang’s spoon slipped, clashing crisply against the porcelain bowl. "Low status yet so meticulous; did the maid confess?" asked Princess Nanzhang coldly. "Apparently not, that’s why the Eldest Young Madam hung her from a tree in anger," replied the maid. Princess Nanzhang glanced at Mrs. Zhao. Mrs. Zhao nodded slightly. The next morning, Su Jin slept soundly and was woken by Xingxing. "Miss, something’s gone wrong, there’s trouble." "What could happen?" Su Jin, half-asleep, turned away, showing her back to Xingxing. "The maid we hung on the tree for poisoning is dead," said Xingxing worriedly. Dead? Su Jin jolted awake, sleep vanishing immediately. "How did she die?" She sat up, asking. Xingxing shook her head; she didn’t know either. Su Jin threw off the quilt and got out of bed, Xingxing helped her dress. Su Jin went to see the maid, but the courtyard full of maids and matrons avoided her, trembling uncontrollably.

Chapter 57: An Incident

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