Aside from her eldest maternal uncle’s imperial examination, there was her second maternal uncle’s business, her third maternal uncle’s leg, and Qi Shen…
After tossing and turning with these thoughts for a long while, Rongyao was finally overcome by sleep.
The next day, a matron came to the Cui residence to teach Cui Huaiyin the proper rules and etiquette.
The matron was an old palace servant who had once attended the Grand Dowager Consort. She was extremely strict about propriety and immediately began teaching Cui Huaiyin all manner of etiquette and palace regulations.
Cui Huaiyin listened with utmost attention, not missing a single detail.
While Cui Huaiyin followed the matron in learning the rules, her eldest maternal uncle, Cui Huaiji, read in his room; her second maternal uncle, Cui Huaihao, took care of the shop outside; her third maternal uncle, Cui Huaiyi, practiced with his sword; and Rongyao wandered around the various courtyards of the residence.
She was much cleverer now and could remember many things from her previous life.
For instance, she had recalled the specific details about the person who had poisoned her eldest maternal uncle. She had even thought of how to deal with it!
The Cui family had only recently arrived in the capital. Her maternal grandfather was merely a minor official, and there were not many servants in the household. Each courtyard had at most three or four servants, most of whom had come from Huangzhou with the family and could be trusted. In her previous life, none of them had betrayed the Cui family.
Apart from them, the Cui family had hired two new cooks after arriving in the capital, one man and one woman. When disaster had befallen the Cui family in her previous life, the female cook had helped conceal her and enabled her to escape from the soldiers. The male cook, however, had disappeared two days before the Cui family met with catastrophe.
If she had guessed correctly, the person who had administered the poison was that fat male cook—Cao Kuan.
Ignoring Chenxiang’s calls from behind, Rongyao made her way toward the kitchen in the rear courtyard of the Cui residence. Today, she intended to identify Cao Kuan first and have someone keep watch over him.
The closer they came to the crucial moment, the less rashly she could act. If she dealt with Cao Kuan ahead of time, Noble Consort Chen would most likely find another way to bring in a second Cao Kuan and frame her eldest maternal uncle by some other means. That would never do.
It would be better to let Noble Consort Chen believe that her plan was certain to succeed. Only then would she refrain from devising another scheme.
Rongyao made up her mind and prepared to proceed exactly that way.
Just as she reached the courtyard where the food was prepared, Rongyao heard loud voices arguing.
A woman shouted, “What’s wrong with the food I make? Does it not suit the master and the young misses? Which of your eyes saw that the master is dissatisfied? I think it’s your cooking that nobody likes! You sneak around every day—who knows what you’re plotting?”
A man’s furious voice immediately followed. “You’re a woman! Instead of staying home to look after the children and your husband, you insist on showing your face outside and stealing my work. The food you make is no better than filth. Even dogs won’t eat it!”
The woman was enraged. “You certainly have some nerve! Just because I’m a woman, you think you can bully me? Every day, all you can talk about is filth and excrement. The Cui family was truly cursed to hire you!”
The man’s voice was rough and booming. “I used to be the head chef at a restaurant! I’ve cooked for princes and ministers! The Cui family is lucky to have hired me. The master himself said that everything in the kitchen must be under my command! If I don’t let you cook, then you’ll wash dishes and pick vegetables every day!”
The woman spat, “Bah!”
Cook Cao and Cook An were arguing so fiercely that their faces had turned red.
Cook An was even less restrained. She picked up rotten vegetable leaves and flung them at Cook Cao’s face.
Neither of them noticed the small figure standing at the doorway, looking up at everything.
It was not until Chenxiang caught up and called out, “Miss,” that the two of them turned around. They stared at Rongyao in shock, then hurried over to bow to her, their faces filled with panic.
“Why didn’t you tell us the little miss was coming? If there’s something you’d like to eat, just send someone to tell us. This place is filthy. Wouldn’t it be terrible if we soiled the young miss’s embroidered shoes?”
The speaker was Cook Cao. He wore a broad, ingratiating smile, behaving like an honest servant and no longer showing any trace of the aggression he had displayed moments earlier.
Cook An also hurriedly chimed in, “That’s right, Miss. Just tell us what you want!”
On the second day after Cui Huaiyin and Rongyao returned, Cui Yeping had informed every servant in the Cui household that no one was to slight either of them. The best things were to be given to the two young ladies first.
Just a few days ago, when the little miss had said she wanted to eat fish, the master himself had come to tell the two cooks that they absolutely had to buy some.
Thus, everyone in the Cui residence knew that neither the older nor the younger resident of Daiyin Courtyard could be neglected.
Rongyao looked at Cook Cao, then at Cook An, and asked with childlike candor, “Were you two arguing just now?”
Cook Cao answered before Cook An could say a word. “Not at all. We always help one another and have never quarreled. We were merely discussing a dish just now. Our voices happened to be a little loud, and we disturbed the little miss.”
After saying that, Cook Cao shot Cook An a warning look. “Isn’t that right?”
Cook An’s expression turned ugly, but she swallowed her anger and said, “Yes. We were discussing a dish.”
“No.” Rongyao shook her head in disagreement. Pointing at Cook An, she said, “Your voice was the loudest just now, and you even threw something. You startled all the birds outside, and they flew away in every direction. Clearly, you were the one who started the trouble.”
Cook An’s face filled with astonishment. She immediately dropped to her knees and explained, “He never does his work properly, and he leaves all the dirty, tiring tasks to me. He even steals the fish and meat we buy and takes them home. I couldn’t stand watching him behave that way, so I argued with him a little. But then he started insulting the master and the household. Young miss, please don’t wrong a loyal servant!”
Cook An looked terrified, clearly afraid of being driven out of the residence and losing such a good job.
Meanwhile, Cook Cao wore a smug expression. He thought today was his lucky day. After all, this child was so young that she could not tell right from wrong. A few casual lies would be enough to fool her into acting like an idiot.
Rongyao seemed not to have heard a word of Cook An’s explanation. She merely raised her head and looked at Cook Cao.
“You’re a good man, and your cooking is good too. I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you with my maternal grandfather in the future.”
Cook Cao’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, little miss! The little miss is truly beautiful and kindhearted. I’ll certainly prepare the food properly from now on.”
Rongyao gave him a smile, then turned toward Cook An, who was visibly uneasy.
“You’ve made a mistake. I’ll have Mother punish you herself. Come with me!”
Even when Cook An begged for mercy, Rongyao remained unmoved. Cook An had no choice but to follow her to the front courtyard, her heart pounding with fear.
She had thought that at worst, her monthly wages would be docked, or she would receive a scolding.
Who could have imagined that after following the young miss into a room, the young miss would hand her fifty taels of silver and refuse to let her decline it, saying only that she deserved it?
It was truly fifty taels!
Even if she worked for five years, she would never earn that much. With these fifty taels, she could pay for her grandson’s schooling and her husband’s medical treatment!
With reddened eyes, Cook An accepted the silver and dropped to her knees with a thud.
“Thank you for the reward, little miss! You’ve saved the lives of my entire family!”
Looking at the little miss before her, Cook An felt as if she were a celestial child descended from heaven to save those suffering in the mortal world.
Rongyao said, “I’m sorry you had to suffer that humiliation just now. I may be young, but I can still tell right from wrong. What you said is true. Cook Cao is lazy, slippery, and dishonest. He sneaks around all the time, so he’s clearly not a good cook.”
Cook An’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude.
“The little miss is wise!”
Rongyao said, “The reason I’ve continued to show him respect is also for your sake. He throws his weight around in the kitchen, and he’s neither conscientious nor particularly good at preparing food. I think you’re excellent—you ought to be the kitchen’s head cook. Your dishes are far better than his. It’s just that he pretends to be kind and benevolent in front of others, so I haven’t been able to find anything to use against him. If we’re going to bring him down, we’ll have to rely on you.”
Cook An grew even more excited. Holding the fifty taels of silver in both hands, she said, “If there’s anything you need, Young Miss, just give the order. This servant will do exactly as you say!”
Rongyao smiled and stepped forward to pat Cook An on the shoulder. “You must keep an eye on him from the shadows and look for his mistakes. If you discover anything suspicious or notice that he’s deliberately concealing something, don’t alert him. Come and report to me at once. I’ll have Grandfather drive him from the estate and put you in charge of the kitchen. And there will be no shortage of rewards for you.”
Cook An became even more thrilled and worked up. She must have encountered a true benefactor to have been given such an opportunity.
She had long been displeased with that enormous Cao Kuan. Now she could keep watch over him in secret and earn a reward as well. If she really managed to uncover his wrongdoing, she would finally be able to work in peace and would never again have to suffer his reprimands!
This was a perfect arrangement for everyone!
The Young Miss truly had a discerning eye. She was beautiful and kindhearted too!
Cook An left with the reward, scarcely able to contain her excitement.
Before leaving, she deliberately suppressed her smile and made herself look as though she had been reprimanded by the household.
That way, Cao Kuan would become even more complacent—and all the more likely to make a mistake.
That Cao Kuan was sneaky enough to be hiding something. One day, she would surely catch him red-handed!
Hahahahaha!
