A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 314 - 313 Look at that little achievement of yours!

Rat was the first to sense something was off and hurriedly tugged at Tiger’s sleeve."Hey... hey!"

Tiger instantly flew into a rage, spun around, and punched him.

"Get lost, Rat! I haven’t been this pissed off in ages!"

"Ah!"

With a pained cry, Rat staggered and fell to the ground. One of his eyes instantly swelled into a panda eye.

The air fell into an awkward silence.

Tiger also realized something was amiss.

But I dare not turn around and look up!

Over there, Rat had already scrambled up, fawning over the person behind him.

"B-b-big..."

Xia Tingfeng raised an eyebrow. "Big what?"

Rat was on the verge of tears, his voice trembling with emotion. "Big Brother!"

Tiger: "..."

Huh? Big Brother’s here? It’s all over. The way I cursed just now was so vile... Will Big Brother kill me for this? How would dying be more comfortable? Hanging or poison? I’m in a bit of a dilemma!

His thoughts drifted further and further away.

Rat tugged at him from the side. "Tiger, Big Brother’s here! What are you still standing around for?"

Tiger snapped back to reality, the cruel fact that Big Brother had arrived hitting him once more.

He gritted his teeth, turned, and knelt with a thud. "Big Brother... I know I was wrong!"

Xia Tingfeng looked down at the man on the ground and rolled his eyes. "Look at you, so pathetic. And to think you used to run with me!"

Tiger didn’t know what to say and awkwardly scratched the back of his head, giving a silly, foolish smile.

Xia Tingfeng was speechless. "Get up already! I don’t have time for your nonsense!"

Tiger nodded repeatedly, scrambling to his feet.

Xia Tingfeng glanced around. "Why is it just the two of you? Where’s Monster?"

Rat slapped his forehead. "We ran so fast! How could we have forgotten him!"

Just as he spoke, a strangely dressed, androgynous man came running over from not far away. Panting heavily, he was about to curse out those two ungrateful bastards when he caught sight of Xia Tingfeng. In an instant, everything else was forgotten.

"B-Big... Big Brother!"

"Oh my gosh, Big Brother, it’s really you!"

He then launched into a dramatic performance, sobbing and wailing. "Oh, Big Brother! The three of us have been searching for you in the Capital City for over a month. We finally found you!

"Big Brother, you have no idea how much we’ve suffered, trekking all the way from Jiangnan!

"Doesn’t it break your heart...?"

Xia Tingfeng felt like puking from disgust. Fortunately, he was used to it and managed to hold it down.

"Alright, alright, cut the crap. Where are you staying? I’ll come find you when I’m off duty! We’ll talk in detail then!"

Rat’s eyes lit up. "Off duty? Big Brother? You’ve become an official?"

Xia Tingfeng: "..."

"Obviously! Why else would I travel all this way to the Capital City if not to be an official?"

Rat nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense..."

Xia Tingfeng slapped each of them lightly, then said in a stern voice, "Quick, where are you staying? I don’t have much time!"

Rat glanced at Monster, who clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk. In the end, it was Tiger who sheepishly reported the address: Such-and-Such Street, Such-and-Such Alley.

Xia Tingfeng listened and then gave a satisfied smile. "The day after tomorrow is my day off. You bastards better prepare wine and food and wait for me," he declared. With a flick of his body, he was gone, leaving the three of them staring dumbfoundedly at each other.

"Blockhead! Why the hell are you so quick to blab!"

"Big Brother just got here, hadn’t even been here long enough to fart, and you’ve sent him on his way!" Rat grumbled.

Monster, his peach blossom eyes filled with grievance, lamented, "Sigh! It’s so hard to see Big Brother. Why does it feel like a dream!"

With that, he struck a pose like a lovelorn maiden.

Rat grimaced. "Ugh..."

Even Tiger couldn’t stand to watch anymore. "Let’s go, let’s go, stop your nonsense! Big Brother said he’ll come find us the day after tomorrow!"

Monster shot him an arrogant, disdainful look. "You just don’t get it!"

With a huff, he swished his hips and walked away.

Tiger and Rat exchanged a glance and left too.

...

These three had once been Xia Tingfeng’s most loyal followers.

Despite their unimpressive appearances, each was highly skilled in their own way, a match for anyone.

Monster, with his peach blossom eyes and a face prettier than any woman’s, could look absolutely devastating when dressed up, enough to make any man’s bones go soft. He had a peculiar personality and loved gossip. Back in Zhuoshui County, he knew what color underwear every widow within a hundred-mile radius preferred! It was no exaggeration to say that wherever he went, no secret within hundreds of miles could remain hidden from him.

Tiger was nine feet tall, with a dark complexion, a body rippling with muscle, and a ferocious face. Indeed, he was ferocious, never holding back in a fight. If skill wasn’t enough, brute strength would do; he could take on two opponents at once! He once set a record by fighting fifty-six ruffians single-handedly from noon till night, a true display of incredible strength. Usually, when he went out, he didn’t even need to make a move; his mere presence was like an impenetrable shield that no one dared to provoke.

Of course, as the saying goes, "In me the tiger sniffs the rose." No one knew that deep down, he was also a bit of a softy, and could be quite endearing when he acted silly.

Rat, true to his name, was cunning as a fox. His mind was full of wicked schemes; one roll of his beady little eyes, and he’d come up with another crooked plan! Strangely, he also knew a lot, a veritable walking encyclopedia of the wandering world. For instance, all the street scams they performed were things he had learned from who-knows-where. Their livelihood, which relied on ’cheating, deceiving, swindling, and tricking,’ was largely thanks to him.

In short, these three were the oddest of oddballs.

Compared to them, Xia Tingfeng actually seemed quite normal.

Of course, his greatest skill was making these three listen to his every word.

...

That evening, Xia Tingfeng returned to the Emperor’s side precisely as two incense sticks had finished burning.

Xia Ruqing sat in a top-floor private room of a luxurious restaurant, a spread of her favorite dishes before her.

That sweet and sour fish looked good.

However... just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks, Xia Ruqing glanced outside.

Below, at a street food stall, someone was selling small wontons.

And just like that, she couldn’t resist.

Before she could say a word, Zhao Junyao already knew what she wanted and glanced at Li Shengan.

Li Shengan, ever astute, understood immediately. He promptly sent Little Zhuzi to buy two bowls.

They even added extra vinegar to Xia Ruqing’s portion.

The wontons were delightfully chewy, with thin wrappers and plentiful filling, swimming in a rich broth made from an old hen, seasoned with chopped pickles, peanuts, and more, then drizzled with a bit of sesame oil.

The flavor was so exquisite it made you want to swallow your tongue!

She ate with gusto, her mouth shiny with oil.

"Emperor, you should try some too. The flavor isn’t too strong!"

These street snacks are so much better than anything from a fancy restaurant!

Zhao Junyao wasn’t actually hungry, but not wanting to spoil her mood, he hesitantly tried one.

"Emperor, is it good?"