24 A Crafty Little Plan (2/2)

The hall was instantly filled with boisterous objections. Dried fish were lowly and stinky salted fish that common people slogged hard to place on their dining tables. They were fish that people with even a little bit of status condemned, so one could only imagine the blasphemy Meng Fuyao had committed.

The master of ceremonies glared, ashen-faced, at Zhan Beiye, who raised a winecup to his mouth and downed it in one gulp before slamming it on the table.

Zhan Beiye lifted his brow and swept his eyes across the hall. Then, he snarked, ”Why are you looking at me, Sir? This is Taiyuan, for goodness sake. Can't even serve your guest a dried fish?”

His words hit the master of ceremonies like a brick, causing his heart to jump. He broke out in cold sweat, quickly recalling that the man before him was known for killing without batting an eyelid. He had also heard that the Mo Lo Clan, which shared a border with his people, had been tamed after much beating. In fact, a stare from Zhan Beiye was enough to make them pee their pants. The master of ceremonies, finally able to verify his formidable powers and harsh attitude, speedily called for the palace maid to get a stinky fish from outside the palace.

The dried fish, slightly black in color, was eventually served on an unmatching gold and silver plate. The chef had specially seasoned it with wine in a futile attempt to mask the fish's odor. Guests on both sides of the hall started pinching their noses with frowns on their faces. They also became restless, as though there were needles on their seats that prevented them from sitting still.

Meng Fuyao chewed and chewed, before turning to Zhan Beiye. ”Come, come, take a piece. Food of the peasants bring out the flavors better at times. It's not something that a royal prince like you can get to savor often.”

Zhan Beiye stared at the fish, whose smell was so abstract that it left him in a daze.

Meng Fuyao giggled as she saw the fluctuations of his facial expression. She was waiting for him to flare up. 'Go on, make some noise, get angry, flip the table.... Even you, a royal prince, will be kicked out of the banquet for being disrespectful.'

If not him, it would work, too, if she got kicked out for being uncultured.

Meng Fuyao gave Zhan Beiye a malicious look before letting her eyes roam about his vital acupuncture point and feeling an overwhelming impulse to jab it. If not for the fact that he had locked her inner energy, which prevented her from escaping, she wouldn't have had to consume this stinking fish; she hated fish the most.

After staring at the fish for some time, Zhan Beiye turned to Meng Fuyao with an expression that said, Bring it on, and retrieved the pungent fish with his bare hand.

Under the gaze of everyone present, the honorable royal prince took a deep breath and finished his piece without any regard for anyone.

When done, he even indulged in its aftertaste, nodding approvingly. ”Not bad, really tasty.”

Meng Fuyao's face was as black as charcoal at this point. ”I wasn't done speaking. I meant to say flavors of the toilet.”

Zhan Beiye narrowed his eyes, shooting invisible daggers at her. After a brief pause, he responded, ”You eat food more fragrant than mine.”

Soon after, Meng Fuyao made another request. ”I need to relieve myself.”

'You're not going to follow me, are you?' Meng Fuyao smirked inwardly. It was a shallow but employable idea.

Zhan Beiye finished his wine and said, very naturally, ”Let's go.”

'Fine, fine. Let's see how you're going to follow me into the female cubicle.'

Meng Fuyao sat stiffly before breaking into a wide smile. ”Sure, let's go.”

At that, the duo walked through the odd looks other guests were throwing their way and exited the palace hall with the company of a eunuch, who led them to their respective bathrooms.

'Not good,' Meng Fuyao thought, upon realizing that the male and female bathrooms were opposite of each other. Despite the decorative privacy partition board on the walls, it was impossible for her to climb over it because it wasn't tall and her head would be exposed.

She turned around in time to catch his triumphant smile, which only made her madder. He must've known about the layout of the toilets already.

Indignant at the unfair situation, Meng Fuyao lifted her skirt a little and stroke into the toilet, which looked more like an ordinary house. She sat down on the bucket, staring at the box of jujubes at the side and contemplating how she could escape. Deep in thought, she subconsciously picked out a jujube and started eating it. Only a long time later did it hit her that these dates were meant to be stuck up the nostrils to keep the smell out.

The thought of it let her spit the half-eaten date out. Looking at its suspicious shape and slightly brown color, nausea hit her like a wave, which made her jump up and belch.

Before she got anything out, she heard someone crying out from outside, ”What's wrong with that lady?”

Meng Fuyao raised her head and saw two palace maids exiting from a small door that was behind the screen, which meant that she could easily be spotted. Through the opened door she vaguely saw rows of buckets and figured that inside was the palace's main toilet. Behind those buckets was a half-opened hatchway.

Her eyes lit up, as did a light bulb in her head.

”Hey, sister! Save me!” Meng Fuyao stood on the bucket, face exposed, with tears streaming down her face. ”Save my child!”

Half an hour later, Meng Fuyao pinned her skirt to her waist and snuck out of the hatchway in the main toilet.

It turned out that Meng Fuyao had gotten the attention of the two palace maids and shared her mournful story. She was a wretched girl, whom a prince had taken as his concubine during her laborious search for her husband. She was also pregnant but forced to undergo an abortion. Her Oscar-level acting, so vivid and detailed, was worth a mention. She hadn't forgotten to express the grief of losing her husband, the pain of carrying a child, the fear of being seized by the mansion and the humiliation of being abused by the evil prince. Her conveying of emotions was so on point that her listeners had broken down in tears and boldly promised to pull her out from the devil's claws.