That gulp was a bit too obvious, sounding strange and jarring in the silent hall. The man suddenly turned sideways, a flicker of faint anger flashing in his eyes.
“Drag her out!”
Yao Chengcheng panicked and wanted to slap herself twice. Damn her eyes—they were beyond her control!
“Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me—”
But the eunuch gave her no further chance, even covering her mouth as he dragged and pulled her out of the main hall entrance: “Shut up already!”
Yao Chengcheng stared at him in wide-eyed terror.
“Who told you you’d die? Keep talking, and you really will be strangled!” The pale-faced eunuch made a throat-slitting gesture to scare her.
Yao Chengcheng: “Huh? But isn’t it true that seeing the Prince’s face means death…?”
The pale-faced eunuch rolled his eyes: “Which family’s candidate are you! So reckless and spouting nonsense!”
“Then what about them…”
“His Highness simply doesn’t wish to proceed with the selection and is sending them all back home!”
Yao Chengcheng was dumbfounded, her mouth agape like a silly frog in a pond.
“I’m asking you, which family are you from? Hurry back! If you anger His Highness any further, you’ll be in for it!”
Which family was she from?
The original body’s family was a minor seventh-rank official in the capital’s outskirts—a humble household. For this selection, the original body had scrambled desperately just to be registered. Yao Chengcheng remembered now: if the original body wasn’t chosen this time, she would be forced to return home and married off as a concubine to an old, ugly man.
Such a bitter fate…
After a moment of contemplation, Yao Chengcheng calmed down: “Eunuch, my family is of lowly status; speaking of it might soil your ears. Eunuch, I was confused earlier—could you let me apologize to the Prince? I truly didn’t mean to…”
The pale-faced eunuch laughed: “You still think you can see the Prince? Dream on, leave now!”
With that, the two guards stepped forward to haul her away—
“Wait, I…”
Yao Chengcheng was about to say more when suddenly, a loud crash came from inside the room—the sound of something falling. The pale-faced eunuch’s expression changed abruptly, and forgetting about her, he rushed inside in a flash.
“Your Highness?! Your Highness!”
The guards followed, charging in to help. Yao Chengcheng stood frozen in place, hearing wails and howls from inside.
What was happening? Had the Prince Regent died?
After a moment’s hesitation, she quietly crept over and peeked through the doorframe.
She saw several guards helping Fu Yuanzheng up from the floor, while the pale-faced eunuch wept with snot and tears, “Your Highness, next time you need anything, just call for your servant…!”
So he had fallen.
“Summon the palace physician! Your Highness, your complexion looks off, and you’re sweating again! Please, at least eat something! This old servant begs you!”
Yao Chengcheng understood: ever since Fu Yuanzheng became paralyzed in both legs, his temperament had drastically changed, and he seemed to be ruining his health. He also appeared to suffer from severe anorexia, vomiting whatever he ate and often smashing bowls in his residence.
Yao Chengcheng pondered for a moment, weighing her options.
She couldn’t return to the Yao family—that was no good place to be.
Staying in the Prince’s residence might be a way out. The book mentioned many clues, such as the Prince Regent’s intense love for sweets, being addicted to sugar as if his life depended on it.
If she could become a cook in the Prince’s residence…
Boldness favors the skilled; the timid starve while the bold thrive. She’d do it!
Yao Chengcheng suddenly charged inside, sliding into a kneel—
“Your Highness, this common girl offended you earlier and should atone with death! Your symptoms are due to low blood sugar! This common girl has a solution!”
The hall fell silent once more, everyone looking at her with sympathy, pity, and the gaze reserved for the dead.
Fu Yuanzheng had already been helped back onto the large wheelchair. He slowly raised his head, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips.
“You have a way…? What way do you have?”
“This humble girl’s culinary skills are passable! Why not let me prepare a dessert for you!”
The pale-faced eunuch’s expression changed, about to rebuke her angrily, but in the next moment, Fu Yuanzheng stopped him.
He was very weak, a chilling cold emanating from his entire body.
“Hah.”
“Is that so.”
“Fine.”
Yao Chengcheng: He agreed just like that?
She happily stood up: “Then this servant will head to the small kitchen right away! I hope the eunuch can show me the way!”
The pale-faced eunuch’s expression was extremely strange: “Your Highness…”
Fu Yuanzheng closed his eyes: “Take her.”
“Yes…”
The eunuch glared at Yao Chengcheng: “Follow me!”
Yao Chengcheng was baffled.
After they left, the black-clothed guard beside Fu Yuanzheng hesitated and said: “Your Highness, I will go keep an eye on her, to see what poison she intends to use.”
Fu Yuanzheng did not stop him, but neither did he agree.
A year had passed, and they still hadn’t given up on trying to kill him? This time, they changed their approach.
Since the complex methods didn’t work, they sent a fool to his doorstep.
Fine, he wanted to see what she would do.
If she truly had the skill, poisoning him would be just as well.
After all, he had long stopped wanting to live.
“This is it.”
The pale-faced eunuch led Yao Chengcheng to a small kitchen, which was completely empty.
Yao Chengcheng asked curiously: “There are no servants? What about ingredients?”
The pale-faced eunuch gritted his teeth. Did this spy really think they would take her to the main kitchen to poison someone?! How foolish!
“Right here. Whatever ingredients you need, I will bring them to you!”
Yao Chengcheng thought for a moment: “Rock sugar, cow’s milk, almonds, agar, honey—these five.”
“Fine, wait here.”
He left, grinding his teeth.
Yao Chengcheng nodded and began tidying the stove. Just as she reached out, a crisp voice suddenly echoed in her mind—
[Host Wen Yaoyao, hello. Welcome to binding with the Gourmet Space System. I am your partner, Bobojii.]
Yao Chengcheng: “…”
Yao Chengcheng remained silent for a full quarter of an hour.
“What’s your name?”
[Bobojii.]
“Then what’s my name?”
[Wen Yaoyao.]
Yao Chengcheng looked up at the sky: “Why aren’t you called Ice Glutinous Rice Balls?”
[What?]
“Because I’m not Wen Yaoyao, I’m Yao Chengcheng.”
System: …
A burst of crackling static followed, and Yao Chengcheng revealed a sinister smile: “Unbind? Too late.”
Bobojii: [QAQ I’ll be fired.]
“So crossing over always comes with a system. Bobo Chicken System, right? I’m a culinary expert. First, tell me how this system works.”
[…It’s the Gourmet Space System. You currently have a spatial dimension of 0.1 square meters, which can be used for storing goods. The Gourmet System allows you to create various delicacies, which I will sell across different worlds. The gold coins earned can be used to purchase rare ingredients, exchanged for currency in your current world, or used to upgrade the spatial dimension.]
Yao Chengcheng understood. “Simply put, it’s my portable money-making little restaurant!”
[You could say that… but I bound the wrong person. I…]
“Let’s make do. Can we even separate now?!”
[…No.]
“Alright, Bobojii, from today on, you’ll follow me. I won’t let you suffer losses! Trust me!”
[…O-okay.]
On the rooftop, the black-clad guard had been observing Yao Chengcheng for a quarter of an hour. He watched her waving her arms and talking to herself, and suddenly began to doubt.
Was she really a spy sent by the Eastern Palace?
No matter how he looked at her, she seemed like a fool.