Xiao Zelan stiffened and stopped retreating. The moment he moved back even a little, the girl immediately pressed closer.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Fifth Prince, has the Fifth Prince awakened yet?”
Before anyone inside could respond, the cook woman had already pushed the door open.
“Fifth Prince, there was a thief in the kitchen! Did you hear anything last night?” As she spoke, her eyes darted around the room. Very quickly, she spotted the eggs in the washbasin.
“Oh my—”
“Shut up!”
The cook woman jumped in fright.
Bai Zhi had just been about to go back to sleep when she got woken up again. Dark energy practically radiated from her annoyance.
“I took the eggs. Got a problem with that?”
The cook woman froze for a moment before immediately replying, “All the food here is rationed. How can you just take things as you please? Even if you’re the prince’s consort, you can’t just steal food…”
“How dare you!” Xiao Zelan trembled with anger. “What the prince’s consort does is none of your business. Such audacity!”
The cook woman muttered under her breath, “Still acting like a prince? Look at yourself now—your legs are crippled…”
Bai Zhi laughed from anger.
“Since the Fifth Prince has been confined to this estate, then this estate belongs to him. Naturally, the food delivered here also belongs to him. If I want to eat his food, I’ll eat it. Since when is it your place to interfere?”
“That’s not what this servant meant, but if you eat extra today, there won’t be any tomorrow…”
Xiao Zelan grew so angry he started coughing again.
“Get out… cough cough… get out!”
The cook woman grumbled as she left, not even bothering to close the door behind her.
Bai Zhi rolled her eyes internally, got out of bed to shut the door, then grabbed the eggs from the washbasin and quickly climbed back under the blankets.
“So cold!”
She burrowed into the quilt, and Xiao Zelan immediately tucked the corners in around her.
“I’m sorry you have to suffer this humiliation.” Xiao Zelan was full of shame. He couldn’t even protect his own wife—what kind of man did that make him?
Bai Zhi thought to herself: This is nothing. The hardships during exile will be much worse. Being able to laze in bed right now is already pretty good.
She tucked the eggs under the pillow to keep them warm while thinking about what to do next.
Escaping this estate wouldn’t be difficult for her.
But after reading plenty of novels, she knew that household registration was crucial in any era. To travel, you needed both registration papers and travel permits. Escaping would be easy; surviving afterward would not.
And then there was that floating number above her head.
If Xiao Yu died and she died too, then she’d have to keep Xiao Yu where she could see him at all times. Otherwise, if he mysteriously died somewhere one day and dragged her down with him, that would be far too unjust a death.
Thinking this through, Bai Zhi couldn’t lie down anymore. If exile really was coming, she needed to prepare early.
She got dressed, casually gathered her hair behind her head, and tied it with a strip of cloth. Then she checked the charcoal brazier.
As expected, the fire had gone out.
Looks like next time she’d need to refill the charcoal once during the night.
Seeing her expression, Xiao Zelan said, “Next time I’ll sleep on the outside. I’ll refill the charcoal in the middle of the night.”
“Your legs?”
A trace of bitterness flashed through Xiao Zelan’s eyes, though he still smiled faintly.
“My legs can’t walk, but with crutches I can still refill the charcoal.”
Bai Zhi nodded. She wasn’t about to fight him for that task. What she hated most was waking up early.
Getting up in the middle of the night also counted as waking up early.
Bai Zhi carried the washbasin to the kitchen for hot water. The moment she left, Xiao Yu hurried in carrying the chamber pot.
“Royal Brother, let me help you.”
Embarrassment appeared on Xiao Zelan’s face. He closed his eyes briefly, leaned on his crutches, and let Xiao Yu support him to the toilet.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhi arrived at the kitchen.
The cook woman was preparing breakfast. Upon seeing Bai Zhi, she reluctantly greeted her, “Prince Consort.”
Bai Zhi didn’t expect her to boil water for her anyway. She pulled a burning piece of firewood from beneath the cooking stove and stuck it under the stove where she’d boiled eggs yesterday. Then she added two more logs and filled the pot with water.
While waiting, Bai Zhi asked, “What’s for breakfast this morning?”
The cook woman replied blandly, “Porridge.”
“What else?”
“Pickled vegetables.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Bai Zhi got angry.
Then who were all the ingredients in the cupboard for?!
Ignoring the woman, Bai Zhi found a clay basin and rinsed it twice before heading for the cupboard to get flour.
She’d seen it yesterday—there was white flour inside, and quite a lot of it too.
Bai Zhi removed the hairpin from her head and pretended to fiddle with the lock.
Click.
The lock popped open.
Now the cook woman truly panicked and rushed over to stop her.
“Prince Consort, you can’t do this—”
When the woman tried to grab her, Bai Zhi suddenly thrust the hairpin forward.
The sharp tip pierced the skin at the woman’s neck.
Feeling the cold sting, the cook woman touched her neck.
Blood.
“Murder! Murder—”
The hairpin pressed in slightly deeper.
Like a chicken with its throat grabbed, the woman’s mouth opened wide, but no sound came out.
Bai Zhi leaned close to her ear and whispered:
“Do your own job and stay out of my business. Otherwise I’ll kill you.”
The cook woman was completely terrified and couldn’t react at all.
Bai Zhi asked again, “Did you hear me?”
“I heard… I heard…”
Bai Zhi continued threatening her:
“You can go report me and say I tried to kill you. But I won’t admit it, and you have no proof. Besides, no one will bother meddling in your affairs. Your master won’t punish the prince’s consort over a mere kitchen servant. Understand?”
“Understood… understood!”
Bai Zhi shoved her aside and scooped out two bowls of flour from the cupboard.
Today she planned to make scallion oil pancakes.
Outside the kitchen, Xiao Yu stared in shock at the woman making pancakes inside.
This woman had actually intimidated the cook woman into submission!
And she could cook. Pick locks. She was… kind of amazing.
Smelling the aroma drifting from the kitchen, Xiao Yu’s stomach growled loudly.
Maybe he should let her continue serving Royal Brother for now…
Then kill her once they reached exile?
Bai Zhi glanced toward the window just as Xiao Yu’s head appeared outside.
“Aren’t you coming in to carry the food? What are you standing there for?”
“Oh! Coming!”
This time, Xiao Yu didn’t voice a single complaint. He obediently went in to carry the dishes.
Bai Zhi rinsed the pickled vegetables twice, then mixed in shredded scallions, sesame oil, and vinegar before tossing it together.
She set the dish aside for Xiao Yu to carry and hurried to wash her face herself.
While washing, she carefully avoided the wounds on her face to prevent infection.
By the time she finished, Xiao Yu had returned to carry the last three bowls of porridge. Bai Zhi filled another basin with hot water, and together they carried everything back to the room.
“Where’s your washbasin?”
“Here.”
Xiao Yu pulled a basin out from the corner.
Bai Zhi poured the hot water into it, and Xiao Yu immediately helped his royal brother wash up.
“From now on, I’ll cook and you’ll wash dishes. We won’t need that old woman anymore.” Bai Zhi said this directly to Xiao Yu.
“Got it,” Xiao Yu answered gloomily.
Bai Zhi was fairly satisfied with that response.
Each person got two scallion pancakes.
Xiao Yu had eaten eggs yesterday, so today he got none. Bai Zhi and Xiao Zelan each got two eggs instead.
Bai Zhi didn’t care for the “no talking while eating” rule. She liked chatting during meals.
“Does the cook woman buy groceries for this estate?”
Xiao Yu knew the answer. He’d been observing things for two days already.
“No. Someone delivers supplies every day. She just goes to the gate to collect them.”
The weather was growing colder and colder. This morning, even the water in the storage jar had a thin layer of ice floating on top.
Bai Zhi suddenly thought of another urgent issue.
“What about charcoal? Do we still have much left? Will anyone deliver more?”
Xiao Zelan answered heavily, “There isn’t much left. And no one will be bringing more.”
“Xiao Yu, do you have charcoal in your room?”
“I do, but not much.”
A plan began forming in Bai Zhi’s mind.