The glistening characters, 'Zhangsun', had Sir Li stare in shock. General-governor Li rushed forward and went down on his knees, kowtowing, to which Zhangsun Wuji commented, "Governor-general Li is a dutiful man but his son, unfortunately, is not."

Governor-general Li, pale in the face, gave his son a tight slap. Still not understanding Zhangsun Wuji's ident.i.ty, Sir Li, touching with one hand his face, attempted to seek justice when his father interrupted, "How dare you lose manners before His Highness?"

Poor Sir Li almost peed his pants. He had simply wanted to be the hero for a beautiful lady and had thought that he had a reputable name but ended up offending the wrong person. Tears streamed down his face, causing Meng Fuyao to burst into laughter. Zhan Beiye hurriedly pulled her away.

Uneasy, Governor-general Li urged his son to apologize by kneeling at the door for an afternoon. However, rather than kneeling, it was more of sprawling, and he was even about to doze off.

Suddenly he felt a cold sensation overtaking his senses. It was pouring! He sprang and looked up at the sky, but it was bright and sunny. He then turned around, spotting Meng Fuyao resting on the wall and laughing evil. With half a toothpick in her mouth, she said, "Too comfortable for you eh, Sir Li? Just gave you some man-made rain."

Despite being treated in this manner, he dared not express a bit of anger. Kowtowing with his drenched body he uttered, "Please spare me, please spare me…"

"Let me ask you," Meng Fuyao started again, aiming her toothpick at his pants and p.r.i.c.king his skin. Sweat oozed out from his forehead, but he remained motionless. "How did you know to find trouble with me? Did Hu Sang ask you to?"

"Ah… yes, no, it's me…"

"Eh?"

"I pa.s.sed by Yaocheng and saw her selling thread and needles. Few ladies would put themselves out on the streets in Zhongzhou, so I approached her out of curiosity. She did not answer, only crying as she kept her stall and left. I asked around and was informed that she had offended you…"

"You were l.u.s.ting after her beauty, isn't it? There are plenty of girls selling on the streets. Why do you care so much?" Meng Fuyao questioned with a cold smile.

'So it's not really her fault.' If it were, she would not be spared.

"Yes, yes, you are right, I was l.u.s.ting, I was being meddlesome…" Sir Li nodded, carefully retrieving a pile from behind him. "A small gift to express my apology. Please entertain me…"

Meng Fuyao lifted her eyelids to look at the pile of birds' nest, ginseng and so on, harshly waving her hand. Sir LI turned pale, but Meng Fuyao said after some thought, "Eh, get me 1.5kg worth of quality pig bones, 50g of fresh Chinese foxglove, 100g of scarlet beans and almond grain plant, Angelica Sinensis, codonopsis root, goji berries, gastrodia elata, milk vetch root, Chinese yam, eucommia, boschniakia glabra, brisket, hawthorn… they better be top grade. Gather them, and I'll forgive you."

"Yes, yes!" He complied readily, thankful that she did not ask for human bones.

Meng Fuyao waved her hand, but as he was about to leave with the items on the ground, she added, "Wait up."

With a face white as a sheet, he turned around.

"Since you have already offered these items, I should respect your gesture. How about this… sell them and hand me the money."

"Yes…"

"Remember to sell it in the shop with the 'cloud in 9th heaven' symbol. I'll break your legs if you sell them anywhere else," Meng Fuyao blinked, reminding herself to talk to Yao Xun. The shop was hers, and she was going to get the shopkeeper to push the price down when Sir Li showed up. She was certain he would compensate from his own pocket for the discounted amount.

"And," she added while nodding at him.

'He is from a good background and has a flexible character,' she thought in satisfaction.

"I'll hand Heaven on Earth Entertainment Club to you. You'll be responsible for any losses, and any profits will be split 20-80, you 20 and I 80."

"… yes…"

She made a final wave, and Sir Li scrambled away. Shortly after the things Meng Fuyao had ordered to be delivered to her arrived, she looked at them, pleased, before bringing them into the kitchen.

She conducted a ma.s.sacre in the kitchen that night. No one was allowed to enter, and Zhan Beiye brought a stool to the kitchen entrance and sat through the session, afraid that she would burn the place down.

Lord Yuan Bao scuttled in and out of the kitchen window, reporting the latest progress to his owner, who then smiled.

He rested against his bed's headboard and looked toward the kitchen. The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating his hazy eyes. Some time later he said to Yuan Bao, "Sometimes I feel it's good to let her make mistakes."

Lord Yuan Bao was irked. How biased of him!

Dinner was served in the manor's Clear Wave Pavilion. Earlier, Meng Fuyao had sent invitations to everyone in the house. Her invitation was written, in bad handwriting: "You're invited to a casual dinner in Clear Wave Pavilion. The food might be poisoned, could taste bad and contain a dubious substance. Dinner will start at 5. Please be punctual if you're coming, and it's fine if you're not."

Her excessiveness did not intimidate her similarly excessive guests. All were present before 5pm.

Chef Meng sent the dishes onto the table, and the three men extended their heads to take a closer look. 'Hmm… color seems decent,' they all thought.

Zhan Beiye took a whiff. "Hmm… pa.s.sable."

Zong Yue feared poison the least. Picking the richest colored dish, he took in a mouthful of it. His eyes lit up almost immediately.

Chef Meng folded her arms and pointed her nose at the sky, while thinking to herself, 'Don't be surprised that I'm such a good chef, especially when it comes to medicinal cuisine. Mom was sick for a long time after all.'

She squatted on her chair, happy that the trio was finally at ease. She started introducing the dishes of all shades of green. "Pork Bone Foxglove Stew, Perfect Nouris.h.i.+ng Brisket, Scarlet Bean grained rice, Shattered Bone Hawthorn Porridge…"

Meng Fuyao glowed, happily thinking that she hadn't heard of medicinal cuisine in the Five Region Continent. Other than Zong Yue, the other two might not necessarily know that these dishes nourish the body, blood, and energy…

However, there was something she did not notice.

Zhan Beiye moved speedily, his pupils flickering as he gorged himself with the Perfect Nouris.h.i.+ng Brisket.

With a shallow smile, Zong Yue unhurriedly started on the scarlet bean grained rice.

Zhangsun Wuji drank the soup gracefully, his chinaware making not the least bit of sound. Occasionally he scooped a spoonful of soup or porridge for Lord Yuan Bao. "Eat more. We don't know when she will ever do this for us again."

Without blus.h.i.+ng, Meng Fuyao responded shamelessly, "I'm a general and not a chef. My talents are limitless, and they must not be wasted in the kitchen…" She grabbed her chopsticks and sat down properly before putting a piece of bone into Zhangsun Wuji's bowl. Resting her chin in her hands, she smiled. "Just drinking the soup will not do. It's not going to fill your tummy. You need meat. Eat up."

'Ah, I just want to see you choking on the bones…'

"Thank you," Zhangsun Wuji lowered his head and glanced at the bone.

He pressed his chopsticks down without much effort, silently breaking the huge bone into pieces before removing them and extracting the meat.

Irritated that her plan had failed, Meng Fuyao turned to serve a piece of old ox tendon to Zhan Beiye. "This is good for you, War G.o.d. Chewy and tasty!"

Zhan Beiye lifted his chopsticks and caught the tendon in midair. "Oh yeah? I think so too, but good food must be shared. Half belongs to you since you have worked hard."

He snapped the tendon into two before urging, "Please, you first."

A short while later, with her cheek filled, Meng Fuyao took a piece of Angelica sinensis for Zong Yue. "Come, come, ignore the meat. As a physician, you should avoid meat and consume more tonic."

Zong Yue accepted her kindness and quickly returned the favor. "Ignore the meat and ignore the tonic. This works best for you, to eliminate the toxic by sweating it out."

It was a huge block of raw ginger…

It was deep into the night, and the moon shone high and bright. Light flowed above Clear Wave Pavilion, its reflection in the lake illuminating every ripple. The flowerbed by the lake consisted of winter daphnes, camellias, magnolias, cherry-apples, and Chinese peonies. Shades of pink, purple and red accompanied waves of mixed fragrances, but they paled in comparison to the dishes and wine on the dining table.

Meng Fuyao was engrossed in a mountain-like bowl, as she tried hard to reach the rice beneath the pile of dishes. The trio had very cooperatively pranked her by continuously adding dishes into her bowl. Zhan Beiye was the initiator, and her bowl was very quickly filled to the brim. She was the one who had invited them over, but she was also the one eating the most.

Finally, she laid on her chair, almost paralyzed from the bulging tummy. Zhangsun Wuji offered a cup of tea, which she accepted. Seeing Zhan Beiye sitting by her side, she asked for paper and brush in excitement before clearing the table. With Lord Yuan Bao as her model, she started drawing. Not very pleased with the outcome Yuan Bao requested a redrawing, only to be picked up by Zhan Beiye, who then used his claws as signature print. A servant girl rolled the paintings up and lit the golden lamps.

Along with the breeze, the lights flickered, highlighting the silvery, sequin-like water beneath. Under the light Zhangsun Wuji and Zong Yue started a game of chess, their slender fingers leisurely fiddling with the pieces. As their purple and white robes fluttered in the occasional wind, the lake on the opposite side was being covered in a layer of purplish pink flower petals.

Meng Fuyao smiled, her eyes were bright yet hazy from the glistening lakewater. Petals drifted in the night, enhancing her delicate features. The paintings that were spread open were accompanied by low laughs and mumblings and the twittering of birds. All these transformed into the background of a smiling face, whose lips curled up slightly, bringing a dimple into view.

Meng Fuyao felt it was the calmest and most comfortable moment ever.

…

Meng Fuyao had been visiting Chrysanthemum Path regularly.

It wasn't because she had eyes on anyone, but simply because she felt that it was a pity that the cultured and knowledgeable Feng Mo had ended up in such a place instead of becoming a scholar or the like.

Meng Fuyao had money and had easily forced the old duck into freeing Feng Mo. However, the latter had no intention of leaving, and Meng Fuyao's kindness was tossed into the trash bin just like that. Meng Fuyao wasn't one to meddle in others' affairs, but she did know some things from her previous life and could not bear to see such talent fall into this state. Naturally, she was surprised to know that there were actually willing individuals out here.