Stepping into the spacious and majestic side hall of Yang Xin Palace, the imperial chef and his two apprentices knelt down in front of the young emperor.
With their foreheads touching the cold floor, they said in unison, "This subordinate greets the Emperor. Long live the Emperor for tens of thousands of years."
After greeting the young emperor, they remained kneeling, not daring to make a sound.
The young emperor glared at the imperial chef, who was already in his sixties, and angrily grabbed a bronze cup and threw it at him.
The bronze cup struck the back of the imperial chef's head, drawing blood that trickled down and stained his collar, and then fell heavily on the floor.
"Ugh..." The imperial chef let out a muffled groan, but didn't dare to move.
Seeing this, the young emperor slammed the table and roared, "Bold! How dare you serve this kind of pig food to Zhen?!"
The imperial chef's heart sank at the young emperor's words. In that instant, he knew he would not walk out of Yang Xin Palace alive.
Gritting his teeth, he made a decision. 'No matter what, I mustn't implicate my two apprentices.'
With this resolve, the imperial chef said, "This subordinate is wronged. Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly."
The young emperor grew even more enraged at his words. He stood up and yanked the tablecloth, sending all the food crashing to the floor.
Pointing at the imperial chef, he shouted, "Look! Is this what Zhen is supposed to eat?!"
Listening to the young emperor's question, the imperial chef closed his eyes in despair.
The Yu Empire and the surrounding kingdoms had suffered droughts for over two years. With no water, the farmers couldn't farm, and food grew scarcer by the day.
To prepare this imperial meal, the imperial chef and the chief eunuch had done everything they could to gather the best ingredients. But no matter how skilled the imperial chef was, he couldn't create fine cuisine without proper ingredients.
Now, with the young emperor furious, the imperial chef knew there was only one path left for him and his family.
Calmly, he said, "This subordinate is guilty. Your Majesty, please spare my life."
The young emperor placed his hands behind his back and sneered, "Someone, come!"
At his command, two imperial guards entered, knelt, and said, "This subordinate is present."
The young emperor glared at the imperial chef and ordered, "Drag him out and behead him! Arrest his nine clans and execute them all tomorrow afternoon!"
The imperial chef could no longer remain calm when he heard the verdict. With tears in his eyes, he begged the young emperor. "Your Majesty, please show mercy! It was all my fault. Please spare my family and apprentices!"
The young emperor scoffed and coldly asked, "Do you think you are worthy to plead with Zhen?"
He flung his sleeve and glared at the imperial guards, "What are you waiting for?! Do you want to be punished too?!"
The imperial guards had no choice but to obey. They stood up and dragged the desperate imperial chef away. Seeing their master was taken by the imperial guards, the two apprentices hurried after them.
After the imperial guards left with the imperial chef and his apprentices, the young emperor furiously kicked the stool aside and stormed off.
Seeing this, the chief eunuch quickly said, "Clean this up!"
He then chased after the young emperor while anxiously saying, "Your Majesty, slow down! Be careful, you will fall!"
Once the young emperor and his entourage were gone, the palace maids and young eunuchs collapsed weakly to the floor.
A young eunuch wiped the cold sweat from his brow and said fearfully, "The imperial chef was really unlucky."
His words were followed by heavy silence.
After a while, one palace maid could no longer hold back her tears and sobbed, "I'm scared. I want to go home."
The palace maid beside her quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Do you want to die? Do you know that leaving the imperial palace without permission is punishable by death?"
The first palace maid looked at her and asked, "Then what should we do? We don't know when we will die. We don't even get a mouthful of food. I have only had one sip of water in two days. I can't take it anymore."
When her words fell, the others lowered their heads in silent despair.
Seeing this, another palace maid clenched her hands and thought, 'If staying here only leads to death, I'd rather escape and find a way out.'
Resolving herself, she stood and began cleaning the mess on the floor. Seeing this, the others exchanged glances and stood up to help her.
While picking up the food from the floor, the palace maids and young eunuchs secretly stuffed it into their mouths. As long as they could fill their stomachs, they didn't care that the food was dirty.
When night fell, far away on the western border, Kai Mu picked up his sword and stood atop the makeshift podium before 200,000 soldiers.
Gazing at their sunken cheeks and cracked lips, Kai Mu shouted, "Brothers! Tonight, we will attack Xiqiang City! Whoever brings me Feng Xiyan's head will be rewarded with twenty dan of grain!"
At his words, the soldiers' morale ignited like wildfire, and their thunderous roar shook the earth.
"Kill Feng Xiyan! Destroy Xiqiang City!"
Seeing their morale reach its peak, Kai Mu mounted his warhorse, raised his sword high, and commanded, "Move out!"
Without hesitation, he clamped his legs around the horse's belly and surged forward, leading the cavalry out of camp, with the infantry running close behind.
Once the main forces had departed, Lai Ka turned to the 500 elite soldiers clad in black and commanded, "Move out!"
Since they were to infiltrate Xiqiang City through a secret passage, Lai Ka and his team moved on foot, slipping out silently from the Yuezhi Tribe's camp under the cover of darkness.
An hour later, Feng Yi appeared in the commander's tent of the Feng Army. The moment he arrived, Feng Xiyan opened his eyes.