82 The Cook Returns

It was late in the afternoon when the Head Cook had finally returned from the meeting that she had been apparently late for.

Xiao Ying sat there passively at the side of the door, out of the way of all the others in the room, servants and children included, balancing himself on giant, closed pot as he tried to force himself to relax with his eyes shut.

If he had been still alive, he would have been sleeping.

He should have been sleeping now.

He couldn't remember the last time that he had slept.

"Attention all of you! The formal menu for the ambassador's visit has been set. It was exactly as anticipated with several native dishes added in to be available as side condiments. The scribes are currently making the official missives and lists to be sent out and preparation will officially begin in five days, or so. I'm going to be in a meeting with the finance department tomorrow to discuss the budget and getting more money for more ingredients," the Head Cook announced, her voice loud and authoritative.

She made Xiao Ying jump when she had begun speaking, causing him to throw a hand out to the work bench to the side of him to keep his balance, trying not to fall through her and onto the floor.

He listened intently to what she had to say and quickly surmised that the next day would probably pass just like today had done, with not much drama, action, and simply just more time for the children to bond over their new found friendship dynamics.

It would be alright for him to sneak out and away to attend the finance meetings.

It would also probably help him to know more about the official that Ming Cheng would be speaking against when the assassin, no matter Concubine Jing was doing, inevitably broke in and poisoned the food.

The man was written on purposefully to be a deeply unpleasant figure to make Ming Cheng look completely justified in talking down to his superiors and to establish him as someone that ought to be kept on eye on.

The exact minister was an important figure in court and was supposed to be the beginning of something far more important later on, when Ming Cheng was rising up through the ranks.

And besides, Lan Chang hailed exactly from the kingdom of the ambassador and if Xiao Ying defended her in any capacity, then Ming Cheng would undoubtedly benefit.

There was just one caveat though, and it was a big one that could not be overlooked at all in the slightest: Ming Cheng's auditory hallucinations.

If Xiao Ying was around, he could, at least, have the chance to view what would be triggering them and have the opportunity to maybe do something about them as a result. If the cause was identified, the solutions would swiftly follow, and it wasn't unreasonable at all, in the slightest, that the hallucinations were a symptom of PTSD.