Transmigrated as the Villain: Punching the Protagonist Group and Stepping on the Domestic Abuser - Chapter 4

After returning to the estate, Rong Se inquired about the surveillance.

Yun Chu reported truthfully, “Reporting to My Lord, after the Marquis of Dingbei left the palace last night, he went straight back to his residence and has not made any suspicious moves.”

He didn’t stay overnight in the palace to talk by candlelight?

Rong Se paused slightly, then nonchalantly stepped down from the carriage, a flash of deep thought sweeping across his eyes.

Liang Shenyu looked no different from the novel description, resembling an upright and honest general. However, that eye contact during the early morning court session, even if it flashed by in an instant, had allowed Rong Se to acutely sense danger.

Especially the fact that he was straying from the original world line. Could it be because of his own butterfly wings? But he hadn’t even started flapping his wings yet!

Amidst his deep thoughts, Rong Se heard Yun Chu say, “My Lord, the Golden Pavilion has prepared breakfast. Shall we move over?”

Recalling the dishes from the imperial banquet and that morning, Rong Se’s face turned practically green. Without hesitation, he stated, “This king is going to the kit.” Mid-sentence, he altered his phrasing to match contemporary terminology, “To the culinary room.”

Yun Chu was astonished, yet still acknowledged the order, “Understood.”

“Wait,” Rong Se instructed, “Change my clothes first.”

Not quite grasping what His Lordship intended, Yun Chu silently pondered: Could someone be planning to poison the food?

Otherwise, why would the prince head straight to the culinary room the moment he returned from court?

The more Yun Chu thought about it, the more convinced he became, his expression growing solemn bit by bit.

No one in the entire estate knew better than him just how capable others were. Who had managed to pierce the defenses and plant someone right under his very nose?

Most of the original owner’s garments were elaborate and luxurious, embroidered with gold or patterned with silver. Rong Se managed to pick out a dark blue narrow-sleeved archer’s robe, replacing the wide-sleeved, fluttering court attire he had been wearing, and headed toward the culinary room accompanied by Yun Chu.

The culinary room also occupied its own courtyard, complete with various handymen, though there were only two main chefs. After all, despite the vastness of the prince’s estate, they only served a single master.

The chef on duty today was Liu Rui, whom everyone in the estate addressed as Uncle Liu. He looked robust, stood in his early fifties, and sported a fierce-looking full beard. Yet the moment he laid eyes on Rong Se, every single hair on his beard trembled, making him look like a giant goose trying to shrink itself into a sparrow.

“My Lord, this is…” Uncle Liu stammered, looking toward Yun Chu.

Yun Chu wore an austere expression with a sharp gaze, and gently shook his head.

Uncle Liu nearly fainted on the spot.

When the prince arrived in person, it undoubtedly meant trouble. Waiting on nobles was never an easy task, not to mention that the horror stories regarding this cruel and ruthless man could keep a storyteller talking for three days without stopping!

Rong Se swept his gaze across the spacious culinary room. He was unfamiliar with ancient cooking utensils, but judging by the dishes at the imperial banquet, the heat and timing were entirely lacking. They possessed color, aroma, and flavor in name only, hitting just one mark: appearance, meaning the plating looked nice.

Even the food in the prince’s estate was merely average. Given the original owner’s extravagant nature, he certainly wouldn’t mistreat himself, which showed that the culinary standards in this fictional world were excessively casual.

Rong Se examined everything closely. “Where are the ingredients and seasonings?”

Trembling with apprehension, Uncle Liu introduced them, pointing out which ceramic jar held salt and which held sugar, while cinnamon, star anise, and bay leaves were all readily available. There was even refined white sugar; everything was fully supplied, so it shouldn’t taste bad.

After pondering for a moment, Rong Se looked toward a fresh, long purple eggplant. “How do you cook this?”

Uncle Liu was stunned, secretly figuring that the prince was testing his skills. Swallowing hard, he said, “This item, this item is sliced into sections, fried in hot oil, seasoned, watered, and then simmered until thoroughly cooked and reduced.”

“And this one?” Rong Se pointed at an onion.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Uncle Liu replied, “This item, this item is a bulb onion. Boil it in water to dispel dampness and regulate vital energy.”

Rong Se thought to himself that this was quite something.

Good grief, boiled eggplant and boiled onions.

He understood now. The problem wasn’t a lack of materials, but a total lack of cooking know-how.

After a brief silence, Rong Se turned to Yun Chu and said, “Buy some common recipe books and have them delivered along with the account books.”

Though a mix of surprise and doubt swirled in his heart, Yun Chu still acknowledged the command, “Yes.”

Rong Se nodded and commanded, “Start the fire.”

He then skillfully began washing the rice. The washed rice went into the pot, and while the rice cooked, Rong Se leisurely took a stroll around the culinary room. A qualified cook needed to familiarize themselves with the cooking environment as quickly as possible.

As he walked, he gathered the materials he needed. Since he wasn’t familiar with the cookware and wanted to avoid a cooking disaster, Rong Se simply planned to stir-fry a straightforward dish. By the time he finished touring, the rice was nearly done, so he returned to the cutting board and picked up the knife.

He cut the onion into several segments, dipped them in water, and sliced them into fine shreds. Three eggs were cracked against the rim of a bowl, beaten, and scrambled. With practiced, fluid motions, Rong Se used silver-plated chopsticks to rapidly whip the egg liquid. Once prepared, he placed several seasonings he needed right in front of him to avoid scrambling in a panic over unfamiliar jars and bottles.

Uncle Liu stood dumbfounded, while Yun Chu’s normally unruffled expression also suffered a slight hitch. The two exchanged a glance and didn’t even dare to breathe heavily.

With an unperturbed expression, Rong Se poured oil into the wok, heated it, and added the eggs. The aroma of the fried eggs instantly diffused. After scrambling them into walnut-sized chunks with a textured surface, he scooped them out. He dropped in Sichuan peppercorns to fry briefly before fishing them out, tossed the onions into the wok, added seasonings sequentially, poured in a small amount of water mixed with starch, and finally returned the eggs to the wok to stir-fry everything together.

He didn’t rush his cooking; steady and unhurried, by the time the stir-fried eggs were finished, plated, and served, the fragrance of cooked rice had also drifted out.

Uncle Liu’s stiff expression had already morphed into sheer astonishment. Just by smelling the aroma, he knew this was entirely different from what they usually cooked!

“Did you see clearly?” Rong Se put down the dish and turned to lift the lid of the rice cooker. “Vegetables must be stir-fried like this, not just given a quick pass through oil and boiled. This dish is simple, so remember it.”

For the Regent, these words sounded far too gentle, but Rong Se spoke naturally, his tone sounding more like an elder instructing a junior.

Uncle Liu nodded repeatedly, unable to hide his excitement as he praised, “How did Your Lordship ever think of such a method?”

Rong Se paused, unable to say he learned it online. Vaguely, he replied, “I learned it from someone else. Send these dishes to the Golden Pavilion.”

Yun Chu silently looked at the dishes, then looked at his master, his expression complex.

He understood now. There was no poisoning; His Lordship simply despised the chef’s cooking.

The Golden Pavilion was close to the culinary room, which was why the original owner always dined there.

Rong Se tasted a bite of his own cooking and let out a long breath. He had finally eaten a meal fit for human consumption.

Even though the cookware and seasonings had changed, the flavor remained spot-on. After taking a couple of bites, Rong Se remembered Yun Chu standing nearby and beckoned, “Sit down and try some.”

Yun Chu was startled. “This subordinate wouldn’t dare.”

“I told you to sit, so sit,” Rong Se commanded. “Have someone bring another set of cutlery, enough for two people. Taste this for me.”

The servants quickly set down the utensils. Hesitantly, Yun Chu sat down with a rigid posture, struggling slightly to pick up his chopsticks. After a few attempts, he managed to grab a shred of onion and put it into his mouth, whereupon he froze.

The onion was savory and salted just right, chewy with a lingering sweetness, moderately salty, crispy yet not raw, completely different from the watery dishes he was used to eating in the past.

Rong Se smiled and asked, “How is it?”

Yun Chu looked filled with sudden awe. “Your Lordship’s culinary skills are exquisite!”

No cook dislikes being praised like that. The smile on Rong Se’s face deepened slightly, though in his heart, he was quietly calculating.

The Yun brothers, one holding military power, the other managing the Regent estate’s businesses, along with a young woman named Lan Ying who commanded a group of underworld fighters guarding the estate’s hidden intelligence network everywhere.

All three of these individuals were capable assistants.

The original owner Rong Se’s tragic end was largely because these three had been flipped over to Liang Shenyu’s side!

Even though Liang Shenyu’s current stance remained ambiguous, he still needed to make plans early.