Feng Jiu’er was deposited into a sealed room that looked nothing like a prison cell — the furnishings were, if anything, lavishly opulent.

Inexplicable as her arrival here was, at least it was not a dungeon. That was something.

At the center of the room stood a large marble table, laden from edge to edge with dish after dish of fine food. The aroma that rose from them was enough to set one’s appetite blazing.

She went over at once, produced her silver needles, and tested each dish in turn. Confirming that none had been tampered with, she sat down and ate with wholehearted relish.

Delicious. Utterly delicious. How could anything in this world taste so extraordinarily good?

The eggs were unlaid — taken from within the hen before they could be laid — so that the white and yolk were still mingled together. They had a crisp, refreshing bite completely unlike that of a shelled egg, not unlike the texture of soft-shelled turtle eggs. And most remarkably, each one had been hollowed at the center and filled with fried lobster meat. With a single bite, the springy flesh of the lobster and the cool crunch of the egg came together — it was almost unbearably good.

Feng Jiu’er ate five or six of them before her chopsticks finally drifted toward the steamed egg custard beside them.

Eggs again — but this one was a salted sea urchin custard. The sea urchin was fresh and silky-smooth; the golden, crumbling yolk of a salted duck egg; and scattered throughout, finely minced pine nuts. Oh, oh, oh — incredible!

Her chopsticks moved on to the Eight Treasure Duck.

It looked, at first glance, like an ordinary duck. But when you pried open its belly, you discovered that this Eight Treasure Duck was not about the duck at all — it was about the treasure within. Crisp, fragrant olive kernels, melon seeds, and walnut pieces, folded into sweetly fragrant glutinous rice, adorned with osmanthus petals and seedless golden berries — sweet but never cloying, with a drift of floral fragrance. A masterpiece of the culinary world.

There was also a multi-treasure crispy fish, abalone-glazed greens, baked lobster, steamed abalone with crab roe, a bird’s nest and durian broth…

She could eat no more. She truly, genuinely could eat no more. Her stomach was round and full, and yet she still sat staring at the untouched dishes on the table with a watering mouth.

Why — after eating barely a third of what was there — was she already so stuffed she could not even stand?

No — she would continue! She had not yet tasted the bird’s nest and durian broth. Just one sip, just one sip… Mmph. So full…

“Academician, the dishes have been prepared. You may invite His Highness over now.”

From outside, the voice of a servant drifted in.

Fang Zheng gave a nod. “Very well. Please inform His Highness that dinner is served.”

“Yes.”

“This spread of rare delicacies is worth at least a thousand taels of silver. It should please His Highness.”

“One can only hope.”

One servant departed. Another bowed and pushed the chamber door open for Fang Zheng. “Academician, please—”

Before the words were finished, the two men who stepped inside both froze, eyes wide open, as though confronted by something utterly terrifying.

The scene was rather awkward. Feng Jiu’er sat in the chair, a mouthful of bird’s nest and durian broth still in her mouth.

The moment she heard the voices, she had instinctively looked for somewhere to hide — but she was so stuffed she could not even stand steadily, let alone find cover.

And besides, with a stomach this distended, where would she even hide?

She blinked, swallowed the exquisite mouthful with great effort, and then said with difficulty: “That is… they were the ones who brought me here…”

The Academician’s expression darkened immediately. He turned to look at the servants. “This young woman is not a member of my Longwu Academy. What is the value of the food on that table? Have her pay triple.”

“Yes!”

“No, no, no! I — I truly was brought here.” Triple — that would be the death of her, she was so poor!

She had caught the conversation outside just now. Worth at least a thousand taels of silver…

“This is the Longwu Academy. You belong to the Imperial Guards Academy. To come here and eat our food is theft.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose…” Feng Jiu’er’s face crumpled pitifully.

The Academician gave a cold snort. “Unless you are one of my Longwu Academy, this constitutes theft.”