tallest building

Chapter 306 Frequent Spying

That day, Granny Xia came to the kitchen again to chat with Zhang Ma. With a smile, she asked, "Old sister, how old are you this year?"

“I was born in the year of Jiaxu, and I’m fifty-three this year.” Zhang Ma was grinding soybeans into powder on a stone mill.

The soybeans were roasted over a low flame and then finely ground with a stone mill, which gave off a rich aroma.

"Oh my, what a coincidence! We were born in the same year, but I wonder when your birthday is? Maybe I'm even older than you!" Granny Xia wasn't actually born this year, but she said this on purpose to find out more about Zhang Ma.

“My birthday is unlucky; it falls on the Dragon Boat Festival. People say that children born on this day are unlucky, born with the five poisons, and will bring misfortune to their fathers and mothers.” Zhang Ma didn’t even look up, her hands continuing their work.

"So I'm actually younger than you. My birthday is in August," Granny Xia said hastily. "People can't predict my birthday well. Being in the eighth month means my life is always full of troubles. But when are people born? We're born into this world to suffer, so let's keep a kind heart and pray for a better next life!"

Then he asked Zhang Ma, "Are you a local from Shuangxi? Do you have any relatives?"

"I can't remember where my hometown is anymore. I only know that when I was very young, my parents gave me away to distant relatives. That family wanted to take me in as a child bride. They had a son who was not fully developed."

They were beekeepers, always traveling all over the country, never settling down. Later, their incomplete son died, and that old man actually set his sights on me.

I had no choice but to flee overnight. I boarded a tea merchant's boat and worked as a maid for him for half a year before being sold to a camel trader.

You know those camel traders have at least two families, and they never tell me the truth; their place of origin and name are all fake.

I was with him for a few years and we had a child, a strong and healthy boy. When the child was three years old, he sent me out to buy things, and when I came back, he had left with the child.

It's likely that he did this because he didn't have a son in his hometown to carry on the family line.

I had planned to wait there, hoping that one day he would suddenly have a conscience and call my son to come and see me. But then the place I was staying was flooded, and everything was washed away.

I then traveled northwest begging for food, and finally met Lady Wen at Shuangxi.

"Didn't everyone say you were the wet nurse of Young Master Chang'an? Did you still have milk back then?" Granny Xia found it strange.

"Calling him a wet nurse is just because it's easy to say, since I've been serving him since he was a baby. I was already in my forties then, so how could I have any milk left?" Zhang Ma chuckled. "It was Madam Wen who nursed him herself; she didn't hire a wet nurse. It's just that when they went there, only two young maids accompanied them, and there wasn't a single older one with them. I happened to be looking for work everywhere, so it was a win-win situation."

"So that's how it is. Then who did you learn such superb cooking skills from? Even the imperial chefs can't compare to your skills." Granny Xia was even more puzzled. According to Zhang Ma, her life was so difficult and ordinary that it was impossible for her to prepare such delicacies.

"It's all part of my good fortune, really. Shuangxi is a place where all sorts of people mingle. It sounds remote and harsh, even birds wouldn't want to poop there. But there are so many talented people who have been exiled there, including former Grand Secretaries, Generals, famous doctors, and skilled craftsmen. Don't think it's strange that I know how to cook; my wife learned her incense-making skills there too!"

Upon hearing this, Granny Xia said, "Indeed! Who can predict a person's life? Some rise from humble beginnings to become high-ranking officials, while others enjoy generations of wealth and honor, only to suddenly lose everything." She then steered the conversation towards Gong Chang'an: "This Fourth Young Master Gong is truly remarkable, a rare child prodigy! Has this child shown any extraordinary talent since he was little?"

Zhang Ma was deliberately chatting so warmly with her; she knew that Xia Mama was intentionally trying to probe her.

She had promised to learn cooking from me, but now she wasn't paying any attention to it at all. Instead, she kept asking about Wen Mingqian and his mother, as well as my own background.

"Speaking of our young master, I'm not exaggerating, he is indeed a rare find, both intelligent and filial," said Zhang Ma. "It's a testament to the hard work our wife put in; those years in Shuangxi were truly difficult!"

By this time, Zhang Ma had finished grinding the soybean flour and started steaming milk. The milk contained egg whites and sugar, and after steaming, it became semi-solid. After cooling slightly, she sifted a layer of cooked soybean flour on top and added a little osmanthus honey.

Zhang Ma steamed three bowls in total. She took one bowl for herself and pointed to the remaining two bowls, saying to Xia Mama, "The remaining two are for Consort Hui and the eldest princess. Please take them to them."

She then carried this portion to the Princess's room.

“I’ve been craving this steamed cheese for the past few days,” the princess said happily. “The chefs in the palace used to make it too sweet; it got cloying after just a couple of bites.”

“This old servant made three bowls in total, and had Xia Mama take the other two portions.” Zhang Ma knew that as soon as she said this, the princess would understand who the other two portions were for. “Xia Mama has been pestering me a lot lately, they must have noticed something.”

Just as the princess was about to eat, she heard Zhang Ma's words and couldn't help but feel worried. She put down the spoon in her hand and asked, "How could this be? How could they have noticed?"

In the eyes of the eldest princess, she did not recognize Zhang Ma back then, so how could Consort Hui and the others have noticed anything amiss in just a few days?
Zhang Ma has changed so much over the years, even her voice has changed.

"Hmph, I think it's most likely that Consort Hui noticed it after eating the food I made. I only remembered later that when I was serving the Imperial Consort, she stayed over for a meal once or twice." Zhang Ma said with a sneer.

"It's my fault. If I hadn't casually said that and let her eat what you made, she wouldn't have noticed anything," the princess said.

“How can you blame His Highness? It was all just a coincidence,” said Zhang Ma. “Besides, they only have suspicions now, and they don’t have any solid evidence, so they dare not do anything to me.”

However, I think it would be better to communicate with Lady Wen first, so as not to put our side in a passive position.

"Alright, I'll send Sang Er to the palace to deliver the gifts to Duanmin later," the Princess said. "And tell Mingqian what she thinks as well."

Sure enough, right after lunch, the princess sent Sang Er to the palace to deliver something.

Sang Er entered the palace and went to Princess Duanmin's place, where she first told Princess Duanmin about the matter.