The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 7 - Anything Can Happen During an Emperor's Banquet

Days slowly passed by. Inside the palace walls, all was quiet. Until suddenly a strange sound came from within a small guest house located on the outer edges.

"Fu fu..."

The servants walking past this servant house suddenly paused. They looked around with a strange fear filling their bodies. Again, the sound was heard.

"Fu fu fu..."

Confused, they all glanced at each other. Then, with sudden hit of insight, they simultaneously turned their heads to look at the imperial guest house.

An almost maniacal laugh slowly trickled outside through the open windows. The female voice muttered softly, but in the quiet courtyard, all of her words were easy to make out.

"Fu fu fu~ One steam bun, two steam buns, three steam buns. Oh! And what's this? A sweet potato? Two sweet potatoes? Fu fu fu~ Oh dear, my stomach won't be able to handle so much loving~"

And who was this person with the sickeningly sweet voice? Of course it could only be one person.

Feng Yao had no idea that her crazy mutterings were permanently sealing her reputation as a scary demon. Currently, all the servants were secretly pleading to the gods as her cackles echoed throughout the yard. 

Dear Heavenly Lord! If we ever get on her bad side, please save us! Who knows what kind of food she'll make out of our dead corpse!

Her cackles suddenly stopped. The servants breathed a sigh of relief at the Imperial Doctor who had just entered her room. 

Thank you Imperial Doctor for bringing peace back to the palace!

The Imperial Doctor had no idea how many people were currently worshiping him as he knocked at Feng Yao's door. 

With an awkward cough, Feng Yao answered, "Come in." 

At the sight of the old man, she let out a sigh. "Oh, it's just you."

He scowled at her as he ruffled her head. "What do you mean it's just me? Shouldn't you be more excited to see your old friend?"

Feng Yao glared at him as she protectively patted her now messy hair and jumped back away from him. She wasn't really mad though. They really were long-time friends. Although, it'd probably be more accurate to say it was more like a father and daughter relationship. 

Eight years ago when she'd been wandering the streets lost and alone, he'd shown her the first glimpse of kindness in years. Her little body back then had been beaten up and bruised, but this old man had taken her in and given her a sweet candy to stop her tears. Ever since then, if she ever ran into any trouble, he never complained if she sought refuge in his tiny medicine clinic. He even offered to buy her steam buns every once in a while with the few copper pennies he managed to save up.

At the moment, he was laughing with a twinkle in his eyes. "Ah my little Feng Yao, you should just stay little forever. Who's going to take care of me when I grow old?"

Underneath her breath, she muttered, "You're already old, old man."

She earned a hit on top of her head for that. As she tearfully glared at him as if he had just committed a terrible wrong, he merely continued what he was going to say. 

"I've been invited to the banquet tonight." His voice turned serious making Feng Yao pause her action of rubbing her head in pain. "Feng Yao. Listen carefully to me."

He grasped her hands in his weathered and elderly ones. "Do not step foot outside of this room. The palace is even more dangerous than outside, but I had no choice in bringing you here. They can target you out there, but in here, I can at least see and protect you."