mtl008 Chapter 400 Cutting Food
Chapter 400 Cutting Food
"Good" *4
The group set off again, packing their belongings; those who needed to mount horses mounted, and those who needed to board vehicles boarded.
The Imperial Guards used water bags to extinguish the fire and finish up the work.
Li Shuchen harvests the garlic sprouts picked today.
"crash"
Water splashed onto Li Shuchen's shoes, and Li Shuchen pulled his foot back and made a sound.
"Be careful"
He glanced up and saw the familiar faces of the Imperial Guards, then paused.
This isn't the silver-crowned man who tracked Ziying before and dined at her inn. How did he end up in the Imperial Guard?
Puzzled, he asked with a smile.
"It's you, young master! Long time no see. No wonder you have such an extraordinary bearing and celestial appearance. So you serve in the Imperial Guard. That's a remarkable job."
Upon hearing this, the imperial guard puffed out his chest and said smugly, "I am Zhen Congming, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard (a fifth-rank official)."
Li Shuchen immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander Zhen, I've heard so much about you."
Upon hearing this, Liang Yuying walked over and said coldly to Zhen Congming.
"After packing, we were ready to leave."
"Yes, General"
Zhen Congming stepped down
Liang Yuying turned to Li Shuchen and said
"Stay away from him; his origins are still unknown."
Li Shuchen's eyes followed Zhen Congming, and he nodded.
"It's definitely unclear. He was following Ziying just now, how did he suddenly become Commander Zhen? Is it that easy to infiltrate the Imperial Guard?"
"Following Ziying? When did that happen?"
"You were busy fighting the Laji Kingdom at the time, and I didn't tell you for fear of distracting you. Don't worry, I taught him a lesson and made him pay."
Being a Splatoon is not as easy as being a Royal Guard.
"Yes, I'll have someone keep an eye on him."
Li Shuchen withdrew his gaze and asked...
Why is there a member of the Imperial Guard who is missing an arm?
Liang Yuying glanced at the Imperial Guard who was missing an arm and said...
"I asked the commander why he was sent along, and the commander said that he was quite skilled in medicine, and that although he was missing an arm, it would not affect his mobility."
"When was he injured?" Li Shuchen asked again.
"It's been over a month now, what happened?"
Li Shuchen glanced at the people around him and replied.
I'll tell you in detail when I have a chance.
"it is good"
She had a task: to keep an eye on him and find out more about him, but she needed to find an opportunity.
Night fell at the post station, and everyone once again drifted off to sleep to the sound of the Tenth Prince's rants.
The next day, at noon
Li Shuchen positioned the pot, squatted down to start a fire, and prepared to cook meat porridge. After lighting the firewood...
Noticing someone approaching, he didn't speak, but simply stood there silently.
She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw two plump rabbits. Understanding dawned on her, and she spoke.
"Ten taels of silver for a dish, I'll make it if you pay me."
"Chen... Miss Li, the rabbit is for you."
Xu Shaobao spoke up
Li Shuchen turned around in surprise upon hearing the voice, and immediately saw Xu Shaobao, dressed in a sky-blue robe with a sash around his waist and a somber expression.
"Young Master Xu, what are you doing here?"
"I've always been here," Xu Shaobao said, his eyes growing even dimmer.
"Sorry, I've been at the very front of the line..."
"It's alright, I haven't yet congratulated Miss Li on her happy marriage."
"Thank you, Young Master Xu. I hope you will find a good match soon," Li Shuchen said calmly, squatting down to continue adding fuel to the fire.
"Although you are engaged to Young Master Cheng, if he treats you badly, you can tell me, and I will report to the Emperor to have your engagement dissolved."
Xu Shaobao spoke earnestly to Li Shuchen's retreating figure, his gaze intense.
Li Shuchen stood up and looked at him.
"He treats me very well, and I like him very much. Prince Xu, you should go and have your lunch."
Upon hearing this, Xu Shaobao's eyes darkened and then brightened again.
"These rabbits are for you; your cooking was delicious."
"Thank you, but no need. Prince Xu, please take it back and eat it yourself."
Xu Shaobao put down the rabbit and left.
Li Shuchen ignored the rabbit and added rice to the pot.
"Shu Chen, you went rabbit hunting again?" Ye Bingli asked as she walked over carrying firewood.
"I didn't catch it; Prince Xu gave it to me."
Ye Bingli put down the firewood and said
"Shu Chen, do you want to eat?"
"Release them."
"it is good"
Ye Bingli carried the rabbit and walked away.
Li Shuchen cooked porridge and added dried meat before eating.
……
Days passed by peacefully, and nothing unusual happened in the ranks.
But the more peaceful the atmosphere, the more uneasy Li Shuchen felt, as if the other person was holding back a huge urge to pee.
And so, during dinner at the last post station, he started causing trouble.
Princess Changning stared at the vegetarian feast on the table with a gloomy face.
A plate of shredded potatoes
A plate of cold cucumber salad
A dish of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar
Five steamed buns
This is enough food for five people.
"Are you treating me like I'm not human? This whole table of vegetarian dishes isn't even enough to feed a cat!" Princess Changning angrily rebuked the middle-aged man standing beside her.
"Your Highness, Yifeng County has suffered three consecutive years of crop failure. This is the best meal I could offer. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness," the Yifeng County Magistrate said fearfully.
"Three years of no harvest? How come there are still shops selling white steamed buns and mantou on the street, butchers selling meat by the roadside, and restaurants doing brisk business?" Princess Changning asked with a sneer.
"Replying to Your Highness, they bought it at a high price from the neighboring county to protect their business."
Princess Changning gave her a cold look.
"Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
The magistrate of Yifeng County knelt down with a thud and began to plead his innocence.
"I am innocent! How could I dare to deceive the princess? Everything I have said is true. If the princess does not believe me, she can send someone to inquire. After inquiring, she will know that what I have said is true."
The magistrate of Yifeng County looked like he was about to cry, but his tone was very firm.
Liang Yuying glanced at the Yifeng County Magistrate and said, "You may leave now."
"Yes, this humble official takes his leave."
The magistrate of Yifeng County bowed and withdrew.
The room was quiet; no one spoke.
Li Shuchen closed all the doors and windows of the room tightly, then returned to the table and used a silver hairpin to poke at the steamed buns and vegetables one by one.
After checking and finding no problems, he took a cornbread and started eating it while saying...
"The magistrate is definitely lying. The tenth prince next door didn't complain about the food, which means the food the magistrate prepared for the tenth prince was fine, and even quite plentiful and delicious."
"Is this targeting only us?" Princess Changning frowned, disbelieving that a mere county magistrate would dare treat her like this.
"We've been targeted for a long time. It's one thing if we don't get enough to eat for dinner, but if we set off tomorrow and find we don't have enough food, we'll be starving on the road," Gu Ziying said worriedly.
"Would he dare? My uncle, the Emperor, has issued an edict ordering Yifeng County to supply provisions for the mission. Who would dare to embezzle them?" Princess Changning remained unconvinced.
"Why wouldn't you dare? What's in front of you?" Li Shuchen retorted. "If you dare to skimp on dinner today, you'll dare to skimp on rations tomorrow."
“He…” Princess Changning slammed down her chopsticks in anger.
Li Shuchen picked it up, wiped it clean, and put it on the table. "It's no use. The emperor is far away and can't reach us. That's what he did. What can you do about it?"
Princess Changning gritted her teeth, and after thinking it over, she angrily said, "He must have a powerful backer, and a very important one at that."
"It's a pity we don't know who our backer is," Ye Bingli said.
"They'll find out eventually," Liang Yuying said coldly.
"Once I return to the palace, I will definitely report this to my uncle, the Emperor, and have him severely punish this matter and thoroughly investigate this person," Princess Changning slammed her hand on the table.
Li Shuchen sighed softly.
"How can you guarantee you'll make it back to the palace alive?"