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Xiao Jinyan spoke in a volume only audible to the two of them.

Shen Chuwei replied with a relaxed tone, "Your Highness, rest assured, Luozhi County won’t die."

If it were not for the fact that Luozhi County was still of great use to Xiao Jinyan, she would not even bother saving him.

Xiao Jinyan let out a sigh of relief in secret; if Shen Chuwei said he wouldn’t die, then he wouldn’t.

"That’s good, if he had died, it would’ve been troublesome upon returning to the capital."

Without another word, Shen Chuwei took out her needle kit on her leg, unfolded it, and expertly picked up a silver needle to start the acupuncture.

Then she reached into the cloth bag and rummaged for a few herbs which originally needed to be ground into small pieces before being turned into medicine pills.

She just moistened them with some water, rolled them into balls, and pried open Luozhi County’s mouth.

This time, Shen Chuwei was smart; she held her breath, shoved the whole medicine ball in, and then fed him some water.

Her entire sequence of movements was swift and fluid, without dragging on.

When Xiao Jinyan saw Shen Chuwei prying open Luozhi County’s mouth, he also held his breath, as that smell was intolerable to anyone who caught a whiff.

After a short while, Luozhi County woke up, his eyes wide open, he stared blankly surrounded by so many people for a long time.

Seeing Luozhi County awaken, Xiao Jinyan said in a cold voice, "Luozhi County, don’t try any tricks, or don’t blame me for being rude."

Upon hearing "Your Highness," Luozhi County, terrified, his eyes bulged round, and after a long time, he managed to utter, "Are you the Crown Prince?"

His trembling voice conveyed how scared he was at that moment.

Xiao Jinyan was just coldly staring at Luozhi County, which already declared his identity.

Luozhi County, filled with fear, took a glance at Shen Chuwei and saw her holding a silver needle, causing him to shudder.

Xiao Jinyan commanded, "Tie him up and gag his mouth."

"Your subordinate obeys," the guard said, pulling out a rope to bind Luozhi County tightly. Then, he found a cloth to stuff into Luozhi County’s mouth, preventing the possibility of him biting his tongue in a suicide attempt.

Xiao Jinyan had already left the place with Shen Chuwei.

By this time, Weichi had already processed the wild rabbit and pheasant, and Chun Xi was applying the marinade, ready to season the meat before roasting it.

When Shen Chuwei arrived, the fire was already going, and she suddenly remembered the Fruit Wine she had secretly asked Chun Xi to bring out.

It was a gift to her from Tao Chenghui, intended to be enjoyed on the road.

Shen Chuwei turned around and headed in the direction of the horse carriage.

Xiao Jinyan caught her hand and asked in a low voice, "Where are you going?"

Shen Chuwei replied softly, "This concubine is going to fetch something. I will be back soon."

Xiao Jinyan said, "I will accompany you."

Shen Chuwei readily nodded her head, "Alright."

Side by side, the two walked toward the horse carriage.

Qin Xiao sneakily raised his head, watching the two side by side, and thinking of the scene he had just witnessed, he desperately tried to convince himself, "It must be a mistake, how could the master possibly, it can’t be."

Weichi nudged Qin Xiao’s arm with his elbow, "What’s wrong with you? You keep muttering."

Qin Xiao turned to look at Weichi and sighed, "Ah, you don’t understand."

"Yes, only you would understand, acting all womanish," Weichi hummed, turning back to add more wood to the fire.

Qin Xiao was nearly driven to despair, "I’m a full-grown man, how am I acting womanish?"

Chun Xi was seriously roasting the rabbit and the pheasant, when she caught sight of Qin Xiao’s dejected expression, she couldn’t help but laugh.

When they arrived at the horse carriage, Shen Chuwei leaned half her body inside.

Seeing this, Xiao Jinyan pulled her out.

Just as Shen Chuwei was about to reach the bag with the Fruit Wine, Xiao Jinyan yanked her out, leaving her watching helplessly as the wine bag moved away from her grasp.

She turned her head, looking at Xiao Jinyan with confusion, only to hear him say:

"Tell me what you want, and I’ll fetch it for the palace."

Shen Chuwei didn’t refuse, "It’s Fruit Wine, in a gray cloth bag."

Xiao Jinyan, upon hearing this, neatly got on the horse carriage, spotted a gray cloth bag in a corner, picked it up, and then nimbly jumped down from the carriage.

Holding the gray cloth bag up for Shen Chuwei to see, he asked, "Is this it?"

Shen Chuwei stretched out her arms to take the cloth bag into her embrace and said with a giggly smile, "That’s the one, we’ll drink this to liven up the night."

Xiao Jinyan asked, "This is wine?"

Shen Chuwei nodded vigorously, "Mhm, it’s Fruit Wine, it tastes exceptionally good. It was a gift from Tao Chenghui to this concubine."

Tao Chenghui?

Xiao Jinyan didn’t have much of an impression of Tao Chenghui, since they’d met so infrequently; he also didn’t know whether her efforts to please Shen Chuwei were driven by some ulterior motive.

Chun Xi tasked Qin Xiao and Weichi with watching over the fire, while she went to make Fried Rice, having brought eggs especially for the occasion, and Shen Chuwei had provided her with plenty of sausages.

Once the Fried Rice was ready, and the wild rabbit and pheasant were grilled to perfection, the fragrance was irresistible, making everyone present salivate.

This included the official from Luozhi County locked up in the prison cart, who hadn’t eaten anything but Steamed Buns for several days, and hadn’t even smelled meat. Now assailed by the aroma of rice and Grilled Meat, his cravings were intense, saliva swirling in his mouth but not spilling out.

He could only watch greedily, unable to partake in the feast.

Everyone sat down in three circles, starting their meal.

This was everyone’s first taste of Fried Rice, and it was deliciously aromatic; they also discovered for the first time that rice could be so tasty even without vegetables.

Shen Chuwei set up the cups, uncapped the bottle, and poured the Fruit Wine into the cups. The pure fragrance of the wine was not harsh but rather sweet and aromatic.

Shen Chuwei poured the first cup for Xiao Jinyan, "Your Highness, try this, it tastes especially good."

"Mm," Xiao Jinyan took the cup, brought it to his lips, and took a sip. Indeed, just as she said, the taste was sweet and not at all harsh.

Shen Chuwei also poured herself a cup. It had been some days since she last drank, and now, tantalized by the aroma, she felt a strong craving and upturned her cup, drinking it all in one go.

Xiao Jinyan saw this but didn’t stop her, reasoning that Fruit Wine probably wouldn’t easily intoxicate.

At this moment, the wild rabbit had been roasted to a golden crisp on both sides, endlessly aromatic and flaky.

Xiao Jinyan tore off a leg of the wild rabbit and offered it to Shen Chuwei, "Careful, it’s hot."

Shen Chuwei happily took it, blew on it to cool it down, and couldn’t wait to take a bite, finding it incredibly delicious.

Since the autumn hunt last year, Shen Chuwei hadn’t had the opportunity to eat roasted rabbit meat, so this outing was a real treat for her.

Chun Xi, eating her Fried Rice, suddenly found a piece of rabbit meat added to her plate. Looking up, she saw it was Qin Xiao, who had torn her off a piece.

She hesitated for a moment, then reminded herself that she was currently a boy, and should be more straightforward, not overly demure.

"Thank you." After politely expressing her thanks and taking the meat from his hand, she started eating. It was her first time tasting roasted rabbit, and it couldn’t have been more delicious.

Qin Xiao watched Chun Xi eat, looking too refined. To develop a manly demeanor seemed a very long way off!

After having her fill of food and wine, Shen Chuwei contentedly wiped her mouth, then followed Xiao Jinyan into the tent.

The two of them washed up briefly, as it was still early.

Xiao Jinyan looked down at Shen Chuwei’s flushed cheeks and her eyes, which were somewhat glassy. She had been drinking Fruit Wine, so why did she look so inebriated?

"Chuwei, come here."

Shen Chuwei’s steps were unsteady as she walked over. She ended up stepping on her own foot and fell straight into Xiao Jinyan’s embrace.

...

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Mr. Yun Si: Dear readers, this is a light-hearted and slightly silly sweet romance, not adhering strictly to the conventions of traditional historical fiction, and all for the sake of the plot.