Feng Shuo could only order in a low voice, “Summon her.”

He had never intended to deliberately hide his identity; it was merely a misunderstanding by the soldiers at the camp.

So when he learned that the cook was coming, he merely frowned slightly.

Thinking of the little cook being here, he could regain his sense of taste and enjoy a delicious meal, which eased his dissatisfaction with Chi Qing’s unilateral decision.

Yesterday at the tavern, the cook had flattered him endlessly, praising him extravagantly, and now he was curious to see how the little cook would react upon realizing that the “great general” she had been talking about was actually him.

The tent flap was lifted by the guard at the entrance, and several soldiers entered in succession, holding trays.

Jiang Yanyi and Chef Li were at the back, carrying the highlight dish, “Steamed Lotus Flower with Chicken Wings.”

Before coming, Chef Li had specifically warned her to avoid looking around carelessly upon entering the tent to avoid offending the nobles and bringing trouble upon themselves.

However, since Feng Shuo was sitting directly opposite the entrance, as soon as Jiang Yanyi entered, her gaze met his.

Seeing him seated in the main position, Jiang Yanyi was momentarily dazed, thinking, isn’t that the place for the great general?

Could it be that the great general had left for some reason?

Her blank expression made Feng Shuo’s lips curve upward ever so slightly.

Chef Li, standing behind her, noticed she was frozen in place and quickly whispered, “Jiang Hua, what are you dawdling for? Hurry and serve the great general!”

Great… Great General?

Jiang Yanyi nearly bit her tongue.

Isn’t that the strategist sitting up there?

Her face filled with astonishment, while Feng Shuo’s smile deepened.

The expression on this little cook’s face was rather interesting.

Jiang Yanyi was now completely stiff, awkwardly holding the Steamed Lotus Flower with Chicken Wings and nervously walking forward; had it not been for her hands holding the tray, she would have been so tense she would have tripped over her own feet.

The distance from the entrance of the tent to the main seat was only about two paces, but it felt like an eternity as she walked.

As she walked, she wondered whether she had said anything bad about the great general in front of him.

By the time she reached the table, Jiang Yanyi had recalled everything.

Great!

She had only praised the great general in front of him and had never spoken a word against him.

Feeling a bit more at ease, she placed the tray on the low table and carefully brought out the white porcelain plate filled with the Steamed Lotus Flower with Chicken Wings.

With her delicate hands holding the white porcelain, it was hard to tell which was whiter and more tender.

Feng Shuo’s gaze shifted slightly.

From his angle, he could see the beautiful curve of Jiang Yanyi’s back as she half-knelt to serve the dish, her waist cinched with a simple belt, making it seem incredibly slender, as if it could be easily grasped.

Unbidden, he recalled how he had unintentionally seen her chest, which was somewhat voluminous, pushing against her top.

Didn’t she have any fat on her waist? Did it all go to her chest instead?

Lost in thought, he was abruptly brought back to reality when Lu Linyuan raised his cup from a distance: “Linyuan offers a toast to the Prince!”

Feng Shuo snapped back to focus, raising a wine jug beside him in a symbolic gesture toward Lu Linyuan and downing the contents in one go.

An inexplicable irritation stirred in his heart.

What was wrong with him?

Jiang Yanyi heard Lu Linyuan’s voice and felt it sounded somewhat familiar.

She casually glanced over in that direction.

Sitting on the mat was a young man radiating the aura of a scholar.

He wore a pale blue robe, his figure lean, but his spirit was good, and his back was straight, presenting a refined and elegant demeanor.

Jiang Yanyi was momentarily stunned, thinking, isn’t this the second male lead, Lu Linyuan, whom the original host had been obsessed with until her death?

He looked quite handsome, but compared to her memories of the original host, he lacked some of the youthful vibrancy and instead had gained a sense of maturity and weariness.

Wait!

This is Lu Linyuan?

What is he doing here?!

Jiang Yanyi stared at Lu Linyuan for a few seconds, her expression turning ghostly pale, wishing she could use the tray to cover her face.

If Lu Linyuan publicly recognized her, she would be in deep trouble!

After Lu Linyuan raised his cup, he noticed Feng Shuo seemed uninterested and that he was using a wine jug while everyone else at the table had small porcelain cups.

He immediately felt uneasy.

To toast someone with a small cup when the other party had a large one was a significant faux pas.

He kept glancing over at Feng Shuo, wanting to explain several times, but Feng Shuo had already started eating.

As the saying goes, “No talking while eating,” and he couldn’t find the opportunity.

However, the woman serving the dishes, upon seeing him, first froze in surprise, then her expression turned as if she had seen a ghost.

Unconsciously, Lu Linyuan touched his face.

He remembered that he had been quite handsome in his youth; surely he hadn’t scared her this much?

He couldn’t help but take a few glances at the woman, feeling a hint of familiarity but unable to place her.

In his previous life, when he closed his eyes, he was already in his seventies.

Many insignificant people and events from his twenties had long since faded from memory.

While he was deep in thought, Jiang Yanyi quickly snapped back to reality and started to retreat.

But at that moment, Lu Linyuan finally recalled a vague shadow, along with many of her past unpleasant deeds, and a hint of disgust emerged in his eyes: “It’s you…”

Jiang Yanyi felt a wave of panic wash over her, and the fingers gripping the tray turned pale from the pressure.

Hearing this, Feng Shuo looked up and noticed Lu Linyuan’s unfriendly gaze toward the little cook, while the cook’s face had turned pale with fright.

An inexplicable displeasure rose in Feng Shuo’s heart.

He said, “This is my camp’s cook, Jiang Hua. Do you recognize her, nephew?”

Upon hearing that Jiang Yanyi had changed her name and had become a cook in Feng Shuo’s camp, Lu Linyuan was momentarily taken aback.

He was not a person without discernment; he could naturally sense the displeasure in Feng Shuo’s tone, which even hinted at a protective stance toward Jiang Yanyi.

An ordinary cook couldn’t possibly leave an impression strong enough for a prince to remember her name, and Lu Linyuan felt there must be something more between Feng Shuo and Jiang Yanyi.

This realization left him feeling quite conflicted: on one hand, he admired the renowned and capable Prince of Liaonan; on the other, he couldn’t understand how such a man could be enchanted by a woman like her.

On the other hand, hadn’t Jiang Yanyi always shamelessly liked him?

He thought he had shed the clingy attachment, only to find it sticking to someone else, making it seem as if he had been the one being overly sentimental.

Lu Linyuan felt quite uncomfortable about it.

Despite his swirling thoughts, he quickly assessed the situation: Jiang Yanyi had merely concealed her identity from Feng Shuo.

Given that the Jiang family in the capital had already publicly declared her dead, her actions were somewhat understandable.

If he carelessly exposed her identity, Feng Shuo wouldn’t punish her severely; instead, it would greatly tarnish his own reputation.

After all, as a man, targeting a woman over trivial matters is hardly a gentleman’s behavior.

Anyway, she died in the Xizhou camp in her previous life, so let everything follow the trajectory of that life for now.

Lu Lingyuan smiled apologetically at Feng Shuo: “Your Highness, please don’t take offense; I mistook someone.”

“Is that so?”

Feng Shuo withdrew his gaze, and only then did Lu Lingyuan feel a sudden lightness in his body.

Jiang Yanyi also sighed in relief; during this brief moment, she felt as though she had been to the gallows.

Feng Shuo could tell that Lu Lingyuan was lying, but he didn’t expose him.

Whatever relationship this little chef had with him, he would send someone to investigate.

There was a slight hidden displeasure in his heart, but he didn’t understand where this feeling came from.

He glanced at the little chef, who had retreated to the corner, looking relieved, and said in a deep voice, “Where are the two cooks who caught the spies from the Fire Camp?”

Jiang Yanyi had just moved back to Li’s side, and upon hearing Feng Shuo’s question, she quickly knelt down alongside Chef Li.

“It’s us.”

The response came from Chef Li, who was the head cook of the Firehead Camp, so he was the only one who needed to answer.

Feng Shuo said, “You two have done a great job in capturing the spies; you should be rewarded.”

Lu Lingyuan watched this scene, secretly relieved that he hadn’t exposed Jiang Yanyi’s identity.

Otherwise, just as she had accomplished something, he would have revealed her secret when Feng Shuo was in a good mood toward her—this would not have been wise.

At the same time, he felt somewhat comforted—apparently, the Prince of Liaonan knew her name, but it was only because she had made a contribution, not for the reasons he had initially thought.

After all, this was the war god of the Great Xuan Dynasty; not just anyone could gain his attention.

Feng Shuo rewarded Jiang Yanyi and Li with ten taels of silver each.

After a day of fright, Jiang Yanyi’s heart was finally comforted.

She and Chef Li thanked him and exited the main tent.

However, she had barely taken a few steps when someone chased after her: “Jiang Hua, wait!”

Jiang Yanyi’s heart skipped a beat.

She thought it was Lu Lingyuan who had revealed her secret after she left, and stiffly turned around, holding the silver.

The person who came out was Xing Yao, who said, “The General has issued an order; you are to be rewarded for providing information about the Turks’ surprise attack on Dingjia Village. Please wait here.”

With that, he turned and went back into the main tent, leaving Jiang Yanyi and Chef Li standing in place.

The autumn night was cold, and a gust of night wind blew by, making Jiang Yanyi shiver even though she was wearing thick clothes.

Chef Li, not wanting to leave her alone, intended to wait until she was ready to go back.

However, he was older, and his legs were afflicted with rheumatism.

The cold wind made his bones ache as if needles were stabbing him.

Seeing him bending down to rub his knees from time to time, Jiang Yanyi couldn’t bear to have the old man accompany her and said, “Master, you should go back first.”

Chef Li was indeed in severe pain and could only say, “Then you take care.”

After seeing off Chef Li, Jiang Yanyi rubbed her arms and waited outside for a long time but didn’t see anyone come out again.

She began to doubt if she was being played with by that peculiar strategist—ugh, the General.

Meanwhile, inside the tent, Feng Shuo was enjoying the meal.

The salt-baked chicken tasted great, the chicken tendons were tender, the fish soup was rich, and the rib meat was soft and tender…

Lu Lingyuan, who had a belly full of words but no chance to speak, only realized at the end of the banquet that Feng Shuo had really just treated him to a meal.

Feng Shuo and the strategist had cleared their plates, while Lu Lingyuan still had more than half of his left.

Lu Lingyuan sensed something was off.

How could a noble prince eat so cleanly? After pondering it carefully, he felt that they must be hinting at something.

There was an ancient saying, “Duke Zhou spat out his food, and the hearts of the world returned to him.”

Today, the Prince of Liaonan invited him but only focused on eating without a word.

Was he implying that the new emperor was obstinate and would not heed the advice of loyal ministers?

And wasn’t his heavy demeanor at the table a reflection of his current worries about the state of the world?

Though they didn’t speak, they had expressed the Lu family’s current predicament!

Lu Lingyuan was suddenly awed by Feng Shuo’s wisdom and felt relieved that he had grasped this subtlety.

As he was leaving, he stood up, deeply excited, and made a grand bow to Feng Shuo: “Your Highness, I understand your intentions!”

Feng Shuo, who had just set down his chopsticks, responded, “…There’s no need for such formality, Young Master.”

He always had a cold expression, and even though he couldn’t comprehend Lu Lingyuan’s sudden action, his face showed no sign of it.

Chi Qing, who was picking meat scraps with his chopsticks, was utterly bewildered.

He glanced between Feng Shuo and Lu Lingyuan, wondering what had happened.

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Lu Lingyuan stepped out of the main tent. With his thoughts running high, the cold wind outside didn’t feel too chilly.

In his previous life, he had let personal feelings bring ruin to his entire family; in this life, he would not make the same mistake again!

It seemed that allying with the Prince of Liaonan was indeed a wise choice!

Just a few steps out, he saw a hem of a skirt lifted by the night wind—it was Jiang Yanyi.

She stood in a sheltered spot, hugging her arms and occasionally stomping her feet.

This posture reminded Lu Lingyuan of the past, when he used to travel with Yan Xi and would often “coincidentally” run into Jiang Yanyi at some corner.

Those meticulously arranged “encounters” had made him detest her for many years.

He walked over.

Hearing the footsteps, Jiang Yanyi initially thought it was a guard coming out from beside Feng Shuo.

Filled with joy, she turned her head, only to find it was Lu Lingyuan.

Seeing her delighted expression, Lu Lingyuan was even more convinced that she was waiting specifically for him.

A flash of annoyance crossed his eyes: “After so many years, haven’t you grown tired of such tricks? Give up! There’s no possibility between us!”

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