When Feng Shu went to interrogate Lu Linyuan again, Lu Linyuan looked sickly due to the cold, his complexion pale and his lips cracked and peeling.

Upon seeing Feng Shu, he immediately straightened up, trying hard to maintain a proper demeanor, as if he were the most respectful student in front of a sage.

“Your Highness, this subordinate pays his respects… cough, cough…” After greeting him, he broke into a fit of coughing.

Feng Shu sat in a large chair, the prison dark and devoid of light, illuminated only by the flickering torch on the wall.

His stern face was half lit by the firelight and half hidden in shadow, his silence imposing immense pressure on Lu Linyuan.

Feng Shu waited for Lu Linyuan to finish coughing before asking, “You came under my command; I have not treated you poorly. Today, I want to hear you say, in your own words, who that girl with the surname Li is.”

Lu Linyuan’s heart sank.

He looked into Feng Shu’s piercing, authoritative eyes and suddenly felt that Feng Shu already knew everything.

His question now was merely a last chance.

He had always admired the King of Liaonan, but now being suspected by him left Lu Linyuan feeling uncomfortable.

His nails dug into his palm, but he felt no pain.

He closed his eyes and finally confessed, “This subordinate is guilty; I have deceived Your Highness. She… is the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family.”

Feng Shu’s gaze turned icy. “Chi Qing has asked you more than once why you didn’t speak up.”

Lu Linyuanl felt somewhat embarrassed as he replied, “This subordinate has feelings of guilt; I just didn’t want the political turmoil to affect the innocent.”

Jiang Yanxi had once been a favored concubine of the emperor, and if she fell into Feng Shu’s hands, the best outcome would be for her to become a bargaining chip against the emperor.

Even if his feelings had faded, he couldn’t bear to see her finally gain her freedom only to become a hostage.

He originally intended for his subordinates to take the token given to Jiang Yanxi by the Turkic prince and send her to the countryside, where she would receive a large sum of money to live incognito, ending their relationship.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yanxi came back to find him, revealing her true identity.

While feeling ashamed to face Feng Shu, he was also worried about Jiang Yanxi’s safety.

He knelt and bowed to Feng Shu, “This subordinate knows he has wronged Your Highness.”

Upon hearing his words, Feng Shu only sneered coldly, “Affect the innocent? Do you know she nearly helped Ugusdan send a message to the Turkic spies?”

Chi Qing had taken Jiang Yanxi to Ugusdan to test the waters, and indeed, they found something.

They then used Lu Linyuan as leverage to force Jiang Yanxi to reveal what Ugusdan had instructed her to do when she was told to escape.

They had already sent people to the teahouse at the north city gate to lure the Turkic spies into a trap.

Lu Linyuan turned pale at those words, his face drained of color.

He lamented, “She must have… been unaware of the Turkic prince’s identity.”

If he had revealed Wugusdan’s identity while they were in the carriage, Jiang Yanxi wouldn’t have foolishly treated the enemy prince as her savior.

Now, Lu Linyuan regretted his inaction.

Even if Jiang Yanxi had acted innocently, once the information was leaked, it would be tantamount to treason.

Feng Shu would not be wrong to kill her.

Feng Shu’s eyes turned even colder upon hearing his excuse. “I’ve heard that when you were demoted to Xizhou, you still held a position in the Ministry of Justice. Is this how you handle cases?”

Sweat beads as large as soybeans rolled down Lu Linyuan’s forehead.

He couldn’t bear to watch Jiang Yanxi truly be executed by Feng Shu.

In his panic, a tickle surged in his throat, and he coughed as he said, “Your Highness, I’ve heard the emperor values her greatly. Please spare her life. This matter is indeed Lu Linyuan’s fault; I’m willing to pay with my life and blood to repay Your Highness’s kindness. I hope Your Highness will grant me another chance!”

Compared to being treated as a Turkic accomplice, perhaps it would be better for Jiang Yanxi to become a hostage.

Before Feng Shu could respond, Xing Yao suddenly rushed in from outside, whispering something to him.

Feng Shu’s expression shifted slightly, and he stopped interrogating Lu Linyuan, standing up to leave the prison.

Lu Linyuan vaguely heard Xing Yao’s suppressed voice in the corridor outside, seemingly mentioning the Chu family.

Did Feng Shu suddenly leave because of the Chu family?

Chu Changping was indeed capable, and when he thought about how the Chu family had already moved to Xizhou while he had to hide and evade, relying on Old Master Lu’s reputation among scholars to keep the Lu family safe in the capital, Lu Linyuan became anxious.

He had a fever, his head pounding, struggling to recall the information about the Chu family during this period from his previous life.

In his last life, Chu Changping also came to Xizhou to collect Jiang Yanyi’s body, but at that time, it was indeed Jiang Yanyi who had died.

In the end, the entire Chu family was imprisoned, with only Chu Changping escaping thanks to the help of the Grand Princess.

Chu Changping’s only son was captured, and he, along with his old subordinates, rushed to rescue him, only to run into the emperor, who had personally come out of the palace to find Jiang Yanxi.

The two groups clashed, and both Chu Changping and his son died under a hail of arrows.

Lu Linyuan thought to himself that he must have been delirious from the fever; instead of grieving over Chu Changping’s demise, he found himself worrying about how Jiang Yanxi and her brother would fare in Xizhou in the future.

---

Outside the prison, after listening to Xing Yao’s report of the urgent news from Danzhou, Feng Shu’s face was clouded with gloom. “The garrison in Danzhou is less than five thousand; where did they get thirty thousand troops?”

Chiqing, who had just arrived, was also flustered. “According to the spies, the one leading the troops is the empress dowager’s nephew, Gao Yuanju, but there are also a thousand imperial guards accompanying him.

The real commander is likely the one on the dragon throne, and the troops should be from the Gao family.

General Chu has three thousand elite cavalry and does not dare to launch a frontal attack. With the public now slandering the Chu family, General Chu and the others find themselves in a dilemma. The court has been encircling them, forcing them to retreat to the mountains.”

Feng Shu pondered for a moment and said, “Spread the news that the Jiang family’s legitimate daughter is in our hands and see how the emperor reacts. Also, send people to assist Chu Changping to be prepared for any eventuality.”

The emperor had heard some whispers about Jiang Yanzhi’s actions, and even as Jiang Yanzhi arrived in Xizhou, the emperor secretly led troops northward.

Feng Shuo suspected that this might be related to him.

If the emperor truly valued Jiang Yanxi, it would be best to use her as leverage to exchange for Chu Changping’s only son.

Chu Changping’s only son, Chu Chengmao, had once been the top scholar but later abandoned literary pursuits for military ones.

However, during those years, Mu Xuanqing had gained too much fame, overshadowing all the young men in the capital.

Chu Chengmao had just entered the military, and even with some achievements, his reputation had been eclipsed by Mu Xuanqing.

Feng Shuo stepped outside, and Chi Qing followed him, saying, “There’s one more thing I need to report. The emperor’s troops are stationed in Danzhou. Once the news of your uprising spreads, the emperor could easily intercept the troops in Yuzhou, cutting off our food supply and leaving the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Xizhou to starve.

In my opinion, we should first send someone to persuade the Marquis of Xing’an in Yuzhou. If that succeeds, it would be great; if not, we need to find another way to acquire at least three months’ worth of supplies.”

Feng Shuo replied, “Do as you suggest.”

Chi Qing asked, “Who should we send to Yuzhou?”

Feng Shuo paused for a moment, thinking, then said, “Lu Linyuan.”

A flicker of confusion passed through Chi Qing’s eyes, but the next moment, they sparkled with understanding, and he cupped his hands, saying, “Your Highness is wise.”

The Lu family had a long-standing friendship with the Marquis of Xing’an, making Lu Linyuan the perfect choice to persuade him.

For the sake of Lu Daxueshi, the Marquis of Xing’an, no matter how cruel he was, couldn’t directly harm the son of his old friend.

Moreover, this move could also test Lu Linyuan’s loyalty.

Previously, Feng Shuo had thought Lu Linyuan could be trusted, but now that he had seen Lu Linyuan deceive him, he couldn’t fully believe him anymore.

This was a good opportunity to test him.

Feng Shuo ignored Chi Qing’s flattery and instructed Xing Yao, “Be tight-lipped about Chu Changping’s matter; it must not leak. Keep a close watch on Jiang Yanxi, and ensure she does not harm herself or escape.”

Xing Yao clasped his fists in acknowledgment.

He understood that Feng Shuo was worried Jiang Yanxi might learn of Chu Changping’s predicament and become anxious.

Once the decision was made to rebel against the court, Feng Shuo and his aides had endless matters to discuss.

To prevent the Turks from invading, the northern walls of Xizhou were reinforced every year, but the defenses to the south were much weaker.

With the supply situation taking shape, they also needed to start strategizing their defenses.

---

Jiang Yanyi returned to the antique soup shop and took a look around, finding that even in her absence, business was thriving.

She felt relieved; not having to guard the shop constantly allowed her to make time for other endeavors.

Ping Shao mentioned that the stoves in the noodle shop were ready for use, so Jiang Yanyi went to the noodle shop with him in the afternoon, eager to start earning money.

There were five skilled craftsmen in the noodle shop, two of whom were good at making dough and three skilled at making noodles.

The so-called dough-making involved placing fermented dough into a special fermentation vat and letting it rise.

Once it was ready, they would quickly twist it into fine strands about the thickness of a thumb around two wooden rods.

This step was called wrapping noodles, and the wrapped noodles would need to rise a second time.

The successfully fermented noodles were taken to a ventilated area to dry, with one wooden rod propped up on a frame to hang the noodles, while another rod was used to pull them down with the right amount of force.

Once pulled down, the thumb-thick strands would become uniform hanging noodles, which could be dried and preserved for a long time.

These seasoned craftsmen, with decades of experience, required no guidance from Jiang Yanyi; every step of the process was ingrained in their bones.

On the first day of work, the other assistants were enthusiastic and eager to show off their skills in front of Jiang Yanyi, putting in their best effort.

Among them, the shortest experience in the trade was five or six years.

They were unsure of Jiang Yanyi’s large pot and the oversized steamer she had ordered but did not dare to question her when she instructed them to prepare the pot for steaming the noodles.

Seeing the hanging noodles had already become fine strands, Jiang Yanyi directed the assistants to take them down, steam them in the steamer, and continue the process of wrapping them as they would for dried noodles, then place them in the clay oven for drying.

This clay oven was designed for roasting whole sheep, and when Jiang Yanyi had it built, she had asked the bricklayer to make it larger, allowing for nearly ten rods to be hung inside at once.

After sealing the oven and using charcoal to heat it for several hours, the moisture in the noodles would be completely dried out.

Although this method couldn’t compare to industrial production in later years, it was already the quickest and most convenient method under the current production conditions.

The dried instant noodles were taken out and cut into pieces.

Due to the varying thickness of the wrapped noodles, the cut pieces were not uniform, and limited by the technology of the time, Jiang Yanyi could only instruct the assistants to select the pieces: denser pieces would be sold for two coins each, while looser ones would be sold for one coin.

The assistants were amazed by the instant noodles they had produced.

Even without any sauces, they boiled water and simply added salt to one piece of noodle.

Without frying, the instant noodles tasted rather plain.

Coupled with the lack of special seasoning, this bowl of salted instant noodles certainly couldn’t be called delicious, yet the assistants were still thrilled.

Before this day, they had never considered that steaming noodles first and then drying them could create a food that was ready to eat simply by soaking in water.

Realizing this could be a lucrative venture, the assistants didn’t need Jiang Yanyi to motivate them; they willingly worked overtime to produce more noodles.

That afternoon, Jiang Yanyi brought the finished noodles back to the antique soup shop for sale.

Displayed right at the entrance, they were nearly snatched up instantly.

Upon learning that they could now supply instant noodles, many people came to place orders in advance, and Jiang Yanyi’s order list grew several pages long.