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Qiao Yanxin’s mushrooms were cooked, and after eating them, they waited for a long time without any reaction.
Seeing this, He Jinghe felt reassured.
“Father, Mother, these mushrooms definitely aren’t poisonous. That woman Shang Ruoyi was just trying to scare us on purpose.”
He Ning’an frowned slightly. As a man, he naturally knew nothing about kitchen matters—he simply ate whatever the cook prepared each day. But these mushrooms were so brightly colored that he truly hesitated to take a bite.
Madam Qin sipped her chicken soup and ate roasted potatoes, sighing, “I never realized before how delicious these things could be.”
He Yunyi nodded. “Indeed, but it’s also thanks to Sister-in-law’s skills for making such simple ingredients taste so wonderful.”
The other prisoners watched enviously as the He family enjoyed such a feast.
If only they could become part of the He family too.
The woman who had previously accepted food from Shang Ruoyi seemed to have made up her mind. With a determined look in her eyes, she suddenly carried her child over to Shang Ruoyi and knelt at her feet with a thud. “Madam, I’m willing to serve you as a servant. I only ask for a bite to eat.”
“But I don’t lack servants right now, nor do I have any need for extra care.”
“Along this journey, you’ll surely need someone to assist you. I can do anything, really. I don’t even need to eat—just give my child a bite of food, please.” She tightened her arms around her son, tears welling in her eyes. “This child has suffered since birth, never having a full meal. Please, have mercy and take us in!”
Shang Ruoyi looked at her and sighed.
The child was innocent. Fine.
“My grandmother needs a servant to care for her. You may stay, then.”
The woman was overjoyed. “Thank you, Madam! Thank you!”
Shang Ruoyi handed her two roasted potatoes. “There’s no more chicken soup, but you can have these.”
“Thank you, Madam.”
“Don’t call me ‘Madam.’ That title is for my mother-in-law.” The term “Madam” made her feel old.
The woman quickly corrected herself. “Understood, Young Madam.”
Shang Ruoyi: “…”
From then on, Ling Shen and her son Fuzi officially became part of the He family.
With Ling Shen’s arrival, Madam Qin and Madam Lin from the third branch felt much more at ease, as they had been the ones handling the chores these past few days.
Madam Qin approached Shang Ruoyi and asked quietly, “Ruoyi, do we have enough food? Our family is already large, and now Ling Shen and her son have joined us.” After all, food was the scarcest resource on this journey.
“Mother, don’t worry about food.” Shang Ruoyi had checked the supplies in her Space—there was enough to feed the entire family.
Just then, two agonized cries rang out.
“Ah! Ah! It hurts! It hurts so much!” Madam Zhang clutched her stomach, her face deathly pale, beads of sweat the size of peas rolling down her forehead.
The other cry came from Qiao Yanxin.
“Jinghe! Jinghe! What’s wrong? Jinghe?”
It turned out that Madam Zhang and He Jinghe had eaten the poisonous mushrooms and were now suffering the effects.
Madam Zhang had eaten less, so aside from the pain, she was at least still conscious. But He Jingheng, having eaten far too much, had passed out completely.
The guards heard the commotion and hurried over. “What’s going on here?”
“Master, this is how my mother-in-law and husband became after eating those mushrooms,” Qiao Yanxin said with tear-stained cheeks, looking both frightened and anxious.
“Eating poisonous mushrooms—it’s a miracle they’re not dead already,” the officers sneered. “Whether they live or die is up to fate. We don’t have any antidote.” With that, they turned and left without another word.
Shang Ruoyi curled her lips and lay down, closing her eyes to rest.
She had already examined those mushrooms—while toxic, they weren’t lethal, just enough to torment them for a few days.
After some time, Madam Zhang’s cries of pain gradually faded, while He Jinghe remained unconscious.
Night fell, and a faint mist slowly drifted in.
Shang Ruoyi’s eyes snapped open.
Sleeping gas!
Just as she was about to get up, she heard familiar footsteps—ones she recognized from the Royal Mansion.
It was the two guards who served by He Jingheng’s side.
“Heir Apparent,” two low voices spoke.
“Well?”
“Reporting to the Heir Apparent, we searched the base of the cliff for a long time but found no trace of His Highness,” Yunqi said quietly. “This subordinate suspects His Highness was taken by the palace.”
He Jingheng shook his head. “No. If the palace had him, given the Emperor’s temperament, he would have already executed him and announced it to the world. Since Father has vanished without a trace, the palace must be just as anxious.”
“Heir Apparent, what should we do now?” Yuntian glanced at his leg and took out a small bottle of medicinal powder. “This is the pain-relieving medicine Divine Physician Wang prepared for you. Use it for now to ease the pain. Once he arrives, he can perform the bone setting.”
He Jingheng looked at the porcelain bottle. “Tell him not to come. This leg will recover soon.”
Recover?
How was that possible?
“By the way, Heir Apparent, what should we do about Shang Nian’s daughter? Should this subordinate…” Yunqi made a slashing motion across his neck.
Shang Ruoyi, pretending to sleep, nearly rolled her eyes. That voice belonged to that bastard Yunqi. He’d better pray she never got her hands on him—otherwise, he was finished.
“No need,” He Jingheng said, glancing at the “unconscious” Shang Ruoyi. His tone carried a hint of something almost gentle. “Leave her be.”
“As you command.”
At least you have some conscience.
Shang Ruoyi decided she’d reward him with some Spirit Spring Water tomorrow morning.
Thinking of the Spirit Spring reminded her of the potatoes she had casually tossed into her Space without planting them. She didn’t know if the sprouts had died yet.
When her consciousness entered the Space, she was surprised to find that not only were the potato sprouts still fresh, but the potatoes themselves looked even plumper and larger.
Could it be that this Space also had a preservation effect?
She planted the potatoes in the soil and checked on the other crops. The corn stalks had already grown as tall as a person in just a few days. Soon, they would likely bear ears of corn.
If they really produced corn, she wouldn’t have to worry about food for the rest of the journey.
Just then, Shang Ruoyi in the Space suddenly felt a chill run down her spine—as if danger was creeping toward them.