Chapter 6: Planting Potatoes

The next night.

Xiao Che ordered Zhong Zihan to buy two large burlap sacks of potatoes from outside and to secretly deliver them to Shu Ruohua.

When Zhong Zihan heard this order, he was utterly shocked.

The Crown Prince had always been cold and indifferent to Shu Ruohua. But now that she had been sent to the Cold Palace, why was he suddenly concerned about her?!

Zhong Zihan wanted to ask, but upon seeing the Crown Prince’s stern expression, he gave up.

Obediently, he delivered all the potatoes to Shu Ruohua.

…

Cold Wind Pavilion

As Shu Ruohua touched the potatoes on the ground, her heart overflowed with joy.

From the moment she woke up that morning, she knew she had failed to escape.

And when she saw Xiao Che again, she realized her escape plan had been discovered. Trying to flee again in the near future was now impossible.

As the saying goes, “People rely on iron, food relies on rice.”

There was no food in the Cold Palace, so this imperial guard had become Shu Ruohua’s only hope.

She had asked Xiao Che for potatoes on a whim, not expecting him to not only agree right away but also to deliver such a large quantity so quickly.

She picked out a few of the bigger ones and had Qian Ning wash them to prepare for dinner.

Qian Ning was overjoyed when she saw the potatoes. She quickly took them to the small kitchen.

After washing them clean, she stir-fried a large plate of potato chunks.

At last, master and maid finally had a full meal.

…

Three Days Later

The day Zhong Zihan brought the potatoes, he had also brought along some rice, oil, and salt.

So Shu Ruohua and Qian Ning had been living quite well these past few days.

After dinner, in order to prevent herself from gaining weight, Shu Ruohua deliberately walked a few laps around the courtyard before returning to her room.

Once back, she pulled out half a sack of potatoes from under the bed.

Qian Ning, watching from the side, was speechless the moment she saw her mistress take out the hidden stash. “Miss, why did you hide half a sack?!”

But Shu Ruohua pretended not to hear her. She opened the sack and carefully examined the potatoes inside.

Seeing that every single potato had sprouted, a smile gradually spread across her face.

She told Qian Ning to rest early—there would be work to do tomorrow.

Qian Ning, confused, wanted to ask more but was pushed out of the room by Shu Ruohua.

…

The Next Morning

Just as the sky began to brighten, Shu Ruohua woke up.

Normally, Qian Ning would prepare breakfast and come to wake her up.

But today, it was as if Shu Ruohua had taken the wrong medicine—she stormed into Qian Ning’s room and dragged her out of bed.

Qian Ning rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the still-dim sky. “Miss, it’s only the fourth watch of the night. Why are you up so early today?”

Could it be that her mistress hadn’t eaten enough last night?

Usually, when Shu Ruohua wasn’t full, she’d wake up really early. After all, hunger was unbearable.

Shu Ruohua grinned and raised an eyebrow. “Come quickly! I want to show you something!”

With that, she pulled Qian Ning outside.

…

In the Courtyard

A basket full of pre-cut, sprouted potato chunks lay neatly on the overgrown, weed-ridden ground.

When Qian Ning saw the scene before her, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Was Miss going to plant potatoes?

Although the setup made it obvious, Qian Ning still couldn’t believe it. Was her mistress really planning to farm in the Cold Palace?!!

She hesitantly asked, “Miss, you’re not seriously…”

Before she could finish, Shu Ruohua nodded enthusiastically. “Mhm!”

“Let’s hurry and clear the weeds while the sun hasn’t come out and it’s still cool. Then we’ll plant these potatoes. That way, we won’t have to go hungry anymore.”

As she spoke, she gestured excitedly to Qian Ning.

“……”

Qian Ning was truly speechless. So her mistress really intended to settle down in the Cold Palace?

“Miss!” Qian Ning cried, nearly in tears. “You shouldn’t be doing this! His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely clear your name and bring you back to the main palace. By then—”

Before she could finish, Shu Ruohua cut her off with a firm retort, “I’m not going back!”

For someone like her—naive and lacking in scheming—being transported here was already a huge mistake.

Let alone the Eastern Palace, a giant cauldron of court intrigue and backstabbing. If she really went back to be the Crown Princess again, she’d probably be killed within minutes by some conniving b*tch.

So, for the sake of staying alive, going back was absolutely out of the question.

“But Miss, you’re the legitimate Crown Princess! If you don’t return, are you planning to suffer in this place for the rest of your life?” Qian Ning frowned.

Shu Ruohua opened her mouth, “I…”

She hesitated.

Forget it. She’d seen Qian Ning’s nagging ways before. If she kept arguing, the girl would go into full gossip mode and lecture her for ages.

So she waved her hand dismissively. “Fine, fine, whatever you say!”

Before Qian Ning could respond, Shu Ruohua quickly changed the topic and dragged her off to help weed.

The master and maid worked for over an hour, finally managing to clear the weeds from the left half of the courtyard.

Shu Ruohua asked Qian Ning to fetch a hoe, and the two of them turned over the soil together.

Then, they dug a little water well—about a meter deep—beside the plot to water the plants.

Qian Ning brought a wooden bucket, drew some water, and watered the soil.

At last, they planted the potato sprouts, one by one, into the freshly tilled earth.

…