Chapter 20: Acting!

He couldn’t possibly hand everything over to the constables.

So he picked out the most brightly colored mushrooms from his basket and hid them inside his clothes.

Shang Ruoyi sensed someone following behind her. Turning around, she saw it was He Jingxi.

“What is it?”

“I don’t recognize these things,” He Jingxi said somewhat awkwardly. “I thought if I followed you, I could pick whatever you pick. I can’t go back empty-handed.”

Shang Ruoyi divided the mushrooms in her hand and gave half to him before continuing forward.

He looked at the mushrooms in his hand, then at her retreating figure. It seemed Shang Ruoyi was truly different from her chancellor father.

As Shang Ruoyi walked ahead, she held several small stones in her hand. Observing how dense the shrubs and grass were in this part of the woods, there might well be rabbits or similar animals about.

Just then, a shadow flashed by. Shang Ruoyi swiftly threw a stone with quick reflexes.

It really was a small rabbit.

Her strike was perfectly measured—just enough to knock it unconscious.

Walking over to pick up the rabbit, she froze in surprise.

This rabbit… seemed to be pregnant.

She rubbed her nose and, seeing no one around, directly stored the rabbit in her Space.

After walking a bit further, a pheasant flew into view.

Shang Ruoyi threw a stone, this time with more force. The pheasant died instantly.

This pheasant would be perfect for stewing with mushrooms.

It would surely be delicious.

By now, it was already dark. Shang Ruoyi carried the pheasant back when she happened to meet He Jingxi again. Besides the mushrooms from earlier, he was holding two round objects.

Upon closer inspection, they were potatoes.

“Where did you find these potatoes?”

He pointed to a depression not far away. “I accidentally fell in earlier and saw some plants. Not knowing if they were edible, I wanted to pick them and ask you. When I pulled them up, there were two of these fruits, so I brought them both.”

Hearing this, Shang Ruoyi hurried toward the depression.

Her eyes lit up at what she saw.

She quickly dug up the potatoes—more than twenty in total. The largest was the size of a man’s fist.

Taking advantage of the darkness, she stored a few potato plants into her Space. If planted in the Space’s fields, they might grow even larger.

When the two returned with their findings, He Jinghe still hadn’t come back.

The constable frowned upon seeing only them. “Where’s He Jinghe?”

“We separated after entering the woods.”

Zhao Yiniang was horrified. “That good-for-nothing must have run away! Oh, that wretched scoundrel!”

Madam Zhang, hearing her curse her son like that, ignored the pain in her feet and rushed forward, slapping Zhao Yiniang twice across the face.

“You lowly concubine! How dare you curse my son? Who do you think you are?”

Zhao Yiniang wasn’t one to take insults lying down. Caught off guard earlier, she had been hit, but now she immediately stood up. “You dare hit me?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare? You’re just a concubine—of course I can hit you!” Madam Zhang said coldly. “I’m the legal wife!”

“So what if I’m a concubine? Even as a concubine, I’m a prince’s concubine! What does that have to do with your household? Who gave you the right to hit me?” Zhao Yiniang flared up and slapped Madam Zhang twice in return.

Madam Zhang had been the mistress of the He household since her marriage—when had she ever been struck? Now, to be hit by a mere concubine—how could she swallow this insult?

She rushed at Zhao Yiniang like a madwoman, and the two women began grappling with each other.

Zhao Yiniang was naturally taller than Madam Zhang to begin with, and she had been wearing padded insoles during the mountain trek. Having eaten better than Madam Zhang’s group these past few days, her physical strength was clearly superior.

By the time they were pulled apart, both women’s hair had come undone, and their faces bore wounds of varying severity.

Madam Zhang had it worse—one side of her face was already swollen.

Fights among the exile convoy were far too common. The guards merely glanced over and, seeing no lives lost, paid it no further mind.

Spotting the pheasant in He Jingxi’s hand, the guards were overjoyed and clapped him on the shoulder: “Never thought you’d have such skills, lad! Seems we can count on you for meals along this exile road.”

He Jingxi gave a bitter laugh: “Just luck, just luck.”

He Jingheng examined the wound on the pheasant—clearly a single lethal strike. There was no way this was He Jingxi’s doing. The boy could barely lift a knife on a good day.

His gaze shifted to Shang Ruoyi. This had to be that woman’s handiwork.

He flexed his previously broken leg. After just one day, he could already move it slightly. At this rate, full mobility wouldn’t take long. Then his eyes fell on his other leg.

Shang Ruoyi had said the tendons here were severed—recovery would be difficult.

The thought of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair made him seethe with frustration.

Just then, a jade-like hand extended a waterskin toward him: “Have some.”

He Jingheng accepted it: “Thanks.”

“How’s the leg? Any sensation?”

He Jingheng arched an eyebrow: “Your medical skills really do seem lacking. I can’t feel a thing in this leg.”

“What? That can’t be!” Shang Ruoyi knelt down, placing her hand on his knee and lightly tapping it. “Still no feeling?” she asked softly.

Gritting his teeth against the tingling sensation, He Jingheng shook his head: “None.”

“My repair work was flawless!” She pressed several points around his knee, muttering, “Everything feels normal to the touch!”

At that moment, He Jingxi approached: “Sis-in-law, that pot you told me to watch—it’s smoking.”

Shang Ruoyi glanced at the pot and said exasperatedly, “That’s steam, not smoke. You scared me.” She stood and walked toward the makeshift stove.

He Jingheng felt as though he’d been granted a reprieve. A few more touches and he wouldn’t have been able to maintain his composure.

Simultaneously, an inexplicable emptiness settled around his heart.

His icy gaze fell on He Jingxi as he thought: Useless fool who can’t accomplish anything right.

From their hidden vantage point, Yuntian and Yunqi watched the scene unfold, swallowing hard.

“The Heir Apparent actually let a woman get that close to him!”

“I saw—and it was Shang Nian’s daughter, no less.”

“To pursue the truth, our lord is making tremendous sacrifices—even resorting to selling his charms!” Yuntian sighed dramatically. “Our exalted master, reduced to such circumstances. Tsk tsk tsk.”

Yunqi shot him a sidelong glance. Blind fool—didn’t you see our lord swallowing hard just now?