Qin Zheng was puzzled by the girl’s hostility and didn’t understand where it came from.

However, He Yunjing seemed to have just noticed Qin Zheng.

She raised her chin and exclaimed, “Oh, when did such a beautiful lady appear in our village? I wonder which brother’s family she’s from. What great fortune to have such a beauty!”

The several servant women who came in with He Yunjing had their arms crossed in front of their chests, and their eyes were full of disdain as they looked at Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng could tell that they weren’t here to help in the kitchen but to intimidate her.

She couldn’t quite understand why.

She was just staying in the village with the Crown Prince.

What kind of intimidation did this girl think she was delivering?

Qin Zheng replied calmly, “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m not a resident of the village. I’m here because my husband was seriously injured. Thanks to a previous encounter with Miss Lin Zhao and the kindness of the housekeeper, we were allowed to come to the village for recuperation.”

Standing by the stove, Qin Zheng wore a plain dress that didn’t make her look disheveled.

Instead, her calm and composed demeanor gave her a sense of washing away the worldly dust.

She tightened the loose robe with a belt, highlighting her slim waist.

Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing a snow-white forearm that was unexpectedly eye-catching.

Ever since He Yunjing’s servants reported to her from the Western Village that Lin Yao had brought back a beautiful woman who was almost a widow, the fire in her heart had not subsided.

Now, seeing Qin Zheng’s figure and appearance in person, she felt even more angry.

She smirked, “Since that’s the case, madam is a guest of our Qi Yun Village. It’s improper to let a guest cook by herself, which shows our negligence. With the village being so busy, if Brother Lin has been remiss in his hospitality, I apologize on his behalf. A guest of Brother Lin is also my guest. If madam doesn’t mind, you can move to my courtyard in the Western Village. The servants there will serve you better.”

With this veiled and sharp-tongued statement, Qin Zheng understood.

The other party was clearly asserting her dominance as the legitimate wife.

This girl was from the Western Village? And she liked Lin Yao?

But there was absolutely no relationship between her and Lin Yao! Although the Crown Prince was currently half-dead, she was still a married woman.

What was this girl thinking?

Qin Zheng wasn’t angry, just a bit amused.

She explained kindly, “I’m not a guest, and your village has never been neglectful towards us. It’s just that my husband is seriously injured, and I wanted to cook him a soup to help him recover.”

He Yunjing was taken aback. “Wait… weren’t you here to help Mrs. Wang in the kitchen?”

Qin Zheng thought to herself that at least this girl had some self-awareness.

As an outsider, if she immediately started helping in the village kitchen, people wouldn’t be foolish enough to agree.

What if she poisoned the food, and everyone in the village ended up poisoned?

When she used the pot to cook chicken soup for the Crown Prince, Mrs. Wang watched her every move, afraid she might tamper with the ingredients.

Before Qin Zheng could reply, Mrs. Wang’s thunderous voice echoed in the kitchen, “We in the East Village would never be so negligent towards a guest. He Yatou, who filled your ears with such nonsense?”

Qin Zheng noticed that this girl had a relatively high status in the village, but Mrs. Wang kept calling her “He Yatou,” which made Qin Zheng even more convinced of her previous thoughts.

Mrs. Wang must hold a significant position in the village.

He Yunjing’s face turned red and then pale as she tried to explain, “I… I just thought that Brother Lin was too busy to arrange for someone to take care of Madam properly, so I wanted to help out on his behalf.”

Qin Zheng remained calm and composed, “Miss He, you’re being too harsh on yourself.”

Her calm demeanor made He Yunjing feel even more embarrassed.

She was about to leave with the servant women from the Western Village when Mrs. Wang stopped her.

“Didn’t you come here to help? The Chief said he wants to invite your father and the others to the welcoming feast tonight. We’re a bit short-handed here, so He Yatou, you and your people go wash the two pots of pig intestines in the backyard.”

“Pig… pig intestines?” He Yunjing’s face turned pale instantly.

Mrs. Wang gave her a casual glance. “If you find pig intestines dirty, there are a few ducks in the backyard that haven’t had their feathers plucked. Pour boiling water over them and pluck the feathers clean.”

Pluck duck feathers?

He Yunjing’s expression turned even more desperate.

She wanted to leave, but seeing Mrs. Wang’s dark expression, she didn’t dare to move and stiffly made her way to the backyard.

As she looked at the pot of pig intestines emitting a foul smell, He Yunjing covered her nose and kept her distance, instructing the two servants, “You two wash this pot of pig intestines clean for me!”

Seeing Mrs. Wang cutting vegetables and watching them, He Yunjing hardened her heart and walked to the large wooden basin for scalding duck feathers.

She grabbed a duck with its wings and webbed feet tied, but before she could pour the boiling water, the duck, startled, pecked her hard.

“My hand!” He Yunjing screamed, quickly letting go of the duck.

Several servants rushed over to check.

The duck somehow managed to free itself from the rope tied around its wings, flapping wildly and flying around the courtyard, knocking over many utensils.

Two servants tried to catch it, but the duck flapped even harder, crashing into He Yunjing’s face and knocking off many of her hairpins and hair ornaments.

He Yunjing had never been so wronged in her life.

As she tried to fix her hair, she noticed that her favorite apricot-colored gauze dress was stained with duck feces.

Her face paled, and she almost fainted on the spot.

Just then, a servant caught the duck, came over, and said cheerfully, “Miss, look, we caught the duck!”

“Get away! I never want to see a duck again in my life!” He Yunjing was on the verge of tears.

Ignoring everything, she walked towards the kitchen, wanting to leave, but accidentally stepped on her dress. Luckily, a servant quickly supported her, saying, “Miss, be careful.”

He Yunjing remembered that this servant had just been washing pig intestines.

Because she had been pecked by a duck, none of the servants who were washing the pig intestines had washed their hands and had come over to help catch the duck.

This time, she was truly crying, pushing away the servant. “You dirty people, how dare you touch me with your hands covered in pig intestine filth!”

He Yunjing, in a sorry state, ran out of the kitchen and happened to run into Magpie, who had just caught a chicken from the vegetable garden.

It was the first time Magpie had seen the delicate young miss in such a state and was quite surprised. “Miss He, what’s wrong?”

He Yunjing, unusually, didn’t retort.

Seeing Magpie holding a chicken, she said nothing, her eyes red, and avoided her like she was avoiding the plague, running away.

Magpie scratched her head, puzzled.

She entered the kitchen and said, “Mrs. Wang, I’ve brought the chicken back for you.”

Seeing the backyard in a mess, Qin Zheng was helping Mrs. Wang clean up the mess. Magpie was even more surprised. “What happened here?”

Mrs. Wang, with a stern face, said, “Miss He from the West Village brought people over to help, but they ended up causing more trouble.”

Magpie was even more puzzled. “The second master dotes on his own daughter. Would she know how to cook?”

In a flash, thinking of He Yunjing’s feelings for Lin Yao and her jealousy, Magpie couldn’t help but glance at Qin Zheng.

Perhaps this was He Yunjing’s real purpose in coming to the kitchen?

Magpie hurriedly said, “Mrs. Wang, you go to the stove, I’ll clean up the backyard.”

Mrs. Wang’s deliberate harassment of He Yunjing today was not to help Qin Zheng but because she couldn’t stand the long reach of the West Village.

Plus, with Lin Zhao falling into the hands of the water bandits, there was also the West Village’s involvement, which made her angry.

Thinking that none of the dishes for the reception had been cooked yet, Mrs. Wang didn’t have time to clean up this mess.

She said, “Then I’ll leave it to you. I’ll call Aunt Lu over later to help.”

“Alright!” Magpie answered with a mouthful.

When Mrs. Wang entered the kitchen, she whispered to Qin Zheng, “Madam Cheng, did Miss He trouble you?”

Qin Zheng shook her head. “Not really trouble, just a misunderstanding on Miss He’s part, I think.”

Upon hearing Qin Zheng’s answer, Magpie immediately showed a knowing expression and sighed, “If Miss He said anything, don’t take it to heart.

She’s the only daughter of the second master, spoiled since childhood. Any girl in the village with decent looks has been criticized by her.”

With a disdainful look, Magpie added, “But it’s all wishful thinking on her part. The village chief avoids her like the plague!”

Qin Zheng had already guessed most of this. She asked in a low voice, “Why does Miss He seem somewhat afraid of Mrs. Wang?”

Magpie explained, “Mrs. Wang is the village chief’s wet nurse. The old village chief and his wife passed away early, and the village chief and Miss He were raised by Mrs. Wang.

Even now, the village chief respects Mrs. Wang greatly. Miss He has always tried to please Mrs. Wang.”

Qin Zheng hadn’t expected Mrs. Wang to be Lin Yao’s wet nurse, but with this relationship, Mrs. Wang’s high status in the village was not surprising.

After tidying up the backyard, Magpie went to call for help with the cooking, and Qin Zheng returned to the kitchen to check on the chicken soup she was simmering.

The soup had been simmering over low heat for an hour.

Qin Zheng lifted the lid of the clay pot, and the soup was still bubbling gently, with a rich aroma rising along with the steam.

Qin Zheng lightly touched the chicken with chopsticks. With a little force, the meat could be easily separated from the bones, indicating that it was tender and not overcooked.

She was quite satisfied and sprinkled some salt from a salt shaker into the pot.

After covering it again and cooking for a while longer, she extinguished the stove.

This was a small habit of Qin Zheng’s when making soup: the salt had to be added just before turning off the heat. Otherwise, the meat would not cook as tenderly.

After adding the salt, she would cover the pot for a while longer before turning off the heat to avoid a raw salt taste in the soup.

She ladled a spoonful of the chicken soup into a small bowl and tasted it for seasoning.

Perhaps due to the use of authentic ancient free-range chicken and wild mushrooms, the taste was surprisingly good, with a fresh and rich aroma that warmed her stomach with each sip.

Qin Zheng poured the cooked chicken soup into a clay pot, said goodbye to Mrs. Wang, and left the kitchen.

As Qin Zheng retraced her steps along the path, she saw several strong men carrying a thick log towards her.

She quickly stepped aside to let them pass.

The men carrying the log noticed the graceful beauty standing by the road and couldn’t help but make a few teasing remarks. “Who’s that lady? She looks like a fairy from a painting!”

The man at the back of the log angrily scolded, “Stop ogling and get the log over there quickly! Delaying the construction of the pontoon bridge, do you think the village chief will reward you with a beating?”

The men then toned down their banter and continued to carry the log past Qin Zheng.

Watching the thick log, Qin Zheng fell into deep thought.

A pontoon bridge? Pontoon bridges are usually built at docks to facilitate unloading of goods from large ships.

Why would they be building a pontoon bridge in this mountain stronghold?

The only thing Qin Zheng could think of was the bales of silk and satin on the merchant ship they had seized.

Had they not transported all the goods from the ship up the mountain yet?

Qin Zheng recalled the laborious process of using the basket lift to transport goods up the mountain.

It was indeed time-consuming and labor-intensive.

If they couldn’t use so much fabric on the mountain, there was no need to transport all the goods from the ship up the mountain.

It would be troublesome to transport the fabric down the mountain again when they found a buyer, so it made sense to leave some goods on the ship.

While the geographical advantage of Liangyan Mountain was significant for defense, it could be a problem when dealing with too many looted goods.

Lost in these thoughts, Qin Zheng arrived at the door of her room.

When she pushed open the door, she noticed that the crown prince, who had been lying on the bed, was nowhere to be seen.

Panic surged in Qin Zheng’s heart.

Just as she was about to step forward to check, a cold sword suddenly appeared from behind the door, pressing against her neck.