Jiang Yanyi returned directly to the Firehouse Camp, where Chef Li was feeling a bit better and was directing others in preparing the ingredients.

“Master Li, you don’t look well. Why not take a break?” Jiang Yanyi said as she tied on her apron, preparing to chop vegetables at the cutting board.

After his illness, Chef Li, who usually appeared spirited and capable, now showed signs of aging.

He rarely smiled in the camp, but hearing Jiang Yanyi’s greeting, he surprisingly softened his expression and replied, “A hard-working life, I can’t sit still.”

Hearing him say that, Jiang Yanyi couldn’t help but think of her father, whose catchphrase was also “a hard-working life.”

She suppressed her emotions and picked up a freshly killed chicken from the basket, asking Chef Li, “What are you making tonight?”

Chef Li replied, “We’re making chestnut chicken; just cut the chicken into pieces.”

With swift movements, Jiang Yanyi quickly chopped the chicken into pieces and placed them on a plate.

Chef Li appreciated her efficiency and her natural talent for cooking. “You did well with the braised lion’s head today. You can prepare the chestnut chicken tonight. If it turns out well and the other cooks have no objections, list out all the dishes you can make, and I’ll have them added to the Firehead Camp menu.”

This meant that Jiang Yanyi would officially become a chef in the Firehouse Camp, no longer doing menial tasks but cooking alongside the other chefs.

Jiang Yanyi was taken aback. “I didn’t do well with today’s lion’s head; I was just showing off in front of you.”

Even knowing that she was flattering him, Chef Li still smiled warmly.

What mattered was that Jiang Yanyi had measured her words well.

If she had merely said she didn’t do well, it would have seemed overly modest and insincere.

By saying “not proficient,” she acknowledged her shortcomings while elevating his expertise, as true skill comes from years of experience.

This girl was diligent and insightful, with a thoughtful approach to people and situations.

Chef Li believed she had a promising future ahead.

“Enough of this. You’ve received rewards from the General, yet you still come here with your flattery. You’ll make the chestnut chicken, and that’s settled.”

Jiang Yanyi thought Chef Li was referring to the reward she received for making tofu pudding the other day.

Given his kindness, it would be ungracious to decline further, so she smiled and agreed.

“You woman! Coming in late to work and then messing up the vegetables! Do you think buying these ingredients is free?”

The scolding voice from outside the tent was Head Zhao’s, and when Jiang Yanyi turned to look, she saw that the person he was scolding was Chunxiang.

Chunxiang had never done this kind of work in the brothel, and having just joined the Firehouse Camp as a helper a few days ago, she had been given light tasks by Liu Cheng.

Today, Liu Cheng was on leave, and she had deliberately avoided work, taking the opportunity to slack off.

Having received fifty taels of silver in the afternoon, she felt light on her feet but was also worried about being discovered for having taken credit for it.

She found a secluded spot to hide the silver before coming to the Firehouse Camp.

Little did she know, upon her arrival, Head Zhao immediately assigned her to prepare vegetables.

With her mind still lingering on the fifty taels, she felt disinterested and unfocused.

Under Head Zhao’s harsh scolding, surrounded by onlookers, Chunxiang couldn’t hold on to her pride.

Remembering she now had fifty taels, she felt defiant at Head Zhao’s remarks about money.

In a fit of anger, she threw the vegetables onto the ground and pulled out a handful of coins from her chest, scattering them on the ground. “How about this? Is this enough to compensate for the ruined vegetables?”

“You…” Head Zhao was taken aback by her audacity and was furious.

The other women around them were mostly surprised and somewhat envious—Chunxiang had dared to challenge Head Zhao directly, indicating she must have some significant backing.

Chunxiang reveled in the attention of the other women, standing up with a swagger.

The door to the tent remained open, and when she accidentally met Jiang Yanyi’s gaze, her expression changed as if she had seen a ghost.

All her arrogance faded as she quickly left.

Jiang Yanyi found Chunxiang’s attitude toward her quite strange.

Other women in the camp were gossiping that Chunxiang had become close with a general and would likely be flaunting it for a while.

Recalling how Chunxiang looked when she had bumped into her coming out of the Poplar Forest this morning, Jiang Yanyi suspected they might be telling the truth.

But why was Chunxiang suddenly so afraid of her?

Was it because she feared she would expose her?

An almond-eyed woman approached with some vegetables.

Hearing the gossip about Chunxiang, she, being a close friend of Chunxiang, immediately assumed Jiang Yanyi was the one instigating the rumors.

With a mocking tone, she said, “Chunxiang is thriving these days, isn’t she? What’s it to you? You’re all fawning over someone who doesn’t even bother sharing a bit of her rewards with you. Chunxiang thinks of us sisters first! Are you all just jealous because you can’t taste the braised meat she brings back?”

The women cutting vegetables looked at her as she sashayed away, flirting with the soldiers of the Firehouse Camp, and they were infuriated enough to spit in disdain.

Qiu Kui, working nearby, noticed Jiang Yanyi’s conflicted expression and hesitated to speak, eventually deciding to remain silent given the busy atmosphere in the camp.

Jiang Yanyi was bewildered by the comments from Xinghua.

She slammed the knife down onto the cutting board, causing it to stick upright.

The sound, though small, drew the attention of many in the tent.

The soldiers thought she was angry and quickly distanced themselves from Xinghua.

Xinghua’s face turned pale; she recalled how she had almost lost her hand when she had tried to snatch taro from Jiang Yanyi before.

But Jiang Yanyi wasn’t angry at all; she had simply dropped the knife out of habit, and she couldn’t be bothered to explain.

She was uncertain if the false household registration she had submitted would be approved.

If not, and if she wanted to obtain proper registration, she would need to use money.

Thus, she needed to save as much money as she could for now.

Chef Li had given her the opportunity to join the cooking unit, so she had to seize it.

As Jiang Yanyi thought about these things, her hands didn’t slow down one bit.

The chestnuts were soaked in warm water to remove their skins.

She waited for the oil in the pan to heat up, then poured in the chestnuts to stir-fry them until they lost their color before scooping them into a small dish.

While the oil was still hot, she added the blanched chicken and stir-fried it, tossing in ginger slices and garlic to remove any fishy odor and enhance the flavor.

After seasoning with salt, she added a bit of soy sauce for color and drizzled Shaoxing wine around the edge of the pan for extra flavor.

The aroma soon filled the entire barracks.

Jiang Yanyi added the chestnuts back to the pan and poured in the broth that had been used to cook lion’s head meatballs earlier that day, letting it simmer for a quarter of an hour before removing it from the heat.

The chicken and chestnuts were both an appetizing golden color.

The chicken, simmered in the broth, was tender and flavorful, while the chestnuts were fragrant, sweet, and soft.

Just the smell alone made everyone in the kitchen’s stomachs growl several times.

That evening, the cooking unit sent the dish to Feng Shuo’s camp, but Feng Shuo wasn’t there.

Instead, it was Qi Qing, who had come to see Feng Shuo, who stumbled upon the dish.

Naturally, the entire plate of braised chestnut chicken ended up in Qi Qing’s stomach.

Feng Shuo had received that recipe earlier in the afternoon.

After hearing from Xing Yao that something seemed off with it, and with nothing pressing going on in the military camp, he returned to the royal residence early.

He summoned the doctor who had previously treated him, asking him to check whether there was anything in the recipe that could restore his sense of taste.

The doctor held the recipe and studied it for a long time, frowning more deeply the longer he looked. “It’s all just common ingredients. There are hardly any medicinal ones.”

Feng Shuo had already prepared himself for this, but hearing the doctor’s words still made his eyes darken for a moment, though he quickly returned to normal.

His handsome face revealed no emotion. “Thank you.”

The doctor had practiced medicine for most of his life and had seen all kinds of rare and difficult illnesses.

But Feng Shuo’s case—born without the sense of taste, only to suddenly regain it—was the first he had encountered.

The doctor wanted to subtly hint that what Feng Shuo perceived as taste might simply be a product of his imagination, but because of Feng Shuo’s high status and his notorious reputation, he didn’t dare say it outright.

Now, seeing that the recipe called for three taels of rock sugar and various seasonings thrown together haphazardly, the doctor’s frown deepened.

He worried that the cooks in the camp might be taking advantage of Feng Shuo’s inability to taste, serving him any random dish to get by.

Though born into nobility and accustomed to luxury, Feng Shuo had never experienced the flavors of the world.

For a moment, the doctor even felt a bit sorry for the infamous Prince of Liao Nan.

He said, “My lord, forgive me for being bold, but the lion’s head meatballs made from this recipe would likely be far too sweet to eat.”

Though the doctor spoke vaguely, Feng Shuo immediately grasped the hidden meaning.

Either someone was taking advantage of his lack of taste to mock him with subpar food, or the person who wrote the recipe didn’t know how to properly prepare lion’s head meatballs.

A flash of murderous intent instantly appeared in Feng Shuo’s sharp eyes.

Not even his personal guard, Xing Yao, knew about his lack of taste.

So how did the cooks in the camp know?

That left only one possibility.

Feng Shuo’s thin lips curved into a cold smile. “How audacious.”

In the poplar grove, a pair of wild lovers lay on the ground after a moment of passion.

The man wrapped the woman in his thick jacket.

His dark face looked simple and honest, but his eyes gleamed sharply.

This was Liu Cheng.

Still panting slightly, he asked, “You’re telling me the new girl made the lion’s head meatballs, and the old man didn’t even get punished by the general?”

Chunxiang pouted. “Yeah, it was all for nothing. This morning, when I went to get the laxative from you, that little tramp even saw me.”

Liu Cheng’s face changed instantly. “She saw everything?”

Chunxiang quickly said, “No, when I left the woods, she had just arrived.”

Only then did Liu Cheng relax a little.

Chunxiang traced circles on his chest with her finger and suddenly said, “When we first got together, you promised you’d help clear my criminal record and marry me. Does that still hold?”

The night hid the contempt and impatience in Liu Cheng’s eyes, but the words he spoke were full of tenderness. “Of course. I want to replace that old man Li in the cooking unit, so I can save up some money for our future. After all, you know how much money we can make from private kitchens in the camp.”

Chunxiang smiled sweetly. “When we have enough money, you can marry me.”

Liu Cheng was about to tell her she was being foolish when he saw her pull out a cloth bundle from under the poplar tree.

She opened it, and the silver ingots inside nearly blinded him in the moonlight.

He was so shocked he could barely speak. “Where did you get so much money?”

Chunxiang then explained how she had falsely claimed the reward. “Luckily, I’m smart. I remembered the way you told me to make the lion’s head meatballs this morning, which is how I earned such a generous reward.”

Liu Cheng, far more cautious than Chunxiang, cursed her for being an idiot. “Are you crazy? You dared to claim the general’s silver? If you’re caught, you’ll lose your head!”

Chunxiang, recalling the guards with their swords, felt a bit scared but couldn’t bear to part with the money.

She said, “I’m doing this for our future. With this money, we can buy a house in town for our wedding.”

Xizhou was a poor area, and real estate was cheap.

Liu Cheng sat up.

After being blown by the night wind for a while, he had completely calmed down.

He looked at Chunxiang and said, “Have you thought about what will happen if you’re caught?”

“Well…” Chunxiang hadn’t considered that at all.

Since getting the fifty taels of silver, she had only been thinking about how to escape her criminal record and leave the camp.

Liu Cheng, now tempted by the fifty taels, flashed a vicious look in his eyes. “If you don’t want to be caught, you’ll have to make sure that woman Jiang keeps her mouth shut.”

Chunxiang, knowing Jiang Yanyi’s temperament, said, “She’s no pushover. How could we get her to keep quiet?”

“Then make sure she can never speak again.”

Chunxiang met Liu Cheng’s gaze and suddenly understood.

She shivered violently.