Feng Shuo left the Fire Camp with a bag of candied chestnuts and a menu.

He glanced at the sky and decided not to return to the Wangfu but to head straight to his military tent.

He needed to find out whether the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family was dead and why the people in the Fire Camp mistook him for Chi Qing.

Upon returning to his military tent, he saw Chi Qing slumped in a chair, clutching his stomach.

His feet were carelessly propped up on a small table beside him, and his head was tilted back.

He was wearing a bamboo green outer robe, underneath which was a crescent white robe, positioned in a way that resembled a frog lying on its back.

“Your Highness.” Xing Yao bowed in greeting.

He had returned to the military camp a little later and, not having found Feng Shuo, was waiting in the main tent.

As soon as Chi Qing heard Xing Yao call him “Your Highness,” he shuddered and tumbled off the chair.

Looking up, he saw Feng Shuo staring at him with a grim expression.

Chi Qing chuckled awkwardly as he got up.

Noticing that Feng Shuo still held a bag of candied chestnuts, he covered his stomach, which was still cramping from overeating, and waved his hands repeatedly. “Why did you bring me a midnight snack? I can’t eat anymore, I can’t eat anymore…”

Feng Shuo had a larger appetite than most, and the meals prepared for him as the general were ample.

He had strolled over in the evening to find Feng Shuo and, hearing that Feng Shuo had gone back to the Wangfu earlier, he took it upon himself to handle dinner.

Unexpectedly, in a moment of greed, he had overindulged.

Feng Shuo returned to the desk where he dealt with official documents and set down the candied chestnuts. “Who said this is for you?”

Before Chi Qing could express his injury, Feng Shuo asked, “Are you aware of the private kitchens in the Fire Camp?”

Chi Qing suddenly felt a bit guilty, but since Feng Shuo had directly questioned him, he must have already known about it.

He nodded reluctantly and stole a glance at Feng Shuo.

However, Feng Shuo’s expression remained unchanged, making it impossible for him to discern anything.

This only made Chi Qing more flustered.

He racked his brain and said, “I only learned about it this morning, and I haven’t had a chance to check it out in person, which is why I didn’t report it to you.”

Feng Shuo unfolded a document and asked while looking through it, “What have you found out? Why is there a private kitchen in the military?”

Chi Qing wasn’t idle; after hearing about the private kitchen from a few soldiers that morning, he had already clarified the situation.

Upon hearing Feng Shuo’s question, he replied, “It’s all because of that scoundrel Fan Wei. He embezzles military salaries and rations, which leaves the rank-and-file soldiers eating coarse rice porridge every day. The Fire Camp set up a private kitchen, and he pockets 80% of the profits.”

The colder Feng Shuo’s expression grew as he listened, the more apprehensive Chi Qing became.

After Chi Qing finished speaking, Feng Shuo asked, “Have the troops from Liao Nan and Xi Zhou been eating coarse rice these past few days?”

Chi Qing nodded, “They’ve had porridge for breakfast and dinner, only getting rice at lunchtime.”

Feng Shuo tightened his grip on his brush, his expression showing a hint of anger. “Why hasn’t anyone reported this?”

Chi Qing muttered under his breath, “You know the troops you brought with you; if you made them gnaw on tree bark, they’d probably still have no complaints.”

Feng Shuo shot a fierce glare at Chi Qing, who immediately knew to keep quiet.

Feng Shuo then rubbed his temples and instructed Xing Yao, “Call over the supply officer for provisions!”

The supply officer quickly arrived at the tent.

After questioning him, Feng Shuo learned that they hadn’t yet coordinated with the Fire Camp on the other side.

The soldiers had been eating coarse rice for the past few days, and it wasn’t just the rank-and-file; even some officers believed that because Feng Shuo had moved to this barren land of Xi Zhou, there had been difficulties in transporting supplies.

So, they thought they’d be wise and avoid adding to his troubles by not bothering him about provisions, sharing the sentiment of standing with their lord in life-and-death situations, believing that food was nothing to complain about.

After hearing the supply officer’s explanation, Feng Shuo’s face turned as dark as a pot bottom.

Chi Qing stifled laughter, struggling not to lose his composure in front of everyone.

He had to turn away, his shoulders shaking suspiciously.

The oblivious supply officer thought he was moved to tears and felt that their military indeed had unity, with their passions surging to new heights.

He told Feng Shuo, “We are willing to risk our lives for Your Highness; our desire for food counts for nothing!”

Since he had followed Feng Shuo from Dazhou, he was still accustomed to addressing him as “Your Highness.”

Feng Shuo’s face darkened even further, and he said, “Immediately coordinate with the Fire Camp in Xi Zhou. From tomorrow onward, ensure that the three armies can eat good food.”

The supply officer was so touched by their lord’s consideration that his lips moved as if he wanted to say more lofty words.

Chi Qing quickly interrupted, “Alright, go handle the matter of the provisions.”

Once the supply officer left the main tent, Chi Qing clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath. “Your men actually think you’re too poor to provide for them… If you were truly a little poorer, perhaps the little emperor wouldn’t be so wary of you. But even if you lost Dazhou, there are still the wealthy provinces of Yuzhou and Hengzhou; calling you poor is absurd. Are there any rich people left in the world?”

Feng Shuo threw a document at him, hitting Chi Qing squarely on the forehead, and only then did Chi Qing slowly rein in his laughter.

He picked up the document and handed it to Xing Yao, who returned it to Feng Shuo’s desk.

Feng Shuo suddenly asked, “Who was responsible for handling the corpse of the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family before?”

Xing Yao was taken aback by the sudden question and replied, “It was the soldiers from the Tiger Step Camp.”

The soldiers of the Tiger Step Camp were infantry, but they had all been trained by Feng Shuo himself, so it was unlikely that they would betray him.

Feng Shuo’s eyes darkened: “You go investigate personally; you must clarify whether the one buried in the coffin that day was indeed the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family.”

Xing Yao sensed something unusual in Feng Shuo’s words and quickly bowed before saying, “I’ll go right away!”

After Xing Yao left the tent, Chi Qing finally asked, “From what you said, does that mean the Jiang family’s legitimate daughter is not dead?”

Feng Shuo’s phoenix eyes were deep and inscrutable. “You go to the Poplar Forest and bring back the list of camp prostitutes.”

Without waiting for Chi Qing to respond, he furrowed his brow, directly grabbed the cloak hanging on the wall, and walked outside. “Forget it, I’ll go myself.”

Meanwhile, back at the Firehouse Camp, after Feng Shuo had left, Jiang Yanyi noticed that Qiu Kui had a tearful expression and surprisingly understood her sadness.

She quickly said, “There are still some in the pot.”

Qiu Kui sniffled and shook her head, her round face full of stubbornness and simplicity. “That’s for you to use to take care of the Fire Camp. I won’t eat it.”

This girl was like that; if you said she was silly, she was surprisingly savvy in matters of human relations.

If you said she wasn’t silly, she had been sold and was still helping count money without realizing it.

Jiang Yanyi found herself both amused and exasperated.

She said, “You are also part of the Firehouse Camp.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Kui inexplicably became anxious.

She wanted to explain but didn’t know how, her eyes reddening with urgency. “I… I want to help you!”

After saying this, she added, “Not for the food.”

Though her words were somewhat ambiguous, Jiang Yanyi understood her intention.

She replied, “You silly girl, what are you thinking? You are different from the others. Look, you have sour and spicy noodles to eat, but others don’t. You can eat a lot of candied chestnuts; I wouldn’t give that many to anyone else.”

Only then did Qiu Kui show her simple smile again. “The ones you share with others aren’t enough; I won’t eat them.”

This foolish girl left Jiang Yanyi at a loss for words.

She returned to her quarters, packed all the candied chestnuts into a small basket, and handed each of the duty-bound fire soldiers a handful.

Starting from tomorrow, she would officially be the cook, and the soldiers had already seen how the dishes she made were favored by the military strategist.

They would receive rewards tomorrow, so they praised her highly.

Now that she was giving them candied chestnuts, sweet words flowed out easily.

Building good relationships would surely be useful in the future.

Jiang Yanyi greeted them and took the small basket with Qiu Kui back to the quarters near the Poplar Forest.

Autumn had arrived, and it was getting dark exceptionally early.

It wasn’t long after the hour of You when the outside was pitch black.

Fortunately, there were fire basins set up on triangular frames every few military tents.

Although they couldn’t illuminate every corner, they were enough to prevent anyone from getting lost.

Their quarters were adjacent to the Poplar Forest, quite a distance from where the soldiers lived.

After all, this was a military camp.

If the quarters of a group of camp prostitutes were too close to those of the soldiers, wouldn’t that lead the soldiers to scale the walls at night?

However, a stretch of road near the quarters by the Poplar Forest was unlit, so Jiang Yanyi had specifically brought a lantern.

Along the way, she forced a handful of candied chestnuts into Qiu Kui’s hands, who happily walked along, munching.

But perhaps due to eating too many different things that day, Qiu Kui suddenly clutched her stomach halfway there.

“I can’t hold it anymore… I… I need to go…” She looked both guilty and embarrassed.

Jiang Yanyi glanced around.

They were in a position that was neither too far nor too close; there was no time to reach the soldiers’ quarters or return to the Poplar Forest quarters.

Only a patch of tall grass was nearby.

To prevent enemy attacks, the entire Western State Camp was surrounded by sharp wooden fences, with guard posts set up every two hundred meters.

Beyond the grass patch was the Poplar Forest, but it was separated by a wooden fence.

Qiu Kui pointed at the grass patch. “I’ll go over there.”

Jiang Yanyi handed her the lantern. “Take this lantern with you; be careful of where you step.”

Qiu Kui waved her hand to refuse and hurried toward the grass patch.

Jiang Yanyi understood she was embarrassed to carry the lantern in case someone noticed, so she held the lantern and waited for Qiu Kui.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of sinister eyes was watching the two from within the grass.

Qiu Kui dashed over, and just as she found a spot and was about to unfasten her pants, she seemed to notice something.

She suddenly turned to the side, but before she could let out any sound, she was pounced on and had her mouth covered.

This commotion was a bit loud, causing Jiang Yanyi, who was waiting at the roadside, to look over.

The area by the grass patch was shrouded in darkness, and the lantern’s light couldn’t reach it, leaving only the blurred outline of the grass.

“Qiu Kui?”

She called out, but no one answered.

A gust of night wind blew through, rustling the grass. From afar, a few crows called out in the Poplar Forest.

Jiang Yanyi tightened her grip on the lantern’s handle and took a few steps forward, calling again, “Qiu Kui?”