Jiang Yanyi froze, her face flushing red.

This man…

How could he be like this!

Seeing her embarrassment, a faint smile spread across Feng Shuo’s eyes. “This time, I’m really leaving.”

Jiang Yanyi nodded.

As she watched Feng Shuo walk away, she went inside, put away the jerky she had made, and retired to her room to rest.

---

Jiang Yanyi’s hot pot shop was bustling as usual.

There had been battles in the south, affecting some merchants who traded with the southern region.

However, because trade was limited, the impact was minimal.

At first, people were anxious upon hearing about the war, but after a few days, life went on as normal.

Thanks to government regulation, the prices of rice and meat only rose slightly before stabilizing.

In response to the times, teahouses and restaurants not only discussed the southern battles but also recounted stories from past dynasties.

Storytellers had begun to focus on tales of war and patriotism, making Dream of the Red Chamber less popular.

So Jiang Yanyi brought out another classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which attracted even more customers.

She was so busy that she wished she had three heads and six arms.

When Chef Yao arrived, it finally gave her some relief.

Having experienced the attitudes at Taihe and Laifu restaurants, Chef Yao had become more grounded.

He even refused to accept the double salary she offered, settling for slightly less than his previous pay at Laifu, saying it would be enough.

Jiang Yanyi knew her shop’s workload was intense and paid her staff well, so she didn’t want to shortchange Chef Yao either.

She liked dealing with straightforward people.

After agreeing on his monthly salary, she took Chef Yao to the kitchen.

She had prepped all the meats for the dry pot dishes; once a customer placed an order, all they had to do was stir-fry it with vegetables.

But the step of sautéing the spices required skill, and if one wasn’t an experienced cook, it was easy to overdo it. Jiang Yanyi demonstrated once, and Chef Yao quickly got the hang of it.

He had a talent for stir-frying. His control of heat and timing was impeccable.

Jiang Yanyi tried a piece of his dry pot chicken wings.

Due to the difference in strength, Chef Yao’s wok-tossing and stirring motions were more efficient, and the seasoning was well-balanced.

She nodded in approval, trusting him to handle the dry pot dishes.

Just as she was about to head to the counter, Aunt Guo, who was standing on a stool hanging sausages, called out, “Boss, we might have a rat problem. Look at what it did to this sausage!”

Jiang Yanyi rushed over to see, and sure enough, the sausage Aunt Guo held was clearly gnawed on by a rat. “Auntie, please check if any other meat was chewed on.”

Aunt Guo moved the dried meat around, inspecting carefully. “Two more sausages are bitten, but the cured meat seems untouched.”

Jiang Yanyi said, “Take down all the sausages the rats got to. We can’t keep these.”

She had added extra spices when making the sausages, making them more fragrant, while the cured meat was only salted heavily, making it too salty for the rats.

She looked at the gnawed sausages, feeling both upset and angry.

She had been careless.

Since she hadn’t seen any traces of rats before, she had assumed there weren’t any, but now the sausages had been ruined.

“I’ll bring over the cats from next door this afternoon,” she said.

She had been feeding the cats for a while, and the mother cat was now friendly with her.

The kittens were a bit older and could roam around.

Whenever she visited Feng Shuo’s courtyard, she could spot cats in the flowerbeds, bamboo bushes, on the walls, and even under Feng Shuo’s desk.

Her only concern was whether the kittens would behave, as they might cause trouble in the kitchen if they got too rambunctious.

---

Meanwhile, in Feng Shuo’s study, his advisors were embroiled in a heated debate over whether to open the city gates of Xizhou.

“The longer the gates stay closed, the more anxious the people become! We’re even turning away refugees from the south, tarnishing Your Highness’s reputation!”

“But the Turkic prince hasn’t been found. If we open the gates, it’ll be like letting a tiger back into the wild!”

“We searched every inch of the city and found nothing. He’s probably not even in the city anymore!”

“Blame should fall on Secretary Song for his failure to properly handle the search!”

After a round of arguments, Feng Shuo furrowed his brow in irritation and scolded, “Enough.”

The study finally quieted down.

Feng Shuo spoke in a low voice, “Where is Clerk Song?”

“Here, Your Highness!” Clerk Song, who had originally been a military officer but later took on a civil position, stood tall and firm, more so than the average scholar.

After Governor Xie fell from power, Clerk Song was now in charge of the entire Xizhou prefecture office.

“The Turkic prince has yet to be found. You need to give me an explanation,” Feng Shuo said.

Cold sweat trickled down Song’s forehead.

He had searched all of Xizhou these past few days but still couldn’t find the prince.

It was as if the Turkic prince had vanished into thin air.

He knelt and said, “It is my failure.”

Standing behind him, Lu Linyuan clenched his fists and said, “Your Highness, we’ve searched all the men in Xizhou. I believe… we should now check the women in the city.”

Although Lu Linyuan was allowed to stand here, he hadn’t had the opportunity to speak yet.

His sudden words caused many to turn their surprised gazes toward him.

Lu Linyuan straightened his back.

This was his chance to prove himself.

Chu Changping had already gained Feng Shuo’s favor, and Lu Linyuan needed to show his capabilities quickly.

Otherwise, even if he had great ambitions, without power, he would have no way to achieve them.

In his previous life, the Turkic prince had disguised himself as a woman and stayed close to Jiang Yanxi, almost deceiving even Lu Linyuan himself.

After hearing Jiang Yanyi’s words last night, Feng Shuo had sent Xing Yao to search through all the women in the city, cross-referencing local household registrations and the travel documents of outsiders.

However, Xizhou was neither too large nor too small, and results weren’t quick to come.

Feng Shuo’s initial intention was to have Clerk Song investigate the women in the city, but Lu Linyuan brought it up unexpectedly.

Pushing aside his doubts, Feng Shuo asked, “Why do you say this?”

Lu Linyuan replied, “Xizhou has been sealed off for days. Unless the Turkic prince can fly or dig tunnels, he is still in the city. Rumor has it that the prince has delicate, feminine features, so it’s possible he is in disguise.”

Cross-dressing sounded absurd, and the officials around the room had mixed expressions as they awaited Feng Shuo’s decision.

Feng Shuo said, “Proceed with your plan.”

Lu Linyuan’s excitement was evident as he quickly bowed and said, “I accept the command!”

It was already noon, and Feng Shuo turned to the others in the room, saying, “You may all go and eat.”

The officials gradually left the study.

The butler, Fu Xi, entered with prepared food. “Your Highness, it’s time to eat.”

Usually, Jiang Yanyi made medicinal meals for Feng Shuo, but lately, she had been so busy that Feng Shuo, feeling sorry for her, had decided not to trouble her anymore, especially since he was preparing to leave for the military camp for a while.

Yet, as he stared at the steaming soup in front of him, he had no appetite.

He recalled their time at the Xizhou military camp when Dingjia Village was attacked, and it was Jiang Yanyi who had leaked the information.

Last night, her casual remark had unintentionally made him realize that the Turkic prince might be disguised as a woman hiding in Xizhou.

As for Lu Linyuan, not only had he known about the attack on Dingjia Village, but now he had also suggested that the Turkic prince might be in disguise.

It seemed coincidental, but upon closer thought, it was too coincidental.

It was as if they had both known in advance that these events would happen and were only speaking up at the right time with a reasonable explanation.