Jiang Yanyi was considering sending Bing Shao to the noodle shop as the manager.

Since Chu Zhong would spend most of his time looking after Chu Yanguo, she introduced a new waiter through Chef Yao and also hired a new assistant for the kitchen.

This way, Aunt Guo could come out to help her with the work.

One day, while she was calculating the expenses, Chu Changping unexpectedly arrived at the shop.

It was early afternoon, and the shop was quiet with only a few cats napping near the stove under the counter.

Jiang Yanyi poured a cup of hot tea for Chu Changping. “Uncle, what brings you here?”

Chu Changping avoided the main issue and said, “You and Yanguo have been away for a while. Your grandmother has been thinking of you both. If you have time in the next few days, you should go back and visit her.”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “I’ve been working on new dishes and was just planning to go and cook for my grandmother.”

Chu Changping nodded and continued, “I’ll be leaving Xizhou for a while. I’m worried your grandmother will be anxious. You and Yanguo should visit her more often, chat with her, and help lift her spirits.”

Jiang Yanyi was surprised. “Uncle, where are you going?”

Xizhou was under the control of Princr Feng Shuo of Liaonan.

Even though the southern regions were in chaos, no one dared to disturb the north for fear of provoking Feng Shuo and suffering losses.

Chu Changping looked at his niece and finally revealed the truth. “Chengmao is bringing Chengbai from Yongzhou to Xizhou. They were delayed because Chengbai’s concubine went into labor, and now they have been captured by the imperial soldiers. I’m going to rescue them.”

The information contained in Chu Changping’s words was overwhelming, and Jiang Yanyi took a moment to process it.

Chu Chengbai was the legitimate son of the Chu family.

Since only Chu Changping held an official position in the family, and Chu Chengbai had failed the imperial exams several times, Chu Daren entrusted him to Chu Changping for more training and exposure.

“This matter must not be known to your grandmother. If she were to get anxious and fall ill, that would be a problem,” Chu Changping instructed Jiang Yiyi.

Now she understood the true purpose of Chu Changping’s visit.

By visiting the old lady regularly, she and Chu Yanguo could help divert her attention and keep her from worrying too much.

There was no secret that wouldn’t be leaked.

If the news of Chu Changping’s rescue mission reached the old lady’s ears, considering the impact of Jiang Furen’s death, it would be a heavy blow.

The old lady might fall ill from the worry, as elderly people couldn’t handle such stress.

Suppressing her concerns, Jiang Yanyi said, “Uncle, don’t worry. I will definitely visit Grandma more often.”

Chu Changping sighed. “Your aunt is not someone who can manage things well, and your uncles only know how to squabble amongst themselves. Your cousins are kind-hearted, but they lack experience and can’t handle the bigger picture. I will be leaving this afternoon. If anything happens with the Chu family, I need you to keep an eye on things. I’ve left a hundred or so guards to watch over the house. If you need more manpower, you can transfer some from there.”

“Xizhou won’t have any problems. Uncle, focus on rescuing them and be careful on your journey,” Jiang Yanyi said, her brow furrowing with worry.

Chu Changping nodded.

Looking at his niece’s flawless features, he recalled the urgent news that had been delivered by Prince Feng Shuo’s men.

Finally, he decided to say what he had hesitated to express. “His Highness Feng Shuo has sent reinforcements. Ah Yi, your mother passed away early, and there are some things I shouldn’t say. However, I fear that if I don’t speak now, there may be no one left to tell you these things if I don’t come back. Prince Feng is a man of great ambition. He has a long way to go in life. While he cares for you now, if that affection fades, new relationships will surely arise.”

“Don’t be like your mother, who spent her whole life worrying. You need to learn to let go when necessary. Whether it’s saving some money or building a network for yourself in business, those will be your fallback options for the future.”

This was also the reason he had never interfered with Jiang Yiyi’s endeavors since he arrived in Xizhou.

After experiencing so much upheaval, Chu Changping understood that he couldn’t protect the Chu family forever.

The only way for the younger generation to have a smooth path ahead was to become capable on their own.

Chu Changping had never felt joy in knowing that his niece had caught the attention of Feng Shuo.

After all, who among the nobility was not a romantic?

What he liked today might change tomorrow.

When her mother married Jiang Shangshu, she had suffered a lot and returned to her family, where her relatives could still reprimand Jiang Shangshu.

If Jiang Yanyi were to suffer in the royal residence, her family would be unable to defend her in the same way.

In his heart, Chu Changping would prefer to find a steady young man from a modest family for Jiang Yanyi.

However, there was no time to put these thoughts into practice.

Seeing Jiang Yanyi’s eyes redden slightly from his words, Chu Changping quickly changed the subject: “Your uncle is leaving.”

Jiang Yanyi wiped the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief and hurried out to see him off: “Be careful on the road, uncle.”

Chu Changping mounted his horse and waved at Jiang Yanyi: “It’s cold outside, you should go back inside.”

After saying this, he pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and lightly squeezed its belly.

The horse carried him into the vast snowstorm, his black cloak trailing behind him on the horse’s back like a banner.

---

With such a major incident occurring in the Chu family, Jiang Yanyi naturally had to prioritize other matters.

That same day, she carefully delegated the store’s affairs.

When she planned to send Yang Xiu to the carriage to rent a vehicle, Feng Shuo seemed to have guessed that Chu Changping would say these things to her, and had already instructed the coachman from the manor to bring two carriages to the store’s entrance.

However, the carriages this time were much more low-key, looking no different from ordinary ones.

Chu Zhong helped carry Chu Yanguo onto the carriage.

Since the space was cramped, Jiang Yanyi asked Chu Zhong to share a carriage with Chu Yanguo while she went to the back carriage.

When she lifted the curtain to see who was inside, she was startled.

Feng Shuo wore a dark brocade robe, his long hair elegantly tied up with a jade crown.

His face was handsome and striking; only when he saw Jiang Yanyi did his narrow phoenix eyes soften a bit as he said, “Come in.”

Jiang Yanyi was afraid of being seen, so she quickly lowered the curtain and climbed into the carriage: “Are you planning to go to the Chu family with me?”

Feng Shuo raised an eyebrow slightly: “If you don’t mind, this prince can go like this.”

Seeing Jiang Yanyi frown, he stopped teasing and stated plainly: “A Turkic prince has escaped from prison, and they are currently searching the city for him. To be on the safe side, the western military camp must always be prepared for battle, and I need to go there to set up defenses. Your two cousins are currently on their way back to the capital under the escort of the governor of Danzhou. I have sent three thousand elite cavalry with your uncle to rescue them; there are indeed risks, but the chances of success are higher.”

Jiang Yanyi didn’t expect him to come specifically to see her just to reassure her with this news.

However, the mention of the escaped Turkic prince quickly reminded her of the original plot.

Logically, Jiang Yanxi should have already arrived in Xizhou by this time.

If she couldn’t escape the fate of the plot, it was highly likely that Jiang Yanxi had already encountered the Turkic prince.

To travel from the capital to Xizhou, Jiang Yanxi would definitely need a household registration document. As the Minister of Revenue, Minister Jiang could easily forge one.

In this era, transportation was inconvenient; it was usually merchants who traveled around, and ordinary people wouldn’t easily venture far.

Furthermore, Xizhou was a harsh and cold place, even those fleeing from the south would be reluctant to settle here.

This made it much easier to narrow down those who had come from the capital to Xizhou recently.

Finding Jiang Yanxi might just lead to capturing the Turkic prince.

Jiang Yanyi was unsure how to convey this news to Feng Shuo. She also worried that if the Turkic prince escaped back to his homeland, it might lead to war between the two countries.

So, she mustered her courage and said, “Perhaps we could check who has recently come from the capital?”

Feng Shuo frowned slightly, thinking that it was Chu Changping who had informed her of the truth behind how the Turkic prince had managed to infiltrate Xizhou city.

Although Feng Shuo trusted Jiang Yanyi, Chu Changping had been in the military for many years and should know that military matters shouldn’t be disclosed to outsiders.