After taking a bite of food, Xiao Yunying's appetite was whetted. She ate only a small bowl of rice, but she ate quite a lot of vegetables.

When she was about 70% full, she put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief handed to her by a maid.

"Has Miss Yunying finished eating?"

"Yes, I'm full."

"But none of these dishes suit my taste? Why am I eating so little?"

"I don't have a big appetite to begin with, and I haven't eaten much these past two days. I've been fasting for too long, so I can't eat too much for my first meal, or I'm afraid I'll feel unwell."

"The young lady is right. Someone, please remove these things."

The maids orderly cleared away everything and brought out several plates of fruits, snacks, and tea.

Xiao Yunying watched as Feng Yi poured her a cup of tea, but she didn't take it. "Your Highness, can you tell me now what you want to do with me? Is it to threaten Luo Sheng, to purify the salt, or to modify the weapons?"

Feng Yi placed the teacup in front of her: "Miss Yun Ying, why do you only think of these things? I'm not bragging, but I can get these things easily."

Xiao Yunying didn't speak, but tapped the rim of the teacup with her finger.

This tea set is her favorite type of transparent teaware, and upon closer inspection, it is exactly the same as the specially fired cherry blossom pattern on the set that Luo Chen brought back.

So far, Feng Yi has not uttered a single word that boasts about his power and ability, yet every detail she can see reveals these qualities.

"What, Miss Yunying doesn't believe me?"

Seeing that she didn't speak, Feng Yi beckoned to the maid beside him, who then brought over a brocade box.

He opened the brocade box, took out a stack of blueprints, and spread them on the table. Xiao Yunying glanced at them and confirmed that they were indeed her designs. She calmly looked away, but her heart was in turmoil.

What's going on? Shouldn't this be top secret? Before these weapons are mass-produced and distributed, the blueprints should be kept safe and not made public.

Seeing that she wasn't interested, Feng Yi put the drawing back: "The drawing you made has markings made by General Luo. If I take it out, it will be easily discovered. I had someone make a copy."

"Your Highness is truly remarkable."

Xiao Yunying couldn't stand his hypocritical act of pretending to be humble but showing off at every turn, so she simply adopted a nonchalant attitude and deliberately disgusted him, saying, "Since Your Highness has already obtained all of this, why did you capture me? It can't be because you covet my beauty, can it?"

What if I say so?

Xiao Yunying stiffened for a moment, then forced an awkward smile: "Hehe, Your Highness is too kind."

Feng Yi didn't say anything, just quietly looked at her.

Xiao Yunying's expression remained unchanged. After a while, Feng Yi finally spoke, "Before that, I would like you to meet an acquaintance."

Xiao Yunying breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from the stool: "When Your Highness mentioned acquaintances, I remembered. What about the leader who captured me, and the child who hurt my sister? I told them from the beginning that I was willing to go with them, but they still attacked and hurt my friend."

Feng Yi stood up and said, "If Miss Yunying wants to vent her anger, someone come and call Ying Yi and Ying Zhao over."

Xiao Yunying desperately needed a reason to change the subject, and only after following his words did she realize something was wrong.

Oh my god, this guy didn't just kill those two brothers, did he?

Fortunately, Feng Yi had been trying to recruit him and hadn't unilaterally issued a kill order.

When the two brothers knelt in the courtyard in front of the door, Xiao Yunying walked around them a few times before squatting down in front of Ying Zhao.

"You brat, haven't you always been so mean to me? Why aren't you saying anything now?"

Ying Zhao wanted to retort, but when she looked up, she met her master's gaze.

This was the first time he had seen his master with such an expression towards him—his gaze was icy, completely devoid of his usual kindness, which startled him so much that he immediately lowered his head.

Ying Yi, who was standing to the side, wanted to say a few words to beg for mercy, but he was afraid that saying too much would anger his master. Apart from being anxious, he could do nothing.

Xiao Yunying deliberately asked Ying Zhao, "Your Highness, you said that as long as I can vent my anger, I'll let them be punished as I see fit, right?"

Feng Yi, curious about what the girl would do, replied, "Of course."

"What if I wanted to kill them outright?"

"What method does that girl intend to use? Poison? Steaming? Torture by dismemberment? Or does she intend to do it herself?"

As Xiao Yunying watched as Ying Zhao's face paled with each word Feng Yi uttered, she stood up with satisfaction.

"Those two are your men, you can't just kill them like that."

"They're just a few bodyguards. Their lives are entirely up to me. I can decide whether they live or die."

The tone of his words was more like a warning to her, but Xiao Yunying pretended not to hear it: "Since Your Highness has investigated me, you should know that although I hold grudges, I do not kill. Since he only hurt my sister, I do not want his life."

"I have already said that you can do whatever you want with them, as long as it makes you feel better."

Xiao Yunying pretended to think as she looked at the two brothers: "How about this, give the younger one twenty strokes of the cane, and although the older one didn't lay a hand on me, he gave the order... Make him kneel in my yard every day until I feel better."

Feng Yi looked at him: "That's it?"

Xiao Yunying said matter-of-factly, "Didn't you say you were free to do whatever you wanted with me?"

"Then let's do as the young lady says. Guards, carry out the execution."

Xiao Yunying stood contentedly in the shade as several guards brought over a bench and a board, pressing the pale-faced Ying Zhao down onto them.

She thought to herself, "You brat, you dare to hurt people so easily and don't care about other people's lives. Today I'll teach you a lesson."

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