After Ji Chengkang spoke with the prince, he patiently waited for a few more days. However, it seemed that the prince had completely forgotten about returning home. Since the princess sent a letter, she had sent one letter after another to urge him to return.

In addition to writing to the Prince, the Princess also wrote to Ji Chengkang. Her letter to Ji Chengkang was to ask him why the Prince had not yet set off to return, since the mission to comfort the troops had not been completed.

In addition to the letter from the princess, Ji Chengkang also received a letter from the emperor.

The Emperor's letter also urged the Prince to return, but the Emperor knew perfectly well why the Prince was not returning to the capital.

Perhaps the Emperor also felt guilty about bestowing marriages upon the old prince to two shrewish wives, causing the old prince to wander the world at his advanced age. Therefore, his wording was rather tactful, only instructing the old prince to return to the capital as soon as the matter was settled.

“Your Highness, you have no intention of leaving.” Ji Chengkang glanced at Lu Lin and said.

Lu Lin pursed his lips. If the prince didn't want to leave, why was General Ji glaring at him? It wasn't like he was the one stopping the prince from leaving.

Although the old prince used the excuse of not wanting to give up the delicious food, that was just a superficial reason. The real reason was probably that he was afraid of his wife.

"Did the princess send a letter urging us to come back?" Lu Lin asked.

Ji Chengkang nodded. "Yes, this is the third letter."

Lu Lin: "..." This is the ancient version of a deadly barrage of calls.

The two tigresses in the prince's household are incredibly fierce!

"The prince seems quite interested in the food on Shaxian Street." Ji Chengkang looked at Lu Lin, his eyes pleading.

Lu Lin: "..." The food is his secret recipe. If he took it to Kyoto, he could make a lot of money. It's a pity that he doesn't have time to go to Kyoto right now.

Lu Lin looked at Ji Chengkang and said, "General Ji, do you really want to send the Prince back?"

Ji Chengkang gave a wry smile and said, "Your Highness's mission is over, and it's time for you to go back."

The prince was doing well in the county government office, but his personal guards were not doing so well in the military camp. Many of the prince's personal guards were collateral relatives of some big families in the capital. Although he could keep such a group of people in his military camp, it was not a good thing in the long run.

He then handed over the hot pot broth recipe to the prince, who accepted Lu Lin's recipe with great satisfaction.

Ji Chengkang waited a few more days before finally sending Prince Cheng away.

Before leaving, Prince Cheng packed up a lot of roasted meat, much like Chen Xiaomai back in the day, which left Lu Lin speechless.

With Prince Cheng gone, Lu Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was an honor for the prince to take notice of him, Lu Lin still felt somewhat constrained with such an important figure around.

"Finally gone." Chen Xiaomi collapsed onto the bed, feeling a sense of exhilarating relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Are you very tired?" Lu Lin asked, glancing at Chen Xiaomi.

Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "A little." When the prince was around, he had to keep an eye on the two little ones, to prevent Yuanbao and Chongchong from causing trouble, and he also had to keep an eye on Xiaomai, telling that guy not to talk nonsense. He was very busy.

Wheat seems to have received a lot. Wheat is a very good cook, and every now and then, she will give the two little ones a special meal.

Sometimes, when the prince liked something, he would give it to Xiaomai, along with his jade pendants and other small gifts.

The things that Prince Cheng uses are naturally all of the best.

Although they are just small trinkets, they are all of excellent quality. If taken to Kyoto, they should be able to fetch several hundred taels of silver. Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Wheat is still very likable."

At first, Chen Xiaomi was worried that Xiaomai might offend people without thinking. However, the prince saw that Xiaomai always smiled and that he didn't seem to be angry even when Xiaomai spoke without thinking.

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Yes! Everyone loves our wheat."

Back when he and Chen Xiaomi were just starting out, they sold animal skin gloves. They were able to sell them all so smoothly thanks to the brand name of wheat.

Not long after Prince Cheng left, Lu Lin was promoted from a seventh-rank county magistrate to a sixth-rank one, and the territory of Sha County also expanded considerably. Although they were both county magistrates, there were different ranks, with the highest being the fifth rank. Lu Lin's promotion from the seventh to the sixth rank was clearly due to Prince Cheng's influence.

Of course, Lu Lin's smooth promotion was also related to his invention of the curved plow. Back then, the emperor didn't promote Lu Lin because he wasn't qualified enough. Three years later, Prince Cheng said a few good words to Lu Lin, and Lu Lin's rank rose to the sixth grade. In the end, Lu Lin's reliance on buying his way into office somewhat limited his development. Otherwise, with the prince's guarantee, although he might not have been able to rise to the fourth-grade prefect in one go, he would have been more than qualified to become a fifth-grade county magistrate in a better place.

Lu Lin was very excited to find that he had been promoted. Although he did not have the ambition to become a first-rank official, people always strive for higher positions, and he was still happy to have a higher rank.

"The prince is a good person!"

Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Yes!"

Lu Lin was promoted a few days after the prince left. The prince must have put in a lot of effort for Lu Lin long before, otherwise the promotion would not have come so quickly.

"I don't know where the prince is now."

Chen Xiaomi blinked and said, "Your Highness probably can't walk fast." Since Your Highness didn't want to go back, he certainly couldn't walk fast.

Lu Lin scratched his head and said, "It's not easy being a prince!"

Chen Xiaomi nodded.

"Your Highness, we've arrived at Feng Town," a soldier reported to Prince Cheng.

"Fengzhen seems much more prosperous than Shaxian. Let's stay here for a few days and try the local specialties," Prince Cheng said leisurely.

When Prince Cheng was in Shaxian, he ate many delicacies he had never tasted before, and he was quite looking forward to the local food. On his way back, he would stop in every town he visited to sample the local cuisine.

However, along the way, Prince Cheng was somewhat disappointed.

Apart from Shaxian County, the dishes in other towns and cities are all pretty much the same, much like restaurants in Kyoto, with nothing particularly special.

Several times, halfway there, Prince Cheng had the idea of ​​turning back to Sha County, but his subordinates dissuaded him from doing so as soon as the thought crossed his mind.

Fortunately, Prince Cheng was persuaded to stay; otherwise, his turning back halfway would have certainly caused a great uproar.

"The dishes here are very ordinary!" Prince Cheng took a couple of bites and then lost interest.

Prince Cheng's palate has become quite discerning after indulging in hot pot and barbecue in Kyoto.

"Your Highness, how can a restaurant in such a small place compare to those in the capital?" the head guard said helplessly.

Prince Cheng frowned, thought for a moment, and felt that it was normal for such a small place to not have much good food. In contrast, it was abnormal that Shaxian had a wide variety of delicious food.

"There might not be many good places to eat in the capital," Prince Cheng said, shaking his head.

The guards looked at Prince Cheng with a sense of helplessness.

Lu Lin was in the county government office when he received a letter from another place.

"Who sent the letter?" Chen Xiaomi asked.

Lu Lin said helplessly, "It was the prince's chef who came. They made hot pot, but the taste was a little off, so they urgently sent me a message asking if I had any ideas."

"What do you think is going on?"

Lu Lin shook his head and said, "If it's not a problem with the skill, it's probably a psychological problem."

Foods like dry pot and hot pot are usually best enjoyed the first time you eat them; they can get cloying after a while.

"The prince wanted to turn back, which terrified several soldiers."

Chen Xiaomi twitched and said, "Your Highness wouldn't really come back just for a bite to eat, would he?"

Lu Lin shook his head and said, "No, I was persuaded not to."

Chen Xiaomi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Luckily, they managed to persuade them to stay calm."

“That’s right. The prince’s two primary wives have been looking forward to his return. If they knew that the prince has been staying here because of the food, they would probably be worried about us.” Lu Lin shook his head and said.

Chen Xiaomi blinked and said, "Yes!" The prince avoids his two consorts like the plague, let alone them.

With Prince Cheng gone, Chen Xiaocai breathed a sigh of relief.

Before Prince Cheng, he had frequented his shop. Chen Xiaocai was afraid that the shop's employees would offend the distinguished guest, so he often gave his employees instructions.

Because the prince needs to maintain the image of sharing weal and woe with his soldiers, Chen Xiaocai also has to help conceal the prince's true identity, which is quite a hard job.

Fortunately, Prince Cheng had a good temper, and the shop's staff were very obedient. Over the course of the month, both host and guests enjoyed themselves.

Lu Lin stroked his chin and said, "Xiao Cai and Shen Chi are going back to their hometown."

Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "Yes!"

Lu Lin stroked his chin. People here take the grave-sweeping ceremony very seriously. Many elderly people have no children and are afraid that after they die, no one will burn paper money for them, leaving them to live in poverty outside.

Granny Shen has been dead for several years now. Shen Chi left his hometown with Chen Xiaolai a few years ago, and it's really time for him to go back and visit her.

"Xiao Mi, are you going back?" Lu Lin asked.

Chen Xiaomi shook her head and said, "No need. My parents can have some side dishes and incense offered. What about you?"

Lu Lin shook his head and said, "I don't need it."

Lu Lin thought to himself: When he transmigrated, the original owner of this body was already dead. The Lu family had exchanged him for ten taels of silver as a betrothal gift. In a way, he didn't owe the Lu family anything. As for those nominal relatives, even the original owner's parents, Lu Lin didn't feel much. Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "In that case, I'll have Xiao Cai go and help light some incense."

Lu Lin thought for a moment and said, "Alright." After all, he had taken over the original owner's body, so he still owed her a favor.

The next day.

Chen Xiaomi prepared two carriages for Chen Xiaocai, and Chen Xiaocai also found several retired soldiers to be his attendants. They were about to set off back to Dashi Village. Chen Chi hugged Chen Nian and said to Chen Xiaomi with some reluctance, "Big brother, we're leaving."

Chen Xiaomi looked at the little doll in Chen Chi's hand and said, "Be careful on the road."

Chen Chi nodded and said, "Understood."

"Go early and come back early, don't get entangled with the villagers," Chen Xiaomi said.

Chen Xiaocai nodded and said, "I understand."

Chen Chi waved to Chen Xiaomi and the others, then climbed into the carriage.

Chen Xiaomi glanced at Chen Xiaocai and said, "Let's set off as soon as possible, don't delay."

Chen Xiaocai nodded and said, "Okay."

Chen Xiaocai boarded the carriage, called a group of people to clear the way, and headed towards Lin Town.

Lu Lin watched Chen Xiaocai leave, a smile playing on his lips. "Our Xiaocai, she'll be a wealthy landowner when she gets back."

Chen Xiaomi nodded, thinking to herself: Xiao Cai is so successful, if her father and mother were still alive, they would be very proud.

Chen Nian was fast asleep, her little fists clenched, snot bubbles coming out of her nose, looking incredibly cute.

Looking at the doll in his hand, Chen Chi felt a surge of tenderness.

Shen Nian sighed, thinking to herself: Grandma died too young. If she were still alive, she would probably love Nian'er so much.

Chen Xiaocai sat in the car, watching the scenery flash by outside the window, feeling a sense of pride and high spirits.

Chen Chi said excitedly, "It's been so many years since I've been back!"

Chen Xiaocai nodded, "Yes! I wonder what Linzhen is like now."

Back then, after Lu Lin was tricked by the county magistrate into buying an official position, he never returned to Lin Town. Most of the news he got from Lin Town came from Zhang Rui, who came from Lin Town. However, Zhang Rui has also rarely returned in recent years and doesn't know much about it either.

Chen Chi looked at Chen Xiaocai and said, "If you go back like this, the Chen family might cause you trouble."

Chen Xiaocai said calmly, "It's alright."

Things are different now. Xiao Cai no longer respects the Chen family. His relationship with the Chen family was severed long ago because of that letter severing ties. Just in case, Chen Xiaomi made Chen Xiao Cai carry the letter with him.