Four days have passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, Shen Wan was idly lounging on a small couch, flipping through a flower album to see which patterns to embroider. Haitang stood beside her, fanning her.

Dong'er brought in a tray with a plate of bayberries on it. The bayberries looked very appealing. Dong'er said, "Your Highness, these are fresh bayberries sent from the palace this morning. The kitchen soaked them in salt water, then marinated them in sugar, and then chilled them for a while. They are very refreshing and appetizing. Please try them."

Shen Wan has always loved eating bayberries, and immediately reached out and picked one. The purplish-red flesh was soft and tender, sweet and juicy, nine parts sweet and one part sour, just the right amount of sourness. Less than one part would be too sweet, and more than one part would be too sour.

However, not every bayberry is perfectly sweet and sour; Shen Wan ate three, and they were all different in sweetness and sourness.

When she reached for the fourth fruit, her hand was almost touching Yang Mei. Remembering how Xie Jingyan had teased her before, Shen Wan decisively pulled her hand back and took Yang Mei to the study to find Xie Jingyan.

Inside the study, Xie Jingyan was reading a military book. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Shen Wan walk in, with Haitang following behind carrying a tray.

Walking to the desk, Shen Wan picked up the bayberry, and Haitang withdrew.

Xie Jingyan raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought you wouldn't bring me food anymore."

Since delivering pears last time, Shen Wan has not personally delivered any food to Xie Jingyan.

Shen Wan put down the bayberries and said, "These bayberries were specially sent to you from the palace. There's only one plate of them, so I had to bring them out for you to try."

As she spoke, Shen Wan took a pill and tried to put it in Xie Jingyan's mouth.

Xie Jingyan asked warily, "It won't be too sour, will it?"

Shen Wan said, "It's sweet."

Xie Jingyan then opened his mouth, and Chen Wan asked in a low, muffled voice, "I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

I didn't lie to him.

But he always felt that this woman was setting a trap for him.

After Xie Jingyan finished eating one, Shen Wan stuffed another one into his mouth.

It's still sweet.

Two sweet and sour plums made Xie Jingyan lower his guard, and then a third one was stuffed into his hand...

One bite.

The juice overflowed.

The man's face, which seemed to bring chaos to all directions, almost burst with sourness.

Seeing this, Shen Wan tried to escape, but was caught the next second. Xie Jingyan pulled Shen Wan into his arms, letting her experience that sour feeling.

After kissing for a while, Xie Jingyan finally released Shen Wan. "Will you tease me again next time?"

Shen Wan retorted defiantly, "Didn't I learn from you?"

Xie Jingyan said, "When have I ever teased you like this?"

Shen Wan raised her chin and said, "You forgot, you and my older brother tricked me into thinking that sour plums were delicious..."

When Shen Wan reminded him, Xie Jingyan remembered this incident. Back then, when he went to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence to learn military strategy and martial arts, he saw plums for sale on his way from the palace. They looked delicious, so he bought some and brought them to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

But the plums were indeed beautiful, and they were also really sour. Shen Du took a bite and said they were sweet, and then asked him to try them. He was sour, but he still forced himself to say they were sweet. Shen Wan took a bite, and her little face scrunched up from the sourness before they spat them out. That time, Shen Wan chased after them and beat them up, and then told Shen Jing about them.

"You remembered?" Shen Wan snorted.

Xie Jingyan pinched Chen Wan's nose, his face full of doting smiles, "You really are a gentleman who takes revenge even after ten years."

Shen Wan was about to get up when there was a knock on the door, and Chen Feng's voice came, "Master, your bow and arrows have been brought."

"Come in."

When Xie Jingyan spoke, he released Shen Wan, and Shen Wan quickly stood aside.

Chen Feng came in with a bow and arrows. Shen Wan looked at Xie Jingyan and asked, "What do you need the bow and arrows for?"

This seems like a pointless exercise.

What are bows and arrows used for? Xie Jingyan uses bows and arrows for what purpose?

Xie Jingyan told Shen Wan, "Tomorrow you'll go hunting with your older brother and the others."

Shen Wan immediately thought of Xie Jingyan's fall from his horse and broken legs at the hunting grounds. She disapproved of Xie Jingyan hunting from the bottom of her heart, but she also knew that it was wrong to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Besides, in her previous life, Xie Jingyan had raised an army in the Northwest to rebel, and fighting on the battlefield was much more dangerous than hunting. If he couldn't even overcome a small hunting trip, then Xie Jingyan would not be the Xie Jingyan she knew.

Shen Wan didn't offer any words of advice, only reminding him, "Then you must be careful."

Xie Jingyan was about to speak when there was a knock on the window. A guard jumped in and said, "Master, I'm back to report."

This bodyguard was sent by Xie Jingyan to fetch Princess Huyang's biological child.

Xie Jingyan asked, "Is it certain that the hunter's son is the biological son of Princess Huyang and her husband?"

The guard replied, "The hunter's son has the birthmark the prince consort mentioned, so his identity has been confirmed, but..."

"But what?" Shen Wan asked.

The guard replied, "We rushed there but didn't find him. We confirmed his identity with the hunter couple who adopted Princess Huyang's biological son."

Shen Wan frowned. "How could we not have picked them up?"

The guard said, "According to the hunter and his wife, Doctor Tao saved the hunter's life. After the hunter's son gave Doctor Tao the longevity lock he had worn since childhood as payment for the consultation, he couldn't muster the energy to do anything. So the hunter told him to take the payment to the capital to see Doctor Tao. Judging from the dates, Princess Huyang's biological son may have already arrived in the capital by the time we set off."

"But I asked Steward Zhou, and these days, apart from the Prince Cheng's residence, no one has come to see Doctor Tao."

Since they entered the capital in exchange for a long life, it was impossible for them not to come to the Ling Prince's residence.

Shen Wan was a little worried, "Could something have happened on the way to the capital?"

Xie Jingyan also shared this concern.

The guard said, "Probably not. The hunter said that Princess Huyang's biological son knows some martial arts; even five or six servants together couldn't beat him. He's especially skilled with a bow and arrow, able to pierce through lice and willow branches. Once he sets his sights on prey, none can escape..."

Why does this person's name sound so familiar?

The image of a hunter flashed through my mind.

Shen Wan looked at Xie Jingyan with a twitching smile. "The guy we met while shopping last time looks a lot like you. Could the hunter who was provoked by the heir of the Duke of Mao be the son of Princess Huyang?"

She still remembered Tang Ze asking him if he had found the person he was looking for...

The hunter, whose features resembled Xie Jingyan's, had come to the capital to find someone.

So many coincidences, it can't be a coincidence.

Xie Jingyan rubbed his forehead and said, "It's most likely him."

He even sent people to look for him, but when they came to him, he didn't recognize them.

It's one thing if they don't know each other, but the eldest son-in-law and his own son don't recognize each other when they meet.

Chen Feng said, "Young Master Tang advised him to leave the capital at the time, but I don't know if he left or not."

The guard said, "Although my men and the Prince Consort's men didn't find him, they brought the hunter couple who adopted Princess Huyang's biological son and their daughter to the capital. We didn't see him on the way..."

However, not seeing them doesn't mean they haven't left the capital. If they were hunting in the mountains, it would be strange if they ran into them on the official road to the capital.

Xie Jingyan pondered for a moment, then turned and sat down at his desk. He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and drew the hunter's appearance. Then he said to Shen Wan, "I'm going to the residence of Princess Huyang."