Chapter 362 Are you really alright?

Looking back now, even in the capital, there was some minor chaos. How could there possibly be complete peace in other places, which are even further away from the emperor?

"Alright! From now on, we have one more goal for our journey, which is to punish evil and promote good!" Sheng Sheng waved her little hand with inexplicable determination.

Zijuan didn't quite understand how her thinking had suddenly shifted to this point; she didn't understand but supported her.

"What Miss said is so true!" Zijuan clapped her hands.

"Um!"

Sheng Sheng's eyes crinkled with delight at Zi Juan's flattery, her chin slightly raised, making her look like a spirited little sparrow. Clenching her fist, she added, "It's not just about punishing evil and promoting good! We should also pay more attention to the scenery along the way. If we see someone being bullied or in trouble, we should lend a hand if we can. However, Sheng Sheng has learned her lesson now and can't be as impulsive as she was tonight, otherwise she'll just be making things worse if she gets into trouble."

Looking at the sparkling light in her eyes, Zijuan found her princess's vibrant energy incredibly endearing and smiled in response.

“Miss is right! On our journey, we should not only travel safely, but also do some pleasant things. Although our goal is to go to Jin to get the Rejuvenating Herb, if we encounter any things along the way that are unbearable to see, we will definitely help if we can.”

"I knew Zijuan understood me best!" Sheng Sheng clapped her hands with delight, turned and ran into the inner room with great speed. "Zijuan, come quickly, I need to wash up and then go to bed! When I wake up tomorrow, I can find out the outcome of Black Wind Stronghold from my brother."

As she spoke, she turned back and winked at Zijuan. That childlike vivacity, mixed with a touch of newly learned composure, made her even more captivating than usual.

...

The next morning.

As soon as Sheng Sheng opened her eyes, she saw Shi Tou and Yan Hu's heads hovering above her, staring at her.

Still a little sleepy and not fully awake, Sheng Sheng blinked to wake herself up, patted the little guy's head with one hand, yawned and said good morning.

"Yan Hu, Shi Tou, where is Zi Juan?"

Yan Hu knew what Sheng Sheng wanted to hear: "Zijuan went to get you breakfast. His Highness the Crown Prince didn't return all night. I heard that after the Black Wind Stronghold chief was seriously injured last night, the government's attack on the stronghold went very smoothly. Now, the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold are either dead or imprisoned."

Sheng Sheng perked up immediately: "Ha! So, Black Wind Stronghold is gone?"

"Yes, Master, from now on there will be no more bandits harassing the people. We've done our part in this!"

Sheng Sheng smiled gently: "It's all thanks to your efforts."

Shengsheng got out of bed, folded the quilt herself, and dressed herself before Zijuan returned with a pile of breakfast.

"Oh, Miss is up?"

"Um!"

"Then this servant will help Miss wash up. These breakfasts were all sent by the young master. He also instructed this servant to take Miss to the prefectural government office after Miss has finished breakfast."

"To the prefectural government?"

Xie Yunshang did not return home all night, and Sheng Sheng pondered that he probably dealt with the Black Wind Stronghold matter with Prefect Tang overnight.

Zijuan put her things down and went out to fetch water. Shengsheng stood in front of the table and looked at the sumptuous breakfast, which included knife-cut noodles that she hadn't been able to eat yesterday.

Sheng Sheng leaned closer to take a sniff, and the rich aroma of noodles mixed with the mellow broth wafted straight to her nose, making her mouth water involuntarily.

Yesterday I was so preoccupied with the Black Wind Stronghold incident that I didn't even get to eat the knife-cut noodles I'd been craving. I didn't expect Xie Yun to remember this and specially have them made this morning.

Sheng Sheng poked at the evenly thick noodles in the bowl with her chopsticks. The soft, smooth, and chewy texture came through the tips of the chopsticks. Just as she was about to pick up her chopsticks to take a bite, she remembered that she hadn't washed up yet, so she swallowed and awkwardly put down her chopsticks.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small dish of pickled cowpeas and a small dish of chopped green onions on the corner of the table—her favorite side dishes, which she would always add two large spoonfuls to her noodles.

"My brother still loves me after all." She smiled gently, feeling warm inside.

After quickly washing up and feeding Shi Tou and Yan Hu, Sheng Sheng ate the rest of the food with Zi Juan. She then told the two little ones to wait obediently at the inn before setting off for the prefectural government.

Upon exiting the inn, I saw that Zhui Feng was already waiting at the door in his carriage.

"Chasing the Wind!"

Sheng Sheng hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "How was it? Was it intense last night? Are you all alright?"

Zhui Feng jumped off the carriage, placed a footstool for Sheng Sheng, and replied, "Don't worry, Miss, we're all fine. Black Wind Stronghold is indeed easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it has many homemade weapons for defense. However, after the Black Wind Stronghold leader took some people to Water Temple Village to try to divert our attention, the number of people in Black Wind Stronghold was greatly reduced. We held back and helped, and although there were some setbacks, we still won almost completely in the end."

"That's good." Sheng Sheng smiled. "You must have been busy until very late yesterday. I heard that my brother didn't sleep all night. You must be exhausted. Zhui Feng, go and rest. Sheng Sheng and Sister Zi Juan can go to the prefectural government together."

Zhui Feng's eyes flickered, and the concern and worry in the little dumpling's eyes were so sincere.

“Miss, don’t worry. We’ve already taken turns resting while the young master was discussing matters with Lord Tang. As for the young master, he spent the whole night discussing matters with Lord Tang, mainly interrogating that Magistrate Lin in prison. He really didn’t sleep a wink. When you go to the prefect’s office later, you can give him some advice.”

"Ah, I see. It seems that you found something in the study yesterday, and there is evidence to prove that Lin Tongzhi is not right. That's why you interrogated him so hastily overnight."

Sheng Sheng nodded, "Okay, then we'll bring some food for my brother on the way."

He then got into the carriage and urged Zijuan to get on quickly as well: "Sister Zijuan, come on quickly, let's go find my brother!"

"Oh, Miss, I'm coming right away."

Zijuan lifted the hem of her skirt and boarded the carriage. Halfway there, she paused, hesitatingly turning her head to look at Zhuifeng.

But then she suddenly realized that Zhui Feng was also looking at her.

Zijuan was startled, quickly lowered her eyes and turned away, then took another step nervously.

Zhui Feng remained calm, but he seemed puzzled by her sudden unease. As a result, Zi Juan stopped looking at him, but Zhui Feng continued to stare at her.

Zijuan had already lifted the curtain with one hand, but after thinking for a moment, she put it down again.

"Lord Chasing Wind, are you... really alright?"

Zijuan lowered her head, not daring to look at him, and it took her a long time to finally ask this question.

After asking, she waited for a long time without getting a reply from Zhui Feng, so she could only cautiously and secretly look up at him.

The moment their eyes met, Zhuifeng said, "Yeah, it's nothing."