Chapter 22. His lifelong innocence is ruined!

Lu Mingzhu's resounding words made Feng Mian secretly chuckle. She had to pretend to stop him and glance at him sideways before turning back and saying, "Your Highness doesn't think that I can't handle a few idlers and a few shops, does he?"

"I simply didn't want things to get too ugly with the people. I also felt it was a good opportunity to do something for the soldiers, so it was a win-win situation, not for selfish gain. Is Your Highness being too prejudiced against me?"

Bai Lixunzhou's skin wasn't as thick as Yao Zhiyuan's, and he blushed slightly. Although he still hadn't let go of his suspicions about whether she had ulterior motives, they had indeed assumed her intentions were terrible based solely on prejudice.

Just as he was about to speak, Yao Zhiyuan, who was standing calmly to the side, suddenly said, "It seems that the princess's shops are able to keep track of the movements in the East and West Markets? I wonder if this is an accident or something the princess did on purpose?"

The question was phrased politely, but judging from the shops circled in vermilion ink, it was clear she had done it on purpose. Feng Mian showed them the map, prepared for them to see through her act, and readily admitted, "Yes, it was intentional."

She raised her chin, a hint of displeasure in her voice. "I don't want to hear about my future husband's whereabouts from other women."

Other women? What women?

Lu Mingzhu's brows were furrowed tightly, and his gaze seemed to pierce a hole in Baili Xunzhou's body.

Yao Zhiyuan was also taken aback and glanced at Baili Xunzhou: "You've been hiding people in the military camp?"

Baili Xunzhou felt as if a huge pot had been poured over his head, leaving him so wronged that he almost fainted. "What woman? Where did this other woman come from?"

“I neither planted spies around Your Highness nor deliberately concealed my purchase of the shop. Your Highness should be able to see my sincerity, right?” Feng Mian didn’t explain a word, and then got up to take his leave. “Whether or not you want to seek this benefit for the soldiers, Your Highness, please consider it and come back to me.”

"Wait..." Baili Xunzhou was about to say something when Yao Zhiyuan pressed his shoulder and interrupted, "No need to consider it anymore. This move is entirely beneficial and without any harm. On behalf of all the soldiers, I, Yao, thank the Princess!"

Feng Mian nodded in satisfaction. This strategist Yao was indeed pragmatic.

"Then I'll trouble the strategist to brief Lord Lu on the general situation of the soldiers in each battalion later, so we can start making the certificates." She glanced at the table with the food set on it and added, "No rush, we can get started after lunch."

Yao Zhiyuan was even more satisfied and raised his hand in a salute: "Respectfully seeing off the Princess."

The group disappeared from sight in a grand procession. Yao Zhiyuan patted Baili Xunzhou on the shoulder: "For everyone's sake, Your Highness, please submit for now. Your Highness need not worry; you can plan for a divorce after the marriage."

Baili Xunzhou gritted his teeth. How could everything be alright? She hadn't even clearly explained what kind of woman she was, and his reputation was ruined!

Baili Xunzhou slapped Yao Zhiyuan's hand away and strode out.

Yao Zhiyuan called out to him from behind, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not eating anymore." I'm too full of anger.

When Yao Zhiyuan heard that he wasn't going to eat anymore, he didn't try to persuade him further. He happily brought the food to his own table, saying, "But you said you weren't going to eat it. It's not good to waste food, so I'll take care of it for Your Highness!"

On the other side, on the way back, Feng Mian had a detailed conversation with Lu Mingzhu about how to make the voucher.

To make this certificate portable and difficult to counterfeit, Lu Mingzhu suggested making it similar to a military tag, creating a thin iron tag, engraving the name and number, and attaching a string through a hole so that it could be worn on the body without fear of loss.

“Even if you accidentally lose it, you can find the owner with the information. If you can’t find the nameplate, you can get a replacement. You don’t have to worry about someone picking up the old nameplate and using it under someone else’s name.” Lu Mingzhu’s words were all based on experience. He once lost his travel permit while taking the imperial examination. The permit was stolen by someone else and he was detained for three days.

The past is truly unbearable to recall.

“This is a great idea.” Feng Mian nodded in agreement. This was a small benefit she had prepared for these hardworking soldiers guarding the border. It would be unfair if it could be easily taken away by someone else.

"Let's do the same with the credentials for the soldiers' families. How about this: make two identical nameplates, one main and one secondary. The main plate will be held by the soldier, and the secondary plate will be given to his family. Married soldiers will give it to their wives, and unmarried soldiers will give it to their mothers. What do you think?"

"Alright. But there are many soldiers in the army, so it will probably take a long time."

“Take your time. My shops are all in Yunzhong County now, so I’ll start with the Jiyu Camp in Yunzhong County and distribute them one by one.” Feng Mian looked at Lu Mingzhu solemnly, took off the jade pendant with the words “Qingping” engraved on it from his waist and handed it over. “I’ll entrust this matter to Lord Lu. It will be much more convenient to act with this jade pendant.”

Seeing how much Feng Mian trusted him, Lu Mingzhu felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but then hesitated, "I'm having bad luck, what if I accidentally mess things up..."

“You say you’re unlucky, but you’re still alive and well today, aren’t you?” Feng Mian interrupted his self-pity. “Now that you’ve become a newly appointed Jinshi, many people in the world envy you. Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise. As long as you don’t feel unlucky, believe that everything can be turned around. Do more good deeds, and there will always be a day when your luck changes.”

"Although I don't know when good luck will come, I do know that you have accumulated many times more risk-avoidance experience than others over the years, and you will surely turn bad luck into good."

As she spoke, her clear, bright eyes stared intently at him without blinking, and she placed the jade pendant in his palm without any room for doubt.

Lu Mingzhu felt a slight tingling sensation creep up from his fingertips, causing him to catch his breath.

Yes, wasn't it precisely because of his past bad experiences that he suggested getting a replacement nameplate to prevent others from impersonating him?

The princess is right; he must believe that his luck will change someday. Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.

Lu Mingzhu nodded, feeling dizzy, vowing not to betray the princess's trust.

The carriage was almost at the Prince's residence, and Feng Mian wanted to invite Lu Mingzhu and the Commander to have lunch together. After all, everyone was hungry until now because of her.

"I need to rush back to the Princess's residence to hand over some matters, so I won't bother you any longer," Lu Mingzhu said hastily, eager to finish his work and get to the Princess her next task.

Seeing that he wasn't going, the commander didn't dare to disturb the princess himself, so he said that there was something going on at the princess's residence and went with her.

Inside the Prince's residence, the Princess Consort had already finished her lunch and was resting. She instructed the kitchen to prepare a meal for Feng Mian. As soon as Feng Mian returned to the residence, steaming hot food was already laid out on the dining table in Xueyue Residence.

Seven bowls and plates were placed on a black lacquered table with a landscape painting in gold.

A small bowl of fragrant, green rice, each grain distinct and plump. A steaming bowl of fish porridge, the fish meat snow-white, the rice grains glistening and translucent. A small dish of bitter greens and pickled celery, vibrant green and fresh as if just picked. A dish of goose breast, its color elegant and bright, the meat tender and delicate. A dish of stuffed bitter melon, the hollowed-out bitter melon resembling jade rings, filled with minced meat, the amber-colored gravy particularly enticing. Also present is a stack of fried dough sticks and a glass bowl containing several fist-sized fresh plums.

Feng Mian picked up his chopsticks, but looking at the dishes on the table, he hesitated to start eating.

"What's wrong, Princess? Is it not to your liking?" Wu Liu noticed this and asked.

Feng Mian gently shook her head, her eyelashes drooping slightly.

The Prince's residence was already considered frugal, with half the usual number of dishes served, yet it still included a full range of fruits and vegetables, and each dish was exquisite. It was far better than the meals the Crown Prince ate in the military camp.

Not to mention the noble families in Shengjing, who were all indulging in rich and delicious food. But the soldiers guarding the border were eating stale rice and drinking clear soup.

She had only heard that life on the frontier was tough, and marching was even tougher, but none of that was as shocking and profound as seeing it with her own eyes.

She did indeed have a selfish motive in using those shops to benefit the soldiers, hoping to win their hearts and minds. Thinking about it now, she can't help but feel a little ashamed.

What could she do to ensure they ate better meals on a regular basis?

Feng Mian was lost in thought when her gaze suddenly fell on the fried dough sticks. A dream she had long forgotten resurfaced in her mind. On her way to Yunzhong County, she hadn't eaten much due to a poor appetite. While taking a nap, her stomach was empty, and she dreamed of a food called instant noodles.

The dry soup noodles come with several small seasoning packets. The packets contain a broth base that has been made into a sauce, finely chopped dried meat, and some dehydrated vegetables. Simply pour boiling water over them, and they transform into a fragrant, steaming bowl of soup noodles, full of meat, vegetables, and flavor.

Such convenient food is perfect for soldiers to use as rations.

Feng Mian hurriedly ate a few bites of rice and vegetables, then sat down at the desk and picked up his pen, racking his brains to recall the recipe for the "convenient soup noodles".

Sunlight streamed obliquely through the window, falling on the blue brick floor and breaking into shimmering patches of light.

A figure rushed past, her pleated skirt with its floral pattern amidst bamboo and crabapple blossoms disrupting the interplay of light and shadow.

"Firefly, Willow, take me to the small kitchen quickly."

In the small kitchen, Aunt Wu, the cook, dressed in a coarse cloth dress, nervously rubbed her apron, her eyes lowered, avoiding Feng Mian's gaze. "Fried soup dumplings? I... I've never made them before. What if I mess them up? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

Her husband's family had only recently taken over the purchasing affairs of the Prince's mansion, and they scolded her every day for being useless, telling her to be obedient and do her job well, and not to make mistakes that would implicate him. She was really afraid that she would not do a good job as a princess and would be scolded again.

"It's alright, this thing takes a few tries to make, don't worry," Feng Mian reassured gently.

Aunt Wu still said timidly, "Old Liu in the main kitchen is good at making fried food, so how about..."

"I can do it! I can make fried food too!" a crisp female voice rang out. A little girl with her hair in two buns ran in from outside the courtyard gate carrying a basket on her back. She looked about twelve or thirteen years old, but her eyes were firm.

"What are you meddling in? Don't ruin the princess's affairs!" Aunt Wu pushed the little girl behind her and said to Feng Mian with a forced smile, "This is my little girl, she's young and doesn't know any better..."

The little girl stubbornly avoided her, looking at Feng Mian eagerly, "I'm twelve years old, and I know everything about cooking! Princess, please let me try!"

She noticed the Xuan paper in Liuying's hand and added, "I can read, I can follow the recipe!"

"She doesn't..." Aunt Wu wanted to stop her, but was stopped by a look from Wu Liu, and could only shut her mouth awkwardly.

Feng Mian looked at the little girl in front of her who was trying so hard to recommend herself. Her bright eyes made her look just like a little wildcat who was unwilling to admit defeat.

"May I have your name?"

"My name is Huaihua!" Huaihua's voice was very loud and full of energy.

Feng Mian thought of the locust tree in the courtyard that she had always hoped would bloom, and her eyes crinkled into a smile as she gestured for Liu Ying to hand her the Xuan paper with the recipe for soup dumplings written on it.

"You've been to the school?" Huaihua shook her head shyly. "I only passed by; I never went in. I overheard it as I passed by."

"Then read the words above to me."

"Soup noodles..." She paused after uttering two words, her eyes darting around, and then she mumbled, "Soup noodle making method..."

It says "How to make soup noodles" on it.

Feng Mian smiled and looked at Huaihua, who was dejectedly holding the Xuan paper and looking at her expectantly. She sincerely apologized, "Princess, I was wrong. I don't actually know many characters... but I can learn! I learn things very quickly!"

Feng Mian didn't speak, and Huaihua's gaze gradually dimmed: "I'm sorry..."

She apologized again and slowly handed the Xuan paper back.

"Liu Ying, read it to her," Feng Mian finally spoke. Huaihua was bold; she immediately apologized sincerely after realizing her mistake, and she did indeed know a few words, so she was given a chance to try.

Huaihua was so happy she almost jumped for joy, "Thank you, Princess!"

"You have one hour to memorize the recipe. You can use any ingredients in the kitchen; tell Liuying what you're missing, and give me a result within five days. Is that possible?"

The locust flower nodded emphatically.

She was determined to make this dish even if it meant going without food or sleep.

Her mother was afraid of making mistakes and offending important people, but she wasn't. Besides, she was sure she could do well and gain the favor of those important people. Let's see if her cheap father would still dare to bully her and her mother!

A note from the author:

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