Why are you here?

"Why are you here?" Lan Yunyi leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

Shen Yao was touched by the excitement in his voice and said softly, "Didn't we agree to give it to you?"

In her previous life, her family didn't have such elaborate activities. When Shen Yao was in college, she was actually quite envious of her roommates who were all picked up and dropped off by their parents.

However, she wasn't going to send Lan Yunyi to university right now; she was sending him to the battlefield.

This meaning seems to be more significant and heavier.

Hearing Shen Yao's hoarse voice, Lan Yunyi frowned slightly and said, "I will be back soon."

Shen Yao smiled and reached out to straighten the position of his shoulder armor: "I will pray for you before the Buddha, wishing the general a safe return."

Lan Yunyi smiled smugly, lowering her voice as if she were speaking specifically to Shen Yao.

"With me here, the Jin people have not dared to invade for several years."

After he finished speaking, he coughed lightly and then gave Shen Yao a sweet and gentle smile.

Shen Yao chuckled.

Lan Yunyi then said softly, "I'll be fine. Just stay home and wait for me."

Shen Yao found it somewhat amusing. This person clearly knew she wasn't some kind of obedient girl. Yesterday, he said she was restless and unruly, but today he was telling her to stay home obediently. He was obviously subtly criticizing her.

That's incredibly audacious.

Lan Yunyi might not want to be ridiculed, or perhaps he simply had a strong desire for control but was powerless to do so. Shen Yao felt a sense of understanding, and at the same time, his appearance of wanting to discipline her but being unable to did so was truly endearing.

Shen Yao had no choice but to nod.

Lan Yunyi's eyes curved into a smile.

Seeing his smug look of having been favored, Shen Yao couldn't help but reveal her only skill related to being a virtuous wife and loving mother: "...I can make osmanthus cake."

Lan Yunyi said softly, "Then next time you take a vacation, sister, cook for me."

"That's natural."

Lan Yunyi: "Only I can eat it."

Shen Yao nodded.

Next, Lan Yunyi was to leave. Zhou Sui had already arrived, and all twenty-odd soldiers who had temporarily returned home were lined up, waiting for Lan Yunyi to mount her horse.

However, Lan Yun remained unmoved, neither speaking nor leaving, and simply held Shen Yao's hand, touching it back and forth.

Shen Yao covered her mouth, turned her head, and coughed lightly, signaling to Lan Yunyi. Lan Yunyi suddenly looked up, as if she had just realized something.

Just as Shen Yao was about to breathe a sigh of relief, this guy suddenly looked at A Yuan.

Then, from who knows where, A Yuan produced a red cloak and handed it to Lan Yunyi. Lan Yunyi took the cloak and draped it over Shen Yao, then helped her wrap herself up.

Shen Yao: "..."

Zhou Sui couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he jumped off his horse, cupped his hands in greeting beside the two men, and said, "General, it's time to set off!"

Lan Yunyi looked at Shen Yao and said, "The princess doesn't want me to leave."

Shen Yao: "...General, it is indeed time to set off."

As she spoke, she withdrew her hand. Lan Yunyi frowned, then turned to look at Zhou Sui with great displeasure.

Seeing Zhou Sui's blank and clueless expression, Lan Yunyi sighed, then looked back at Shen Yao, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Shen Yao said, "Speak plainly."

Lan Yunyi could only say, "...Although Doctor Zhang's medical skills are not superb, he is still a famous doctor in Xiliang. Princess, you should stay at home and recuperate these days, and don't go out and about."

Shen Yao immediately understood what he was thinking: "General, you mean... you don't want me to find Chengxin?"

"Absolutely not," Lan Yunyi said. "Princess, please don't overthink it. I'm just worried that you might be overworked and concerned about your health."

Shen Yao: "If I go to Lingshan Temple, I will take A Yuan with me. Your Highness need not worry too much."

Lan Yunyi suddenly laughed and said lightly, "I'm really not worried."

Shen Yao sighed helplessly and waved her hand to let him go.

...

After seeing Lan Yunyi off, Shen Yao returned to her residence to rest. She slept fitfully all morning and drank the medicine prescribed by Doctor Zhang before lunch.

A Yuan was originally the steward of the general's mansion. After he and Xia Guo helped Shen Yao drink the medicine, they asked Shen Yao what she wanted to eat for lunch. Shen Yao said listlessly that she didn't want to eat anything.

A Yuan and Xia Guo looked at each other, but there was nothing they could do.

With Lan Yunyi not at home, Shen Yao seemed to have escaped the greatest danger, but based on her experience, there were definitely more cold arrows aimed at her in the shadows.

The emperor's attitude is still unclear, and yesterday she completely offended Prince Jing. She is also unfamiliar with the other officials in Xiliang City... There will be many troubles to deal with in the future, and she cannot be careless.

Of course, the most troublesome one is Zhao Chong.

Shen Yao's intuition told her that this person wouldn't die so easily.

If this person hadn't died, she and Lan Yunyi would have been in danger. Following the style of the original book, Zhao Chong's petty nature would inevitably have led to a series of psychological changes, before he turned back with overwhelming hatred to take revenge on her and Lan Yunyi.

They also carried slogans such as "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?", "Never underestimate a young man's potential", and "The humiliation you suffer today will be repaid a hundredfold tomorrow".

Shen Yao's intuition was not unfounded. Although the original book was tagged "political intrigue," Zhao Chong's cheat-like abilities were indeed extremely powerful. In addition to various women being devoted to him to the point of madness, there was even an incredible plot in the book where Zhao Chong, by chance, found a thousand-year-old snake demon as his wife. This snake demon possessed extraordinary abilities, allowing Zhao Chong to be reborn in another person's body.

However, this plot point comes too late. The Zhao Chong who was killed yesterday hadn't even had a chance to obtain the "snake demon" opportunity yet. But Shen Yao still felt uneasy, fearing that one day, the reborn Zhao Chong would suddenly appear in front of her without her knowing.

This feeling of uncertainty is what's most unsettling.

Just as Shen Yao was worrying, A Yuan and Xia Guo were arguing in the courtyard about whether to ask Cheng Xin from Lingshan Temple to come and take a look. Just as Xia Guo was about to win, Princess Jing and Shen Zan arrived with a food box.

Upon learning this, Shen Yao had no choice but to get out of bed with a distressed expression and have dinner with Princess Jing.

Ah Yuan clutched her chest and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Princess Jing and Shen Zan were led to the front hall to wait for Shen Yao. After a quick dressing, Shen Yao rushed over, and the two greeted her one by one.

Shen Yao quickly helped him up.

Shen Zan changed into a white dress, her eyes red and tear-stained, looking pitiful as if she might burst into tears at any moment, which made Shen Yao both angry and sad.

Shen Zan knew about the original owner's affair with Zhao Chong, so she would occasionally throw some harmless little tantrums in front of Zhao Chong, and Zhao Chong would let her "act recklessly".

In the original book, Zhao Chong later had more women. Shen Zan was extremely jealous but never hurt anyone. Moreover, she could easily get away with anything small from Zhao Chong.

As Zhao Chong rose to prominence, the women he encountered became increasingly powerful and influential. Shen Zan, his clever and resourceful advisor, became less and less useful to him, and in the end, even his eldest son was not born to Shen Zan, his legal wife.

Although a refined and beautiful childhood sweetheart is a standard feature in male-oriented novels, it's still an unsettling thing to read. Now that she's experiencing it firsthand, how can she remain unmoved?

She's not the type to meddle in other people's business, but if Shen Zan needs anything, she'll do everything she can to help.

Shen Yao then arranged for the three of them to sit down and have a meal in the pavilion, and also asked the kitchen to prepare some of their signature dishes to serve.

The food brought by Princess Jing was all prepared by a restaurant, and it was delicious and visually appealing, featuring local specialties from Xiliang. As Shen Yao ate, she developed a good appetite, and Princess Jing's face lit up with joy and her expression relaxed considerably when she saw how much she ate.

"I was worried that the princess would dislike it," Princess Jing said with a smile. "These are just simple dishes, nothing like what you'd find in the capital. I was afraid the princess wouldn't be used to them."

Shen Yao: "I love eating beef and mutton."

Princess Jing said, "Then I will often deliver these to the princess from now on."

Shen Yao quickly waved her hand and said, "How could I trouble the Princess Consort to go to such lengths?"

After saying that, Shen Yao became even more certain that she had guessed the purpose of Princess Jing's visit today.

Yesterday's death of Zhao Chongzhi made Princess Jing look a bit haggard, but at least she was free of a worry. Her spirits were noticeably different from usual today, and she seemed to be talking more.

Prince Jing had a good plan. He probably started laying the groundwork yesterday when he sent someone to hint to Shen Yao to meet with Zhao Chong. Lan Yunyi deliberately stepped into his trap. Even if it didn't hurt her or Lan Yunyi, it at least helped Prince Jing and his wife get rid of their noble daughter's "young boyfriend".

However, given how disrespectful Shen Yao was to Prince Jing yesterday, the fact that Princess Jing brought food to eat with her today suggests that she hopes to further improve her relationship with the princess.

As for the purpose of further strengthening the relationship, it was naturally to ask Shen Yao to find a good marriage for her cousin in the future.

Sure enough, after a few rounds of drinks, Princess Jing couldn't help but bring up the matter.

Shen Yao didn't dare to speak definitively, only saying, "I can ask the Princess Consort if there are any unmarried men of marriageable age in the capital."

Shen Zan suddenly raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, looking at Shen Yao, then turned to his mother.

She whispered, "I won't marry him."

Shen Yao ignored her, glancing at her as if she were a little kid, and then asked what kind of son-in-law Princess Jing wanted.

Princess Jing patted Shen Zan to silence her, and said to Shen Yao, "It's all up to the princess's arrangement."

Shen Yao said, "Marriage should be based on mutual affection. The man should also have a good character and should not be the kind of playboy who frequents brothels."

Princess Jing repeatedly said "yes".

Shen Yao searched through her memories of the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital and found that there were actually quite a few men of marriageable age. However, the original owner was not familiar with them, and it would be a gamble to rashly or directly ask the emperor to grant her a marriage.

But then Shen Yao suddenly remembered someone.

Pei Heng, the eldest son of the Marquis of Qingping, is the male protagonist's brother and a refined and aloof young man.

This man loves to travel and is currently undergoing arduous training in the Gobi Desert. If Zhao Chong does not encounter any unexpected events, he will have a pleasant conversation with Zhao Chong after Zhao Chong has mastered the art of war, and then the two of them will come to Xiliang City together.

Aside from the fact that he was completely manipulated by the male lead and joined him in rebellion, he was powerful, handsome, and had a good temper, so he was generally alright.