Su Yun'er tore off a small piece of sesame flatbread, leaving a raised gap in the middle. She sandwiched the fried meat slices inside, along with some cucumber shreds dipped in sweet bean sauce, and handed it to Sun Wanqing.

The cucumber shreds had a strong, refreshing aroma that even overpowered the meat flavor at times.

As Sun Wanqing took her next bite, the tough flatbread became the first line of defense her teeth encountered.

With a little effort, once you break through the defenses, you can easily bite off the slices of meat and shredded cucumber. The aroma of the flatbread, the oiliness of the meat, and the freshness of the cucumber blend together with repeated chewing. Combined with the sweet bean sauce, it's refreshing, delicious, and has a satisfying chewy texture.

After finishing the meal, Sun Wanqing didn't feel tired; on the contrary, she found it interesting.

Barbecue is like watching a chef's performance, and eating meat sandwiches is like solving a puzzle. Sun Wanqing finds it very interesting to eat and play at the same time.

The study in the Sun family mansion.

Sun Chengye, the prefect of Qingshui County, is reviewing a letter.

As he read the letter, a feeling of unease settled over him, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

After reading it, he removed the lampshade, lit the letter, and watched it curl up in the plate beside him, eventually being consumed by the flames and turning into a pile of black ash.

"Master," Sun Mao called softly from outside.

"explain."

Sun Chengye's voice was low and revealed his displeasure.

"Someone came to tell the girl that her fever had subsided and she had eaten a lot of food."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise finally appeared in Sun Chengye's voice. "Qing'er's fever has finally broken. What did she eat? Did someone from the manor make it?"

"Replying to your question, sir, it wasn't made by anyone in the household. It was that peasant woman from last time who made some food and coaxed the young lady to eat it."

Sun Chengye reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, then sighed, "This peasant woman is quite capable. Qing'er seems to like her very much?"

"Yes, I heard that even if the girl doesn't like certain foods, she will eat them if this farmer's wife makes them."

“If Qing’er can recover this time, this peasant woman will have played a crucial role. We must not be ungrateful. Prepare some gifts to thank her and send them to her when Qing’er recovers.”

"Yes." After saying that, Sun Maoshi gently stepped back from the study doorway.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

Sun Chengye left his desk, walked around to the front, looked at a bird standing on the birdcage, and sighed.

The bird had a small bamboo tube tied to its leg, which was now open and empty.

"Reply! Reply!"

The bird opened its beak, urging it on.

Sun Chengye impatiently said "I know, I know" twice, and then began pacing back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back.

After being urged on by the birds several times, Sun Chengye finally sighed, returned to his desk, picked up his brush to add ink, paused, and as if making a decision, wrote the character "kill" on the paper.

Tear the characters off, roll them into small strips, and stuff them back into the bamboo tube.

The bird obediently stretched out its leg so that Sun Chengye could put the note in, then flapped its wings and flew away through the window.

Outside the window, it was already dark.

***

Yongzhou.

The garrison camp.

Torches were lit everywhere amidst the endless rows of tents.

Apart from the soldiers on guard duty and patrolling, everyone else was resting. Some people caught wild game and roasted it over a fire. A group of soldiers surrounded them, waiting to get a piece of meat, and they were pushing and shoving each other.

Inside the largest tent, a dozen generals huddled together in silence.

At the very top center is a chair.

The chair was empty; behind it was a screen that divided the tent space into front and back sections.

Behind the screen was a wooden bed with simple bedding and pillows.

There was a person lying on the bed at that moment.

The man had his eyes closed, his face was pale, and he looked pained.

Several military doctors were tending to his blast wounds.

The wound was almost to the heart; it bled profusely, and the basin on the ground was filled with blood-soaked gauze.

"Our general is fighting desperately on the front lines, and those old bastards, instead of appreciating our hard work, actually sent someone to assassinate him!"

Among the people outside the screen, someone finally couldn't hold back and cursed out loud.

Immediately, a young officer stepped out from behind the screen and glanced at him with displeasure.

The person who had spoken immediately shut up, but slammed his fist on the table in protest.

The already unstable little table immediately shook a few times.

A moment later, a weak yet authoritative voice came from behind the screen.