Wei Shuwan was relieved and then hurriedly looked at her uncle and sister Pan who were following behind, "Uncle, sister Pan, are you injured?"

Pan Wenjun smiled and rubbed her shoulder: "I'm fine, I was just bumped by that bear, and my chest hurts a little. But your uncle..." As she spoke, she turned to look at Sun Xingjian.

Sun Xingjian had several strips of white cloth wrapped around his hands and arms, revealing obvious bloodstains, but he didn't seem to care much: "I'm fine, it's just a little blood, I'll make up for it with some roasted bear paw later!"

Although Wei Shuwan couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him, she also knew that her uncle had been fighting on the battlefield for many years, and such superficial injuries were indeed commonplace for him.

"It's good that nothing serious happened. Quickly go back to your tent, apply some medicine, change your clothes, and let's warm ourselves by the fire. Then tell me in detail what happened in the forest!" Wei Shuwan urged with a smile.

The group returned to their respective tents. When they came out after taking their medicine and changing their clothes, they found that a fire had been lit in the camp, and wine had been prepared. There were also two pheasants and a rabbit that Li Qingchen had casually hunted that morning, which had just been sent over and were now roasting until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sizzling with oil.

Wei Shuwan sat in front of the fire pit, fiddling with a makeshift grill made of tree branches. "Sit down!"

Upon hearing this, Pan Wenjun sat down next to Wei Shuwan and helped her with the task, while Sun Xingjian and Li Qingchen sat opposite the two young ladies. The flames were just waist-high, occasionally flickering, but enough to clearly see the expressions of those opposite them.

The pheasant was rather lean, and it didn't take long for it to roast until it smelled delicious. Wei Shuwan broke off a chicken leg and handed it to Pan Wenjun, who was closest to her, smiling sweetly and saying, "Sister Pan, please try it~"

But when Wei Shuwan broke off another chicken leg, she hesitated when she looked at the two people opposite her.

Only one chicken is roasted now, and the other one will take a while to roast, so there are only two chicken legs in total.

Pan Wenjun was a woman, and in keeping with their gentlemanly conduct, the two men naturally wouldn't hold it against her. But now all that remained were men: one was their elder, and the other was their future husband, a man of even greater status, who had just saved their uncle in the forest.

So who should I give it to first?

Sun Xingjian and Li Qingchen both noticed her hesitation and took the initiative to defer:

Sun Xingjian: "Give it to the young prince first. He did a great job today and is also a benefactor to Wenjun and me."

Li Qingchen said "No, not at all" and declined, saying, "Give it to Marquis Pingyang first. He has suffered external injuries and should take good care of himself. It's alright for us juniors to wait a little longer."

After they finished speaking, Wei Shuwan was even more undecided. In the end, she simply didn't give any to either of them and put the chicken leg she was holding in front of her mouth: "You are both men, it won't hurt to wait a little longer."

Now it was Sun Xingjian and Li Qingchen's turn to be slightly taken aback. They looked at each other and smiled, then burst into laughter.

"Please don't take offense, Your Highness. Shuwan grew up in Jiangzuo and is used to being free-spirited. She is not as gentle and virtuous as the Queen of Shengjing."

In fact, when Sun Xingjian said this, he was also intentionally testing Li Qingchen, wanting to see what kind of niece he thought of her, and how tolerant he was.

When Li Qingchen spoke to Sun Xingjian, his voice was much gentler than usual, showing a certain self-awareness as a junior:

"Please forgive me for not agreeing with what Marquis Pingyang said. Lady Wei has her own innocence and carefree spirit. There is no need to argue with caged sparrows about obedience. It is best to let her follow her own nature."

Although these words contradicted Sun Xingjian's, they pleased Sun Xingjian greatly, revealing Li Qingchen's protective and tolerant attitude towards his niece.

Sun Xingjian personally poured wine and handed it to Li Qingchen: "Let them eat meat, the young prince and I will have a few drinks first!"

Li Qingchen didn't stand on ceremony. He took the wine cup, tilted his head back, and swallowed the fine wine whole.

Seeing Sun Xingjian put down his wine cup, Wei Shuwan quickly asked, "Uncle, tell me about your encounter with the bear today."

Li Qingchen also put down his wine cup and echoed, "Yes, I'm also a little curious as to why Marquis Pingyang took Lady Pan deep into the mountains. Logically speaking, you should know the dangers inside."

Sun Xingjian frowned, pondering where to begin, and then spoke with a hint of confusion: "It's really strange. Today, after Wenjun and I entered the forest, we only intended to hunt a rabbit in the shallows and come back, but we walked for a long time and didn't even see a single mouse!"

Li Qingchen frowned as well. He had arrived very early today and had already hunted these chickens and rabbits before dawn, all of which were indeed hunted in shallow water. Moreover, after he returned to his tent and rested for a while, he heard the sound of firecrackers going off in the forest. This was clearly an act of encircling the prey for easier hunting, and in theory, it should have been easier to hunt them than when he went earlier.

Unless it is...

Li Qingchen turned his gaze to Wei Shuwan across from him. Seeing that she was avoiding his gaze somewhat guiltily and did not dare to look at Sun Xingjian, his guess was confirmed.

It seems that those firecrackers didn't drive the prey into the shallows, but rather into the deep forest.

She intentionally lured Sun Xingjian and Pan Wenjun deep into the forest.

Of course, Li Qingchen was certain that Wei Shuwan would not have any intention of harming her own uncle, so there was only one explanation for her behavior. When Li Qingchen looked away, he glanced at Sun Xingjian and Pan Wenjun, as if he understood something.

The preparation of bear paws is much more complicated than that of chicken or rabbit, and since they also need to be picked and cleaned, it was left to the kitchen. At this moment, the people at the stove are bringing over the cooked bear paws, two pairs, one for each person.

While eating bear paws, Wei Shuwan listened to her uncle recount his encounter with the bear in the forest. Hearing how the bear had bullied her uncle and Sister Pan, Wei Shuwan felt that the bear paws in her mouth seemed even chewier, and she had a faint sense of satisfaction at having avenged her great grudge.

After they finished eating the bear paw, it got much darker. Sun Xingjian didn't add any more firewood to the fire pit. Wei Shuwan knew that when the fire burned out, it would be time for everyone to go back to their own tents.

If she stays here, her uncle and sister Pan will lose their last moments alone together, as they will be returning to the city early tomorrow morning.

Therefore, she decided to find an excuse to go back to her tent first, leaving the two of them some time. But when she thought of this, she glanced at Li Qingchen sitting opposite her. He was still talking to his uncle about border matters, which was really getting in the way.

Wei Shuwan patted the dust off her palms, stood up and said, "Uncle, Sister Pan, it's time to change my dressing, I'll go back now."

After saying that, worried that the game would break up quickly, he added, "Remember to finish the rest of the rabbit meat and chicken. They were all hunted by the young prince with great effort, so don't waste them."

As she said this, she subconsciously glanced at Li Qingchen, only to see a faint smile on his lips and a gentle gaze as he poked at the firewood in the hearth with a stick.