After being reprimanded, Li Qiang stopped talking.
Everyone walked quietly toward the middle of the woods, and only after they arrived did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Finally, that weird smell is gone. Let's all take a rest." Li Qiang's wife unloaded her bag and plopped down on the ground.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Song He'er pulled Chun Di and walked towards a nearby place.
Behind her, Qin Xiaoniang repeatedly warned, "Don't go far. If you can't find your way, come back. Don't risk your safety for a little food!"
"I understand, young lady!"
Song He'er pulled Chun Di along and jogged towards the distance.
Although Xinzhou is desolate, the land is not entirely barren. If you carefully plant some vegetables, you can still grow something. Now you are just waiting for Zhang Xiu'e to get the seeds from those soldiers safely, so that they will not have to worry about food in the future.
As she pondered this, Song He'er recalled what else was in her space.
She remembered that when she left the general's mansion, she emptied the kitchen. Maybe there really were seeds inside? After all, the servants in the general's mansion often grew vegetables in the backyard, so seeds were one of their necessities.
"Fifth Aunt, the soil here is very moist!"
Chun Di stretched out her foot and stomped on it again and again. "It's quite soft. If mushrooms were planted in this kind of soil, they should grow very quickly, right?"
"Fifth Aunt, it's winter! How can mushrooms grow in such low temperatures?"
Chun Di chuckled and replied playfully, "I was just saying it offhand. After all, I don't know anything about farming, and I really don't know when mushrooms are planted or harvested."
Song He'er's mind wasn't on this land at all; instead, she was thinking about where to take the vegetables out of her spatial storage without arousing suspicion.
"Fifth Aunt, let's split up and search. You go and look around that pile of stones, and I'll go over to the small pit!"
Chunrao glanced at the small pit not far away and frowned immediately. "Why do we have to separate? Your stepmother repeatedly told me to take good care of you, but we have to go our separate ways as soon as we come out. If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your stepmother when we get back?"
Song He'er had no time to waste arguing with her. The most important thing now was to find a suitable place for the vegetables to grow so she could find a spot to stuff the things from her spatial storage into!
"Fifth Aunt, don't waste your time. The children are hungry. Go find them quickly. We're not far apart. If you can't find them over there, come over here and meet me."
Seeing that she persisted, Chun Di didn't say anything and could only nod, following Song He'er's instructions to search near the stone...
......
West Continent, Central Moon Palace.
The medical officers were busy coming and going.
Although Jiang Huaifu had safely returned to the palace, he had been jostled on the snowy mountain halfway there, which caused his wound to become infected again. As soon as he returned to the palace, he developed a persistent high fever!
This scene truly terrified Queen Shen, so she stopped sleeping altogether and stayed by Jiang Huaifu's side day and night.
After all, he was her only son and her only support in the future, so of course she didn't want anything to happen to him.
"What kind of physician are you! His Highness is so badly injured, why don't you hurry back to the palace? Why leave him to freeze on the snowy mountain? I think you're deliberately trying to oppose me! I've already lost one son, if I lose another, what's the point of me living!"
The physician was sweating profusely. He had tried to persuade His Highness many times when he was at the foot of the snow mountain, but His Highness insisted on not coming back. What did it have to do with him?
"Your Majesty is wise! His Highness did not linger in the snowy mountains on purpose and refuse to return. Rather, the horse lost its temper and fell off a cliff. His Highness fell into a cave halfway up the mountain and barely escaped with his life! This shows that His Highness is very lucky and will surely get through this safely!"
Upon hearing the words "fell off a cliff," Queen Shen immediately flew into a rage, raised her hand, and threw the teacup on the table to the ground.
"You insolent fools! How dare you tell me the horse has lost its temper! Are you all useless idiots? My son's horse was carefully selected and rigorously trained. How could it have lost its temper? It must be your carelessness that has led to this, and now you want to use a horse as a scapegoat! It's outrageous! Guards! Execute all the soldiers who accompanied His Highness on this trip!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Shen Jiadai rushed in from outside, stopping Queen Shen from doing so.
"Aunt, you absolutely mustn't..."
When Queen Chen saw her, she was slightly taken aback, but her anger did not diminish in the slightest. "Why did you come in? What time is it? Go back and rest!"
"I came here to see you for your own good, Aunt. Please, Aunt, you must not behead my cousin's men!"
"Why? Am I, a queen of this generation, not even able to deal with a few servants?"
Shen Jiadai was unusually composed; normally, she would either barge into Laiyin Palace demanding that Queen Shen take charge, or throw a tantrum demanding punishment for the palace servants.
It's truly rare to see someone speak so slowly and deliberately like this today.
“Aunt, you certainly have the authority to handle this, but you know what kind of temper my cousin has. A few years ago, you rashly executed that little girl Qingwu, and what was the result? My cousin values relationships and loyalty, so don’t take your anger out on the people around him!”
Queen Shen stared at her for a long time, then suddenly her anger subsided, and she looked at her with a suspicious gaze.
"Jia Dai, what's wrong with you? It's rare for me to see you so sensible. Now, you're even helping me analyze the pros and cons..."
Shen Jiadai's eyes held a bitter glint. After a long silence, she spoke softly, "I understand my cousin... I know why he'd rather endure the pain to stay on the snow mountain. Aunt, I was so naive before. I always thought that with you as my support, I could hold onto him forever. But I was wrong... I can't hold onto his heart. Even if that woman has gone to the ends of the earth, my cousin's heart will go with her. So... Aunt, let it go. Punishing those soldiers is useless; it only makes my cousin resent you..."
Upon hearing this, Queen Shen instantly understood who the 'woman' Shen Jiadai was referring to was. Although she was filled with resentment, she was now powerless to do anything. That woman had already gone to Xinzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains, and she could no longer eliminate her...
“My son…why be so stubborn? Is it worth losing your life for a prisoner? I think it’s that little slut Qingwu’s ghost that’s haunting us, which is why we have this tragedy today!”
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