Chapter 37 - 37 Where did you get these herbs from?
Skinny Monkey rushed over with his men: "What's going on!"
Xiang Qianqian spoke weakly, her gaze constantly flickering toward Xiang Ying.
"It's nothing, really. Just smelled something delicious, got dizzy with hunger, couldn't stand it."
Skinny Monkey was stunned for a moment before turning his head, meeting Xiang Ying's radiant phoenix eyes.
Jie Chen had just been sitting beside her during the meal; how could Skinny Monkey dare to say anything against her?
He kicked Xiang Qianqian: "Enough! If you're not starved to death, get up quickly. Keep playing dead on the ground and be careful I might throw you out."
Over there came Xiang Ying's sneering voice: "Xiang Qianqian, if you're really that hungry, I still have a stick that's been used to roast meat. Want to lick it a couple of times?"
Xiang Qianqian's face turned ashen as she stood up and brushed off her skirt.
"Big Sister, you can keep it for yourself. Who would covet a mere stick!"
She went back to sit on a rock, her stomach growling with hunger, and she didn't bother to shame herself further.
Listening to the laughter and chatter from Xiang Ying's group, Beauty Feng could not help but envy: "The elder princess is truly capable. She has never gone hungry."
Xiang Qianqian turned and looked at her: "Envious? If you're envious, you could go fawn over the Military Supervisor too. Win his favor, and you'll have more food than you can eat."
A ghastly pale washed over Beauty Feng's face as she waved her hands hastily: "How could I do that... I... I belong to the Emperor."
This mention brought a stuffy annoyance to Xiang Qianqian.
Father and Mother had run off without thinking to take her with them.
Recalling what Xiang Ying had said, she felt a surge of humiliation and walked behind a secluded tree, burying her head as she started to sob.
Previously, when scar face was around, she could exchange labor for food.
But now, scar face was done away with by Xiang Ying, replaced by Skinny Monkey, an utterly unreasonable man, and Xiang Qianqian started to go hungry again.
At that moment, someone patted her shoulder, offering her a piece of dry bread.
With tear-blurred eyes, Xiang Qianqian looked up and saw it was Captain Jia, the team leader who had quarreled with Xiang Ying during the day.
"Captain Jia," Xiang Qianqian wiped away her tears, "is this for me?"
Captain Jia smiled and nodded, his eyes narrowing and wrinkles forming at the corners, lending him a somewhat sinister look.
"Here, take it and eat. I've seen you've been hungry for quite a while."
Xiang Qianqian took it and thanked him twice, then wolfed it down.
Captain Jia took the opportunity to inquire: "That girl from earlier seemed very arrogant, not at all like an exile. I see you called her big sister, and she seems quite close with Jie Jianjun. What's their relationship?"
Xiang Qianqian replied with some dissatisfaction: "Haven't you heard of the elder princess Xiang Ying's reputation?"
"Every handsome young man she takes a fancy to gets dragged off to Heroic Rabbit Platform. In my opinion, Jie Jianjun must have fallen under her spell too!"
Captain Jia's eyes rolled as he caught on.
He laughed twice: "Wouldn't you want to be without hunger from now on? Xiang Ying has people flocking to her side, leading a comfortable life, and you can too."
Xiang Qianqian stopped eating abruptly.
She looked up into Captain Jia's eyes, recalling how they had tormented Qi Fengyi, and suddenly felt a bit afraid.
"I don't want to... Thanks, Captain Jia. If Big Sister doesn't follow the rules, I still need to."
Her insinuation was clear—she refused to trade her dignity.
Captain Jia laughed heartily: "You misunderstand; that's not what I meant."
"I have a fancy for Qi Fengyi, but as you know, Jie Jianjun follows Xiang Ying's orders, reining us brothers in."
"If I were to approach her directly, I'd surely get an earful. But if you could help me make this happen, I'll share my portion of food with you in the future."
Xiang Qianqian was puzzled: "Me? What can I do?"
"Tonight at midnight, you help me lure her out. There are some misunderstandings I want to explain to her face to face."
Captain Jia's eyes narrowed into slits, his complexion sallow yet with a fierce glint in his eyes that instilled fear.
Xiang Qianqian quickly stood up and tossed away the half-eaten dry cake.
"Captain Jia should go and talk to her himself; I dare not break the rules."
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She wasn't foolish. How could she not discern his intentions?
Jie Chen forbade the new batch of soldiers from assaulting the female prisoners. If she helped to arrange a meeting with Qi Fengyi, and a dispute arose, Captain Jia could claim Qi Fengyi went willingly, but Xiang Qianqian wouldn't be able to escape punishment.
There's no benefit in this for her; she certainly wouldn't agree.
Captain Jia was not in a hurry.
The march of exile was so arduous; let's see how long she can hold up.
*
As dawn began to break, Xiang Ying woke up.
The forest was too damp, and she did not sleep comfortably.
First, Xiang Ying made herself a fish slice rice noodle dish in her space.
The noodles, soaked from the night before, were white and tender, smooth and elastic.
After scaling and gutting the blackfish, Xiang Ying applied her deadly precision with the knife to slice the fish flesh as thin as cicada wings.
Quickly blanched in clear water to remove any fishiness, she then ladled in some bone broth and added the precooked rice noodles.
The fish slices were layered on top, followed by a sprinkling of green onions and coriander, and finally, two drops of sesame oil were added.
The taste was simply too delicious to describe. After finishing the meal, she brewed herself a cup of lychee green tea.
The sweet and delectable flesh of the lychee was crushed, adding a sweet aroma that softened the bitterness of the green tea, creating a refreshing and enjoyable drink.
After eating her fill, she began to prepare food for the children.
She made a vegetable and lean meat porridge for the three little ones, accompanied by two eggs each.
Ah well, children have small appetites in the morning; this will be enough for them to manage with!
Both Xiang Li and Qi Fengyi were also served porridge, as they both had injuries and couldn't eat rich or greasy foods for the time being.
Qi Fengyi, upon seeing the porridge Xiang Ying brought over, didn't show any puzzled expression; she just bowed her head and drank it. After finishing, she simply said thank you and continued to be silent.
As the time to set off approached, the Exile Team was inexplicably delayed.
Tao Xue went to inquire about the holdup and came back saying, "It's terrifying, I saw the Military Supervisor and the others burying the dead. Someone was bitten by a poisonous insect last night and shockingly died this morning!"
Lin Lingxiang nodded, "Some poisonous insects are indeed very venomous. Thankfully, we had the medicinal herbs given by the elder Princess last night, otherwise we too would have suffered. I heard that many soldiers were bitten; those who got off lighter developed blisters, while others lost their lives."
Xiang Xiuxiu clung to Xiang Ying's arm, her voice sweet: "Following mother, there's nothing to worry about!"
The little girl had actually picked up this phrase.
Just then, Skinny Monkey led the Military Doctor and several soldiers over at a brisk pace.
The medicinal herb he was holding was exactly what Xiang Ying used to repel insects the day before.
"Prisoner Xiang Ying, the Military Doctor has a few questions for you; answer them properly," Skinny Monkey hinted with a meaningful glance.
"Is this your herbal medicine? Where did you get it from?" The Military Doctor questioned directly, standing before Xiang Ying.
Yu Pin came over in a panic, apologizing profusely to Xiang Ying: "Your Highness, I didn't mean to... I just mentioned to someone how effective the herbs you found were, that we weren't bitten by insects, but then the Military Doctor overheard."
The Military Doctor, a man in his forties with a grave face, asked in a stern tone: "This herb is known as seven-star seeds, specifically effective against poisonous insects and thrives in harsh, arid conditions. There's no such herb nearby, so where did yours come from?"
Xiang Ying's heart sank.
Of course, she had taken the herbs from her space; to others, she could claim she had picked them from the ground.
But the Military Doctor understood pharmacology; he likely couldn't be deceived.