After leaving the place where Lin Yurou was staying, the previously warm and pleasant Shen Mojin’s expression immediately darkened.
He turned to the attendant beside him and ordered, “Prepare everything. I am going to see Mother.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
He headed to Yonghe Palace, where Consort De resided.
After Shen Mojin finished paying his respects, Consort De dismissed all the palace servants. The dignified smile on her face softened into one filled with motherly affection.
“Jin’er, you’ve come.”
“Mother.”
“Have you met the woman who saved me?”
“I have. When I first investigated her identity and learned she was the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, I was worried.
If Father Emperor found out she was the minister’s daughter, he would surely suspect me of harboring ambitions.
Fortunately, that problem has now been resolved.”
The imperial court was currently in turmoil as several princes fought fiercely for power.
As Crown Prince, even his marriage had to be considered with extreme caution.
Since he already held the position of Crown Prince, keeping a low profile and watching the struggle from the sidelines was the wisest course of action.
“Indeed. Although the entire Minister of Revenue’s family has been exiled, you took the risk of rescuing my savior. That was a smart move.
At the very least, it shows that you know gratitude and are not a cold-hearted person.
Your father is rather laughable. He spent half his life killing his way to the throne, yet in his old age, he suddenly wishes to see a loving mother and filial sons.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Mother.”
Consort De sighed.
“It’s just a pity that the one who saved me was Lin Yurou. If it had been an ordinary girl from the common folk, it would have benefited you far more.”
At the mention of a commoner girl, Shen Mojin frowned in disdain.
“What do you mean, Mother?”
“If she were just an ordinary commoner with neither family backing nor influence, wouldn’t she be entirely at your mercy?
Your father now suspects everyone of wanting to seize his throne.
If the Crown Prince married a commoner as his principal wife, she would pose no political threat in his eyes. That would also remove one of the thorns in his heart.
Besides, if you married a commoner as your Crown Princess, killing her later would be no harder than crushing an ant.”
After thinking it over, Shen Mojin realized she was right.
His father was growing old—and increasingly suspicious.
He truly had to tread carefully.
“In that case, Lin Yurou has ruined our plans.”
“Exactly.”
“And today, that foolish woman even confessed that she’s in love with me. Mother, don’t you think that’s laughable?”
Consort De shot him an indulgent glance and said lovingly,
“My son is naturally the man countless women dream of marrying.
Being admired is only to be expected.
On the surface, she did save my life. But she’s nothing more than a lowly little plaything.
Just don’t play with her until she dies.
Understood?”
“I understand.”
Seeing that Shen Mojin had taken her words to heart, Consort De was pleased. Her son was exceptional. A few harmless personal indulgences were of no consequence.
“By the way, is Xiao Hengchuan dead yet?”
“I’ve already agreed to escort the Lin family together with Lin Yurou. Once I’m there, I’ll find out.
Besides, I’ve planted people along the exile route. There’s no way I’ll let him stay alive.
In any case, with his spine shattered, he’s already a useless cripple.”
“Well done.”
“Rest assured, Mother. He caused Cousin’s death. I will make him pay that blood debt in full.”
As night fell, the group of exiles finally got a chance to rest.
The men of the Lin family’s first branch had their cangues and shackles removed, making the journey much easier for them.
Lin Chengyu was especially delighted because he had managed to catch a rabbit along the way.
At noon, when Jiang Wanyue had been catching fish, he had been unable to help because he was still wearing restraints. So during the march, he kept his eyes and ears open—and eventually caught a gray rabbit.
Holding the rabbit proudly, Lin Chengyu walked over to claim credit.
Jiang Wanyue smiled brightly and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Second Brother, you’re amazing.”
The compliment made Lin Chengyu blush like a young boy.
Grinning foolishly while clutching the rabbit, he scratched his head.
“Hehe, I’m just happy I could help. Right, I’ll go gather some firewood now.”
“Then I’ll help build the stove.”
Lin Zhixu quietly followed Lin Chengyu to collect firewood.
With the whole family working together, everything progressed much faster.
After borrowing a small knife from Li Dashan, Jiang Wanyue skillfully removed the tendons and membranes from the rabbit before deftly skinning it.
Knowing there wasn’t enough meat to feed everyone, and not wanting to make an elaborate meal that evening, she cut the rabbit into small pieces and added the wild ginger she had gathered along the roadside that afternoon.
She decided to cook a large pot of coarse rice rabbit porridge instead.
After cleaning the rabbit meat, she soaked it in cold water for a while to remove the blood.
Having gained experience from making the fire at noon, Lin Jingyuan was much more confident that evening.
When the water came to a boil, he asked,
“Wanyue, once it boils again, should I lower the fire?”
Jiang Wanyue immediately praised him.
“That’s right, Father. You’re amazing. You’ve already mastered it after making a fire just once.”
Being praised for the first time, Lin Jingyuan was at a complete loss. Even the tips of his ears turned red.
His ears grew a little warm. Though he kept a straight face, the corners of his lips curled upward.
“It’s not difficult.”
Then again, Lin Jingyuan had risen to the position of Minister of Revenue—he was certainly no fool.
After the porridge had simmered for a while, Jiang Wanyue added the rabbit meat.
Since coarse rice takes time to become tender and soft, it needed to cook slowly.
Li Dashan’s group of guards had brought plenty of coarse rice. As the pot simmered, the fragrance of the rice gradually filled the air, while the rich flavor of the rabbit slowly blended into the porridge.
As she stirred the pot, the spoon brought up lightly toasted grains of rice from the bottom, adding an irresistible roasted aroma.
Several hungry guards gathered around long before it was finished.
“It smells incredible!”
“When can we eat? I’m starving!”
“I’ve never had rabbit cooked like this before.”
Jiang Wanyue smiled.
“Just wait another fifteen minutes. The porridge will be ready.”
Just then, Qin Mingshu and Wen Lingyue came over, looking delighted.
“Wanyue, we found some wild scallions!”
“That’s perfect. We can chop them up and add them to the porridge. It’ll make it even more fragrant.”
“Great! We’ll prepare them right away.”
They finely chopped the wild scallions and shredded the young ginger they had gathered that afternoon. The moment they were added to the porridge, a refreshing aroma rose from the pot.
Finally, Jiang Wanyue sprinkled in a small amount of salt.
A steaming pot of delicious coarse rice rabbit porridge was complete.
“It smells amazing!”
Li Dashan stepped forward with a large bowl and handed it to Jiang Wanyue.
“Young lady, give me an extra-large serving.”
“Coming right up, Officer!”
Jiang Wanyue filled Li Dashan’s bowl, and the others quickly lined up to have theirs filled as well.
When it was He Er’s turn, he cast Jiang Wanyue a casual glance.
She pretended not to notice.
After serving the guards, Jiang Wanyue called to the Lin family.
“Quick, bring your bowls over too.”
The guards were devouring the food like wolves. If the Lin family hesitated any longer, there might not be any left for them.
Hearing that, the Lin family wasted no time, each filling a generous bowl.
After all, the rabbit had been caught by the Lin family that evening, and the fish at noon had also been caught by Jiang Wanyue. Li Dashan was a loyal and generous man, not someone who quibbled over a little food.
He didn’t mind them eating some of the coarse rice at all.
Besides, no one had the time to think about such things now.
That overflowing bowl of rabbit porridge was simply too delicious.
The rabbit had been stewed until it was melt-in-your-mouth tender, the meat slipping effortlessly off the bone with just a gentle bite. It was soft, juicy, and naturally sweet, perfectly complementing the fresh, fragrant coarse rice.
Every spoonful was unbelievably satisfying.
Even the guards who had already eaten their fill noticed there was still some left in the pot. Though their stomachs were already full, they each ladled themselves another bowl and let it cool, planning to eat it later when they got hungry again.
By the end of the meal, everyone’s stomachs were round with satisfaction.
Just as Jiang Wanyue had predicted, the enormous pot of porridge was scraped clean. They scraped the bottom over and over until not even a single drop of broth remained.