The exile convoy continued onward for another half day, but this time they did not encounter a single source of water. Traveling along mountain paths was much slower, and at noon the guards did not allow anyone to rest. Only near dusk did the group finally arrive at a relatively flat mountain hollow.
“We’ll spend the night here,” the guards announced. “No one is allowed to wander too far.”
After an entire day struggling through rough mountain roads without finding water, some prisoners began blaming Ziling instead. They complained that if not for her earlier suggestion, they would not have suffered through such exhausting terrain.
They had completely forgotten that without the water Ziling found yesterday, many of them might already have died of thirst.
Ziling paid no attention to the accusations. After all, she had never done those things to earn anyone’s gratitude. Besides, many among these prisoners truly had committed terrible crimes—how could she expect them to remember kindness over something so small?
She calmly set down her belongings in a relatively level area.
“Gong Hao, stay here and watch over Mother and Ying’er. Take care of your older brother too. I’ll go nearby and see if I can find something to eat.”
Tonight, she planned to have a proper feast and improve their meals. There was no way she intended to keep guarding an entire space full of food while continuing to suffer.
Just as Ziling turned and headed toward the mountains, one of the guards approached her. It was the same guard who had accompanied her into town earlier, a man named Liu Hu.
Among all the guards, Liu Hu held the lowest status. Whenever the others drank or rested, the task of watching the prisoners always fell to him.
“Madam, wait for me.”
Liu Hu quickly walked up beside her.
“Let’s go together. I’ve got a knife, so if there’s danger we can look after each other. I grew up in the mountains, so I know how to find food around here.”
Ziling looked him over with some suspicion, but after considering that an extra pair of hands could still be useful, she nodded.
The two entered the forest. As expected, Liu Hu was quite familiar with the terrain. Before long, they came upon a fruit tree filled with reddish-purple fruits that looked delicious.
The fruits were chestnuts. Ziling often ate them back in the modern world, so she immediately said to Liu Hu:
“Let’s pick some.”
As she spoke, she reached up to gather the fruits.
“We’d better be careful,” Liu Hu warned worriedly. “I’ve never seen fruit like this before. What if it’s poisonous?”
Ziling smiled. “My grandfather used to bring me these before. They’re not poisonous—don’t worry.”
With nimble movements, she quickly gathered quite a lot. Seeing how certain she was, Liu Hu also began picking them.
While Liu Hu was busy harvesting chestnuts, Ziling secretly moved several of the trees into her space. That way, she would have endless fruit to eat along the journey.
After gathering the chestnuts, they continued deeper into the forest.
Suddenly, Liu Hu halted and said cautiously:
“There seems to be movement ahead.”
Ziling listened carefully and faintly heard the roar of a wild beast.
The two cautiously approached and discovered an injured wild boar.
Ziling’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Brother Liu Hu, our luck is incredible. This boar is enough to feed us for several meals.”
Liu Hu drew the knife from his waist and stepped forward.
Ziling was not idle either. Pretending to pull out rope from her bundle—when in reality it came from her space—she worked together with Liu Hu to subdue the animal.
Although the wild boar was injured, its huge size still made it difficult to handle. Only after considerable effort did the two finally manage to capture it.
By the time they dragged the boar back to the mountain hollow, the sky had already grown dark.
When the guard Zhang Meng saw that they had actually returned with an entire wild boar, he exchanged a glance with the other guards.
“You all go help Liu Hu butcher it.”
Ziling understood immediately that the guards had no intention of sharing the meat with her. So she stepped forward and said:
“Officer, my cooking skills are actually quite good. Why not let all the officers have a taste tonight?”
Zhang Meng looked her up and down.
“You really can cook?”
“Of course. Please wait and see. But I would like to ask for one small piece of meat in return—not much. There’s an injured person in my family who needs some nourishment.”
“After the food is ready, cut yourself a piece,” Zhang Meng said before turning away.
Ziling thought to herself that this was the perfect opportunity to build a good relationship with the guards.
She walked over to where the boar was being butchered and selected a nicely balanced piece of fatty and lean pork. With practiced movements, she cut it into chunks and tossed the meat into hot oil. All the seasonings came from her space.
Before long, the rich aroma of braised pork spread through the camp, drawing everyone’s attention.
Earlier, while preparing the meat, Ziling had instructed Gong Hao to collect thin straight branches and sharpen one end of each. Although Gong Hao had no idea what his sister-in-law intended to do, he obediently followed her instructions.
Ziling then cut another portion of meat into small cubes, intending to make modern-style grilled skewers. She had Ying’er and Gong Hao thread the meat pieces onto the sharpened branches.
She lit another firepit.
The moment Gong Mohan saw her actions, he immediately understood what she intended to do. He was astonished that she could come up with such a method.
This truly was not something an ordinary noble young lady raised in seclusion could accomplish.