Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 108 Jiang Lanye and Song Yi's First Meeting

Seeing this, Zuo Sheng looked at Song Yi with a deep gaze.

Song Yi glanced at Zuo Sheng, pushed the bowl back, and said, "There can't have been only one bowl of ginger soup, right? I'll go get another one, you can drink it."

Jiang Lanye frowned, not understanding what Song Yi was trying to dissuade him from, and repeated, "Drink it."

Jiang Lanye has always been domineering, and Song Yi knows that if she insists on resisting, he will do anything to force her to submit.

For example, right now, if Jiang Lanye were to pinch her mouth shut and force-feed her, Zuo Sheng would probably be furious if he saw it.

Song Yi had no choice but to accept it, saying, "You have to drink it too."

Jiang Lanye responded but didn't move, staring intently as Song Yi finished drinking the ginger soup.

Zuo Sheng, with a sullen face, handed over another bowl.

Jiang Lanye finished his drink in one gulp and said, "Let them in."

Several generals wanted to speak with Jiang Lanye, but Song Yi put down her bowl, nudged Jiang Lanye, and gestured for her to leave.

After all, it wasn't really appropriate for her to stay here, mainly because she didn't want to really upset Zuo Sheng and cause him any problems.

Jiang Lanye lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Have Eunuch Cao follow you. He is not allowed to go far and can only stay in this area."

Song Yi nodded helplessly.

The group of people sat around the table with solemn expressions. One of them unfolded a large map and pointed to the roads drawn on it, saying something.

As soon as Song Yi stepped out, he saw many soldiers sitting in the corridor outside the door, their legs bent, seemingly lost in thought, with occasional coughs coming from them.

She frowned imperceptibly.

The weather was already getting cold, and now that it's raining, a chill is spreading everywhere.

It wouldn't matter if she got sick, but the problem is these soldiers. They eat, drink, live, and travel together all the time. If one of them catches a cold, it's inevitable that they will infect each other.

Eunuch Cao followed her closely and said, "Your Highness, let's go back inside and play. It's cold outside, take care of yourself."

Song Yi looked at them and asked softly, "Is this all they can do to rest here?"

Eunuch Cao glanced at them and said, "Yes, with so many people, we can't find a spacious place to put them all."

Song Yi lowered her eyes and pondered for a while before saying, "Come with me to make some ginger soup. It may not be of much use, but it's better than doing nothing."

Eunuch Cao was taken aback, not expecting Song Yi to do this, and immediately said, "Your Highness, that would be a lot of people. Are you sure?"

Song Yi responded casually.

"The situation is dire now, I have to do something for everyone."

Before Eunuch Cao could say anything more, Song Yi said bluntly, "Alright, you're even more long-winded than Jiang Lanye."

Eunuch Cao: "."

His Majesty is long-winded?

He's usually such a person who's extremely sparing with words.

Song Yi went to the kitchen, looked at the two large pots in front of him, casually rolled up his sleeves, stuffed firewood into them, washed his hands, and chopped a lot of ginger.

Eunuch Cao wanted to help, but Song Yi rudely chased him away.

He could only sit aside and keep an eye on the heat.

The room instantly warmed up, and the hot water bubbled and bubbled.

The soup was almost ready, and Xichun washed all the bowls and put them on the table.

Suddenly, Song Yi thought of something and said to Eunuch Cao, "Go and tell His Majesty that I am making ginger soup, so that he will not overthink things."

"what?"

"But His Majesty is discussing military matters right now."

Song Yi glanced at him expressionlessly. "You still don't understand him enough. Go now."

Feeling bewildered, Eunuch Cao stood up and strolled to the entrance of the hall.

As expected, although Jiang Lanye was listening attentively to what the person next to him was saying, his eyes kept glancing towards the door.

He was still afraid.

He was afraid that Song Yi would suddenly run away when she wasn't in front of him, and he would never be able to find her again.

Such thoughts are even morbid. He knows he is not normal, but he just can't help having these wild thoughts.

As soon as Eunuch Cao appeared, Jiang Lanye immediately looked at him.

He hurried inside and whispered in Jiang Lanye's ear, "Your Majesty, the Empress has sent me to tell you that she is brewing ginger soup and that you need not worry."

Jiang Lanye's lips, which had been pressed tightly together, finally curled up slightly, almost imperceptibly.

His expression immediately improved, and he said in a low voice, "Tell her to rest after she finishes, don't tire herself out."

"Yes."

Song Yi held a long ladle in both hands, her thin arms trembling, and then poured the ginger soup into a bowl, arranging them in a row.

She put down the spoon, exhaled, and said, "Let's take these out first."

Song Yi placed six bowls of ginger soup on a wooden plate and followed Xi Chun out.

At this moment, those people were leaning against the wall, dozing off.

"You can't sleep in this kind of environment, it's still drafty, be careful not to catch a cold."

As soon as Song Yi's voice rang out, everyone was startled. When they opened their eyes, there was a bowl of steaming ginger soup in front of them.

"Drink it all, it'll warm you up."

Some people were surprised and asked, "Did the Imperial Concubine brew all of this?"

Song Yi said with some pride, "Of course."

They instinctively looked at Song Yi's hands.

These hands are slender and delicate, showing no signs of ever having been exposed to the elements.
Seeing this, Song Yi couldn't help but say, "Don't think I can't do anything."

One of them cautiously sniffed the ginger soup and hesitated before asking, "This stuff isn't poisonous, is it?"

Song Yi: "."

She felt a headache coming on and said, "You may think I'm a femme fatale, but I'm not a murderer. Stop standing there, drink it quickly, or it will get cold."

Song Yi knew that most of these people were actually soldiers personally led by Zuo Sheng, so Zuo Sheng's attitude towards her determined how these people would treat her.

They all agreed that Song Yi's trip was just for fun and was only dragging them down.

After everyone had drunk the ginger soup, someone whispered, "Thank you, Your Highness. You are of noble birth, so please don't do this again."

Song Yi frowned, stood up, and said loudly, "What exactly constitutes a noblewoman's body? Is it based on a title or a status?"

As a modern person, this kind of thinking is the one thing she can never accept.

The title of Consort Yun was also bestowed upon her by someone.

If that's the case, then today she respectfully addresses this person as General, and tomorrow she addresses another person as General. Does that mean that everyone who is called General is a person of noble birth?

Song Yi had followed along the way, staying by Jiang Lanye's side the whole time, and didn't often come into contact with them.

Judging by appearance alone, one might think she's just a pretty face with no substance, perhaps even spoiled. But to one's surprise, she has absolutely no airs of a noble consort.

The atmosphere suddenly became lively, and they huddled together, looking at Song Yi with curiosity.

"Your Highness, we've always wanted to ask, how exactly did you and His Majesty meet?"

The details of their first meeting might be included in a later side story—I'd still like to write about it.
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(End of this chapter)