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The fire in the kitchen was burning brightly and warmly. The sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes made people drool. Luo Yaobei Zhenting sat by the stove, warming himself by the fire, waiting for the sweet potatoes in the ashes to be cooked.

Two guards were called over to do hard labor, and He was directing the two men to grind soybeans.

"Auntie, what are we having for dinner?"

"Hot pot, the young master said we're having hot pot, you two hurry up and grind the beans, we need this tofu tonight, there are a lot of people in the house, grind the beans and go buy some vegetables later."

"Okay, Auntie. Uncle Zhou said it's snowing. Just tell us brothers what dishes you want to order. We'll bring them back to you later."

He bent down and added some water to the millstone, then put her hands on her hips and raised her voice to announce the vegetables she wanted to buy.

Of course, the more types of dishes there are in hot pot, the better. In winter, all the green leafy vegetables were ordered, and He also ordered fresh pork, fish and seafood.

In the kitchen, Bei Zhenting and Luo Yao were peeling sweet potatoes. The freshly baked sweet potatoes were sizzling with oil and were very hot right out of the oven. Luo Yao stretched out his fingers and gently tapped the sweet potatoes, tilting his head to look at the three people outside the door.

"Thirty pounds of pork, eight pounds of spareribs, and eight fish to fillet..."

Luo Yao listened and noticed the small snow falling from the sky. It was snowing... The clanging sound of the mill outside the door became louder.

"What are you looking at?" Bei Zhenting flicked Luo Yao's forehead. Luo Yao turned around and touched the sweet potato. It was no longer too hot.

"Yaoyao." A peeled sweet potato wrapped in oil paper was handed to Luo Yao.

Luo Yao looked up and Bei Zhenting pushed the sweet potato towards him.

Luo Yao glanced at Bei Zhenting, took it with both hands, sat back on the small stool, took a small bite, and it was very sweet, twice as sweet as the ones on the street, and tasted exactly the same as he remembered.

While eating the sweet and soft sweet potato, Luo Yao smiled at Bei Zhenting, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Bei Zhenting glanced at him, added a piece of firewood to the stove, and some sparks flew out from the muzzle.

Tiny, crystal-clear snowflakes fluttered down in the warm yellow light of the candle...

At the end of the Xu hour, the long-delayed dinner was finally ready. The side hall was crowded with guards and servants who were eating, and several copper basins were distributed as if for a banquet.

It was too cold, so Luo Yao, Bei Zhenting and Ye Qing placed a pot of food in the kitchen. Also eating in the kitchen were Uncle Zhou Qingling and He from the mansion, as well as Zhang Huao and Li Qingyun.

After taking a bite, He's face showed shock. This hot pot was made under Luo Yao's guidance. She didn't believe in the young master's cooking skills at first, but she didn't expect it to be even better than the hot pot restaurants on the street.

In the side hall, the guards protecting Chunchun were competing with each other in terms of hand speed, and each of them was so hot that they said "hasha hasha".

A man, enjoying his meal, stood up and fanned his lips while boasting, "It's spicy and refreshing with the addition of chili and Sichuan peppercorns. I don't know what you guys are fighting for with that bland soup. It's boring."

The guards at the table eating clear water hotpot said: "Your face is red as a monkey's butt from the spiciness. What are you showing off for? The prince and princess both eat clear water hotpot with dipping sauce. The food at my table is a hundred times better than yours!"

The strong man was unhappy when he heard this, and he came to grab the meat with chopsticks in his hand as if he didn't care about his relatives. The comrades in the water pot would not let him succeed, so they quickly covered the meat pot like protecting a chicken.

"What are you fighting over? It's a buffet, you know? The princess said it's a buffet, all you can eat." Sun Qian, who came back with a meat tray, looked at the two tables of people in surprise. "There's plenty of meat, and there's also sliced fish. The prince said if you want to eat, you can get it yourself, and if there's not enough, you can cut it yourself."

After hearing what he said, one person stood up excitedly, and the people at the other tables stood up one after another and crowded out.

Some men were replenishing the charcoal fire, some were cutting the meat, and some were washing the vegetables. Soon, seven or eight men came back to their seats carrying large basins of meat and vegetables and continued eating.

A pot of steaming hot pot in cold weather can really make people happy.

Luo Yao felt that he had made up for the breakfast and lunch he hadn't had time to eat because he slept until noon. Breakfast was the noodles that Aunt He cooked for him a few hours ago, and his snack was a sweet and soft sweet potato that he had just gnawed on. Now this was called dinner.

There were limited potatoes, and Dacheng had not yet started promoting them, so the kitchen only cut a small half pot.

Luo Yao showed off his selection of potatoes and then showed off his soft and sticky spareribs, which was really cool.

"This is delicious!" Luo Yao picked up a piece of tripe for Bei Zhenting and looked at Bei Zhenting expectantly while chewing the tripe in his mouth.

"You don't look like a princess at all." Bei Zhenting glanced at him.

Luo Yao picked up a piece of soft and sticky potato and put it into his mouth, speaking incoherently, "I am, the princess, my image... is the image of the princess..."

Bei Zhenting said nothing and stared at him. Luo Yao gave Bei Zhenting a fake smile.

"Now that the roads are blocked by heavy snow, have you decided when to leave for the border, Your Highness?" Ye Qing interrupted the two people who were showing their affection.

Li Qingyun, who was standing beside him, also raised his head and said, "Yes, Your Highness, the border has been very restless these past two days, and General Xu has also urged you."

Luo Yao looked at Bei Zhenting eagerly.

"I'll take you there. If I said I'd take you there, then I'll take you there."

Bei Zhenting put a piece of pork ribs in Luo Yao's bowl, and Luo Yao continued to eat happily.

Grandfather has already decided not to take him in for the time being. Bring Grandfather's younger brother to Zhejiang Province. If the Emperor does something awful, they won't be able to handle it from so far away on the frontier. Sending him to the northwest will undoubtedly arouse the Emperor's suspicion. Qingye Valley is ultimately the safest place. All we need to do is send more men to defend Baiye Forest, and Qingye Valley will be an impregnable fortress.

"Let's set off tomorrow. We don't know when the snow will stop. If we wait until the road is blocked by heavy snow, we won't be able to make it."

Bei Zhenting told Luo Yao about the arrangements he had agreed upon.

"But the princess has typhoid fever..." Li Qingyun looked worried.

Luo Yao shook his head. "I'm much better now. I'm fine now. I'll be fine once the temperature drops. This is the decision the prince and I made this afternoon."

Ye Qing: "It's true that there's nothing serious going on. It's better to rest for another day."

Hearing Ye Qing say this, Bei Zhenting showed worry on his face, and Luo Yao shook his head nonchalantly.

"Don't we have Doctor Ye? And I'm already well now. We can't let the people in the borderland wait for me alone. Let's set off early tomorrow morning!"

The emperor's food and supplies were being transferred to the border one after another. Although he didn't want to work for the emperor, the people were innocent, and Luo Yao knew it clearly.

The food and grass have been sent ahead. Bei Zhenting has delayed coming to Lin'an County for so many days for him. If they don't go to defend Bei Zhenming's territory, Bei Zhenming will probably declare them traitors to the world and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

It snowed heavily all night, and after a few days of long-awaited bustle, Lin'an County returned to silence again.

The mist faded away in the early morning, and the sunlight after the snow shone on the body without any warmth. Inside the mansion, two guards squatted at the kitchen door waiting for noodles.

"Brother Sun, the noodles are ready." Qingling shouted from the kitchen.

Sun Qian stood up holding the sword and turned into the kitchen. Qing Ling was putting cooked bok choy into their noodles.

"I don't know if the prince and his men will have an easy journey." Sun Qian put his sword on the long table and pulled a small stool to sit down.

The little girl made noodles for him and brought them to him, then she sat on a small stool beside him and ate the noodles.

"Now that the sun is out and the snow has melted, it will be easier to walk. I thought we would have to freeze for a few more days. Last night, Auntie asked us to break the ice and get water, but it took a lot of effort." Sun Yin stood up and leaned against the kitchen door frame to continue.