The cruel little princess

Prince Jin was secretly delighted and decided to double An Er's monthly salary starting this month. An Yi silently glanced at An Er, his heart alight with hope. "How audacious!" he thought. The prince was clearly vigorous and strong, yet An Er went so far as to spread rumors about his failing health. "Wait till the prince reprimands him!" An Yi's face was filled with anticipation, anticipating the prince's wrath.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin coughed lightly and said, "Then I'll trouble Miss Shen."

An Yi's jaw dropped, and An Er smiled like an auntie, "Your Highness, let me send your Thunder back!" An Er took the prince's mount and turned back to the tent.

At this moment, Shen Youyou just wanted to look up to the sky and sigh. Where did this acting talent come from? If it were in modern times, he would have won Oscars! He was wielding swords with great vigor this morning, but now he has caught a cold? "Your Highness, I have important matters to attend to this trip. I am afraid I cannot travel with you. Please send someone to drive another carriage! Please forgive me!"

"Well, it's also my fault for not explaining things clearly to Miss Shen. Today, I'm going with Miss Shen to look for General Shen. I've also brought a few subordinates who are good at tracking and hiding, hoping they can lend a hand to Miss Shen!"

Since the prince had made it so clear, if Shen Youyou still didn't appreciate it, she would be too ungrateful. So, the team of 100 people was expanded by another 40 or 50 people. It looked quite impressive.

Soon, Guard Wu had already harnessed the carriage and arrived. "Miss, please get in!"

At this time, An Er also came quickly, "Your Majesty, please get in the car!"

Guard Wu was a little confused. How come the prince couldn't ride a horse and had to ride in the same carriage with the young lady?

Shen Youyou didn't hesitate any longer. "Your Highness, please!" Prince Jin didn't hesitate any longer. He lifted the hem of his robe, lowered himself into the carriage, and sat upright on one side. Shen Youyou followed him in and sat on the other side. Guard Wu waited for Shen Youyou to settle down and was about to start the carriage forward when he saw An Er approaching again.

"Brother, please do me a favor. My prince is also in the car. Let's drive together so that I can protect the prince's safety!" After hearing what he said, Guard Wu followed his lead.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid the journey is long, so I've prepared some tea and snacks." An Er took out a food box from behind him and handed it in through the curtain. Prince Jin raised his hand to take it, secretly praising An Er in his heart.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin opened the lid of the food container and placed the tea and snacks on the low table in the middle of the carriage. His fingers were long, white, and holding the small, exquisite plate, even the snacks looked delicious.

"Miss Shen, the journey must be boring, let's have some tea and snacks." He took the initiative to invite her.

After Shen Youyou thanked the prince, she reached out and took a piece of peach blossom pastry and took a bite. It was incredibly crispy, sweet, and not greasy. It melted in her mouth, and even had a faint fragrance of peach blossoms. She really admired the people of this era. Although they didn't have ovens or all sorts of ingredients, they were still able to make the most delicious food with the simplest ingredients.

At the same time, at the foot of Liushu Village, more than fifty miles away from where General Shen Xiao disappeared.

"Er Nizi, go get some more pig grass. Don't go anywhere else except where we're from, and definitely don't go deep into the mountains, lest you encounter wild animals. Come back early for lunch."

"Oh, okay, Dad!" Erni answered and went to the kitchen to look around for a while, then walked to the bamboo fence and picked up the backpack. "Dad, I'm going out."

Erni, carrying her backpack, slowly walked out of her home, following the winding, narrow path often used by villagers. She first found a patch of lush piggrass, cut a large piece, and placed it in her backpack, gently pressing it down. Then, carrying the backpack, she continued up the path. After another half-cup of tea, she saw no further path. Erni, swinging her sickle, advanced. Reaching a patch of dense vegetation, she uncovered a patch of ground hidden by the grass, revealing a small trap. Inside, a plump, tender gray rabbit was entangled in a sharp wooden thorn. The rabbit was already dead, saving her from having to kill another animal. Erni hid her backpack behind a tree, then walked about fifty meters, carrying the rabbit, her familiar path. She heard the sound of running water and, turning left, spotted a spring flowing down from the mountain. Tall trees flanked the stream, obscured by lush weeds. Further ahead, a dark cave lay. The cave was covered with dense spider webs, indicating that no one had been in it for a long time. She walked over with the rabbit in her hand and skillfully skinned it with a sickle. Then she dug a deep pit with the skinned rabbit and buried it in the soil under the tree. She then washed the rabbit in the water. Traces of blood fell into the stream and were quickly washed away by the water. Erni picked up the rabbit and strung it together with sharp branches. She skillfully made a fire by the stream, then roasted the rabbit. The fire was very strong, and Erni kept turning the branches to make the rabbit cook quickly. In just two cups of tea, the rabbit was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the aroma of burnt food filled the air. Erni picked up a few large leaves to wrap the rabbit, and walked to the front of the cave, "Benefactor, benefactor!..." She called softly. "Benefactor, are you still there?"

"I'm here." A voice responded from inside the cave, followed by another suppressed cough.

"My benefactor, I caught a rabbit in my trap today. I've taken good care of it! Please take it away quickly." Erni carefully wrapped the rabbit in leaves and gently placed it beneath the carefully woven spider web at the cave entrance. Then, she hurried to the nearby stream, filled a bamboo tube with clear stream water, and placed it next to the leaves.

Soon, a bony, pale hand slowly emerged from the pitch-black cave. With incredible swiftness, it snatched both the rabbit and the bamboo tube within its grasp in the blink of an eye. Remarkably, not a single drop of the water within the bamboo tube spilled during the entire process, demonstrating the extraordinary skill and exceptional martial arts expertise of this individual.

"My benefactor, no one has come to the foot of the mountain to secretly inquire about us since yesterday, and those people no longer live in our village. Can I help you send a letter to the military camp to ask them to pick you up?" Erni asked cautiously. "Don't worry, my benefactor! I will never betray you! I secretly came up the mountain to take bird eggs and was surrounded by wolves. If you hadn't saved me, I would have died long ago! So I'm not the kind of ungrateful person, I will definitely find someone to save you!" Erni promised in a firm tone. "Before, there were bad guys disguised as ordinary people from our Jinlong Kingdom to inquire about your news, but later they found that they couldn't find out anything, so they stopped. Since yesterday, no one has come here, and I think it should be safe..." She talked naggingly, and he listened silently in the cave.

"Tomorrow," the man in the cave sighed. "It'll be noon soon, and you won't be able to run away in half a day. Let's confirm it again today. If no one comes to inquire, you can deliver the letter tomorrow, but you must also pay attention to safety." After saying this, he slowly crawled into the cave.

Yes, crawling into the cave. Both of his legs were broken, and his right hand was bent in an unnatural state. Obviously, his right hand was also broken. He crawled into the cave, trembling, and took out the tinder from his arms with his right hand. Because his right hand was injured, he fumbled for it several times before he took out the tinder from his arms. Putting the rabbit in his left hand on the ground, he quickly used his left hand to catch the tinder in his right hand, bit open the bamboo cover with his teeth, blew gently, and sparks came out of the tinder. He used the tinder to ignite the hay and branches in front of him. The jumping flames reflected his resolute face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his upright face was now covered with a beard. This was Shen Zijin who had been missing for more than ten days!