A Happy Event in a Farming Family: Marrying a Hunter

"By the way, I heard you're a great cook. Could you teach me if you have the time?"

Yun Luo smiled, "Sister Xiao Ran, you want to make it for Prince Chen, right?"

Xiao Ran blushed, nodded, and her brows furrowed with worry. "Actually, Your Highness considers me a younger sister."

That's true. If it were you, raising a girl yourself, treating her like your own daughter, or at the very least, as a brother, that kind of role transition would be quite difficult.

She said, "Don't be discouraged. Prince Chen is a man of affection and loyalty. He might not be blind to your true feelings. He just needs an opportunity."

The two chatted happily for a long time and cooked a lot of dishes, of course, Yunluo cooked them for Qin Zheng.

She took a shower, went back to her room to wait, but drowsiness came over her and no one came back.

It's so late, could something have happened?

As she was thinking, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

"Madam, open the door quickly! Something has happened, Madam."

Yunluo opened the door, and Xifeng hurriedly said, "Madam, something has happened to the young marquis."

Yun Luo's heart skipped a beat, her face turned pale, and she almost couldn't stand up straight. "What happened?"

"The young marquis went to the Dali Temple to report the Crown Prince's crimes. Everything was going smoothly until Qin Su'er reported him on his way out. Now the young marquis has been taken to the Imperial Prison, and it is said that the Emperor wants to interrogate him personally."

Heavenly Prison?

The emperor himself presided over the interrogation?

Given Brother Qin's identity, this time the odds are against him.

The old emperor felt guilty, but he would never let Brother Qin off the hook.

He's already killed so many people, why would he care about one more?

For the old emperor, the most important thing was to avoid threatening him and his empire.

"Madam, please stay at the Prince's residence. Your Highness and I will proceed to the palace immediately..."

“I’ll go too,” Yunluo said.

Xi Feng was taken aback, then shook his head. His master was likely in grave danger this time. What if… with Madam present, the bloodline of the Qin Marquis's mansion could still be preserved. He had to prepare for the worst. “No, Madam…”

“Take me with you. Now that Brother Qin has been arrested, the old emperor must know I’m here. Rather than hiding in the palace, it’s better to go out. Otherwise, it will only implicate the palace. And don’t worry, I still need to give birth to my child, so nothing will happen.”

Xifeng hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."

When leaving the manor, Prince Chen and Xifeng had the same idea, but Yunlu insisted, so they had no choice but to take her along.

She rushed into the manor that very night, and was greeted by Wang Yun, whose expression was not good. When he saw Yun Luo, his expression worsened. "Your Highness, why did you bring in a cook? This is a matter of national importance!"

Prince Chen said coldly, "She's no ordinary cook. Lead the way!"

Not your average chef?

what is that?

Wang Yun, having served the old emperor his entire life, was incredibly shrewd. He glanced at Yun Luo several times, then suddenly remembered something. There was a pebble under his feet, and he almost slipped and fell.

The Crown Prince had previously reported that Qin Zheng and his wife had arrived in the capital, and Qin Su'er had also mentioned it through palace officials.

Xiaoyun the Chef?

Yunluo?

Is that her?

Yun Luo pretended not to see the other person's terrified expression and remained calm.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study, Wang Yun glanced at Yun Luo several times as he went in.

"Don't be afraid, sister-in-law. I'm here. Even if Xiao Zheng really does... I will protect you."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Yun Luo smiled and said, "I don't want to die, nor do I want Brother Qin to die, so I will do my best. When Your Highness goes in later, you don't need to speak for me, just help Brother Qin clear his name."

Prince Chen looked at her with newfound respect. He had initially thought his sister-in-law was quite clever, a bit better than the average young lady from a wealthy family, but now it seemed she was quite an extraordinary woman.

If it were any other woman, she would be terrified and faint in this situation. How could she remain so calm?

About an incense stick's time later, Wang Yun came out, glanced at the three of them, and said, "The Emperor has decreed that only you are summoned in."

He pointed at Yunluo.

"Eunuch Wang..."

"Your Highness, this old servant dares not disobey the Emperor's decree."

Prince Chen didn't say anything more, and Yun Luo followed him inside.

The emperor's study was indeed magnificent and resplendent. When Yunluo entered, she did not bow but looked around.

It's not that I'm not afraid; I am still afraid. Even an old man is a ruler who controls other people's lives. With just one word, he can cut off my head. It's different from conflicts in the village.

This is a question of life and death.

"How dare you! Kneel down now!" Wang Yun shrieked.

Yunlu pretended not to hear.

"You are so brave..."

"You go down."

Wang Yun nodded and withdrew.

In the imperial study, only the two of them remained. The emperor picked up the memorial on the table, glanced at it, and his gaze was indifferent yet threatening. "Yun Luo? Qin Zheng's wife? Tell me, why did you pretend to be cooks?"

"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. We did not disguise ourselves as cooks."

"Is that so?" The emperor's tone was clearly unconvincing. "Are you trying to tell me that your arrival in the capital was also a coincidence?"

"No, that's not it. My husband and I were forced into a corner, so we had no choice but to take a gamble. But the Emperor probably knows that I'm just a village woman with no money or power. Brother Qin's situation is like that. After coming to the capital, he needs money for everything. And I happen to have some skills, so I opened a restaurant and entered the palace to cook for the Emperor. It was really unexpected."

The emperor remained silent, his words failing to reveal whether he believed him.

After a long silence, he finally asked, "What is your purpose in coming to the capital?"

Yunlu felt that the old emperor was very strange. "Your Majesty, as I just said, we were forced to come to the capital."

"Is that so? You don't want revenge?"

“No,” Yun Luo said.

She wanted to, too, but she wasn't stupid. If she talked about revenge now, wouldn't that mean killing the old emperor? Wouldn't that be courting death?

The emperor scoffed, "Is that so?"

"Yes, if we wanted revenge, we would have had the opportunity when we cooked for the Emperor, but we didn't."

"That's because once you've done it, you won't be able to leave the palace."

“Your Majesty, you are wrong,” Yunluo said. “You are the Emperor, the one who controls our fate. My brother Qin and I will not escape it sooner or later. Since we are going to die sooner or later anyway, why not take revenge quickly? Why give up the opportunity?”

This was something the emperor couldn't understand.

He wiped out the entire Qin family and ransacked their home. Logically, Qin Zheng should hate him to the bone, so why hasn't he taken any action yet?

It felt as if a sharp sword was hanging over his head, keeping him awake day and night.

Therefore, he had to find out the details.

"Yun Luo, do you think I would be fooled by your few words?"

"Your Majesty is wise. From beginning to end, Brother Qin only wanted one result: to kill the emperor. He never even considered it."

The emperor frowned. "What was the result?"

"To speak out of blasphemy, if the Emperor were in Brother Qin's position, and overnight, over a hundred lives, including children, were killed in the entire household, and you went from heaven to hell, living in darkness for years, what would you do?"