The carriage door was quickly opened.
However, both Lian Ju and Qing Zhu frowned upon seeing the corn cakes in Han Jingyu's hand.
They had both served in the army with the old General Ji and knew that army rations were divided into coarse and fine grains.
As those accustomed to hardship, they didn't care what they ate, but how could their young lady eat coarse grains?
"Where are the fine grains?" Qing Zhu asked, not reaching out.
Han Jingyu hadn't expected that Rong He County Princess, a woman who rarely left her chambers, would have such knowledgeable attendants. He immediately explained, "Reporting to Rong He County Princess, the fine grains were distributed just now."
Upon hearing this, Lian Ju and Qing Zhu's brows furrowed even tighter.
When an army travels, rations are only insufficient during special circumstances.
What logic was there for the rations to be short just after leaving the city?
Ji Zizhao, however, said lightly, "Thank you, Young General Han."
Hearing their young lady speak, Lian Ju and Qing Zhu no longer hesitated and took a few corn cakes.
"County Princess Rong He is too kind; it is my duty," Han Jingyu replied with a smile, but inwardly he thought differently. He suspected that this Rong He County Princess, like the Second Prince, would have brought pastries.
After all, she was merely a sheltered young lady, how could she stomach such coarse grains?
Unexpectedly, as Han Jingyu passed by the carriage window, he happened to see Ji Zizhao inside the carriage, eating a corn cake with the person beside her.
Han Jingyu was truly stunned.
Even many new recruits found such dry, coarse grains difficult to swallow…
The Rong He County Princess actually ate it?
Ji Zizhao did indeed eat it; otherwise, would she starve?
On this journey, apart from a few changes of clothes, all she had brought were various medicinal herbs.
The physicians from the four major medical halls had departed for Luoyi over a month ago, and it was likely that the medicinal supplies they carried were already running short.
She intended to take this opportunity to deliver more medicinal herbs to the physicians.
Anything could fill the stomach, but life-saving medicine could not be trifled with.
Suddenly, a glutinous rice ball rolled onto Ji Zizhao's carriage.
Because she stumbled when getting on, it truly rolled up…
Ji Zizhao, looking at the Tenth Prince who had rolled into a ball, didn't know what to say.
The Tenth Prince didn't cry, but looked regretfully at the two slightly dusty steamed buns in his hand, dejected, "I originally wanted to give them to the fairy sister, but they're all dirty now."
So, this little slyboots had overheard Han Jingyu's words just now.
The softest part of Ji Zizhao's heart was touched by this little fellow.
She reached out, beckoned him to her, took one of the steamed buns from his hand, took a bite, and then asked, "Your Highness the Tenth Prince, would you like some tea?"
The Tenth Prince nodded with a beaming smile, "Yes."
Ji Zizhao ate very quickly, while the Tenth Prince ate as slowly as possible.
Eating was not the main point, of course; the most important thing was to be able to look at the fairy sister a few more times.
Lian Ju and Qing Zhu, sitting beside them, watched the little imp whose eyes were practically sparkling as he stared at their young lady. If he weren't so young, they would have already kicked him off the carriage.
Ji Zizhao, thinking that she would be traveling with the Tenth Prince, had already prepared a lot of medicine before leaving.
For ease of carrying, they were all rolled into pills the size of a fingernail.
After the Tenth Prince finished his steamed bun, she handed him a bag of these pills, "These are medicines to suppress Your Highness the Tenth Prince's impatience. Although they cannot cure the root cause, taking one and placing it under your tongue when an attack occurs can save your life."
The Tenth Prince: "..."
He felt that happiness had come too suddenly.
Lian Ju and Qing Zhu, seeing the boy once again doting on their young lady, felt their hands itching.
The Tenth Prince held the heavy medicine bag, and then his eyes suddenly drooped. Even his long eyelashes could not hide the intense bitterness and disappointment. "Fairy sister, why are you so good to me? Even Father Emperor has never cared for me like this…"
Ji Zizhao gently stroked his round little head. "Do not place your hopes on anyone. If you wish to rely on someone, become strong yourself. Only you can accompany yourself for a lifetime."
The Tenth Prince did not reply, but he earnestly remembered these words in his heart.
"Bang!" The slightly ajar carriage door was violently pushed open.
The Seventh Prince, Xie Jingqi, stood there with an enraged expression, glaring at the Tenth Prince who was huddled like a small ball in the carriage.
Without waiting for anyone in the carriage to speak, Xie Jingqi grabbed the Tenth Prince by his collar and turned to leave, not even saying a word to Ji Zizhao.
Qing Zhu and Lian Ju looked at their young lady.
Ji Zizhao, however, calmly leaned back into the soft couch, as if nothing had happened.
Xie Jingqi unceremoniously shoved the Tenth Prince back into his original carriage. "In the future, associate less with those spineless cowards. Look at her appearance; she doesn't look like a proper person at all."
The Tenth Prince retorted indignantly, "Seventh Brother, you are judging her by her appearance. That is wrong."
Xie Jingqi, angered, raised his hand and tapped the Tenth Prince on the head. "If I say it's right, it's right."
The Tenth Prince: "..."
Does "right" mean winning through force?
As Xie Jingqi closed the carriage door, the Tenth Prince, now confined back in the carriage, lost all his smiles. His eyes were cold, a stark contrast to the obedient child he had been in front of Ji Zizhao.
The young eunuch attending the Tenth Prince quickly found a sandbag the size of a fist from his satchel.
The Tenth Prince bit and punched at the sandbag for a long time until the sand inside spilled all over the ground. Only then did he weakly lie on the soft couch and close his eyes, exhausted.
After a brief rest, the army resumed its march.
This trip to Luoyi was not an open war with the Turks, so only two thousand soldiers accompanied them.
However, these soldiers were in no way comparable to the Ji family's army under the old General Ji. Not only was their marching speed slow, but their discipline was also lax.
They were supposed to reach their destination by evening but were unnecessarily delayed until midnight.
The sky had completely darkened. Han Jingyu quickly ordered the new recruits to set up camp and light fires.
As Ji Zizhao stepped out of the carriage, she happened to see the bonfires in the camp being lit.
The flickering flames illuminated the night sky.
The Second Prince and the Tenth Prince, who had been jostled by the carriage, also alighted.
Upon seeing Ji Zizhao, the disgust in the Second Prince's eyes was undisguised.
The Tenth Prince, however, was overjoyed, but due to his Seventh Brother's fist, he dared not get too close to Ji Zizhao.
With the bonfires, everyone could have a hot meal.
Under Han Jingyu's arrangement, Ji Zizhao, the Second Prince, and others sat around the bonfire, waiting for the soldiers to bring the grilled naan.
Both Lian Ju and Qing Zhu were very familiar with the process of roasting these hard, reddish naan cakes over the bonfire.
They rose, intending to fetch some naan from the soldiers nearby to grill for their young lady, when they saw an extremely familiar figure by the bonfire ahead.
Lian Ju and Qing Zhu both stared in astonishment.
They could never have imagined seeing her here…