These days, Huang Shan had been pestering Song Yinghuai to play around in Yanjing City.
Everyone knew full well that Huang Shan was creating an opportunity for Sheng Jiangli to deploy troops.
But who would have thought that there might be a bigger threat lurking behind?
Sheng Jiangli's troop deployment was like the Monkey King trying to escape from the palm of the Buddha—he couldn't get out of Song Yinghuai's control.
As a result, the soldiers from the Five Army Camps, including Tan Xiong, were even a bit bored. Secretly keeping watch had exhausted both men and horses.
Sheng Jiangli seemed to understand the situation too. He showed little interest in troop deployment. He didn't arrange many soldiers, but instead, when Song Yinghuai was occupied, he always managed to show up at the Lotus Sound Pavilion.
Zhu Xiao had really put in a lot of effort to stop him, so as to prevent Song Yinghuai from flying into a rage.
Today, Caiyu had just walked out of the small kitchen and into the courtyard when a tall and slender figure leaped down from under the big tree in the yard.
"Sister Caiyu!"
Sheng Jiangli's cheerful voice rang out as he landed in front of Caiyu, startling her.
She quickly looked around, then stared at him warily. "General Sheng, how did you appear again?"
Zhu Xiao had been blocking Sheng Jiangli for the past two days, but Caiyu knew Sheng Jiangli too well. This man had always been unstoppable since childhood.
"And... just call me Caiyu," Caiyu said with a slight twitch of her lips. She felt a bit of the frustration that Song Yinghuai must have felt when she acted willfully.
Since she didn't allow him to call her Sister Shu'er, he had changed it to Sister Caiyu.
Sheng Jiangli's obsidian-like eyes were filled with laughter. His lips curved into a half-moon shape when he smiled. Ignoring her request, he just explained:
"General Zhu ate something bad and had a stomachache, so he went to the toilet. That's how I managed to get in."
Caiyu: ...
Zhu Xiao was a good man in every way, except that he was a bit of a glutton.
Especially when it came to Sheng Jiangli. The two were evenly matched, but in their own mansion, they couldn't just starve, could they?
It was not surprising that Zhu Xiao had been tricked into taking a laxative.
Caiyu sighed. "What do you want, General Sheng?"
She had also tried to probe these days and found that Sheng Jiangli didn't know that they served the same master at all.
It seemed that her role as a secret agent was a single - line connection and had nothing to do with Sheng Jiangli's mission.
Sheng Jiangli's eyes lit up when he saw the Harmonious Love Cakes in her hand. He reached out to grab one. "Harmonious Love Cakes! I remember that my adoptive mother used to love making them the most."
Caiyu quickly stepped to the side and used one hand to slap his hand. "Don't be so touchy - feely! These cakes are for the prince!"
Sheng Jiangli's hand was slapped, making a crisp sound of flesh hitting flesh. He grimaced in pain. "Ouch! It hurts!"
He rubbed his hand and sneered. His ears twitched slightly. He squinted and let out a scoff. "His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan is a grown man. What does he need pastries for? You might as well let me eat them!"
With that, he reached out his hand again.
"Get out of here!" Caiyu scolded with a scowl. Sheng Jiangli obediently withdrew his hand.
Sheng Jiangli's mouth drooped. His words were full of jealousy. "Sister Caiyu, you've made such a big plate of cakes. I just want to have one. The Prince of Yan won't eat them all. It would be a waste of your efforts. Please let me have one... I miss my adoptive mother's cooking."
Sheng Jiangli mentioned his mother several times. A flash of anger crossed Caiyu's face. "If you really missed her, why did you leave the Lan family back then?"
"What did my Lan family do wrong to you that made you leave without looking back? You were gone for nine years without a single word. You cut off all relations with my father and everyone else... Where were you when our Lan family was in trouble? And now you have the nerve to mention mother?"
Sheng Jiangli was stunned by her scolding. He stood there for a long time. The color slowly faded from his face. His usual playful expression was gone. He seemed a bit dazed.
Seeing his expression, Caiyu felt a bit sorry. After hesitating for a while, she said in a low voice:
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I didn't think that way... The Lan family was charged with the great crime of treason back then. Anyone related to the Lan family would be implicated. In fact, it's lucky that you left early and cut off relations with us. Everyone had already forgotten that my father had an adopted son..."
"Otherwise, you would have been exiled to Hainan too. Why involve one more person?"
"That's not it," Sheng Jiangli hesitated to speak. His eyes dimmed, hiding the surging emotions in them. He bit the inside of his cheek hard to hold back the sourness in his eyes. He forced a smile. "... It's okay. The fact is that I'm heartless and afraid of death. So when the Lan family was in trouble, I didn't stand up..."
"Brother A Li!" Caiyu blurted out to stop him from saying more.
Sheng Jiangli's eyes sparkled when he heard her call him "Brother A Li". He stared at her without blinking.
Caiyu rubbed the plate and lowered her head, avoiding his burning gaze. She said in a low voice, "It's all in the past... But, can you tell me how my father is now?"
The last time she wanted to ask, but Sheng Jiangli had tricked her and she couldn't ask.
These days, she had been planning to let Miao Yi and Yun Ling approach Song Yinghuai. And with Zhu Xiao always showing up unexpectedly, she didn't dare to ask easily, for fear that Sheng Jiangli would ramble on and expose something.
But since Sheng Jiangli had brought it up today, she couldn't help but ask.
Sheng Jiangli knew she was anxious and didn't dare to tease her anymore. He said simply:
"Adoptive father has been a soldier for half his life. He has endured many harsh environments. Hainan is nothing. You don't have to worry about his health. And you don't have to worry about my elder brother either..." When Sheng Jiangli mentioned Lan Guangling, the eldest son of the Lan family, his eyes flickered. "He's just frustrated."
Hearing that her father and brother were safe, Caiyu suddenly felt relieved. The great surprise made her lose her usual calm. She didn't even notice that Sheng Jiangli didn't mention her mother at all.
She stood there with red cheeks, bright eyes, a big smile on her face, and was breathing so fast that she could hardly catch her breath.
They were all alive and well!
Seeing her lose her senses, Sheng Jiangli quickly reminded her, "Sister Caiyu, don't look like this. General Zhu will probably be back soon. Don't let him see you like this. He might think I bullied you... You don't know how strong his punches are..."
Only then did Caiyu regain her composure. She was in a very good mood and actually gave a piece of the Harmonious Love Cake to Sheng Jiangli. She pursed her lips and smiled:
"Thank you for the news. This cake is for you as a token of my gratitude!"
Caiyu's bright smile was as sunny as ever. Her voice floated in the wind and gently brushed past Sheng Jiangli's ears, soft and charming.
Sheng Jiangli took the cake in a daze. Overwhelmed by the great surprise, he took a big bite.
It was so crispy that it crumbled and so sweet that it bubbled.
"Is it delicious?" Caiyu's smile lingered on her lips.
Sheng Jiangli nodded. "It's delicious. Sister Caiyu makes really delicious cakes."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a flash of cunning in Caiyu's eyes. The cake in his mouth suddenly didn't taste good anymore.
"Um..." Sheng Jiangli looked at the small piece of cake left in his hand and asked tentatively, "Are you sure this cake was prepared for His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan?"
The pastries prepared for Song Yinghuai, Sister Shu'er shouldn't be so bold as to "add something", right?
Caiyu nodded. She casually waved the celadon plate with the leaf pattern in her hand. Looking at the tall man who appeared at the door of the small kitchen courtyard, she smiled and said:
"These Harmonious Love Cakes were indeed prepared for the prince. But the one you just ate was specially prepared for you."
Sheng Jiangli's eyebrows twitched. He pricked up his ears and heard Song Yinghuai's gentle footsteps. He said with a bitter smile, "May I ask what you added?"
Caiyu smiled faintly. "Coincidentally, I added croton."
She still remembered the time when he tricked her and made Song Yinghuai misunderstand her.
Sheng Jiangli: ...
What goes around comes around.
He took a deep breath and quickly turned around. He smiled at Song Yinghuai, who had just got rid of Huang Shan and came back:
"Your Royal Highness the Prince of Yan comes just in time. I have some important matters in life to discuss with General Zhu. Excuse me!"
As soon as Sheng Jiangli took a step, he was blocked in front of him by Song Yinghuai.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan had a cold expression, but the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. "It's rare for General Sheng to come. How about playing a game of chess with me inside?"
Sheng Jiangli: ??