Old Man Yun scrambled to his feet, frowning, "Who is it now?"
Making such a fuss and shouting in the middle of the night, weren't they letting people sleep...
Madam Gu blinked her eyes, "Judging by the commotion, it sounds like that young lady is back. Go out and take a look!"
The sons in the house were already asleep. Old Man Yun, looking impatient, threw on his clothes and stomped out.
Xue Ling barked twice, wagging its big tail, and followed Old Man Yun to the main gate...
Pushing the door open, he saw Xiao Xinling standing outside with a smile. Two guards under her were carrying a roe deer, and she was also holding two pheasants, seemingly just back from a hunt.
"Old man, hurry up and get the fire going. This young lady wants to eat roast meat!" Xiao Xinling said, then ordered her subordinates, "What are you standing around for? Carry the roe deer inside!"
"Alas, to buy these wild game, this young lady waited in that broken county town for a whole afternoon. I'm starving to death!"
Xiao Xinling heard that there was plenty of wild game in the countryside and went to buy some with Granny Gao...
Who knew that all the good items the vendors had were sent to Governor Chen's residence.
She waited until the middle of the night before she managed to buy a roe deer and two pheasants.
Old Man Yun: "..."
"Hey, hey, young lady, wait a minute!" Old Man Yun stopped her, pointing at the dark night sky, "Look at the time it is. The kitchen has boiled potatoes and corn in the racks. I'll clear them for you, and you can make do with something for now. The roe deer won't spoil if it sits overnight, right?"
"What do you mean 'right'?" Xiao Xinling wrinkled her nose, "This young lady hasn't eaten all day. Do you want to starve me to death? I've already paid for the room and board. Hurry up, skin the roe deer, and when you roast it, sprinkle plenty of Sichuan peppercorns and such..."
Old Man Yun was speechless.
This girl really knew how to boss people around.
He had to get up early to work in the fields tomorrow. By the time the roe deer was roasted, it would be dawn.
Seeing Old Man Yun not moving, Xiao Xinling stamped her feet in anger, "You, you, you, hurry up, hurry up! I'm hungry!"
Old Man Yun: "..."
What a living ancestor.
"I can't do it. If you want boiled corn and boiled potatoes, I can get them for you!" Old Man Yun's stubbornness also kicked in.
Just then, Du Tieshan came out. She suddenly remembered she hadn't fed the pigs yet and hurried towards the pigsty.
Seeing her father and Miss Xiao glaring at each other, with sparks flying, Du Tieshan walked over and asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"
"Look, this princess insists on having roast meat in the middle of the night. She won't listen to reason and can't be persuaded. What do you call this..." Old Man Yun said.
Granny Gao and the guards were all shocked.
This old man actually recognized their mistress's identity?
How did he know she was the princess?
Little did they know that Old Man Yun had no idea who Xiao Xinling was. He was just using the words 'princess' to mock her stubbornness and unreasonable behavior...
"Hey, you old geezer, what are you talking about?" Xiao Xinling put her hands on her hips, tilting her chin up, "This young lady has paid the money. If you don't make me roast meat, then return the money, hmph!"
"Return it then!" Old Man Yun rolled up his sleeves, "You're so arrogant just because you have a bit of money. Young as you are, can't you learn something good? You have to come out and annoy people. Just you wait, I'll go get the money, and then you can pack your bags and sleep in the carriage. Our Yun family won't serve you anymore..."
Old Man Yun said this and was about to walk into the main house.
Seeing this, Du Tieshan quickly stopped him, saying with a wry smile, "Dad, please calm down. It's just a meal of roast meat. Your daughter-in-law will make it for her! You've worked hard all day, so you should go to bed early!"
Old Man Yun was stunned for a moment, his expression full of guilt, "Shanshan, you've also worked all day. There's no need to serve this princess. We're not short of her money..."
Alas, this daughter-in-law was too sensible, it almost made one feel sorry for her.
Du Tieshan smiled and said, "It's alright, Dad. I can't sleep anyway!"
With that, she had someone carry the roe deer into the courtyard and went into the kitchen to heat water.
Old Man Yun felt too embarrassed to sleep. He roused Yun Erman and asked him to help Du Tieshan skin the roe deer...
"And those pheasants, stew them with dried mushrooms. Don't make them too salty, I have a light palate!" Xiao Xinling, draped in a fox fur cloak, sat on a small stool, giving orders.
Yun Erman glared at her, feeling disgusted.
"Shanshan, you say, who would dare marry a girl like this? She's a living ancestor. No man could handle her!" Yun Erman couldn't help but complain when Du Tieshan went to the kitchen to get water.
Du Tieshan glanced at Xiao Xinling and smiled helplessly, "This is like saying everyone has their own preference. If you don't fancy her, there are plenty of people who do..."
In this world, there are only leftover men, not leftover women.
Moreover, Miss Xiao was so fair-skinned and bright-eyed, how could she not get married?
Yun Erman raked the charcoal into the iron brazier and snorted, "I'm more afraid she'll ruin a good young man. Whoever marries her is truly unlucky..."
Yun Siman, who was playing chess with Gu Mingyan in the capital, suddenly sneezed.
"Ah, ah-choo!"
"What's wrong?" Gu Mingyan looked up at Yun Siman, "Did you catch a cold?"
Yun Siman rubbed his nose, "N-nothing!"
Why did he suddenly feel a chill down his spine?
It was as if someone was talking about him...
Gu Mingyan said calmly, "The assassins sent by the neighboring country have been dealt with. The crossbow blueprints have been sent to the Ministry of Works, and the first batch of repeating crossbows will be produced soon. This time, your contribution is indispensable!"
He placed a chess piece and continued, "There are no major matters in the court right now. I'll give you a few more days off. Go back to the village and see your parents!"
Without the harassment of those assassins, Yun Siman could also return to reunite with his family with peace of mind...
"Thank you, Marquis!" Yun Siman cupped his hands, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, Marquis, your subordinate heard that the state of Chen was destroyed by the state of Yan, its country shattered, and its people displaced. Is this true?"
Gu Mingyan stared at the chessboard for a moment, then nodded gently, "The country has indeed been destroyed. The royal family of Chen are either dead or fled, and their gold and silver were plundered by Yan soldiers. Their fate is even more miserable than that of ordinary people..."
"And many princes and princesses have fled all the way to our Great Liang country, begging for food or working as servants for others. It's truly heartbreaking!"
Yun Siman sighed after hearing this, "Fortunately, our Great Liang country is prosperous enough that Yan could not take advantage of any weakness!"
Gu Mingyan smiled faintly. Prosperity was only on the surface. It was likely that in a short time, a world-shattering crisis would descend upon the Great Liang country...