Mrs. Shen looked apologetic. She dared not meet Mu Fengqie's eyes and began to stammer, "Fengqie, Yiru is just so impulsive. But she's a good girl. She must have learned some gossips from somewhere. Don't take her words to heart."
Mu Fengqie was already very satisfied that Mrs. Shen was willing to speak up for her. Naturally, she didn't mind. Although Shen Yiru's words were a bit sharp, it was obvious that she was a kind - hearted person.
Mu Fengqie showed a smile and comforted her, "It's okay. I know she has a sharp tongue but a kind heart. She even spoke up for me at the tea party. Don't worry, godmother."
Mrs. Shen was very satisfied with Mu Fengqie's sense of propriety. The more she looked at Mu Fengqie, the more she liked her. Mu Fengqie also played with Qi'er for the whole afternoon. It was already evening when she returned to Tingfengyuan.
Looking at the empty courtyard, Mu Fengqie began to miss Jing Xunce. She wondered how he was doing there, whether he was in danger, and whether his hidden identity had been discovered...
At the same time, Jing Xunce was also missing her while looking at the things related to her. He held the sachet Mu Fengqie gave him and kept stroking it. Although they had only been separated for a few days, it felt like years to him.
Yuan Yuhan came to Jing Xunce's tent and saw this scene. He sat beside Jing Xunce and handed the wine flask in his hand to him. "We'll reach the border in one more day's journey. This time, we must win no matter what."
He had been competing with Yuan Yuchuan for a long time and finally got this opportunity. If it weren't for Jing Xunce, he might not have dared to take this risk.
Only by winning this battle could they leave a good impression on the emperor. Naturally, Jing Xunce would have the opportunity to be promoted, and he could also get involved in the affairs of the court smoothly.
Jing Xunce still replied with a cold "hmm", then took the wine flask and took big gulps. This was the last night they could drink. After tonight, a tough battle awaited them.
"Have you ever thought about what if we fall short at the last moment?" Yuan Yuhan asked after a moment of contemplation.
Jing Xunce also thought for a long time, then coldly said again, "Once an arrow is shot, it can't be taken back. There's no such thing as 'falling short at the last moment' in my world."
Yuan Yuhan opened his mouth, but a huge roar came from outside. Both of them were startled, and the wine flasks in their hands fell to the ground. They walked out of the tent, and the roar of the beast became louder. It seemed that the sound was getting closer, and the soldiers were also in a panic.
The beast that could make such a roar must be a large and fierce one. The soldiers also became tense. They all tensed their bodies and nervously observed their surroundings.
But the roar gradually became smaller. Just when everyone thought the beast had been scared away and relaxed their vigilance, a huge black bear that was about two meters tall when standing up suddenly sprang out of the grass.
The black bear went crazy when it saw the fire and the panicked people. It slapped two soldiers to the ground with one paw. Just as its foot was about to step on the two soldiers, Jing Xunce picked up his bow and arrow and shot the black bear.
A burst of pain hit the black bear. It kept beating its chest, and its madness was even more intense than before. It then turned its target to Jing Xunce, who was holding the bow and arrow.
Jing Xunce ran quickly, leading the black bear to a place with fewer people. Seeing this, Yuan Yuhan quickly followed behind Jing Xunce. Many people held their breath when they saw the Fifth Prince taking risks to fight the black bear.
Yuan Yuhan couldn't let Jing Xunce face the beast alone. If Jing Xunce was accidentally injured by the black bear, this battle might not be able to be fought. So he and Jing Xunce surrounded the black bear from the left and the right.
"Brother, I'll hold it back. Try to kill it." After saying that, Yuan Yuhan rushed in front of the black bear and scratched the black bear's body with his short knife.
His action even more annoyed the black bear and created an opportunity for Jing Xunce. Seeing the black bear chasing Yuan Yuhan, Jing Xunce jumped onto the black bear's back from behind and shouted, "Knife!"
At this moment, Yuan Yuhan threw the knife in his hand. Jing Xunce took the knife and immediately stabbed it into the black bear's neck. With a thud, the black bear fell to the ground, and blood flowed everywhere.
Seeing this, Jing Xunce and Yuan Yuhan looked at each other and smiled. They cooperated very tacitly, and the black bear was easily dealt with by the two of them.
"Soldiers, skin this black bear. Let's have some meat tonight!" Yuan Yuhan shouted loudly.
The soldiers cheered when they heard this. They also began to look at the deputy general personally appointed by the Fifth Prince with new respect. Jing Xunce didn't join them. He took the sachet and returned to his tent.
He missed Mu Fengqie all the time. He was worried about whether Mu Fengqie could take care of herself and the baby in her belly. He might be away for at least a few months and at most a year. He didn't know if he could catch the baby's birth when he returned in triumph.
The next day, Mu Fengqie took Xiaoqing and Zhu Fei to go shopping. The main purpose was to check how the hot - pot restaurant was being renovated. The mistress and her maids shopped during the day and made skin - care products and masks at night. They had a very fulfilling life.
The renovation of the hot - pot restaurant was going very fast. It would open at the same time as the skin - care product store in two more days. Mu Fengqie didn't need to worry about the manpower at all. Jiang Yanqin had already arranged it. She was just doing mental work.
After shopping for most of the day, the mistress and the two maids had lunch at the inn and took a short rest.
"Are you being reasonable? Miss has seen all kinds of treasures. Why would I steal your things?"
Mu Fengqie recognized Shen Yiru's voice. She looked out of the window and sure enough saw Shen Yiru standing outside arguing with some people.
"What kind of miss? Even if the emperor himself came, it wouldn't work. You dared to steal my things. I think you're tired of living. Hurry up and pay up, five hundred taels. If you don't pay, you won't be able to leave here alive!"
The leader was a fat and strong man with a shocking scar on his face. No matter how brave Shen Yiru was, she was still a little girl. Such a situation made her start to tremble.
She knew these people were cruel. If they said they wouldn't let her leave alive, they would surely do it. But how could she come up with five hundred taels?
"Five hundred taels? Isn't that too much? I didn't steal your things at all. My father is a fourth - rank imperial official, and my uncle is a second - rank minister. If you hurt me, they won't let you go."
Shen Yiru was quite smart. She brought up the Minister's Mansion to scare them. But these people were all bandits. They didn't take Shen Yiru's words to heart at all. Some of them had already started to reach out and pull Shen Yiru.
"Stop! Let's see who dares to hurt a single hair on her head?" Mu Fengqie's cold voice came out, attracting everyone's attention.