Chapter 1014 – Surrender Might Be Better (Part One)
Wei Ci understood her well; once Jiang Pengji got busy, she didn’t treat herself like a person, and if no one reminded her, she wouldn’t eat at all.
Back when she was young, it didn’t matter how she messed around, but now that she’s older, her stomach and spleen were suffering.
With Wei Ci’s reminder, Jiang Pengji rubbed her belly, realizing that after several missed meals, she was so hungry she didn’t even feel it.
“If it weren’t for Zixiao reminding me, I would have almost forgotten about it.”
Wei Ci chuckled at the realization, pulling the food table over and opening the food box, releasing a rich aroma that filled the air.
Conditions in the military camp were harsh, and fresh fruits and vegetables were scarce in the Northern Border. The soldiers were either stuck eating dry rations or pickled jerky, which tasted awful.
Today, they had gathered a considerable bounty, so Wei Ci had the cooks set aside several pieces of well-marbled meat along with some wild dried goods from their loot.
As Jiang Pengji watched Wei Ci serve the food from the box, the delightful aroma made her previously silent stomach start to grumble.
“The cooks surely don’t have skills like this; could it be that Zixiao made this specially for me?”
Those cooks could only whip up huge pots of rice and dishes, ensuring cleanliness but not caring about the taste.
Sometimes, they even ended up undercooked, forcing the soldiers to choke it down.
The food Wei Ci brought out was different; just the look and smell could make one’s mouth water.
“Except for my Lord, I’ve never cooked for anyone else. Eat it while it’s hot.” Wei Ci filled her bowl with rice and brought her a pair of bamboo chopsticks. “It’s been a while since I cooked, so I’m not sure if my skills have dulled—if my Lord finds it not to your taste, I can have someone prepare another dish.”
Jiang Pengji accepted the bowl and chopsticks, shoveling rice while glancing up at Wei Ci.
“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
Wei Ci served her a bowl of mushroom soup to enjoy with the meal.
Eating too much meat isn’t great; it can become quite tedious.
Jiang Pengji laughed, “The presentation is beautiful; I can only eat because of Zixiao’s enticing dishes.”
Wei Ci could only smile wryly; even though he had resolved his inner issues, his Lord’s teasing always caught him off guard.
“I never expected I would have this kind of usefulness.” Wei Ci smoothly responded, “In that case, my Lord should eat a few more bowls.”
He spoke that way but inwardly sighed—what a smooth talker.
If his face was this appetizing, why did the Emperor insist on skipping meals before, only to require him to sweet-talk her into eating?
Recalling it now, Wei Ci’s mind sparked with a ridiculous thought—
Could it be that the Emperor’s poor appetite was just a ploy to get him to charm her?
“If Zixiao accompanies me, I could eat even more.”
“I’ve already had my meal.”
Wei Ci smiled as he added another bowl for her, his gaze as soft as water.
Jiang Pengji cleared the food Wei Ci had prepared, leaving no grain of rice or drop of soup behind; her plate sparkled brighter than her face.
“With Zixiao’s skills, you’ll surely be able to marry.”
Wei Ci replied, “There’s no rush; there are still a few years to go.”
Jiang Pengji looked at Wei Ci’s lips, instinctively licking her dry lips.
“Do you have any desserts prepared after the meal?”
Wei Ci was astonished; while his Lord wasn’t picky, she didn’t like overly sweet things and rarely touched desserts.
“Not yet—”
Before he could finish, Jiang Pengji swiftly grabbed the back of his neck with her right hand and pulled him towards herself, causing them both to tumble onto the seat.
Don’t be fooled by Jiang Pengji’s theoretical knowledge; when it came to practice, she seemed only capable of chomping down.
After a while, Wei Ci left the main tent with an empty food box, his previously pale lips now as red as fire, seeming like they could bleed.
Upon running into Qi Guanrang, he slightly bowed his head and hurriedly greeted him.
Qi Guanrang: “…”
Having matters to discuss with Jiang Pengji, Qi Guanrang noticed his Lord’s state and then thought of Wei Ci’s embarrassed appearance, making him chuckle.
Wei Ci was already twenty-six, and his Lord was nearing twenty.
At this age, if they weren’t careful, they could already have a child to attend the Golden Scales Academy.
Yet the two of them were simply naive.
“My Lord, we have found out the identities of those two men.” Qi Guanrang gathered his thoughts and resumed a professional demeanor.
“Their identities?” Jiang Pengji blinked, then remembered who Qi Guanrang was referring to. “What identities?”
The two men brought back by Jiang Pengji sported armor that clearly indicated their remarkable status; they might even be significant figures from the Northern Border… Not wanting to waste time, she quickly dumped the matter onto Qi Guanrang and hurriedly returned to her tent to wash up and change clothes.
“They’re quite stubborn; they won’t reveal anything about themselves. However, Zaidao has seen them and knows their identities,” Qi Guanrang continued, his smile growing wider, “They are both princes of the Northern Border, one being the Seventh Prince and the other the Eighth Prince.”
“Princes of the Northern Border?” Jiang Pengji was taken aback, her eyes widening in surprise. “That old turtle, the Northern Border King, really has quite the reproductive prowess.”
It seemed like he had a strong ability to father children.
Jiang Pengji had killed the Second Prince for a sacrifice and had taken out the Ninth Prince, leaving his corpse hanging there to strike fear into the Northern Border.
Sun Wen used the Ninth Prince’s hand to take out the Fourth Prince of the Northern Border.
Calculating it all up, she had taken down three princes of the Northern Border and now captured two more.
There were just too many princes in the Northern Border; they were practically worthless.
Qi Guanrang was momentarily choked by his Lord’s description.
However… it was true that the Northern Border King was remarkably fertile; their Lord was a natural predator destined to ensure the royal family’s extinction.
“How does my Lord plan to deal with the two of them?”
Jiang Pengji pondered for a moment, “They’re family, after all; we should focus on unity and send them down to meet their other brothers.”
Qi Guanrang furrowed his brow, understanding that his Lord meant she wasn’t planning to let them go.
“Are we killing them now?”
“If we kill them now, wouldn’t that just be handing a gift to the Northern Border?” Jiang Pengji thought for a moment and came up with an idea, “Strip them of their clothes, tie them up, and hang them on the arrow tower. I remember the Second Prince of the Northern Border had been treated like this before; they are brothers after all and can’t be shown favor over the other.”
After saying that, she added, “Oh, right, before doing that, make sure Wen Zheng drafts a letter to inform the Northern Border Royal Court—if they want to get the two back, they just need to bind their royal family members and surrender. If they refuse, they should keep their eyes wide open and watch—”
Under normal circumstances, they could use the captives to gain benefits, but Jiang Pengji had no intention of letting the Northern Border escape.
Better to use them to strike fear into the Northern Border and apply psychological pressure.
Qi Guanrang replied, “Understood.”
Meanwhile, the Eighth Prince, who had already become a prisoner, finally regained consciousness.
Seeing signs of awakening in the Eighth Prince, the Seventh Prince hurriedly called out, “Eighth Brother—Eighth Brother, wake up—”
The Eighth Prince slowly came to; his throat felt dry, as if a fire was raging inside.
“Seventh, Seventh Brother—where is this?”
As the Eighth Prince moved, he noticed his hands were tightly bound with ropes, and he felt sharp pain in his lower limbs.
In an instant, memories flooded back from before his fainting spell.
He remembered being dragged down from his horse with a lasso, and along the way, a hoof had stomped on his legs.
