Chapter Sixteen No One Remembers

Deputy General Zhao had just left the residence of the Third Prince, Li Tai'an, but as he departed, he failed to notice the chill hidden beneath Li Tai'an's genteel and scholarly smile.

"The second brother truly doesn't know how to discipline his people. Even a mere deputy under his command lacks proper manners and shame, and the daughter he raised is even worse," Li Tai'an muttered, displeased, as he leaned against the soft couch. Xiao Gexu sighed softly, then wrapped his arms around the prince.

Meanwhile, General Zhao Fu hurried back to his mansion. Upon arrival, he asked the steward, "Where is the young lady? Today, I must teach her a lesson, so she knows her place." The steward followed at his heels, speaking as they walked, but Zhao Fu was so angry he paid no heed to the old man's words.

Storming into Miss Zhao's room, Zhao Fu opened the door only to be confronted by a sight he could scarcely believe. Miss Zhao hung lifeless from the beam, having already passed away. Zhao Fu stood frozen, and the steward who followed him in saw both the tragic suicide and the general, stunned and motionless.

Zhao Fu could not accept that his own daughter would suffer such a fate. He knew her well—she was usually carefree, even when faced with grave trouble, she would laugh it off. When her mother died, it was his daughter who stayed by his side through the ordeal.

Though he often lamented her lack of ambition, he had never wished her dead. If he had ever considered demanding her life in atonement, he would not have rushed off to the prince’s residence to apologize so earnestly.

Now, Zhao Fu half-knelt on the floor, trembling violently, staring at the ground, murmuring his daughter's name. The steward, shocked by the scene, wiped away his tears and instructed the servants behind him, "Take Miss Zhao down."

Zhao Fu looked at the steward and said desperately, "Old Zhao, this isn't real, is it? That wretched girl is just pretending to escape my punishment, right? She hasn't truly hanged herself, has she?" But no one could offer him comfort, for Miss Zhao had indeed taken her own life.

Staring at the beam where his daughter had hanged herself, Zhao Fu was distracted during training the next day and fell from his horse, breaking his leg. From then on, Da'an Pass lost a deputy general—and no one would remember what had happened to him.

Li Tai'an, the Third Prince, sent off Deputy General Zhao with a smile. As he turned away, his expression darkened, and he grumbled to Xiao Gexu, "I've never seen such a rude person in all my years."

"No wonder, with the second brother’s command, he remains just a deputy general," Li Tai'an said, lounging on the couch, his head resting on Xiao Gexu’s lap.

Li Tai'an glanced at the sky and said, "Cousin, I’m feeling unhappy tonight. You must stay with me." Xiao Gexu patted his head and replied, "Very well, the night is deep. Let's retire early."

When Lin Miao Miao awoke the next morning, she saw Li Yanhe and An Qi packing their luggage. After breakfast, Lin Miao Miao watched Li Yanhe bid farewell to Yang Fugui and his wife.

Lin Miao Miao asked nothing, knowing that they had to travel and could not truly stay in one place for a month. The month-long lease was only a ruse to avoid attracting attention; had they rented for just a few days, the villagers would have talked. In a place full of gossip, people would speculate, but if the lease was for a month or more, everyone assumed they intended to settle.

Lin Miao Miao bought an old ox from the village. It was no longer efficient for plowing, so the villagers planned to butcher it for meat. Lin Miao Miao, seeing its condition, purchased it for less than a tael of silver and hired some villagers to drive a cart.

Li Yanhe, Lin Miao Miao, and An Qi set off at a leisurely pace, steering the ox cart. With the cart at hand, Lin Miao Miao made many steamed buns for the journey, preserved eggs, and bought a jar from Yang Fugui’s family. Thus, they began their travels.

This time, their destination was far away. After leaving the county, they would need seven days’ journey to reach their next stop. There might be villages along the way, but certainly no county towns. To make the journey comfortable, Lin Miao Miao had prepared plenty of food.

Though every trip to the kitchen left her with a face smudged and streaming from the smoke, she had now mastered the art of cooking with the large wok. Pork jerky, chicken strips, beef, spicy dried fish, long-lasting corn cakes, steamed buns, and baked flatbreads—she had prepared them all.

Taking the less-traveled paths, Lin Miao Miao had bought some rouge and powder. With her makeup skills, Li Yanhe and An Qi blended into crowds, unrecognizable even to acquaintances.

In modern times, makeup was sometimes called the "art of disguise." Though somewhat exaggerated, by softening facial features through makeup and changing hairstyle and clothes, Lin Miao Miao could make someone appear quite ordinary.

After days of experimenting, she achieved her desired effect. When An Qi saw Li Yanhe’s transformation, he exclaimed, “Miss Lin, have you studied disguise techniques?” Lin Miao Miao shook her head and replied, “It’s just makeup, a new hairstyle, and a change of outfit—nothing more.”

When a group of men in black arrived at Yang Fugui’s house, they found no sign of Li Yanhe. They searched the yard but came up empty-handed. By sheer luck, Yang Fugui and his wife were away in town selling cakes, so they escaped harm.

Yang Linshi wanted to sell cakes, so Yang Fugui asked Lin Miao Miao if they could buy the recipe. Lin Miao Miao found Yang Fugui a decent man—he had the courtesy to ask, and Yang Linshi already knew how to make them after the first time.

If they had sold the cakes without asking, Lin Miao Miao would not have minded, nor could she have pursued the matter. But in ancient times, people valued tradition.

Yang Fugui felt the cake recipe was a family secret of Lin Miao Miao’s, so he offered her money for peace of mind. He paid three taels of silver for the recipe. Lin Miao Miao knew if she sold it to a restaurant, she could fetch a hundred taels, but seeing Yang Fugui and his wife’s integrity, she chose to sell it cheaply.

With the three taels, she bought meat to make jerky for the journey, eggs and grain from the village. She had one hundred taels in silver notes, while the rest of her small change was spent. Converting her silver into notes had been wise, as she tended to spend impulsively—notes made it harder to squander on trivial items.

Thus, she unknowingly saved money. Throughout the journey, Lin Miao Miao felt as if she were out on a countryside excursion.

The scenery was beautiful; though autumn had arrived and leaves were falling, the hills blanketed in yellow leaves brought her joy. Ancient times offered pure air, no noise, no towering buildings—just endless vistas.

The rivers were clear, and sometimes Li Yanhe and An Qi would catch fish. Lin Miao Miao would take out a small cloth bag Yang Linshi had prepared for her—a modern-style canvas bag, soft enough to carry slung over the shoulder or in hand.

Inside were many things—seasoning salt, homemade cumin powder, pepper, and other spices. Lin Miao Miao felt that on the day she graduated from high school three years ago, choosing food science was preparation for this moment.

She had read stories of others crossing time, becoming princesses, royal consorts, even empresses, while she was just a child bride. Others could make soap, face wash, bath gel, shampoo, yet she was like a native, bathing with soap pods, lacking the skill or materials.

She watched Li Yanhe and An Qi catch fish and suddenly felt inspired. She said to Li Yanhe, “Let’s make grilled fish!” Li Yanhe agreed, and the three began to enjoy their meal.

As they ate, a small boy suddenly darted in and snatched the fish from Lin Miao Miao’s hands. Crouched atop a stone, he devoured the fish with both hands, his thin frame and squinting eyes fixed on their group.

Lin Miao Miao took another fish and continued grilling, watching to see how the boy would react.