Suddenly, he turned around abruptly and walked to the boiling cauldron, leaning in to smell it.
Even though the steam rising from the pot burned his nose, he paid no mind and instead wore a look of satisfaction.
The surrounding guards, seeing his actions, also walked forward. Upon realizing the fragrance was coming from the pot, each and every one of them showed surprise.
Earlier, when Sima Han said it was wild boar meat he had prepared, they had maintained a composed demeanor, but inwardly, they had felt a degree of disdain.
After all, what kind of wild game had they not eaten during their missions? Why would they care about such a small thing?
But now, smelling this aroma, they truly regretted their earlier thoughts.
They regretted having such notions just moments ago.
They should have considered that although Sima Han had been a farmer for a few years, he was still a prince by birth. What good things had he not seen?
How could he have deceived them with ordinary wild game?
Indeed, dragons are always dragons, even when fallen. The things in their hands, you could only marvel at.
The water in the pot churned incessantly, revealing dark strips of meat brought to the surface by the splashing water.
Looking at the strips of meat, everyone’s mouths began to water again.
“What are you all standing around for? Don’t you want to eat? Go get bowls and spoons!”
Steward Jiang’s sudden scolding startled everyone. Each and every one of them ran off quickly, and soon, they all returned.
The difference was that in their hands, they all held large bowls.
Fortunately, the young guards had not forgotten Steward Jiang’s presence, and when they returned, they were carrying two large bowls.
“Eunuch, you old sir, please go sit down. I’ll serve you later and bring it to you.”
Steward Jiang smiled reassuringly, “You are truly kind-hearted. Unlike them, they are like wolf cubs when they see food; they can’t wait to pounce on it and bite.”
Despite saying this, Steward Jiang’s face still held a smile.
Shen Xiaoyan had been watching them, and seeing this scene, she naturally felt curious.
“You all go eat. They should be cooking soup too. After eating, you don’t need to come over this afternoon.”
Shen Xiaoyan said to the three wet nurses.
The wet nurses had grown accustomed to this. Although the triplets were still being breastfed, they ate their three meals a day on time, and sometimes had snacks in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
The reason she brought them along this time was that the triplets occasionally became restless and refused to eat, wanting only mother’s milk. Bringing them was merely a precaution.
Watching the wet nurses walk away, Shen Xiaoyan then lowered the curtain, summoned Luoluo from the space, and asked it to watch over things while she took the triplets and Zheng Wei into the space herself.
Once inside the space, Zheng Wei played with the three children, and Shen Xiaoyan quickly prepared some simple food. After feeding the triplets, she and Zheng Wei ate hastily, washed their bowls, and then exited the space.
The space had a time difference with the outside world, but as they were currently in a carriage surrounded by people, any unexpected situation could be problematic.
Luoluo saw Shen Xiaoyan and the others return and, without needing Shen Xiaoyan’s prompt, automatically returned to the space.
It was having fun playing with Hua Diandian!
After giving the triplets toys and settling them on the soft couch to play, Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei sat on either side of them, guarding them to prevent them from falling off inadvertently while playing enthusiastically.
“Earlier, I saw Steward Jiang and these guards, their relationship seemed really good. Just, as a powerful eunuch beside the Grand Emperor, why is he so approachable?”
Shen Xiaoyan asked Zheng Wei softly while teasing Ruan Ruan with a toy.
Zheng Wei, not expecting Shen Xiaoyan to be interested in an old eunuch, couldn’t immediately come up with a reason.
Shen Xiaoyan waited for a moment, and when she didn’t hear Zheng Wei speak, she looked at him curiously.
Seeing Zheng Wei deep in thought, she knew he was trying hard to recall.
After all, it was something from the previous life, and besides, he might not have paid attention to Steward Jiang in the previous life.
After another half-day, Zheng Wei looked up and smiled at Shen Xiaoyan, “Mimi, this question has truly stumped your husband.”
Hearing him say this, Shen Xiaoyan thought he hadn’t remembered and was about to say it was fine if he didn’t, when Zheng Wei began to speak.
“Steward Jiang’s name is Jiang Yubao. He entered the palace at the age of 12. I don’t know his family circumstances, but I know that ever since he entered the palace, he has been by the Grand Emperor’s side, rising from a mere eunuch to become the Grand Emperor’s most powerful eunuch.”
“His reputation among his subordinates has always been excellent. I have never heard any rumors of him abusing his power or being harsh with his subordinates.”
“These guards are all the Grand Emperor’s personal guards, so naturally, his relationship with them is good. After all, whether it’s the Grand Emperor’s safety or his own, these people are needed to protect them.”
Hearing Zheng Wei’s words, Shen Xiaoyan was a little stunned.
A person with no negative reviews, how was that possible?
There is no perfect person in this world. No matter how meticulously someone does things, they cannot truly please everyone.
Even if everyone appears polite on the surface, there are always rumors spread behind their backs.
But according to what Zheng Wei said, no one spoke ill of Jiang Yubao.
In the vast melting pot of the Forbidden City, it wasn’t just princes and princesses or concubines who had a difficult time.
The servants there were even more divided into factions.
Could Jiang Yubao have climbed to his current position step by step solely because of his kind heart?
Shen Xiaoyan was highly skeptical. However, fortunately, no matter what, Jiang Yubao had no conflict of interest with her, so she didn’t need to investigate further.
Still, she would need to guard against Jiang Yubao in the future.
If Jiang Yubao hadn’t possessed great fortune to reach his current position, then there was only one other possibility: his public facade was maintained too perfectly.
People like that often hide a darker side that is even more terrifying.
The commotion outside continued until Jiang Yubao and the others had dinner. After the meal, Shen Xiaoyan heard Jiang Yubao tell Sima Han that they could set off.
The speed of travel in the afternoon was much faster than in the morning.
However, whether it was due to the good weather today or something else, they encountered significantly more people in the afternoon.
The official road was not narrow originally, but due to the thick snow, the path had been greatly reduced.
With more people, the speed naturally slowed down considerably.
By the time it was getting dark, they had only reached Huangshan County.
Shen Xiaoyan lifted the curtain and glanced outside. Seeing the sunset dyeing half the sky red, she smiled and said, “Tomorrow will still be good weather. If it continues like this, the snow on the road will melt in a few days, and then we can travel faster.”
“Mimi, do you really want to go to the Imperial Capital?” Zheng Wei asked curiously.
Shen Xiaoyan shook her head upon hearing this, “It has nothing to do with whether I want to go or not. It’s just that the feeling of traveling in a carriage for too long isn’t very good. Especially for the three of them; if it’s too long, they’ll likely become restless.”
Shen Xiaoyan said, looking at the triplets, her eyes filled with heartache.
This damned ancient era, traveling, especially long distances, was truly inconvenient.
Zheng Wei also looked at the triplets upon hearing this.