Chapter 497: 497 Living Together_1

Wei Jinyi gave a nod.

He wasn’t a snacker, but herown were different. Especially seeing the way she savored them, he could imagine the treats were incredibly tasty.

Wei Ruo generously handed Wei Jinyi the bag in front of her.

Wei Jinyi took a piece of dried meat from the bag and put it in his mouth.

The meat was tough, with just a slight salty flavor and natural meaty taste. There was no foul smell or gamey flavor. Though simple, the taste didn’t disappoint, just like all the other dishes she once prepared.

Perhaps reminiscent of the past, Wei Jinyi’s smile deepened and his eyes seemed to shine like stars.

Wei Ruo noticed Wei Jinyi’s expression and thought to herself: Was he really so excited over mere snacks? Back in Xingshan County, Taizhou prefecture, he got to enjoy many more dishes that she poured her heart into.

At first, he even disliked her food because it was too spicy!

Seeing Wei Jinyi enjoying her homemade food so much now, Wei Ruo felt a tiny sense of pride.

Noticing the carriage had already reached the smooth state road where it wouldn’t sway, Wei Ruo took out her tea-making supplies, a miniature charcoal stove, and a matching teapot.

She also took out two leather water bags, one filled with water and the other with milk.

Then took out the tea caddy, inside of which contained new leaves of black tea from this year.

Wei Ruo made milk tea for both Wei Jinyi and herself.

“Hmm, try it.” Wei Ruo handed Wei Jinyi’s cup over.

Wei Jinyi took it and took a sip.

Watching him, Wei Ruo thought he was always composed and graceful when tasting tea and food. Now that he was a prince, his demeanor appeared even more fitting.

“Is it good?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Yes.”

“As long as it’s good. There’s more if you want.” Wei Ruo said while laughing.

“OK.”

Wei Jinyi gazed at his tea cup, thinking to himself that this is more than enough. Seeing her laugh while they got along harmoniously under the guise of siblings was satisfying.

The carriage traveled slowly, taking half a day to exit the Capital City.

Another hour later, they finally arrived at the next small county.

The whole group stayed at an inn in the county.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the inn. As Wei Ruo and Wei Jinyi stepped off the carriage, palace attendants stepped forward to assist them.

Along with their guards from Wang Residence, the Emperor assigned a small imperial guard and several palace attendants to accompany Wei Ruo and Wei Jinyi on this trip.

The person overseeing these attendants was Eunuch Gao. He was one of the Emperor’s personnel and was there to take care of Wei Jinyi.

Wei Ruo and Wei Jinyi had anticipated the presence of the Emperor’s men, but they hadn’t expected Eunuch Gao to be one of them.

This eunuch wasn’t easily fooled. With him there, the surface couple, Wei Ruo, and Wei Jinyi, had many restrictions in their actions.

For instance, the pretense of Wei Jinyi’s illness had to continue, and both of them had to share one carriage. They also had to stay in the same room at the inn.

In fact, Wei Ruo suspected this Eunuch was there to supervise the two of them, placed by the order of the Emperor himself.

When this eunuch first paid his respects at Wang Residence, the words he chose revealed the Emperor’s wish to secure an heir.

Surrounded by their entourage, Wei Jinyi and Wei Ruo entered the inn.

Even though it was the inn of a county town, it was on the main route to the capital, so the inn was quite large, with bright and spacious rooms and an abundance of service staff.

As a prince, Wei Jinyi naturally got the best guest room.

Due to the presence of Eunuch Gao, Wei Ruo found it inappropriate to stay in another room.

Therefore, the two of them ended up sharing a room.

In the room, Wei Ruo and Wei Jinyi locked eyes.

“What should we do tonight?” Wei Ruo asked Wei Jinyi.

“You sleep here. After it gets dark, I’ll go out the window.” Wei Jinyi responded.

“Where will you sleep after you go out?” Wei Ruo asked.

“I’ll figure something out.”

“Will you find another guesthouse? This is an inn, they don’t let anyone stay. Or are you planning to sleep in the stable?”

Wei Jinyi fell silent.

He originally intended to sleep on the rooftop. He didn’t want to be too far from her while they were away from home.

“You sleep in here. I’ll arrange a cotton blanket on the floor for you and bring you a blanket. Make do with it.”

Wei Ruo wasn’t heartless enough to kick Wei Jinyi out to find a place to sleep.

Besides, the room was quite large, divided into inner and outer spaces. She could sleep in the inner space and the outer space was separated by a screen. Furthermore, adding the curtains on the bed provided some privacy. A night under such conditions shouldn’t be a problem.

Under Wei Ruo’s instruction, Wei Jinyi arranged his bedding on the floor. There came a knock at the door.

Since Wei Jinyi was pretending to be ill, it naturally fell to Wei Ruo to answer the door.

Eunuch Gao stood outside the door with a face full of smiles, saying to Wei Ruo, “Does the Queen need anything else?”

“No, we have everything we need.”

“That’s good. If you need anything, feel free to ask us.”

“Okay,” Wei Ruo replied.

Then Eunuch Gao motioned to a small eunuch behind him who was holding a tray, on which sat a soup pot.

“Queen, I asked someone to brew some nourishing soup for you. Drink it before bed. This is a secret recipe from the palace. The Queen and the other ladies love it. It’s very effective for nourishment and beauty enhancement.”

“Thank you, Eunuch Gao,” Wei Ruo replied, taking the tray from the outstretched hand of the small eunuch.

Eunuch Gao reminded her, “Queen, this is for women. Don’t let the prince drink it.”

“I understand, thank you, Eunuch Gao.”

Weir Ruo responded before closing her door.

Wei Ruo placed the nourishing soup on the table inside her room.

After opening it and smelling it, she used a spoon to taste a bit. She then chuckled and said, “No wonder he made sure that you should not touch it.”

“Why?” Wei Jinyi asked.

“Indeed, it’s a nourishing soup, very nourishing. You can’t consume anything rich due to your weak state,” Wei Ruo teased.

Wei Jinyi sensed Wei Ruo was not telling him the whole story. He watched her, expecting her to continue.

Heeding Wei Jinyi’s unspoken request, Wei Ruo laughed and added, “It seems that Eunuch Gao is attempting to play matchmaker in hopes of securing an heir for you, the weak prince. That’s why he specifically prepared such a rich soup.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Jinyi understood.

Weij Jinyi’s fragile health meant that Eunuch Gao dared not randomly provide him with food. But with orders from the Emperor to secure an heir for Jinyi, Eunuch Gao had no option but to target Wei Ruo.

“I’m sorry for the trouble,” Wei Jinyi said apologetically. His pretending to be ill had led to the current predicament.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I am not bothered at all.”

Hearing him say she was troubled sounded off as if they had done something.

“I didn’t mean it…”

Wei Jinyi’s face reddened. He also realized that there was something amiss with his words.