Ji Zizhao was sitting by the campfire to warm herself when she saw Qingzhu and Lianju walk back to her side.
Qingzhu raised her hand and pointed to the distance. "Miss, your subordinate saw the second young lady," she whispered.
Ji Zizhao followed Qingzhu's gaze and indeed saw Ji Zixiu squatting by the glowing campfire, earnestly toasting a large bag of flatbread.
Clad in armor, Ji Zixiu appeared resolute and robust.
The cold wind on the road had already chapped her fair cheeks red and stiff. A few stray strands of hair fell by her cheeks, and her dark eyes were filled with a weariness she had never experienced before.
Neither Qingzhu nor Lianju had ever seen Ji Zixiu like this.
Lianju and Qingzhu understood that military service was like this, and this was merely an escort mission, not an actual battle.
If they were truly in the thick of battle, they wouldn't even have this moment of fleeting peace.
However, Lianju and Qingzhu understood even more clearly that the second young lady was the second daughter of the Ji family, who should have been living a life of pampered ease and carefree joy like other young ladies, and had no need to endure such hardship.
Even Lianju, who was usually taciturn, spoke up. "Let your subordinate bring the second young lady over."
Ji Zizhao raised her hand to stop her. "No need."
She was not surprised to see her sister.
When she received Jianqiu's letter, she had already anticipated this.
The court's temporary conscription was precisely to send these inexperienced greenhorns to Luoyi.
If a war were to break out, these inexperienced new recruits could die for the royal family and the court.
If no war broke out, this journey could serve to temper them from new recruits into seasoned soldiers.
It had to be said that this endeavor by the court was profitable no matter how one looked at it.
"Since this is her own chosen path, she must be responsible for it to the end."
If she lacked even this bit of resilience, how could she ever be capable of handling matters independently in the future?
Qingzhu and Lianju fell silent upon hearing this.
The young eunuch who was heating water for the Second Prince Xie Jingxi was stunned for a long time after hearing the eldest daughter of the Ji family's words.
Such words were likely beyond the capacity of many men to utter.
Ji Zixiu's toasted flatbread seemed to be ready, but she was reluctant to eat it herself. She handed the best-baked ones to Han Jingyu.
Han Jingyu, in turn, selected the best ones from those and brought them to their masters.
Ji Zixiu felt a pang of disappointment as her flatbread was screened out.
She had originally hoped her elder sister would taste the flatbread she had baked with her own mouth.
The freshly baked flatbread was naturally the first choice for the princes. Even if the Second Prince Xie Jingxi didn't want to eat it, he didn't think of leaving the good-looking flatbread for others. He carefully picked out all the good ones before waving his hand.
Han Jingyu, seeing the Second Prince's inconsiderate behavior, dared not speak his mind.
Xie Jingxi, however, paid no heed.
One was the dregs of the Ji family, another was the emperor's unspeakable stain, and another was a good-for-nothing who, no matter how much of a scoundrel he was, could still gain the emperor's favor...
It was a favor for them to even eat his leftovers.
It would be best if they starved to death.
The Seventh Prince Xie Jingqi, oblivious to his second brother's sordid thoughts, casually grabbed two flatbreads and began to eat.
The Tenth Prince had initially wanted to help his fairy sister pick out a few more, but his budding thoughts were nipped in the bud by the Seventh Prince beside him.
"Little Tenth, do you believe I'll just toss you here?"
If anyone else had said this, the Tenth Prince wouldn't have believed it.
However, everyone in the palace knew that his Seventh Brother had been a fierce character since childhood, so he was indeed scared.
Almost under the Seventh Prince's watchful gaze, the Tenth Prince obediently put the toasted flatbread back into the cloth bag.
The young eunuch attending the Tenth Prince: "..."
Well, it seemed he would be losing his sandbag again tonight.
Han Jingyu, recalling how Princess Ronghe had eaten corn cakes that day, finally felt a bit guilty. So, as he handed over the bag, he specifically pointed to some of the flatbreads on top. "These are still relatively soft."
Ji Zizhao, however, pointed to another bag in Han Jingyu's hand and asked, "May I trouble Major General Han to let me see the toasted flatbread in that bag?"
Han Jingyu quickly explained, "These are the ones that weren't baked very well."
Ji Zizhao smiled, "It's alright."
Seeing this, Han Jingyu could only open the other bag.
The toasted flatbread inside was indeed incomparable to the ones remaining in the previous bag.
Yet, even so, Ji Zizhao still picked out several pieces that were slightly burnt.
When Ji Zizhao put the toasted flatbread into her mouth, she once again astonished Han Jingyu.
Even the Tenth Prince and the Seventh Prince beside them looked somewhat dazed.
These toasted flatbreads were inherently tasteless. If they were well-baked, they might be softer, but those in Ji Zizhao's hands would likely be hard enough to break teeth just thinking about it.
The Tenth Prince's eyes softened with concern. "Seventh Brother, look how much our fairy sister can endure hardship."
Xie Jingqi replied, "Didn't see it."
The Tenth Prince: "..."
So, Seventh Brother, when did you go blind?
The Second Prince Xie Jingxi snorted, "What are you pretending for?"
Ji Zizhao calmly raised her head and looked at the Second Prince. "How I am has nothing to do with Your Highness, Second Prince."
In short, what business is it of yours!
The Second Prince Xie Jingxi's face darkened from being choked, and he simply got up and went to his own tent first.
Ji Zizhao continued to eat her toasted flatbread silently.
A total of three flatbreads, Ji Zizhao ate them all clean.
Lianju and Qingzhu beside her felt a pang of sorrow in their hearts because only they knew that what their young lady was eating were precisely the flatbreads that the second young lady had baked one by one.
Ji Zixiu, not far away, stared blankly as her elder sister ate every single flatbread she had baked, feeling both warmth and sadness in her heart.
However, she did not seize the opportunity to go forward and acknowledge her elder sister.
Now, she was just an ordinary soldier. If she ran over like this, it would not only bring unnecessary trouble to her elder sister but also attract countless rumors.
This was a path she had chosen herself, and therefore, she had to see it through no matter what.
Seeing that her second sister had not come to find her, Ji Zizhao also did not break the unspoken understanding.
After Qingzhu and Lianju finished eating their flatbreads, they also got up and went to their own tents.
The camp was not large, and each tent was closely connected. Coincidentally, Ji Zizhao happened to pass by the Second Prince's tent.
As Xie Jingxi was washing his feet, the moment he saw Ji Zizhao, he kicked over the foot basin in his anger.
"That bitch from the Ji family, she's everywhere!"
The young eunuch knew that his master and the eldest daughter of the Ji family were like fire and water, but what had happened could no longer be changed. Even if he continued to resent it, it wouldn't solve anything.
Moreover, he felt that the eldest daughter of the Ji family was not a bad person.
"Your Highness, your servant just overheard that the escorting army also includes the sister of Princess Ronghe, but Princess Ronghe did not acknowledge her. It seems Princess Ronghe is a righteous person."
Xie Jingxi was taken aback. "You mean Ji Zizhao's sister is also here?"
The young eunuch nodded. "I heard it with my own ears."
The special privileges granted by the late emperor to the Ji family were something everyone in the imperial city was aware of.
But Xie Jingxi truly did not expect that the women of the Ji family would be so bold as to dare to enlist.
Suddenly, Xie Jingxi burst into hearty laughter and rewarded the young eunuch with a piece of silver.
The young eunuch was stunned. "Your Highness, what made you so happy?"
"If I think of something happy, I naturally laugh." Xie Jingxi continued to laugh, but a sinister glint flickered in his eyes.