Feng Jiu’er looked up at Xing Zizhou and asked softly, “Did you think of a way?”

Xiao Yingtao took a bite of a sweet potato, skin and all, and looked at him too.

Xing Zizhou pressed his lips together and smiled, nodding. “Someone is sending us grain.”

“Who?” Feng Jiu’er’s crescent brows furrowed slightly.

The Empress’s army would arrive tomorrow — it couldn’t possibly be their people.

With the army’s food supply cut off, Feng Jiu’er was more anxious than anyone.

According to the plan, tomorrow the Empress’s troops and Lu Dashan’s army would meet, and a fierce battle would be unavoidable.

But her sixty thousand brothers had drunk wild-vegetable soup for two days already, and for the remaining two days they might not even get vegetable broth.

If it went on like this, even if Lu Dashan opened the city gates and let them out, her men would only be able to take a beating.

Xing Zizhou raised his eyes and said with a smile, “They’ve arrived.”

Feng Jiu’er turned around, and Xiao Yingtao stood up as well.

Xiao Yingtao had never imagined she would see them again. If they hadn’t come, she would have almost taken that whole matter for a dream.

“Master Wei, why have you come?” Feng Jiu’er looked as if she’d seen her savior.

She hadn’t been entirely without hope regarding these two distinguished guests from the Western Mu Kingdom, but with the Feng Clan in such chaos and turmoil, it was very risky for them to come in.

“Princess, I heard you wanted to eat chicken legs, so I had some prepared.” Master Wei walked in front, carrying a basket.

He was no longer young, yet his steps were steady and light, and the moment he saw Xiao Yingtao, he seemed to grow several years younger.

“Chicken legs?” The moment Xiao Yingtao heard those two words, the sweet potato in her hand suddenly lost all its appeal.

She put down the sweet potato and hurried forward. “Are they really chicken legs?”

Xiao Yingtao licked her lips, took the basket from Master Wei, and went back to sit beside Feng Jiu’er.

“They really are chicken legs.” When she lifted the lid, she was practically drooling.

“Jiu’er, they’re really chicken legs — here, one for you.”

Xiao Yingtao picked up a chicken leg with her left hand and gnawed on it, while handing the other one to Feng Jiu’er with her right.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at the fragrant chicken leg but didn’t take it right away.

The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as her gaze returned to Master Wei. “You’ve come all this way for…”

“How could we not appear when the Princess is in trouble?” Master Wei, seeing that Xiao Yingtao was safe and sound, felt completely satisfied.

“Princess of the Feng Clan.” The attendant cupped his hands toward Feng Jiu’er. “We’ve brought quite a lot of grain over — hopefully it can solve your most urgent need.”

Hearing that there was grain, Feng Jiu’er felt considerably more at ease.

“Good.” She cupped her hands back, then turned to leave. “Let me go take a look.”

“Master Wei, please stay here with the Princess. Let a servant take the Feng Clan Princess to see it.” The attendant leaned forward slightly and fell into step beside her.

Feng Jiu’er’s pace was somewhat hurried — a day’s rations for sixty thousand people was no small amount, and right now she only wanted to know how much grain they had received.

“Why did you bring grain with you, and just happen to be nearby?” Seeing the attendant keeping pace with her, Feng Jiu’er asked quietly.

“His Majesty learned that the Princess was still alive and immediately sent twenty thousand elite soldiers with Master Wei to search for you.”

“Master Wei didn’t dare bring so many people across the border recklessly, so he split the twenty thousand elite soldiers into eighteen groups to travel separately. Right now, everyone is within Feng Clan territory.”

“A few days ago, some troops came through driving out the common people and demanding they not leave behind a single grain of food. Master Wei roughly guessed their intent and ordered us to start stockpiling grain.”

“We never expected it would actually come in useful.”

The attendant’s mouth curved up slightly; his mood was good as well.

They had let the Princess go hungry, but at least she was safe.

“Feng Clan Princess, please rest easy! The grain may have arrived late, but the quantity is still considerable.”