With that, she gracefully walked out of the imperial prison.

Grand Tutor Lu sat motionless, paper and brush arranged before him, his ears filled with the wailing of his relatives.

He knew that once he put brush to paper, he would be betraying all righteous men of principle and all comrades dedicated to restoring the nation. It was possible that the spark they had kindled would be extinguished due to his selfishness.

But could he watch his closest relatives die one by one before his eyes?

He was over ninety years old, his death was of little consequence. But the descendants imprisoned here all carried the bloodline of the Lu family. Did he truly want to lead them all to the Yellow Springs, causing the Lu clan, which had continued for two hundred years, to be extinguished from this day forward?

Thinking of this, he realized it had been a very, very long time since he had enjoyed the pleasure of family bonds.

Time passed bit by bit, the sun climbing higher and higher, soon to disappear from the narrow window.

Grand Tutor Lu stared at the blank paper before him blinked, and suddenly two streaks of old tears fell.

For the midday feast, Feng Miaojun invited Yu Haizhen to dine, not in the palace, but at a tavern on Phoenix Avenue.

Called a “tavern,” it lacked the grandeur of a large restaurant. Its signboard and facade were worn, and the stairs creaked loudly when stepped upon. Both floors, with twelve tables in total, were filled with people. The Queen of New Xia sat at a street-side table, smiling and waving her over.

Yu Haizhen made herself comfortable, sitting down and saying: “It smells wonderful.”

The distinctive aroma could be detected fifty paces from the tavern, and it was even more remarkable up close. No wonder this inconspicuous building was full of customers at midday.

Feng Miaojun smiled: “This is what they call ‘good wine needs no bush.'” She picked up a wine warmer and personally poured a cup of warmed Huadiao wine for her.

Yu Haizhen looked at the wine in her cup.

She had mentioned before that she didn’t drink, and she believed Feng Miaojun remembered. Yet the Queen still poured wine for her.

To drink, or not to drink?

Her eyes flickered slightly, but she still raised the cup and took a sip.

It was good wine in a jade cup, noticeably different from what the surrounding customers were using—brought from the palace by Feng Miaojun. The cup was blood-red in color, warm to the touch, made of crimson warm jade, and suitable for drinking warm wine or hot tea.

Several slices of ginger lay at the bottom of the cup. In winter, a bit of warm yellow wine was best for warming the stomach.

Yu Haizhen shook her head: “It’s not the wine’s fragrance, it’s more like fried old ginger.”

That aroma was intense and compelling, extremely dominating, certainly not from the wine.

Feng Miaojun smiled: “That would be this tavern’s signature dish, with a taste called ‘exquisite.'”

Something the Queen of New Xia praised as “exquisite” made Yu Haizhen extremely curious. Just then, the waiter brought dishes up, arranged them on the table, and then lowered the bamboo curtains, blocking prying eyes from outside.

When Yu Haizhen saw what was on the plate, she couldn’t help but exclaim: “Crab?”

On the white porcelain plate lay a large crab, split into two halves and standing in the dish. The crab shell was glossy, and when closed would be larger than both her fists combined.

She picked up one half and looked at it, suddenly realizing: “This is the tavern’s specialty?”

“The taste of their fried crab is something I’ve never experienced elsewhere.” Feng Miaojun picked up the crab in front of her and began taking it apart. There were crab-picking tools on the porcelain plate, but she preferred using her hands. “Crabs are at their fattest in the first month of the year; in another month, they won’t have much flavor.”

With the Queen of New Xia showing such uninhibited behavior before her, Yu Haizhen also smiled and reached for the crab with her hands. Now the purpose of the curtains became clear: eating crab required gesticulating with claws and arms—though enjoyable, the eating posture was indeed unrefined, so it was best to lower the curtains to avoid being seen.

This fried crab was quite special. The clean cut was made by a knife, but the cut surface was covered with ginger slices, then fried and braised in oil to evaporate the moisture, and seasoned only with the simplest salt, wine, and pepper. When large chunks of fragrant, rich red crab roe entered the mouth, the umami flavor instantly exploded, conquering all senses—no other taste in the world could compare!

What delicacies hadn’t Yu Haizhen eaten before? There were only so many ways to prepare crab—steaming, boiling, or meticulously removing the meat to make egg white and crab roe stir fry. But such a simple yet forceful and magnificent delicacy was something she was experiencing for the first time.

Taking another sip of warm wine, all troubles instantly vanished into the clouds.

Yu Haizhen couldn’t help but scrape the entire crab shell clean before finally having a chance to pause and praise: “Truly exquisite!”

“To think such an absolute delicacy exists in the world.” Feng Miaojun said with a grin. “I wonder how it grew to be like this. I heard crabs taste better the older they get. By the way, doesn’t Madam Yu have a crab demon under her command…”

Yu Haizhen nearly spat out the wine in her mouth. After composing herself, she said: “It lives on the shores of the Western Sea and is not skilled in land battles. I haven’t summoned it to fight against Yan Kingdom, so I don’t know how it tastes.”

Feng Miaojun made a surprised sound: “Where is Madam Yu’s mind wandering? After annexing the Jiao territories, New Xia now possesses a long southern coastline. I was just thinking it would be best to summon more sea demons to guard it.”

Is that so? “Your Majesty cares so much about its—” flesh, “Next time I see it, I will certainly convey your message.”

Yu Haizhen changed the topic: “This place is a thousand li from the sea, yet there are sea crabs?”

“Two hundred li from here is a saltwater lake, said to connect directly to the Forbidden Sea below. This lake not only has seafood but even has tides.”

At this time, the waiter continued to bring more dishes.

After the mushroom chicken soup was served, Feng Miaojun wiped her fingers clean with a soft cloth: “Dachang told me this morning that Madam has made a decision?”

Yu Haizhen slowly sat upright, raising her eyes to meet hers: “Yes.”

“What is Madam’s intention?” Feng Miaojun was rarely this tense.

Yu Haizhen smiled: “Sitting here at this moment is my answer.”

Feng Miaojun breathed a long sigh of relief and clapped her hands: “Wonderful, truly wonderful—Waiter, more dishes!” She raised her cup. “This cup is to State Preceptor Yu!”

Yu Haizhen couldn’t refuse and drained it.

“Spirited!” Feng Miaojun poured another cup of wine. “This cup is to the prosperity of my New Xia.”

Yu Haizhen had no choice but to accept it.

Feng Miaojun filled the cup again: “This cup is—” She held the cup up for a long time before finally saying with a grin, “To our wishes being fulfilled! After this cup of wine, we are good sisters.”

“…” Yu Haizhen was speechless. The final toast was too forced. The Queen of New Xia still had great ambitions, but what wishes did she, Yu Haizhen, have to fulfill?

However, having already drunk two cups, one more wouldn’t matter.

Yu Haizhen put down her cup and, fearing another toast, quickly said: “The case of Miao Hansheng’s disappearance has been resolved, but I still don’t understand—when exactly was the young master rescued?”

Since Feng Miaojun had resolved the case of Miao Hansheng’s disappearance, she would fulfill her promise and serve as New Xia’s State Preceptor. However, while she had observed Feng Miaojun’s methods with a cold eye and generally understood her tactics, there were still some aspects she couldn’t fully comprehend.

Feng Miaojun smiled and glanced outside the window. At this moment, the sun was directly overhead.

“Miao Hansheng was never kidnapped.”

Yu Haizhen was finally surprised: “What? But when we returned from Xi-Wei, young master Miao was abducted by his wet nurse and delivered into the hands of the Lu family…”