For some reason, when Xiu Yue said she hadn’t seen Zhaohua, Luo Sheng suddenly felt a twinge of unease.

Something wasn’t quite right about this.

How could Zhaohua possibly not see Xiu Yue?

Even if she truly wasn’t feeling well, she wouldn’t just dismiss Xiu Yue like that.

Unless Zhaohua had detected some danger and it was inconvenient to meet.

Or she herself had encountered some danger and couldn’t meet.

And whether it was the former or the latter, neither was a good thing.

On this hunting trip to Beihe, Wei Qiang had only brought Zhaohua as his sole female companion. Without the threat of the Crown Princess, and with no other concubines competing for favor, what trouble could Zhaohua possibly have?

Luo Sheng pondered this, her eyes growing cold.

As a Crown Prince’s concubine, Zhaohua had no standing to even appear before the Emperor, and Noble Consort Xiao had no reason to make things difficult for a lowly selected attendant.

If there really was trouble, it could only come from Wei Qiang.

Trouble from Wei Qiang—what could it be?

Over these years, the Crown Prince’s favor toward Selected Attendant Yu had never waned, and the reason wasn’t exactly a secret—

Luo Sheng slightly curled her palm, forming a guess: Could the trouble have started because of her?

“Miss, this servant has returned.” Hong Dou lifted the curtain and walked in briskly.

Her hair tips and clothing corners were all dampened, yet her expression looked quite cheerful.

“Miss, I didn’t expect His Majesty to also be at Noble Consort’s place. They both seemed to really enjoy the okra baked eggs.”

“Is that so? Did His Majesty and Noble Consort say anything?”

Hong Dou thought for a moment and said, “His Majesty just praised how novel the preparation of the June persimmons was, and Noble Consort had this servant convey that you were thoughtful…”

Luo Sheng listened carefully, then asked, “When you went, what were His Majesty and Noble Consort doing?”

Though Hong Dou didn’t understand why Luo Sheng was asking in such detail, she honestly replied, “They were enjoying songs and dances.”

Luo Sheng pressed her lips together slightly.

On a rainy day, enjoying songs and dances—everything at His Majesty and Noble Consort Xiao’s place seemed perfectly normal.

“Miss, can we eat the okra baked eggs now?” Hong Dou’s face was full of anticipation.

Just looking at those okra baked eggs and sugar-steamed cheese made her feel they must be incredibly delicious. Miss had said that the first batches baked would be sent to others, and the last batch would wait for her return so she could eat them hot.

“Xiu Gu, how many okra baked eggs are left?”

Xiu Yue said, “Two were sent to Cousin Young Master, two each were sent to Young Master Chen, Second Miss, and Fourth Miss, two were sent to Xiao Qi, and including those sent to Noble Consort Xiao and Selected Attendant Yu, the two batches of fourteen were perfectly distributed. There are six just freshly baked.”

Luo Sheng pondered briefly, then said, “Pack two more to send to Prince Kaiyang, and put two in a box for me.”

She hadn’t originally planned to send any to Prince Kaiyang, but Xiu Yue’s failure to see Zhaohua face-to-face had changed her mind.

If something was happening on Wei Qiang’s side, perhaps she could glean a word or two from Prince Kaiyang.

Hong Dou counted on her fingers—there were six total, two to send to Prince Kaiyang, two more to pack in a box, which meant only two would be left!

At this thought, the little maid’s heart ached with pain.

Miss definitely needed those two for important business, but Prince Kaiyang eating two—wasn’t that a bit of a waste?

Seeing Hong Dou’s expression, Luo Sheng immediately understood the little maid’s thoughts and smiled, “Go deliver them quickly. The remaining two are all for you.”

Upon hearing this, Hong Dou happily went off.

Xiu Yue laughed, “What a simple child.”

Hearing this made Luo Sheng feel somewhat uncomfortable, and she sighed, “Only by following Miss Luo can one live so simply.”

While Zhaohua had submitted to a wolf and Xiu Yue had ruined her appearance, both lived as neither fully human nor ghost.

How could Xiu Yue not understand Luo Sheng’s meaning? She couldn’t help but speak, “Princess—”

Luo Sheng smiled slightly, “Alright, pack the okra baked eggs for me.”

Taking the food box, Luo Sheng walked outside.

“Princess, where are you going?” Normally Xiu Yue wouldn’t ask this question, but the seriousness the Princess showed after hearing she hadn’t seen Zhaohua made her uneasy.

Luo Sheng gazed ahead, saying lightly, “To see my father, Grand Commander Luo.”

The rain was still falling. The covered walkways hung with curtains of raindrops strung together. The flowers and trees in the courtyard were hazy, their original appearance somewhat unclear.

Grand Commander Luo was listlessly poking at the stir-fried meat slices on his plate when his servants reported that Third Miss had arrived.

Grand Commander Luo quickly set down his chopsticks, “Show her in at once!”

Before long, Luo Sheng walked in carrying a food box.

When Grand Commander Luo saw the food box in her hands, he immediately became excited.

He knew about the delicious food Sheng’er had made at noon today.

There was no way not to know—it had been sent everywhere except to him…

He had been wondering if he’d done something wrong to displease his daughter, but unexpectedly Sheng’er had personally brought some.

Thinking this, Grand Commander Luo was deeply moved.

“Sheng’er, if you want to send something, just have someone deliver it. It’s still raining outside.”

“The rain has lessened considerably, it won’t get me wet.” Luo Sheng set the food box on the dining table and casually asked, “Father, have you finished eating?”

“No, I just started!” Grand Commander Luo said hastily.

“Oh.” Luo Sheng opened the food box, and under Grand Commander Luo’s eager anticipation, placed two plates of okra baked eggs before him.

Grand Commander Luo’s mood soared, though his face showed restraint, “Sheng’er, what dish is this? It looks like baked June persimmons.”

He felt the taste might be strange.

However, the news from Chen’er’s side wasn’t like that at all.

Supposedly when Sheng’er’s courtyard maid delivered the food, Chen’er and that dark-skinned boy were together, and because the dark boy’s portion had a particularly large June persimmon, the two boys got into a fight…

“This dish is called okra baked eggs. Father, try it.” Luo Sheng removed the cover and explained lightly.

When Grand Commander Luo saw what was inside the opened June persimmon, his appetite was immediately stirred.

He finished one portion in two or three bites, then suddenly understood the boys’ fighting mood.

“It’s gone already…” Grand Commander Luo hadn’t quite recovered when he glanced at Luo Sheng and noticed her face was as somber as water, her expression melancholy.

“What’s wrong, Sheng’er?” With his stomach satisfied, Grand Commander Luo was more concerned about his daughter.

“Today I also had someone send a portion to Noble Consort and Selected Attendant Yu.”

“Then why are you unhappy?”

Sheng’er with this expression used to be quite common.

Every time she looked like this, it seemed she was about to cause trouble…

Thinking that his daughter had just mentioned Noble Consort Xiao and Selected Attendant Yu, Grand Commander Luo’s heart skipped a beat.

If the target of trouble was Noble Consort Xiao or Selected Attendant Yu, that absolutely wouldn’t do.

Grand Commander Luo immediately decided to change the subject, “Ahem, the okra baked eggs Sheng’er sent today are truly fragrant—”

Talk about something happy, and perhaps Sheng’er would forget about it.

“It’s all because of that Selected Attendant Yu!” Luo Sheng raised her chin, her face full of indignation. “I kindly sent her food, and she actually avoided seeing me, dismissing my servant quite impatiently.”

Luo Sheng grew angrier as she spoke, “Don’t you think she’s looking down on me?”

Grand Commander Luo laughed dryly, “Probably not.”

“Thinking she’s all that just because she’s the Crown Prince’s selected attendant, looking down on everyone—this kind of person just needs to be taught a lesson.” The young lady looked at her father, very considerately, “If I take a whip and give her a good thrashing, the Crown Prince won’t make things difficult for you, will he?”