By evening, before Lin Teng had left the office, Luo Sheng arrived at the Ministry of Justice carrying food boxes.

The gate guard recognized Luo Sheng at a glance.

“Aren’t you the young woman who came at noon?”

Luo Sheng smiled: “It’s me.”

The guard’s gaze dropped, and he was startled: Looking at such a delicate young woman, her strength was truly considerable—she was actually carrying a food box in each hand.

“Bringing food for our Minister again?”

“That’s right. I hope Elder Brother will grant me this convenience.” As Luo Sheng spoke, she set down one of the food boxes and freed a hand to pull out an oil paper package from the cloth pouch hanging at her waist.

“This is—”

The young woman smiled brightly: “I steamed some meat buns. If Elder Brother hasn’t eaten yet and doesn’t mind, please try them.”

“Haven’t eaten yet, but…” The guard frowned as he took the oil paper package, thinking the young woman truly didn’t understand propriety—just trying to placate him with a few meat buns.

At least slip him some money.

“Miss Luo—” Lin Teng walked out.

Luo Sheng hurriedly picked up the food box and went to meet him, asking openly: “Was Young Master Lin waiting for me?”

“Ahem!” Lin Teng choked, coughing until his face turned bright red. Only after quite a while did he recover his stern expression. “I was just preparing to leave the office.”

“Then my luck is really good.”

The corner of Lin Teng’s mouth twitched as he beckoned a guard: “Lead Miss Luo to the dungeon.”

He didn’t want Miss Luo to misunderstand.

Luo Sheng smiled unconcernedly and followed the guard away.

Lin Teng walked out wearing his serious face.

The gate guard unwrapped the oil paper package—the meat buns inside were still warm.

Soft and plump, they looked quite good.

The gate guard took a bite, and his eyes immediately went straight.

Too—too fragrant!

Thin skin with abundant filling, the soup deliciously savory. Eating such a piping hot meat bun on this cold day was practically living like an immortal.

“What are you eating?” Lin Teng stopped beside the gate guard.

The gate guard’s mouth was stuffed full, and he said indistinctly: “Meat buns.”

“Are they good?”

“Good!”

A large hand reached out and took both the oil paper package and meat buns together.

“Sir!” The gate guard let out a tragic cry.

“I’ll try them.” Lin Teng quickly left the government office.

The gate guard clutched the doorframe with a grief-stricken face.

This couldn’t be the upright and serious Young Master Lin!

There were still three meat buns, and he took—them—all!

The guard leading the way secretly glanced at the food box in the young woman’s hand.

Originally there had been two, but one had been directly taken by the Minister who had walked out from his room upon hearing the news—he hadn’t even let his subordinate help carry it.

It must be very delicious.

The leading guard secretly swallowed.

Luo Sheng pulled out another oil paper package from her cloth pouch: “Elder Brother, try the meat buns I brought.”

The leading guard reservedly tucked the oil paper package into his bosom.

Before long they arrived at the dungeon entrance.

The jailer, having received instructions, didn’t make things difficult and smiled: “Miss Luo, just hand the food box to me.”

“Thank you. Please tell my father not to eat too quickly—chewing slowly and carefully is good for the body.” Luo Sheng quietly slipped a corner of silver into the jailer’s hand.

The jailer weighed the silver and showed a genuine smile: “No problem. Miss Luo, just wait.”

The jailer walked in and came to where Grand Marshal Luo was imprisoned, calling out: “Marshal Luo, your daughter has brought you food.”

Grand Marshal Luo, who had been sitting on the ground watching rats fight, suddenly stood up and rushed to the bars: “Where is she?”

The jailer smiled: “Marshal Luo, please don’t make things difficult for this humble one. This is the Ministry of Justice prison—how can someone come visiting twice in one day? Miss Luo is waiting outside. You take out the dishes, and this humble one will bring the food box out to her—that counts as an accounting.”

Hehe, when Miss Luo comes to bring food again tomorrow, he can get another tael of silver.

Grand Marshal Luo received the food box through the opened small window, took out the bowls and plates one by one, then handed the food box back out.

The jailer received the empty food box and, smelling the unreasonably fragrant aroma in the air, remembered: “Miss Luo asked this humble one to tell Marshal Luo not to eat too quickly or urgently—chewing slowly and carefully is good for the body.”

“What else did she say?” Grand Marshal Luo’s heart stirred, though his face remained impassive.

“She didn’t say anything else.” The jailer’s tone carried a trace of impatience.

Having been locked up here for colluding with traitors, Grand Marshal Luo was finished. If he didn’t hurry up and eat the food, he might not get to eat it in the future.

It was only because he’d seen Young Master Lin lead Miss Luo in at noon, plus for the sake of the silver, that he gave face by calling him Marshal Luo.

“Then please take the food box to her and have her hurry home.”

Grand Marshal Luo watched the jailer carry the food box away, as if through the food box he could see his beloved daughter waiting pitifully outside.

Coming back to himself, he discovered the fighting rats surrounding the bowls and plates, squeaking anxiously.

His palm-leaf-fan-sized hand swatted away the most anxious plump rat.

Lifting the steamer lid, inside were six meat buns arranged in a plum blossom pattern.

The other bowls contained side dishes and soup.

Grand Marshal Luo wiped his hands on his clothes and grabbed the meat bun positioned in the center, bringing it to his mouth.

As the meat bun reached his lips, he couldn’t help recalling the words the jailer had conveyed. Originally intending to eat half in one bite, he ultimately only took a small bite.

Immediately his mouth filled with savory juices, the fragrance lingering between teeth and cheeks.

Grand Marshal Luo took another bite, then his brow suddenly furrowed.

Without making it obvious, he turned toward the wall and spat out the hard object hidden inside the meat bun.

The hard object in his palm was a small bone fragment, with a single character shallowly carved on it: Wait.

Grand Marshal Luo examined the bone fragment repeatedly, confirming there were no other characters, then placed the bone fragment in his mouth and chewed it up, finally spitting the bone fragments onto the ground.

The rats, who had long been unable to wait, quickly swarmed over.

Grand Marshal Luo ate his meat bun while pondering the character on the bone fragment.

Sheng’er had just come at noon—passing in such a message was unlikely to mean something had happened outside.

Sheng’er’s purpose… should be to remind him to pay attention, that she would use this method to relay certain messages in the future.

It was commendable that this child could think of such a method.

Grand Marshal Luo shook his head, his mood gloomy.

Luo Sheng carried the empty food box the jailer had returned to the government office entrance.

The listless gate guard suddenly sprang up: “Young woman, you’re leaving already?”

Luo Sheng nodded slightly.

“Will you still come to bring food tomorrow?”

Luo Sheng smiled sweetly: “I’ll come.”

The gate guard’s eyes immediately brightened.

Thank heavens—she was still coming!

After several such days, whether it was the gate guard, the leading guard, or the jailer, they all began eagerly anticipating her arrival as quitting time approached.

And several days later, Luo Sheng finally received new information.

“I just received a message by carrier pigeon. My people remaining in the south have discovered the reason why the Prince of Zhennan’s estate guard confessed that the Grand Marshal released the Prince of Zhennan’s young son back then.”

Luo Sheng’s fingertips tightened around her teacup as she asked: “What reason?”

She wasn’t too surprised that Wei Han’s people had uncovered the inside story so quickly.

Meeting Prince Kaiyang at the abandoned Prince of Zhennan’s estate indicated he wasn’t without arrangements there.

Perhaps Prince Kaiyang’s investigation and understanding of the old case of the Prince of Zhennan’s estate went far deeper than she had imagined.