The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 281 That Grilled Fish
Upon first meeting Uncle Ruiyang, Jiang Jinshuang sat high on the wall.

By then, she was already a wicked princess reviled by everyone and criticized by all the ministers.

That day, the girl sat on the high wall, looking down at the Forbidden City that stretched as far as the eye could see.

She heard a sound behind her.

"Hey, you," Jiang Jinshuang shouted, "which palace are you from? Don't you know that Father Emperor is waiting for guests in the Imperial Study and doesn't see outsiders?"

That was the first thing she said to Uncle Wang.

At that time, Prince Ruiyang was dressed simply, not tall, and of ordinary appearance. Jiang Jinshuang thought he was some kind of servant.

She worried that he might disturb the emperor, and that the emperor would be angry and blame him.

He smiled, his tone gentle and relaxed: "It's Princess Xiaohuang."

Jiang Jinshuang raised her chin and snorted proudly, "Don't go any further. If you disturb Father's audience, I can't save you."

He smiled and said, "Your Highness, come down from up here first. These palace walls are so high, they're quite intimidating."

"No, it's tiring for me to look up at you."

“Your Highness, I am very short, you don’t need to look up to talk to me.”

……

That was Jiang Jinshuang's first meeting with Uncle Wang. Later, her fiefdom was chosen in the cold and harsh border region of Wan Jin.

"Doesn't Your Highness like your fiefdom?" Uncle Wang asked her with a smile.

Jiang Jinshuang shook her head: "It's not that I dislike it, I just feel that the people there are not living well."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Wang smiled gently and said, "Then I'll trouble Your Highness to save them."

Help!

Then let us save them.

So she came to that bitterly cold place.

So, she took over this place.

Therefore, this place was renamed "Baiyujing".

During those years, Jiang Jinshuang shaped Baiyujing, and at its peak, it could even rival the bustling city of Chang'an.

The ruler of Beihuai could no longer sit still.

When the first attempt to invade Baiyujing's territory was made, it was the Prince's uncle who led his troops to bravely resist and repel it.

However, the casualties were also heavy.

In that battle, Uncle Wang was seriously wounded and narrowly escaped death.

It was at that time that Jiang Jinshuang looked at Jiang Buhuo lying on his sickbed and made a decision in secret.

—She's going to start learning martial arts again.

In fact, Jiang Jinshuang had learned some martial arts since she was a child. She was really talented. After practicing with a wooden sword for two months, she killed the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who taught her martial arts with a single sword strike.

Her martial arts skills are sufficient for self-defense.

But then, Jiang Jinshuang suddenly realized—

It's not enough for self-defense.

She wanted to become stronger, strong enough to withstand a thousand armies and stand at the forefront of the people of Baiyujing.

Uncle Wang gave her a long sword, which was said to be made of black iron, and Jiang Jinshuang found it very easy to use.

She named the sword "Twelfth Floor".

In recent years, Prince Ruiyang has not been idle either. He obtained an imperial decree to form an army, which he named the "Black Armor Cavalry".

When Beihuai rallied and launched another invasion, Prince Ruiyang, Jiang Buhuo, once again donned his armor and took to the battlefield.

This time, the losses were heavy once again.

Uncle Wang's martial arts skills were really not that high.

That day, Jiang Jinshuang carved a mask and handed it to Uncle Wang.

She laughed, her eyebrows and eyes displaying a defiant and arrogant air.

She said, "Uncle Wang, let me give it a try."

That year, Jiang Jinshuang was fourteen years old, but because she had practiced martial arts for many years, she was as tall as Prince Ruiyang.

She said she'd give it a try. And that try lasted five years.

Once he donned the mask of a killing god, "Prince Ruiyang Jiang Buhuo" never suffered another defeat.

From then on, people called him "the God of Slaughter".

The five-year battle was never smooth sailing.

More often than not, they are in perilous situations, facing a narrow escape from death.

Jiang Jinshuang still remembers that time when she led a team of black-armored cavalry to escort the main force to retreat, but was forced into a narrow cave by the Beihuai army.

In the depths of winter, there was neither food nor water.

The three or five black-armored knights accompanying her were shivering from the cold, their lips turning blue.

They were besieged for three days and three nights.

Jiang Jinshuang was menstruating at the time, and she was wearing a mask, so she didn't dare to talk to them too much.

Even so, Jiang Jinshuang could tell that these soldiers must have figured something out as well, but since she didn't say anything, they pretended not to know.

By the third day, Jiang Jinshuang was still suffering from severe abdominal pain, her face was pale, her whole body was trembling, and she was almost hypothermic.

The soldiers then said in unison that they were going to go outside to find some food.

After they covered her with their own warm clothing, they left silently.

At that time, Jiang Jinshuang was tormented by pain and thirst and was on the verge of death.

She guessed that the soldiers must have realized she was about to die and abandoned her to find a way to survive.

She didn't feel despair or anything; it was just human nature to react this way, and she couldn't blame them.

As she was nearly unconscious, Jiang Jinshuang seemed to hear the sounds of pursuit and horses' hooves coming from afar.

She seemed to have been awakened by a soldier.

Jiang Jinshuang groggily opened her eyes and smelled the aroma of grilled fish.

Her eyes widened, her face a mixture of surprise and tension, and she said in a deep voice, "You've started a fire!?"

Smoke from cooking fires would reveal their location, so even though they were trapped there for three days and three nights, Jiang Jinshuang strictly forbade the team from lighting any fires.

The soldier appeared to be about the same age as Uncle Wang.

He smiled kindly, shook his head, and chuckled憨憨地: "General, don't worry, we didn't light a fire here."

Jiang Jinshuang was too tired to even hear the tremor in the soldier's voice.

He placed the crispy roasted fish into her arms, saying, "General, eat up, eat up!"

Jiang Jinshuang stared blankly at the fragrant grilled fish, then looked up at the soldiers again: "Where are they?"

The soldier's smile froze for a moment, but he still smiled: "General, they have found a way out and are running eastward."

Jiang Jinshuang frowned slightly: "What about you? Have you eaten?"

The soldier glanced at the grilled fish, swallowed hard, and smiled憨厚ly: "We've already eaten, we've all eaten."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang lowered her head and began to wolf down her food.

She hadn't eaten for three days, and when she ate that grilled fish, she didn't even leave any fish bones behind.

As she ate, she heard a soldier beside her laugh and say, "General, after you finish eating, head west. The pursuers have all gone to the east, and the western side is sparsely populated. With your abilities, you can definitely break through."

Reason finally returned as the feeling of fullness gradually returned.

She looked up blankly at the soldier in front of her.

The soldier was still smiling, and as if struck by a sudden inspiration, Jiang Jinshuang's gaze slowly moved down and finally saw his abdomen, the deep wound that revealed the bone!
It was in that very instant.

The fish meat in Jiang Jinshuang's mouth began to taste bloody, and she subconsciously swallowed, as if she understood something.

"You... deliberately lit a fire on the east side to lure away the pursuers, didn't you?"

The soldier smiled, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection as he looked at Jiang Jinshuang.

He reached out, his hand trembling, and gently rubbed Jiang Jinshuang's head.

"So, it really is His Highness."

Jiang Jinshuang's throat felt dry, as if her throat was blocked by fish meat, and even her breathing became heavy and slow.

Blood trickled from the corner of his lips, but the soldier laughed, "Your Highness, let's fight our way out."