Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 249: Unable to continue the conversation

Jiu Que was deep in thought when he suddenly heard a commotion, and then Chunyu Shuang walked in with great interest.

"General Lin brought over a lamb, saying he'll make a whole roasted lamb for us to try. I've never eaten lamb from northern Xinjiang before, I'm quite curious, shall we go take a look?"

"Great! I've never seen it before either. I've heard that roasted whole lamb in northern Xinjiang doesn't have a gamey smell. I've been wanting to try it for a long time... um?"

Wait a minute, Northern Xinjiang may not have much else, but it has a lot of cattle and sheep. Could we make some warm clothes out of their wool? Like wool sweaters or wool blankets? How are wool sweaters made?

While pondering deeply, Jiu Que followed the excited Chunyu Shuang to the scene. He didn't know why Chunyu Shuang was so excited; it seemed to have started ever since she saw the Northern Frontier Army's martial arts exercise. Every day she would patrol the training ground several times. Each time she went, the soldiers who were normally practicing openly would become somewhat hesitant, and then be punished by Lin Chongshan and General Yuchi. And then there was the strategist, who always seemed to be smiling; he was in charge of punishments. Those fearless young men were always terrified of him, like quails, and dared not speak a word.

However, after Chunyu Shuang arrived, everyone was constantly being punished, making them both happy and unhappy. To be honest, the chances of seeing a woman in a military camp were extremely slim, but the Northern Frontier Army didn't have this problem because they had a female corps. But these women were their comrades-in-arms, and even if they wanted to marry one, they needed the generals' permission. Normally, they got along like brothers, and they had never really seen a gentle and beautiful woman like Chunyu Shuang. Therefore, whenever Chunyu Shuang passed by, everyone would glance at her, and then be punished for being distracted.

The problem was that Chunyu Shuang often passed by, and everyone was frequently punished. Eventually, General Yuchi mentioned it to Jiu Que, asking his friend to visit the training ground less often.

Chunyu Shuang explained the matter as follows.

"I've come all this way to the military camp, if I don't take a good look at these mighty and valiant soldiers, how am I going to brag to my colleagues when I get back? Jiu Que, you know how it is. The men in the capital are all skinny as sticks, they have no strength at all. How can they compare to our frontier soldiers who are all muscular? I need to memorize what they look like so that I can have a good impression of them when I get back."

"..."

This guy really couldn't figure out what she was thinking. But whatever, since Chunyu Shuang wanted to watch, let her watch. Life is already so hard, how can we not have some relaxation? Everyone has their own hobbies, it's just that Chunyu's hobbies are a bit unusual, she likes to look at muscular men.

The two had now arrived at the camp ahead. Lin Chongshan had always wanted to catch a proper grassland sheep for Jiu Que so she could taste the local flavors. However, she had been busy training the army lately and hadn't had the time. Today, she finally had a day off, and she wanted Jiu Que to experience her cooking. She had learned this skill from General Ying, and in recent years, there had been almost no occasions where she could personally roast a sheep. But today, she genuinely wanted to cook a meal for Jiu Que, so she could taste the flavors that General Ying had once enjoyed.

When Jiu Que arrived, a strong aroma of meat filled the air, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the lamb rolling around on the grill. The lamb had been carefully prepared and had probably been roasting for a while; its surface was now crispy and glistening with oil, easily attracting the attention of any meat lover. Indeed, those gathered there weren't just Jiu Que and his friends Chunyu; General Yuchi, drawn by the intense aroma of meat, had also arrived.

He couldn't care less about maintaining his cold-faced general demeanor at this moment. His eyes were fixed on the whole roasted lamb that was about to be placed on everyone's table, and the intense light in his eyes almost blinded everyone.

"Chongshan, it's been so long since you've personally made a whole roasted lamb. You have no idea how much I've been craving it. I only got to eat it this time because of our niece. How much longer? I've been sitting here waiting for half an hour, my mouth is practically watering. Look, look, our niece is already here..." Lin Chongshan glanced at Jiu Que, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his face, and quickened his pace.

"It'll be ready soon, sit here and wait."

Jiu Que circled the whole roasted lamb. Of course, she was also very tempted, but at the moment her attention was not on the whole roasted lamb. She looked around privately, found the place where the lamb skin and internal organs were, and quickly went over to it, picking up the bloody lamb skin and examining it from all angles.

General Yuchi noticed her action, wiped his mouth, and walked over to ask her curiously.

"Nine Palaces? What are you doing playing with this sheepskin? It's filthy and bloody. Don't get it on your clothes."

“Uncle Yuchi, I was just thinking, everyone says there are countless cattle and sheep on the grasslands, like stars in the sky. Our Northern Frontier Army has been stationed here for so many years, don’t we have our own pastures?”

"Of course."

General Yuchi didn't know why Jiuque asked this question, but he was still very proud when it came to the ranch. After all, after fighting with the grasslands for so many years, the fact that they could still maintain their own ranch in Dajing was something they could boast about. However, when he thought about the warhorses they raised, General Yuchi felt a little ashamed. He didn't know why, even though it was the same grassland, the warhorses raised by the barbarians were exceptionally fine, while their own horses, although good, were not top-notch.

This is quite strange. However, his years in the northern frontier haven't been entirely fruitless; just recently, he received important news about horse breeding.

Upon hearing Jiu Que mention the pasture, General Yu Chi naturally assumed that she wanted to know about the military horses and couldn't help but sigh.

"It's strange, really. Our horses are never as good as the barbarians'. Theirs are bolder, unafraid of swords on the battlefield, and have much more stamina. I heard it's because they often capture wild horses from the grasslands and let them mate with their own herds. But our pastures are too small. The men's pastures are much larger, with more wild horses. We just can't easily break through their defenses to capture them, otherwise your uncle would definitely give you a magnificent steed! But speaking of which, the steed Jiu Que brought this time is really good. Was it given to you by His Majesty? His Majesty's taste is second to none..."

After noticing his baby face, Jiu Que discovered another characteristic of General Yuchi: he was talkative. However, he only chattered on and on with people he knew well, and once he started, he wouldn't stop. Just like now, Jiu Que couldn't even get a word in edgewise.

(End of this chapter)