In her previous life, during a mission in the forest, she had hunted wolves. Since their rations had run out at that time, she roasted the wolf meat.

It was extremely fragrant.

Even without seasonings, it was incredibly delicious when roasted.

Just then, a "ding" sound suddenly echoed in her mind.

"Merit points +10, space upgraded." The mechanical voice resounded once again.

Upgraded?

Could this space actually be upgraded?

At that moment, the scene inside the space gradually emerged before her eyes.

Why did the space appear on its own?

Wouldn't this risk being discovered by others?

She nervously looked around. To her relief, everyone was still occupied with their own affairs, and no one was paying attention to her.

Her heart finally settled down.

It seemed that only she could see this space.

This must be a function after the space was upgraded. Just then, a guard shouted loudly, "Is there anyone who can cook?"

The prisoners sat on the ground, all silent.

Shang Ruoyi's eyes lit up, and she smiled. "I can."

The guards' eyes fell on her, and they couldn't help frowning. "You? You can cook? A young lady from the Prime Minister's Mansion can cook? Who would believe that?"

Even ordinary young ladies from official families never got their hands dirty with cooking, let alone a young lady from the Prime Minister's Mansion.

He Jingheng looked at Shang Ruoyi with a hint of surprise, his eyes filled with puzzlement.

This was different from what he had known.

He knew before their marriage that her life in the Prime Minister's Mansion had been extremely difficult.

The Second Miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion was timid and weak - willed, not even daring to speak loudly.

Shang Nian never paid any attention to this daughter, and her life was worse than that of the servants in the mansion. Even so, she never dared to resist, not even uttering a word of dissent. But ever since the day she got married, she had changed completely.

She would retaliate in her own way against those who gossiped about her behind her back or insulted her to her face. Today, she even volunteered to cook for the guards. This really made him wonder if the woman in front of him was really the Second Miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Who was she exactly?

What kind of experiences must a person go through to change so drastically?

"Hmph!" Zhang snorted. "I say, it's better not to try to look big when you're not. A young lady from the Prime Minister's Mansion can cook? There's a limit to lying."

She glanced at Shang Ruoyi disdainfully. "Don't make the food so bad that you anger the guards and drag our He family down."

He Ning'an walked up to Zhang. Although he didn't like what she said, he didn't stop her.

After all, he also disliked Shang Ruoyi very much.

Originally, he could have lived his life comfortably with the title of County Prince, but because of Shang Ruoyi's father, his life was ruined, and so was his son's.

Shang Ruoyi looked at Zhang indifferently. "It's not for you, Second Aunt, to eat. The guards haven't said anything. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Isn't it because I'm afraid you'll drag our He family down? Hasn't your Shang family already caused us enough misery?" Zhang said angrily. "If we had known you would do such things, our He family would never have let you, this jinx, enter our door."

"Whether I enter the door or not isn't up to you, Second Aunt, nor is it up to me," Shang Ruoyi rolled her eyes. "At least, I didn't marry your son."

"You!" Zhang was about to retort when she heard the impatient voice of the guard. "Hey, hey, hey, you from the He family. Can you really cook?"

"I'll need a lot of dry firewood," Shang Ruoyi nodded.

She stepped forward and held her hands in front of the guard.

"What are you doing?"

"How can I cook with these shackles on? Do you really think I'm going to run away?" Shang Ruoyi smiled.

It was impossible for her to run away.

"Let me tell you, don't have any bad ideas. If you dare to run, the knife in my hand won't show mercy," the guard looked at her and said coldly.

He unlocked the shackles on her hands.

Shang Ruoyi flexed her sore wrists and then reached out to the guard again.

"What are you doing now?"

"A knife! How can I cut the meat without a knife?"

The guard took out a short knife from his bosom and handed it to her.

As Shang Ruoyi looked at the sharp blade, He Jingheng noticed that the moment she held the knife, her demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation. She was like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, exuding a powerful aura.

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She skillfully skinned the wolves, with a proficiency that resembled that of an experienced butcher.

In a short while, three complete wolf skins were removed.

"Alas, it's a pity. These wolf skins won't fetch a high price. If these were complete tiger skins, they would surely sell for a fortune," the guard said with a smile. "I never expected you to have such skills."

He Jingheng looked at the complete wolf skins, his eyes turning dangerous.

Such clean - cut and skillful knife - work couldn't be achieved without decades of practice.

"These wolf skins are covered in blood. We should dispose of them quickly before they attract wild beasts," a guard looked at the dense forest ahead and said solemnly. "Besides wolves, there are many other wild beasts in this forest. If we attract lions or tigers, none of us will be able to escape."

"Alright," two guards stepped forward to throw away the wolf skins. Shang Ruoyi suddenly spoke up. "Sir, let me deal with the wolf skins later. I'll also throw away the internal organs. Look at the blood on the wolf skins. Since there's no water source along the way, once my hands get dirty, there's no place to wash them. My hands are already dirty anyway."

The guard nodded upon hearing this. "That would be great."

They were just too lazy to deal with it.

After Shang Ruoyi finished processing the wolf meat, the guards had already brought back a large amount of dry firewood. She skewered the wolf meat over the fire. After a while, a rich aroma of meat wafted through the air, making the guards' mouths water.

"Do you have any seasonings?"

"Just a little salt," he took out a small porcelain bottle containing fine salt.

It should be known that since ancient times, salt has been extremely precious. Especially fine salt, which was rarely circulated on the market. Only the imperial relatives, noble families, and high - ranking officials could afford to enjoy it.

Ordinary people could only buy coarse salt, and even then, not everyone could afford it.

"This salt is very precious," the head guard came closer.

"Use it sparingly," Shang Ruoyi nodded. "Naturally."

She pinched some salt grains with her fingers and evenly sprinkled them on the meat.

After roasting for a while longer, the wolf meat was cooked.

Everyone present couldn't help swallowing their saliva.

Shang Ruoyi handed the knife back. Just as she was about to leave, the head guard called out to her. "Hey, can you cook other dishes besides roasted meat?" He tore off a wolf leg and threw it to her. "From now on, you'll be in charge of cooking for us."

"Okay," Shang Ruoyi looked at the wolf leg in her hand, a triumphant smile curving her lips.

She knew that few people could resist her cooking skills. Winning over their stomachs was the first step she had taken.

When the other prisoners saw the wolf leg in her hand, their eyes sparkled with greed.

They never expected that cooking for the guards would bring such a good reward.

A woman stood up and said obsequiously, "Sir, I can also cook."

"Hmph, why didn't you say so when I asked earlier? You're so eager now that you see the wolf leg. I hate people like you the most. Get lost," the guard snapped.

The woman's face turned pale, and she quickly crouched back down on the ground.

Shang Ruoyi handed the wolf leg to Concubine Qin. "Mother, tear the meat and let's divide it."

"Okay!" After walking all day and only eating one steamed bun, although they had the support of the spiritual spring water to maintain their physical strength, for people who were accustomed to having sumptuous meals every day, this was undoubtedly a form of torture.

Moreover, the aroma of the meat was simply irresistible, making everyone's mouths water profusely.

Concubine Qin tore the meat. Although the wolf leg seemed large, with so many people in the He family, each person could only get a small piece. When it came to the second branch of the He family, Zhang snorted. "Can this wolf meat be eaten? Won't it make us sick?" Even as she spoke, her eyes were fixed on the wolf meat in Shang Ruoyi's hand, and she couldn't stop swallowing her saliva.

Shang Ruoyi's lips curled slightly. This was exactly what she had been waiting for.

"Since Second Aunt looks down on my cooking so much, then forget it. My cooking skills are indeed not as good as those of the chefs in your Prince's Mansion. In that case, you and Second Uncle, you'd better not eat it." With that, she turned around and left without looking back, walking directly towards the third branch of the He family.