The man replied with a smile, "The day of the selection is getting closer and closer. We must send the young lady back before then, otherwise it would be dereliction of duty. We hope that the young lady and Miss Panxiang will understand us."
Pan Xiang knew that this was probably ordered by Ji Huai'an and his wife. Although she felt that it wouldn't hurt to stay for one night, she didn't say anything more and prepared to lower the curtain and sit back down.
Ji Yunwan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, saying, "I'm not feeling well. I'll go into the city to rest tonight and leave tomorrow."
Everyone inside and outside the carriage was taken aback. Panxiang said anxiously, "Miss, are you feeling unwell? Why didn't you say anything? I could have told them to stop and rest sooner."
"It's nothing," Ji Yunwan said. "I'm just feeling dizzy from traveling all night and not sleeping well. I'll find an inn to rest properly."
Pan Xiang nodded repeatedly, but the person outside the carriage looked troubled.
"Miss, if it's not serious, could you please bear with it and wait until we return to the capital..."
"Endure?" Ji Yunwan said, "If I suffer from this, will you take responsibility? Or do you want to bring back a half-dead person so that I'll embarrass myself during the talent show and lose face for the Ji family?"
The man opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by someone nearby.
"Since you're not feeling well, then we'll do as you say. It'll only be one night and won't cause any major problems."
As he spoke, he winked at the other person, who then swallowed back what he was about to say.
The group entered the city according to the original route and found the best inn to stay in.
Pan Xiang and Ji Yunwan shared an upper room. After entering, Pan Xiang tried to take out Ji Yunwan's frequently used items from her bundle, but Ji Yunwan stopped her and pulled her away from the doors and windows, whispering a few words to her.
Panxiang's eyes widened in surprise: "This..."
She had barely made a sound when Ji Yunwan covered her mouth tightly.
"Keep your voice down! If anyone hears us, we're dead!"
She felt something was wrong as soon as she found out her name was on the draft list, but at that time she was only suspicious and not very sure.
Moreover, she felt that even if His Majesty wanted to do something to her, her parents were, after all, her biological parents, and they should have tried to protect her, at the very least, save her life.
But if they wanted to protect her, they wouldn't have taken her back to the capital, much less sent another group to welcome her as soon as they left Huizhou.
It's less that this group just happened to run into them, and more that they were waiting for them there beforehand.
When Ji Yunwan left the capital, she said she was going to visit her aunt. However, her aunt's place was not in Shangchuan, so she absolutely could not have an accident on the way to Shangchuan, otherwise it would be difficult to explain if she were discovered.
But once you leave Huizhou, it doesn't matter. Whether you're coming back from Shangchuan or from your aunt's house, you'll have to pass through here.
She died here, which could be interpreted as her dying on her way back from her aunt's house.
In any case, ever since the flood in Huizhou, there have been frequent groups of refugees who have become bandits and robbed people in the surrounding area. This still happens from time to time. A few days ago, they heard that someone was killed by bandits while walking at night.
"You are my personal maid. If I die, they will definitely not let you go. Not only you, but everyone who came with me on this trip will probably not be able to return."
"Either come with me, or stay here and wait to die. The choice is yours."
The incense sticks trembled, and the face was as white as paper.
"Miss, the master and madam... they are, after all, your biological parents. How could they... how could they want to kill you?"
She spoke very softly, partly because she didn't quite believe it, and partly because she was afraid that the people outside would hear her and break in and end them right now.
“It’s not that they want to kill me,” Ji Yunwan said, “it’s His Majesty who wants to kill me.”
"They abandoned me in order to give His Majesty an explanation."
As a daughter of the Ji family, she knew from a young age that for her father and the clan, the interests of the family would always come first.
She used this very point to persuade her father to send her to Shangchuan.
Now His Majesty has taken advantage of this to make my father abandon her.
Pan Xiang stared blankly, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.
Ji Yunwan knew she was worried that she was deliberately lying to her, and that she would return to Shangchuan after slipping away. She said to her, "I had such a big argument with Prince Qin at the palace that day, how could I possibly go back to him?"
"Besides, the selection of officials is a major event. If I don't go back, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. How could the King of Qin take me in with such a crime?"
Pan Xiang stared blankly for a long time before stiffly nodding: "Then... what should we do?"
That evening, Ji Yunwan excused herself by saying she was tired and went to rest after dinner. Not long after, a fire suddenly broke out in the room.
The master and servant ran out of the room in a panic to call for help to put out the fire. The whole inn was thrown into chaos as the guests rushed out of their rooms and crowded together.
The Ji family's servants rushed forward to put out the fire. In the chaos, someone seemed to remember something and asked, "Where is Miss?"
...
Boiling hot water was poured into the pool from the beast's mouth. Wei Hong leaned against the pool wall, holding the tiny Yao Youqing in his arms.
He wrapped his arms around her, showering her with kisses on her shoulders and back, his hands, hidden beneath the water, roaming over her body.
Yao Youqing had almost fallen asleep, but his antics woke her up again. She shifted her body and mumbled, "Your Highness, I don't want to soak anymore..."
She was hot and sleepy, and didn't want to stay in the pool any longer.
Wei Hong hummed in response, and kissed her lips as she turned around. He released her after he had kissed her enough, and carried her out of the pool.
Ever since he half-coaxed and half-forced Yao Youqing to take a bath with him once, whenever he was in the mansion, he would never let Zhou Mama and the others come in to serve her bathing again; he insisted on bathing with her.
Yao Youqing couldn't persuade him otherwise, and Zhou's mother and the others didn't say anything either, so they let him go.
Yao Youqing was feeling drowsy after soaking in the pool for so long today. She lay on the bed and let Wei Hong dry her hair. He told her that he would be going to patrol the border in a couple of days.
After hearing this, Yao Youqing suddenly woke up and instinctively turned over, but Wei Hong pressed her back down.
"Don't move, your hair isn't dry yet."
Yao Youqing then lay back down, tilted her head and asked, "When is it? It's the prince's birthday in two days. I was thinking of cooking a bowl of longevity noodles for the prince."
Wei Hong smiled slightly and leaned closer to her: "You still remember?"
"Of course I remember, Your Highness said so."
Yao Youqing said.
Wei Hong kissed her on the head: "Stay until after your birthday, so we can eat noodles."
When she said this, Yao Youqing thought he would leave the day after his birthday, but when the day came, she found out that he really was leaving right after finishing his noodles.
"So urgent?"
While having someone tidy up his things, Yao Youqing asked.
"There's been some unusual activity at the border; I only found out about it yesterday."
Wei Hong said.
He actually wanted to leave at the time, but he stayed to wait for this bowl of noodles, and let Guo Shengxian take people away.
Yao Youqing nodded and told people to hurry up and pack their things so as not to delay his trip.
Wei Hong wanted to say that it wasn't necessary to go to so much trouble and that just packing a couple of sets of clothes would be fine, but considering that it was the girl's thoughtful gesture, he didn't say anything.
This is the first time in so many years since his mother passed away that a woman has prepared his luggage for his departure.
Yao Youqing had the things packed away and personally saw him out. As he was leaving, she seemed to want to say something but was too embarrassed to.
Wei Hong could tell that she had something she was concerned about but was too shy to say, so he smiled and dismissed the others, saying, "What do you want to say? Go ahead and say it."
Seeing this, she hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, I have had many socks prepared. Remember... to change your socks often."
Wei Hong: "..."
Chapter 56 Family Letters (Revised)
It would have been better not to say these words at all. Wei Hong's face flushed red and then turned pale, finally becoming ashen.
"That's all? Nothing else?"
Today is his birthday. Before she left, she told him to change his socks frequently. Is that all?
Yao Youqing thought for a moment, then said, "I hope the border is peaceful and nothing serious happens. If... if there really is a war, Your Highness must be careful and avoid getting hurt again."
As she spoke, she looked at his chest with a worried expression, as if she could see the old wounds on his body through his clothes.
Wei Hong's expression softened, and he patted her head.
"Don't worry, it's alright."
Yao Youqing nodded, and just as he mounted his horse and was about to leave, she called out again, "Your Highness, you must come back safely!"
Wei Hong paused slightly on horseback and subconsciously tightened the reins.
As Cui Hao and the others looked at him in confusion, he suddenly flipped off his horse, walked back to Yao Youqing in a few steps, took her hand, and walked towards the inner courtyard.
"You forgot something, come back with me."
Before Yao Youqing could react, he pulled her back, and they walked away with a bewildered expression.
"Did you forget something? Is it important?"
If that's the case, she'll have to remember to pack it in advance when she packs his luggage.
Wei Hong didn't say anything, just walked back silently. Cui Hao and the others behind him looked at each other and then started whispering among themselves.
"The prince never carries much when he travels, so what could he possibly have forgotten?"
"I think he wants to take the princess with him."
Someone laughed.
But despite their words, they all knew it was impossible.
Patrolling the border is very different from suppressing bandits; in that case, a real fight could break out at any time.
Moreover, they were not facing bandits formed by refugees, but veteran Jin soldiers who, like them, had fought countless battles.
These people have no bottom line when they go crazy. They kill anyone they see, slaughter anyone they enter the city, and take everything they can. If they can't take something, they burn it all down, leaving nothing for the people of Liang.
The prince cherishes his princess dearly, so how could he bear to take her to such a dangerous place?
"Ziqian, what do you think the Prince took with him?"
Someone asked in a low voice.
Cui Hao shook his head: "I don't know."
He wasn't deliberately keeping us in suspense; he genuinely didn't know.