But as soon as the sound rang out, he suddenly stopped.
Half of the torn sleeve was still on his arm, and the other half was in his hand. He stared at the tear for a moment, then pressed the fabric back into his hand, leaning back weakly in his chair, his hands trembling slightly.
Chapter 132 Initiative
After Cui Hao returned from Cangcheng, Wei Hong and his party immediately set off for Qizhou.
The people of Hucheng originally thought that they had left quietly more than two months ago, but they did not expect that the group of people was just bait, and the real prince and princess were still in the mansion.
But this time they are really leaving, and who knows when they will return, or perhaps they will never return.
The people were reluctant to part with him and flocked to the streets to see him off, including some who had come from other places.
Many people brought gifts, but Wei Hong refused all of them, including gold, silver and other valuables. In the end, when he could no longer refuse, he only accepted some food and drinks.
The owner of Chen's Meat Shop had prepared a generous gift, but it was all turned away. Seeing that the food offered by someone had been accepted, he hurriedly sent his servants back to the shop to pack a few packets of dried meat.
By the time he caught up, the carriage had already left the city. Clutching the dried meat, he stumbled and ran over, repeatedly begging the Jingyuan soldiers escorting the carriage to let him see the prince and princess, saying he had something to say to them.
Some people were still following along, and upon seeing this, they laughed and said, "Old Chen, don't take advantage of the fact that the prince and princess like your dried meat."
"That's right. There are so many people who want to see the prince and princess. If they all try to see them, they probably won't make it to the post station until dark."
"Just come and see them off, don't cause trouble for the prince and princess."
Manager Chen knew that his request was indeed somewhat unreasonable, but he really wanted to see them and express his gratitude in person.
Hearing the commotion, Cui Hao recognized the man who was talking to the Jingyuan Army as the manager of Chen's shop. After asking one of his subordinates about the reason, he smiled helplessly and whispered something to the person in the carriage.
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing half of Yao Youqing's face: "Let Uncle Chen come over."
Cui Hao nodded and sent someone to deliver the order.
Shopkeeper Chen had thought he would never see them again, having already handed the dried meat over to the Jingyuan Army for them to pass on. But then he heard that the Prince and Princess wanted him to come over, and he was overjoyed. He immediately ran towards the carriage.
After running a few steps, she remembered that her dried meat was still in the hands of the Jingyuan Army, so she turned back and took it back from him, grinning as she said, "I'll give it to the Prince and Princess myself!"
Then he grabbed the jerky and ran away.
"Your Highness, Your Highness."
He didn't dare get too close, so he reached out and took the dried meat from a distance.
"I...I brought a few packets of dried meat."
Yao Youqing smiled and accepted the gift, saying, "Uncle Chen, you really didn't need to go to so much trouble. I already had someone buy some from your shop and brought them with me. They'll last a long time. But thank you anyway."
Although she had already bought them, these were gifts brought from afar as a token of their goodwill, and they weren't anything too expensive, so she accepted them anyway.
Shopkeeper Chen chuckled awkwardly, "Actually... I know, it's not that the prince and princess like our dried meat, it's... it's that little dog next to you that likes it."
"I misunderstood back then. I changed the signboard to resemble the Li family's pastry shop and used the names of the prince and princess to attract business."
"Over the years... Your Highness and Princess have never exposed my true colors, and I am truly... deeply grateful. I just wanted to... come in person to thank you!"
After Wei Hong went to Qizhou, he was about to ascend the throne as emperor, so it was no longer appropriate for them to use that pretext. Therefore, it was taken down a few days ago.
Although the signboard is gone, the reputation of the two shops remains. When Wei Hong ascends the throne, their business will not only not decline because the signboard is gone, but will become even more prosperous.
When travelers and merchants returning to Hu City inquired about these snacks and dried meats, they learned that they were the emperor's favorite when he was a prince, and they all wanted to try them.
As long as Wei Hong and his descendants remain on the throne, these two shops can thrive for at least another hundred years.
Yao Youqing smiled, her eyes crinkling: "So that's what Uncle Chen came to talk about."
She opened a package of jerky on her lap, picked up a piece, and said, "It's true that my little cutie likes to eat this, but I like to eat it too."
He then put the dried meat into his mouth.
Wei Hong smiled and patted her head, then picked up a piece and put it in his own mouth: "I like it too."
The two exchanged a smile, while Manager Chen outside the carriage was startled, his eyes then reddening slightly.
"I... thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness!"
He really didn't know what else to say, so he could only keep thanking them. After that, he didn't dare to delay Wei Hong and Yao Youqing's trip any further, so he said some auspicious words such as wishing them a safe journey before leaving.
The people following behind the procession were puzzled as to what he had said to the prince and princess. They asked him repeatedly, but Manager Chen simply waved his hand and said nothing. Under the gaze of the crowd, he lifted his robe and knelt down, solemnly kowtowing several times to the procession that was still moving forward.
...
Wei Hong and his group, who had a child with them, did not walk fast. They rested on time every day as soon as it got dark and never traveled at night.
Sometimes when the child cries, he will stop and rest during the day, and walk even slower.
Wei Hong wanted to hurry on his journey that day so that he could reach the next post station to rest before nightfall.
However, Wei Qi'an refused to cooperate and cried loudly, so the group had to stop and set up camp on the spot.
Wei Hong looked grim; it was the first time he had ever shown such displeasure towards his son. If Wei Qi'an hadn't been only a few months old, he probably would have picked him up and given him a beating.
Yao Youqing didn't know why he was unhappy. After Wei Qi'an was calmed down and taken away by the wet nurse, she sat down next to him and asked softly, "What's wrong, Your Highness? Is it because Chen'er is crying that you're unhappy?"
But Wei Qi'an has cried before, and I've never seen him so impatient as he is today.
Wei Hong frowned and said, "Why did you have to cry today of all days?"
"today?"
Yao Youqing was puzzled.
"What's wrong today? Is it some special day?"
Wei Hong glanced at her, his lips twitched, and he whispered something in her ear.
Yao Youqing listened carefully, but after he finished speaking, her clear eyes suddenly widened, her face flushed, and she reached out and punched him on the shoulder.
"I wondered why you were so angry."
So that's why... he wanted to get to the post station as soon as possible to do that kind of thing.
Previously, because Yao Youqing was pregnant, and because of the old Taoist's words, he had been restraining himself and hadn't even masturbated. He had been holding back for a year and didn't know how much he was going to pent up.
He had finally made it through the year, but Song had said that it was best for a woman not to get pregnant too soon after giving birth, as it would be bad for her health. So he waited a while longer, hoping to have sex with her when she was less likely to conceive.
I've been waiting and waiting until today, and my heart has already flown to the post station, but I haven't been able to go because of Wei Qi'an's crying and fussing.
You should know that the days when it's difficult to conceive are only a few, and there aren't always rest stops along the way.
Although only the two of them lived in this tent, and he could hug and kiss her, the other tents on the left and right were too close together. If they spoke even slightly loudly, they would be heard, let alone do anything else.
Wei Hong was very depressed. He rested his chin on Yao Youqing's shoulder and leaned his whole body on her.
"I've been looking forward to this day for so long, Ning'er..."
Yao Youqing felt a little embarrassed and annoyed, but also a little sweet.
She knew nothing about the old Taoist priest, only that Wei Hong had endured it for so long for her and the child. After scolding him, she turned her head and gently kissed Wei Hong's cheek, then carefully pressed her lips to his.
She was usually a person who rarely took the initiative, so this sudden kiss startled Wei Hong. His heart felt like it had been gently scratched by a cat, and his throat was a little dry. To relieve the discomfort, he subconsciously met her lips.
It wasn't completely dark yet, and there were still many people around. There were footsteps coming and going everywhere outside.
Although no one would break in without their permission, they still couldn't have sex.
Wei Hong restrained himself from leaving the girl's sweet lips and said in a hoarse voice, "Ning'er, stop teasing me."
He really couldn't take it anymore.
Yao Youqing lowered her eyelashes and whispered a sentence, her voice barely audible.
"I...I can help you."
Wei Hong's throat tightened again: "...How can you help me?"
Yao Youqing's cheeks were flushed, and even her ears and neck were tinged with a faint blush.
She didn't dare to speak, but gently leaned on Wei Hong's shoulder, her soft, white hands trembling as she moved between his legs.
Even before there was any obvious contact, Wei Hong couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
He instinctively grabbed her wrist and said, "Don't you... dislike this?"
Yao Youqing's voice trembled slightly: "I...I don't like it, but..."
She raised her head, her face flushed, shy yet determined: "I like the prince."
Wei Hong wanted to tell her not to force herself, but he held her wrist tightly for a long time.
His chest was pounding, and when he came to his senses, he kissed her lips again, guiding her to gently hold them.
Despite the cold winter weather, he felt intensely hot, burying his face in the girl's neck and unable to resist sucking and nibbling repeatedly.
A feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time swept over him again, and he couldn't help but make some noises, startling the girl.
"Your Highness, please keep your voice down..."
Yao Youqing glanced outside the tent and whispered a reminder, but as soon as she spoke, she forgot what she was doing.
Wei Hong didn't care about any of that. He impatiently kissed her earlobe and whispered in her ear, "Good Ning'er, hurry up, don't stop."
He took her hand and regained control.
Although he only used this method to relieve the pain once, when he stopped, Wei Hong still let out a satisfied sigh, feeling completely refreshed.
He lingered on the girl's lips, cheeks, and neck, kissing her tenderly for a long time before straightening up. He had someone bring him a basin of water and personally washed Yao Youqing clean before tidying himself up.
He thought that after this experience, even if they didn't actually have sex, the night wouldn't be too difficult.
But as night fell and Yao Youqing slept soundly in his arms, he felt increasingly restless, his mind filled with images of her saying she liked him and helping him relieve his pain.
Wei Hong's hands couldn't help but caress the girl's slender waist, and he gently lifted her clothes, wanting to reach inside to find her softness. But thinking of the adjacent tents and the soldiers patrolling outside, he finally withdrew his hands, sighed helplessly, and quietly got out of bed, put on his clothes and a cloak, and walked out of the tent.
The maid Han Qing was on night duty at the gate. She was half-asleep and standing there, dozing off. She was startled awake by the noise: "Your Highness? You..."
Wei Hong put his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet so as not to disturb the princess inside, before whispering, "It's nothing, I just couldn't sleep and came out for a walk. You don't need to come with me."
He went out with the Jingyuan Army following him. Han Qing nodded in agreement and continued to guard the entrance of the camp.
Yao Youqing woke up in the middle of the night and found that Wei Hong was not by her side. She called over a servant to ask him what was wrong and learned that he had gone out for some fresh air because he couldn't sleep. She frowned slightly.
Although Wei Hong had faced many troubles, there were few things that could keep him up at night.
Yao Youqing didn't know what was troubling him, so she asked Han Qing to leave first. She herself didn't go to sleep anymore, intending to wait for Wei Hong to return in the tent.