Houses scattered like stars in the sea of flowers gave the two fleeing officials an illusion of entering a paradise on earth for a mont.
Soon, villagers either working in the flower fields or busy in their yards curiously glanced over.
Zhao Douan drove the carriage and stopped outside a courtyard at the village entrance, got off the carriage, and heard the barking of dogs and the voice of a child calling for their mother from inside the gate.
Monts later, the gate opened, and a woman of about thirty years old curiously looked outside. Behind her was a six or seven-year-old little girl, hair styled in a child’s bun, hiding behind the woman’s legs, curiously peering with big eyes.
"Who are you looking for?" the woman asked in confusion.
Zhao Douan politely said, "Sorry to disturb you, my wife and I are from Linfeng, traveling south due to circumstances, now returning. Because the roads aren’t safe recently, we didn’t dare take the main road and ca through the village, hoping to stay overnight. Is it convenient?"
As he spoke, he took out a string of Copper Coins from his sleeve, indicating they wouldn’t stay for free.
The woman hesitated for a mont, seeing a young woman indeed coming down from the carriage. Besides, from the behavior and speech of the two, it was apparent they were well-cultured and certainly not ill-intentioned. Her wariness diminished, and she eagerly opened the door to welco them:
"Since you’re staying, if you don’t mind, please co in."
Tsk... people in this era are still simple... unlike in my past life, where it was almost impossible to find such accommodations... Zhao Douan smiled.
Xu Zhenguan also smiled and thanked as he walked over, secretly giving him a sidelong glance, complaining softly:
"You’ve grown quite adept at this story."
Zhao Douan smiled, not intending to take advantage, but because their pairing was the most convenient when traveling as a pretend couple.
Linfeng Road is close to the Capital, and the accent is similar, making it less suspicious.
The officials stepped into the ticulously clean farmhouse and took a seat in the courtyard while the woman, who introduced herself as "Liu Wangshi," served them flower tea.
During their conversation, Zhao Douan learned that the head of this family was surnad Liu, and the little girl’s na was "phony girl," which was quite pretty.
"It seems you’ve chosen the right path; bandits are rampant in the Huai River region now. Rumors say that Prince Jing from the Southeast and Mu Prince from the Southwest have both led troops into Huai River... The court’s armies must respond on both fronts, and so say they might not hold out long... On the official road, they’re even conscripting laborers."
Though slightly awkward with the officials dressed ordinarily but exuding exceptional aura, Liu Wangshi shared the local situation with unconscious goodwill.
Has the Mu Prince Manor’s troops also moved into Huai River? Zhao Douan exchanged a glance with the Empress, both feeling a heaviness in their hearts.
This was an extrely bad sign, indicating that the Mu Prince had quickly swallowed Yunfu Road.
Unlike Jiancheng, Yunfu had Zhao Shixiong leading the entire Southwest Border Army of the court!
In other words, the Mu Prince moving north implies Zhao Shixiong’s troops didn’t restrain them at all... coupled with the fact that Zhao Shixiong hadn’t returned to the Capital since last year’s New Year’s Eve, it’s almost confird:
"The Southwest Border Army has rebelled!"
Zhao Douan looked at the seemingly despondent Empress and suddenly reached out, covering her hand, giving it a squeeze.
Xu Zhenguan forced a smile, not pulling away submissively.
Taking advantage of the Liu family’s mother and daughter’s absence, Zhao Douan whispered:
"Think positively; two tigers fighting is far better than one tiger swallowing everything. Both Prince Jing and Mu Prince want to seize the throne, and their troops have to pass through Huai River, enter Linfeng, to get to the Capital.
This ans they’ll balance each other out, slowing each other’s pace, possibly giving the court more ti to react."
Xu Zhenguan nodded worriedly: "I understand."
Privately, they addressed each other with official titles, avoiding such terms in front of outsiders.
At this point, the Liu family mother and son returned, bringing along a man with a simple farr’s appearance, the household head Liu Qi.
Upon learning of the guests staying over, Liu Qi warmly asked his wife to kill a chicken and goose, preparing a farm feast to entertain them, racking his brains to find topics to discuss with the two guests.
The graceful Liu Wangshi and the innocent "phony girl" chid in occasionally, the idyllic village and its friendly inhabitants easing the officials’ minds.
"Sigh, just by looking, I can tell the young master and lady co from a wealthy family, especially now that soldiers are causing disasters, it’s dangerous traveling outside." During the al, Liu Qi, after drinking so rice wine, lanted.
Liu Wangshi nodded with concern: "If you have relatives in Huai River, you should seek refuge with them for a while."
The officials gave a wry smile, responding evasively. The Liu family, understanding the situation, didn’t press further.
Farrs eat dinner early, and after the al, with the sun only beginning to set, Liu Wangshi went to tidy up the guest room, accompanied by Xu Zhenguan.
Zhao Douan, on the other hand, walked out of the courtyard to familiarize himself with the village; the little girl with the nickna "phony girl" had quickly beco friends with him over a al, happily acting as his "guide."
Sowhat awkwardly, she introduced the village; Baihua Village was neither too big nor too small, with dozens of families. Zhao Douan listened with a smile, and after confirming that there were no spies in the village from major local families, he looked towards the mountain behind the village.
At this mont, the sunset light was just peeking through the gap between two mountain ridges, causing Zhao Douan to squint and halt his steps.
"Phony girl, are there any people living on the mountain behind the village?"
He suddenly asked.
With innocent curiosity, the little girl tilted her head, looked in the direction he was pointing, and said, "Oh, no, there’s just an old, broken temple on the mountain behind."
Reviews
All reviews (0)