Chapter 30 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Departure.

When Su Siyang received the news, he was having dinner. He hadn't been in a good mood these past two days and hadn't eaten much. Qinghong hesitated before entering and said to Su Siyang, "My lord."

Su Siyang glanced sideways, and Qing Hong continued, "I just heard from the palace that His Majesty had originally dismissed Lord Xie's attendants and ordered Lord Zhou to escort the Empress Dowager to Wanjiang Mountain. But for some reason, after His Majesty went to Cining Palace, he changed his mind and ordered Lord Xie to continue serving her."

Su Siyang sullenly heard this.

"You may all leave."

"Yes." Qinghong had just been punished a couple of days ago, so she didn't dare to provoke Su Siyang and obediently withdrew.

As soon as I stepped back to the doorway, I heard the sound of porcelain shattering inside. The force was considerable, indicating that the person was truly angry.

Qinghong sighed softly. This Su Siyang is probably going to be stuck with Shenghua for the rest of his life.

When Yu Jing woke up, it was still dark. She casually lifted the curtain and glanced into the palace. It was dimly lit, and the air still carried a faint scent of cooled benzoin. Yu Jing lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a while to clear her mind.

I went to bed early last night, and now I can't fall asleep.

"Ayu," she called out.

"Has the Empress Dowager woken up?" Xiao Ting's voice came from outside.

"Mm," Yu Jing replied.

"This servant will immediately order someone to come and serve you."

After a while, the door was pushed open, and a group of people came in carrying toiletries. Ayu also came in and helped Yu Jing wash up and do her makeup.

When Xie Xuan arrived, it was just before dawn. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still somewhat gloomy.

As Yu Jing stepped out of the palace gate, she saw Xie Xuan leading a group of guards waiting at the entrance. He was dressed in a light blue outfit today, his hair was tied up high, and he looked very energetic.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Xie Xuan knelt down and paid his respects to Yu Jing.

He still couldn't understand why Sheng Hua insisted on having him as a bodyguard. Previously, the person guarding Cining Palace was Zhou Shu, who was considered one of Sheng Hua's confidants. Now that His Majesty had agreed to change the guard, Sheng Hua had unexpectedly refused.

"Get up," Yu Jing replied.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Xie Xuan stood up.

Sheng Hua was dressed simply today, presumably on her way to Wanjiang Mountain to pray and worship Buddha; dressing too flamboyantly would indeed be inappropriate. Her wide-sleeved spring robe, a vibrant green, was covered with a layer of white gauze, adorned with jasmine embroidery—fresh, refined, and captivating. She didn't look like the Empress Dowager, but rather like an unmarried lady from some noble family.

Xie Xuan looked away and said, "Your Majesty, the carriage is ready and everything has been checked."

"Okay, let's go then." Yu Jing said as she walked out.

When they arrived at the palace gate in the carriage, they heard the voices of the guards outside: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty the Empress are at the palace gate."

Yu Jing had assumed that Zhang Qingcen, having visited her yesterday, had fulfilled her duty and wouldn't come again today. Leaning forward to lift the carriage curtain, she saw Zhang Qingcen standing by the palace gate with two maids. Behind her stretched an endless wall of blue bricks, the vermilion gate beside her, its imposing height making her appear quite petite. Yu Jing suddenly felt a pang of emotion. As Empress, Zhang Qingcen was not allowed to leave the palace at will. Being confined to the vast, cold palace of Shenghua was only a part of Yu Jing's memory. But for Zhang Qingcen, it was her entire life.

Thinking of this, Yu Jing reached out and touched the white fox fur quilt that Zhang Qingcen had given her yesterday. It was snow-white, soft, and warm.

The carriage stopped in front of Zhang Qingcen. Yu Jing got up to get off the carriage, and Zhang Qingcen said somewhat embarrassedly, "Your Majesty has to attend the morning court today and it is inconvenient for you to come. I thought I would come to see Mother off. Mother, you don't need to get off the carriage. I feel a little bad for troubling you like this."

"How could I possibly fail to appreciate the Empress's kind intentions?"

Yu Jing's words were truly sincere.

"While I am away, Your Majesty must take good care of yourself."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will." Zhang Qingcen replied softly.

Xie Xuan stood to the side, leading his horse, watching the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talk. The term "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law" suddenly popped into his mind, and Xie Xuan was slightly taken aback. He had spent a considerable amount of time with Sheng Hua, and although he addressed her as Empress Dowager, her appearance and demeanor often made him forget her true status. Furthermore, Qi Jin and Zhang Qingcen didn't visit often, and even when they did, they left quickly, so he didn't have many opportunities to see her. Therefore, his understanding of Sheng Hua's status was actually quite vague. Now, suddenly remembering the term "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law," which abruptly elevated their generational ranking, felt rather strange.

After finishing his conversation with Zhang Qingcen, Yu Jing turned and got into the carriage, with Xie Xuan riding alongside on horseback.

Yu Jing disliked being high-profile, and she didn't publicize her trip to Wanjiang Mountain to pray for blessings, because she always felt uncomfortable using her identity as the Empress Dowager. Since she was going to leave the palace, it would be more comfortable to conceal her identity.

The carriage slowly drove into the long street with a grand procession. Although the people on the road were curious about who came out of the palace, they couldn't guess and assumed that it was a nobleman on an outing.

After sitting in the carriage for quite a while, Yu Jing felt a soreness in her back and waist. The carriage itself was cramped and felt rather stuffy. Previously, carriage rides had only been for short periods. Now, however, she had been sitting for most of the day and still hadn't reached the inn; Yu Jing was starting to feel unwell.

Seeing that Yu Jing was constantly moving, A Yu asked, "Is Your Majesty a little tired? Let me give Your Majesty a massage."

"It's nothing." Yu Jing said it was nothing, but her hand reached out to lift the carriage curtain.

Xie Xuan noticed the movement and turned his head to look. A pair of fair and slender hands, whose fingers had never been used to cooking, slightly lifted the carriage curtain, revealing half of a face.

"Xie Xuan, how much longer until we reach the post station?"

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager... Madam, we have now arrived in Jinning. It will take approximately two more hours to reach the Heshan Post Station." Because he had been instructed not to mention the Empress Dowager after leaving the palace, Xie Xuan was still unable to change his ways.

"Two hours?" Yu Jing sighed deeply and leaned back in his seat with a sense of helplessness.

When Xie Xuan heard Yu Jing say this, he wanted to say something more, but then he saw that the carriage curtain had already been lowered, and he smiled helplessly: "If Madam is tired, you can stop and rest for a while at the front."

"Okay." The voice carried quickly even without lifting the carriage curtain.

The carriage traveled for a while longer before slowly coming to a stop. Yu Jing quickly helped A Yu down from the carriage, as her back and waist ached from sitting for only the first day. They hurried off the carriage to walk around. At that time, the carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, next to a small stream. Perhaps due to the rain, the stream was swollen and the current was rapid.

In the distance, a mountain stream was shrouded in mist, its lush green veiled by a layer of clear white. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, and the occasional chirping of birds could be heard. Yu Jing's previously agitated heart immediately felt relieved.

Xie Xuanyi dismounted and stood behind Yu Jing.

Yu Jing was wearing a garden green dress. Standing before the mountains and streams, the varying shades of green, accompanied by the melodious babbling of the stream, created an indescribable sense of comfort.

Xie Xuan was watching when Yu Jing suddenly turned her head, smiling and talking to A Yu beside her. She wasn't wearing makeup, and behind her were lush green mountains. Her skin was as white as snow, her lips were white and her teeth were red, making her bright and lively. In that instant, Xie Xuan's heart inexplicably leaped with joy.

They stopped for quite some time on the road, and by the time they arrived at Heshan Post Station, it was already getting dark. Ayu helped Yu Jing down from the carriage. The post station was quite elegantly built. The building stood among the trees, with gauze curtains and lanterns hanging in front of the door, and the faint chirping of insects could be heard nearby.

This inn is for distinguished guests. But when Yu Jing and Xie Xuan entered, everyone sitting in the guest hall, eating, drinking, and resting, all looked at them.

The woman clearly came from a wealthy family, and not just any wealthy family, because the maid beside her was dressed in exquisite brocade with intricate embroidery. Standing beside her was a young man, dressed in a light blue narrow-sleeved robe, handsome and dashing.

"Please come in, esteemed guests," the waiter hurriedly greeted them.

"Do you have a private room?" Xie Xuan took a step forward without making a sound and asked the waiter.

"Yes," the waiter quickly nodded in response.

"I'll take them all," Xie Xuan said, glancing at the guard behind him. The guard took out a small bag and handed it to him.

The waiter initially thought it was silver, but seeing how small the bag was, he hesitated before taking it. He wanted to offer a word of warning, but upon touching the bag, he immediately fell silent, as its weight was different from silver. The waiter opened the bag and saw it was a small bag of gold. He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "Gentlemen, please follow me."

Ayu helped Yu Jing upstairs, with Xie Xuan following behind. Once they were upstairs, the murmurs in the hall grew louder.

"Hey, I wonder which noble family this lady comes from, she's so elegant and refined!"

"Judging from the looks of it, it came from the direction of the capital."

"I just saw her cart frame in the courtyard. It's really long, even longer than the cloth shop owner from the south."

"Let's not even talk about the carriage. Just look at the guards following her. Not to mention the many, they are all well-trained and highly skilled in martial arts. Especially the one beside her, he looks young, but his demeanor is just like that of a general."

"And that woman looked young and beautiful, but her eyes were incredibly deep. Just now, when she glanced at me, I met her eyes and was momentarily intimidated."

"It seems that woman has quite a background in the capital."

...

The waiter was perceptive and chose the best private room for Yu Jing. Xie Xuan's room was right next to Yu Jing's.

Yu Jing was exhausted after a day's carriage ride. She asked A Yu to prepare some food, thinking she would rest as soon as possible after the meal, since she still had a whole day's journey ahead of her tomorrow.

Not long after he finished his meal and lay down, he heard noises outside the tent, creaking and squeaking like animals, accompanied by the sound of something being knocked over.

When Yu Jing lifted the tent flap and saw the enormous rat, she swallowed hard and couldn't help but scream.