Set off for the Valley of Divine Medicine

After Chen Qianyue finished washing up, she went out. Xie Shangjia got into the bathtub next to her. The water was already cold, but it didn't matter. He was very angry...

Xie Shangjia washed up for nearly an hour before going out.

A plan quickly formed in his confused and alert mind.

We must not let our second brother go to the Valley of Divine Doctors with us. That would be like inviting a wolf into the house!

During lunch, Shen Qianyue asked someone to invite Xie Shangyu.

The maid returned respectfully.

"I went to the Second Young Master's courtyard but didn't see anyone. When I came back, I happened to meet the gatekeeper from last night. He said the Second Young Master had gone out at night and hadn't returned since."

Shen Qianyue responded: "You go to the side yard and guard it. Come and inform me when my second brother comes back."

Xie Shangjia said quickly: "You go and rest, don't worry about my second brother."

The maid glanced at Shen Qianyue and said, "Nodding your head, I agree." Then she withdrew.

Xie Shangjia sat next to Shen Qianyue and deliberately lowered his voice.

"Miss Shen, I've thought about it... My second brother is a man of the Jianghu, after all, and has a special status. Divine Doctor Valley is a place of seclusion and cultivation. If we rashly bring outsiders with us, it might cause inconvenience and disturb the Valley Master's peace. How about... the two of us go first?"

After he finished speaking, his heart was pounding as he nervously observed Shen Qianyue's reaction. He deliberately emphasized "outsiders" and "the two of us", and his intentions were obvious.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qianyue glanced at him sideways, as if she had already seen through all his little thoughts. She neither nodded nor shook her head, but just said lightly.

"I met my second brother yesterday, and he agreed to go with me. It would be against etiquette to leave him now."

Xie Shangjia cursed inwardly. What kind of courtesy was it in coveting his brother's wife? It also disturbed his world of two. He put on a worried look.

"But... my second brother's whereabouts are erratic. We don't know where he went last night. If we delay here, we might miss our journey. Why not leave a message and have him come later?"

As he spoke, he winked at Jinyu.

The corner of Jinyu's mouth twitched: "Madam, I also thought that the Second Young Master's whereabouts are always unpredictable. It's possible that he went to the martial arts world to handle personal matters."

Shen Qianyue's gaze lingered on Xie Shangjia's face for a moment.

Xie Shangjia's heart tightened, just when he thought he was going to be rejected.

Chen Qianyue looked away. Although she also disliked Xie Shangyu, she had no habit of going back on her word. She had sent a servant to notify Shen Shi to set off this morning, but he was not there. She had just sent a servant to check again, but he was still not back. That must be fate.

"Let's set off at 3 p.m. If Second Brother hasn't returned yet, we'll set off first."

To Xie Shangjia, these words were no different from his agreement. Who knew when his second brother would come back?

As for worrying, that's non-existent. My second brother's martial arts skills are superb. If I can't beat him, can I still run away?

It's the afternoon.

The plain-looking carriage was ready. Pei Miaoyin arrived in time and explained something to the coachman with a smile.

The old lady came out and gave Xie Shangjia some instructions.

Chen Qianyue was already dressed, still in the same light blue brocade, with a cold and aloof aura around her, as she walked straight towards the carriage.

Xie Shangjia was ecstatic!

Done!

He followed Shen Qianyue into the carriage almost using both his hands and feet, and did not forget to turn around and urge Jinyu urgently.

"Hurry! Tell the driver to set off immediately! No more waiting!" He just wanted to leave the house quickly and get rid of his follower second brother.

Inside the carriage, Shen Qianyue was already sitting in the main seat, with her eyes closed, resting, as if she didn't care at all about Xie Shangjia's little thoughts.

Pei Miaoyin also sat down and glanced with interest at Xie Shangjia, who was obviously relieved and had a proud look on his face.

"Some people really sing songs at dawn."

Xie Shangjia didn't care about her ridicule at all, and was filled with joy all over.

The carriage finally started slowly, blended into the crowd, and drove out of the busy streets. It was stopped when it was about to leave the city.

Pei Miaoyin got out of the carriage, presented the pawn token of Hengchang, and secretly stuffed some silver into it.

"Brother, this batch of goods is high-quality Shu brocade entrusted to me by the Shangshu Mansion. I am in a hurry to leave the city and deliver it to Yangzhou. Please let us pass first."

She was an old acquaintance of the man guarding the city gate. The officers and soldiers only lifted the curtain of the carriage to take a look, and what they saw was indeed some fine Shu brocade.

"Okay, go ahead."

The interior of the carriage was divided into two parts. The front half was filled with Shu brocade. The curtains were lowered and a bench was placed on it. From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary carriage.

Pei Miaoyin nodded repeatedly, smiled, and got into the carriage.

After stepping onto the official road, he lifted the curtain of the car, sat back in the back seat and chatted with Shen Qianyue.

Xie Shangjia leaned against the soft wall of the car, secretly glancing at Shen Qianyue beside him.

See, she listened to me after all and chose me.

The childish pride in Xie Shangjia's heart was almost overflowing.

However.

This sense of pride and ease did not last long.

The carriage traveled for about an hour, gradually slowing down, and finally stopped at a relatively open woodland beside the official road.

"What's going on?" Pei Miaoyin asked as she lifted the car curtain.

The driver's voice was filled with helplessness and confusion: "Boss Pei, there's someone blocking the road ahead."

Block the road?

Xie Shangjia's heart suddenly jumped, and an ominous premonition instantly gripped him. He almost rushed to the car window and lifted the curtain.

In the middle of the official road, a man and a horse were leisurely standing there, blocking the way.

The man was wearing a neat indigo-blue suit, which made his posture stand out like a pine tree. In the setting sun, he had his usual gentle and harmless smile on his face, and was raising his hand to soothe the somewhat uneasy horse under him.

If it’s not Xie Shangyu, then who else could it be!

Seeing Xie Shangjia sticking his head out, the smile on Xie Shangyu's face instantly deepened, revealing a row of neat white teeth.

He even waved his hand leisurely, his voice clear and distinct, carrying undisguised intimacy and teasing, clearly carried throughout the quiet official road.

"Hey! How could you forget about your second brother?"

boom--

Xie Shangjia felt a surge of blood rushing to his head. He was so angry that his face turned from red to white, and then from white to blue. His fingers almost crushed the wood of the window frame.

He stared at his second brother who was smiling innocently in the sunset, and wanted to punch him.

Xie Shangyu seemed not to notice his brother's murderous look. He jumped off the horse swiftly, walked straight to the carriage, and spoke loudly to the people inside.

"Sister-in-law, Boss Pei, I'm really sorry. I was delayed last night by dealing with some trivial matters. Fortunately, my legs are fast enough and I didn't miss the trip. It's out in the wilderness, so more people will help us take care of you, right?"

As he spoke, without waiting for a response from inside, he reached out very naturally and pulled open the tightly closed car door.

The afterglow of the setting sun instantly poured into the carriage, illuminating Xie Shangjia's face which was distorted by anger, and Shen Qianyue's phoenix eyes which she had anticipated.

Pei Miaoyin nodded at him and glanced at Xie Shangjia with a smile in her peach blossom eyes.

"Thank you, Second Young Master. If you don't come soon, some people will be so proud of themselves that they will be out of control."

Xie Shangyu's gaze lingered on the wonderful expression on his brother's face for a moment, his smile deepened, and with an undisguised mischief, he handed the reins to the driver, then stepped into the carriage very naturally.

The original troika had an extra horse added to it, so it had to slow down to avoid the possibility of overturning. Fortunately, it was very close to the post station.

Xie Shangyu sat directly in the empty seat opposite Xie Shangjia, leaning back into the cushions with his body relaxed, as if he was the owner of the car.

"Brother Xia Jian, I'm here all the way to take care of you. You must be so happy." His tone was familiar, as if the one-sided disagreement with Xie Shangjia had never happened.

Xie Shangjia looked at his second brother who was smiling harmlessly across from him and gritted his teeth.

"Yes, Brother Jiang Qingyi."

Shen Qianyue just glanced at Xie Shangyu lightly, then closed her eyes and rested, as if all this had nothing to do with her.

All of Xie Shangjia's attention at this moment was firmly locked on Shen Qianyue beside him. He reached out his hand and naturally gathered the thin blanket for her, with an intimacy that seemed to be declaring his sovereignty.

Xie Shangyu took it all in, with a smile on his face, and spoke to himself.

"My dear brother, if I don't come, aren't you afraid that this is a conspiracy? What if Shen Qianyue thinks that you are no longer her husband after losing your memory and there is no need for you to live? Then she will join forces with the perverted doctor to turn you into a drug man..."

Xie Shangjia frowned, then looked at Shen Qianyue with a smile: "Stop trying to sow discord. My wife is beautiful and kind-hearted. What do I have to be afraid of?"

Xie Shangyu avoided his eyes and said, "Your smile is really ugly."

Xie Shangjia clenched his fists and said, "I'll endure it! Let you go!"

Xie Shangyu felt unhappy when he saw him circling around Shen Qianyue with a cocky look on his face, and their eyes met again.

"What are you looking at? Are you jealous of me?"

Xie Shangjia pointed at himself: "Me? What is there about you that is worthy of my jealousy?"

Xie Shangyu said leisurely: "You are jealous of my good birth."

Xie Shangjia was furious that someone dared to deliberately exaggerate his appearance in front of Shen Qianyue and belittle himself.

Pei Miaoyin looked at the brothers with interest, with a hint of anticipation at the corner of her mouth.

Shen Qianyue, who had closed her eyes to rest, slowly opened them, and swept her eyes across Xie Shangyu's face without any ripples, and finally fell on Xie Shangjia, who was standing beside her like a hedgehog with irritated hair.

"I think Shang Jia is more handsome. Second brother, please stop teasing him."

Xie Shangjia's anger was like a popped balloon, and he smiled smugly. He went to the small table in the corner of the carriage and picked up the warm teapot and cups.

"The water temperature is just right. Qianyue, are you thirsty?"

The ferocious look that seemed to want to pounce on Xie Shangyu and tear him apart disappeared completely, and he instantly switched to the attentive and loyal dog mode.

Shen Qianyue looked at him and smiled, then nodded softly.

Xie Shangjia carefully poured a cup of warm tea, held it in both hands and handed it to Shen Qianyue's lips.

Shen Qianyue took his hand, lowered her head slightly, and sipped.

Xie Shangjia looked at her intently, his eyes full of concern and satisfaction.

Xie Shangyu saw all of this, and the smile on his face completely disappeared, and turned into a look of disappointment in his younger brother.

Pei Miaoyin couldn't bear to look at their loving appearance, so she turned her eyes away silently and looked at the scenery passing by outside the car window.

Xie Shangjia fully implemented the policy of treating his second brother and Pei Miaoyin as air, and he only revolved around Shen Qianyue.

Shen Qianyue closed her eyes to rest, and Xie Shangjia sat quietly beside her, his eyes almost glued to her.

As soon as Shen Qianyue moved a little, he would immediately offer her warm tea or snacks.

When Shen Qianyue occasionally looked out the window, he would immediately lean over and whisper, "Is the scenery nice?"

He looked so attentive, with his heart and eyes fixed on only her, just like a young boy who had just fallen in love.

And when Xie Shangyu occasionally spoke, he would chat with Pei Miaoyin about interesting stories in Beijing, or comment on the scenery along the way, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Xie Shangjia always has only two reactions.

Or, he could turn a deaf ear and continue to concentrate on peeling the orange, carefully tearing off the white veins on the orange segments, and then bring them to Shen Qianyue's lips.

Or, they would just make a very perfunctory "hmm" or "oh" sound through their nose, without even bothering to raise their heads.

Xie Shangyu looked at his brother's undisguised and almost blind attachment and possession of Shen Qianyue, and began to ponder, wondering if his conspiracy theory was really the truth.

He leaned against the wall of the car, no longer trying to fit in, and lost interest in chatting and laughing. His eyes occasionally swept across Shen Qianyue who was being diligently served by his younger brother.

The only sounds left in the carriage were the monotonous sound of the wheels rolling over the official road, and Xie Shangjia's occasional gentle whispers to Shen Qianyue.

The existence of Xie Shangyu and Pei Miaoyin is like a silent background board, completely isolated from this seemingly warm world of two.