"Oh my, Chief Escort Wan is here?"

The young doorman skillfully went to greet him.

The bearded head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) tossed over a piece of silver and said casually, "Bring me some food and drink. Why is the post station so lively today? Is there some happy occasion in Shu County?"

"The chief镖头 (chief镖头 is a person who is very skilled in escorting goods) guessed correctly. In three days, the prefect's daughter will be getting married. Isn't that a great joyous occasion?"

The doorman happily accepted the money.

Chief镖头 Wan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, "What? Does the prefect's daughter, with eyes on the top of her head, have someone she's taken a fancy to?"

"That's right. I've heard that the son-in-law of the prefect's mansion is incredibly handsome, like a god descended to earth, and can be called the most handsome man in the world!"

"Hahaha--"

Chief镖头 Wan laughed loudly, "The most handsome man in the world? Impossible! The most handsome man in the world should be His Highness Prince Chen of our capital city. He is a god descended to earth, incomparably handsome!"

"Oh my, Chief Escort Wan has met His Highness Prince Chen?"

Xiao Menzi was gossiping with a smile.

Wanjin Escort Agency is a newly established escort agency in the last six months. They escort goods between the capital and Shu County, are knowledgeable and generous, and are familiar with the gatekeepers at the post stations.

Chief镖头 Wan sighed and said regretfully, "It's a pity he died young. Not only was his body never found, but the murderer has also never been found. Now His Highness the Crown Prince is in court. The Crown Prince says that Prince Chen was murdered by Prince An, while Prince An says that His Highness the Crown Prince's men murdered Prince Chen. Both sides are asking His Highness Prince Fan to testify, but His Highness Prince Fan has also given up his vow of silence..."

"The Crown Prince is ruling as regent? Could it be... that His Majesty's health is truly failing?"

Xiao Menzi exclaimed in surprise, his words revealing no restraint whatsoever, displaying a curiosity that seemed indifferent to whoever became emperor.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin'er and the other three's expressions changed.

He turned around before heading to his room, found a table and chair, sat down, took out a small silver ingot, and instructed the doorman, "Bring some food."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

When the doorman saw the silver ingot, his smile became even brighter and more ingratiating.

Chief Escort Wan drank a large bowl of tea, wiped his mouth, and said, "Tsk tsk tsk, if we weren't still on our way, I would have drunk two pots!"

"The capital is in chaos, and the outside world will probably follow suit. The Northwest is still able to maintain stability thanks to General Zhang, but as for the Northern Mongols... I heard that a junior officer under General Weiyuan has defected to the Northern Mongols. His Highness the Crown Prince has already sent officials to investigate and punish him. Once the Northern Mongols march south, there will be no peace!"

"So much has happened? It even looks rather chaotic outside?"

Xiaomenzi found it unbelievable.

Chief镖头 Wan waved his hand, "The emperor is far away, and no matter how chaotic things are outside, they won't reach Shu County in a short time. Besides... with the prefect in charge, what are you afraid of?"

Xiaomenzi nodded repeatedly, "That's right, that's right!"

While eating, Chief Escort Wan shouted at the counter, "Prepare two more superior rooms for me!"

"It's really unfortunate that the last two superior rooms were reserved by the relatives of the prefect's family. You'll have to make do with a shared room today."

After hearing all sorts of news, the steward couldn't help but value the prefect's authority even more.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the table where Chen Jin'er was, his face beaming with smiles. His already humble demeanor now appeared even more obsequious and flattering: "Madam, your room has been cleaned spotlessly. I've even prepared a large tub of hot bathwater so you can comfortably wash away the fatigue and dust of your journey. Tomorrow, you can set off comfortably to the Prefect's residence to offer your congratulations!"

"What? You can't get a room if you're not a relative of the prefect?"

Luo Feiyan glanced at Chief Escort Wan, sneered, and looked angry.

She had only heard about the prosperity and abundance of Shu County in Kyoto, but now that she had seen it for herself, she realized that while the abundance of resources was true, the prosperity... only affected a few large merchants and wealthy households.

The lives of ordinary people were worse than those of those impoverished and remote prefectures.

She simply didn't believe it had nothing to do with the Prefect of Shu Commandery!

The governor of Shu Commandery is a corrupt official!

Hearing news about Jingzhong and her father made Luo Feiyan somewhat worried and angry, which made her tone harsh.

The moment those words were uttered, the once noisy and bustling post station fell into complete silence.

People turned around, their faces showing hostility.

Even the manager's smile froze on his face. The doorman, carrying the food, stood frozen in place, surrounded by even more peeping and scrutinizing eyes.

Chen Jin'er grabbed Luo Feiyan's hand and said with a smile, "You're being willful, maid. Hurry up and bring up the food. We have to travel tomorrow morning, otherwise we'll miss the wedding. I'm in a hurry to add to my dowry."

"Hehe, yes, yes, yes!"

The steward sighed, his frozen smile instantly vanishing, and he shouted at the doorman, "Hurry up! If you delay the madam's meal, do you still want your hands?!"

"Here we come! Here we come!"

Xiao Menzi also resumed his movements and brought over the food.

Yuan Bao'er quickly stuffed a piece of meat into Luo Feiyan's mouth with her chopsticks. Jiang Lingtian silently poured her a full cup of tea. Luo Feiyan realized that she seemed to have said something wrong, so she buried her head in her rice and stopped talking.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) only glanced over a few times secretly, and didn't dare to say anything more.

They ate and drank their fill.

The inn was small, and the so-called superior rooms were just clean, well-furnished, and quieter. The four of them went into the rooms to rest: Jiang Lingtian had one room, and Chen Jin'er and the other two had another.

Inside the room, the bathtub was still steaming. The three of them took a nice hot bath and fell asleep exhausted.

midnight……

Luo Feiyan was woken up by someone pushing her. She instinctively threw a punch and fell to the ground with a thud. She heard a familiar voice say, "It's me."

"Huh? It's you?"

By the moonlight, Luo Feiyan could see Jiang Lingtian's face clearly. There were two strange things stuck in his nose, like...cloth. "What are you doing in our room in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Jiang Lingtian covered one eye and got up, saying in a low voice, "Someone blew smoke into my room, I was worried about you... something might happen to you."

"Sleeping smoke?"

Luo Feiyan took a deep sniff, and sure enough!

Looking at Jiang Lingtian's nose, the reason became clear: "Is this how you protect yourself from sleeping gas?"

Jiang Lingtian nodded. "I noticed something was wrong during dinner, so... I stuffed my nose and went to sleep. I noticed it as soon as I heard the noise. Are you... are you alright?"

"I have the sachet that Jiaojiao gave me!"

Luo Feiyan took out her sachet and showed off, "The antidote pills inside can cure all poisons, what's a little bit of sleeping powder!"

After saying that, she noticed Jiang Lingtian's suddenly stiff expression and immediately felt embarrassed. "Jiaojiao didn't give it to you?"

A knife to the heart.

Whose fault is it?

Is it still his fault for being blind before?

The sound of the two talking woke up Chen Jin'er and Yuan Bao'er. They rubbed their eyes and sat up, each with the same sachet hanging from their waist.

Jiang Lingtian... tastes a bit sour, bitter, and salty.

Under Luo Feiyan's sympathetic gaze, she turned her head away and said, "Um... I've never liked wearing sachets."

Luo Feiyan's eyes flashed over the sachet at Jiang Lingtian's waist, and she laughed awkwardly twice, "Hehe... Jiaojiao really thought of everything. The people outside are probably waiting for the sleeping potion to take effect. We have to leave quickly."

Chen Jin'er and Yuan Bao'er were instantly sober when they smelled the sleeping powder.

The group quickly put on their coats, packed their belongings, opened the window, climbed out, and, by the moonlight, made their way into the courtyard, where they hitched up the carriage.

Suddenly a hurried voice rang out, "They're over there!"

We've been discovered!