Fu Cui breathed a sigh of relief and, calculating the time, said, "The princess left quietly the night before last. If we can delay for two more days, it will be fine."

Upon hearing this, Danzhu looked somewhat worried and said, "They left in a hurry at night, and I don't know if the princess can handle it. Bailuo is careless, and I'm always worried that she won't be able to take care of the princess."

Fu Cui comforted her, "There's still Liu Yun here, and the Prince has also sent people to escort her. For the Princess's safety, even the Fire Cave Master was invited back. There shouldn't be any trouble. Once we leave the capital, the Princess will be able to reunite with the Prince."

Danzhu knew she was right, but she still couldn't help feeling worried. She sat in the room for a while before calming herself down and leaving.

The prince has just set off for the campaign today, so they must do their best to conceal it for a few more days and absolutely cannot reveal anything, otherwise it will be too late when the palace finds out.

*

When the palace staff arrived, Shen Youying had already been awake in the carriage for a day and a night.

Fearing she would be uncomfortable, Xue Shen had a spacious carriage prepared after they left the capital, filled with soft cushions and carpets, to reduce the bumps and make Shen Youying more comfortable.

Xue Shen set off early yesterday morning, while Shen Youying, who was traveling by carriage, departed a night earlier than Xue Shen in order to meet him smoothly. As soon as it got dark the night before, she left the capital before the city gates closed.

Emperor Cheng'an probably did not expect that Xue Shen would risk taking Shen Youying, who was five months pregnant, away from the capital. Shen Youying left the capital without any problems.

She lay half-reclined in the carriage, beneath a thick, soft blanket, with Bai Luo and Liu Yun attending to her on either side. Aside from not being used to sleeping there, everything else was fine.

The carriage had traveled a long way, with desolate mountains and forests on both sides of the official road, and occasionally a village and smoke could be seen in the distance.

To avoid suspicion, Shen Youying disguised herself as a member of an official's family traveling far away, escorted by about twenty elite guards disguised as servants.

She pushed open the door and glanced outside. Dusk had fallen. She asked, "Where shall we rest tonight?"

To leave the capital as quickly as possible without any mishaps, they didn't stop on their first night and kept traveling. They only stopped to replenish their food and water in the towns they passed through.

The head guard leading the group glanced at the village not far away and said, "We will rest in Wenjia Village tonight. We have already sent people to prepare accommodations. If the Princess has any requests, I can have them fulfilled."

Shen Youying actually wanted to ask when she would meet up with Xue Shen, but considering that Xue Shen had only set off at noon yesterday, and that their small, unorganized entourage couldn't possibly travel as fast as hers with tens of thousands of people, and that Xue Shen would never abandon his tens of thousands of troops to meet her, she simply didn't ask.

She shook her head and said, "You can make the arrangements."

The carriage traveled for another half an hour, and just as night fell, it arrived at Wenjia Village.

The villagers had already gone to bed, but upon hearing the commotion at the village entrance, they curiously opened their windows to look out.

The carriage stopped in front of the first house at the village entrance. The guards who had come in advance were already waiting at the door. When they saw Liu Yun and Bai Luo helping Shen Youying down from the carriage, they quickly joined the host in welcoming them inside.

"The room has been cleaned again, and the bedding has been replaced by the host. The environment is not as good as the inn, but please bear with it for now, Madam. It will be better once we arrive at our destination."

Shen Youying shook her head: "It's alright, it's just a temporary place to stay, there's nothing I can't get used to."

Upon entering the house, Bai Luo and Liu Yun noticed that although the room was old and simple, it was indeed clean and tidy, and the mattress on the couch was very soft, so it must have been brand new and unused. Therefore, they did not change it.

Bai Luo helped Shen Youying sit down, and Liu Yun said, "I'll go get some hot water for Madam to wash up. Madam didn't eat much for dinner. Now, would you like something? I'll go ask the host to borrow the stove and make something easy for Madam."

Shen Youying touched her lower abdomen and said, "A bowl of porridge will do."

Liu Yun accepted the order and left. A moment later, the mistress returned with a bucket of hot water and a small wooden basin. She looked to be a decade older than Shen Youying and didn't speak Mandarin very well. Shen Youying listened intently as she repeated herself twice before she understood that she was saying that only one bucket of hot water had been boiled and that if more was needed, they would have to wait.

Shen Youying quickly thanked her, saying, "This bucket is enough."

The hostess breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was easy to get along with and didn't ask for much. She left with many thanks.

Wenjia Village is located not far from the official road, and many travelers would stay there for the night. They had also hosted some wealthy families, whose ladies and young women were all very pampered. She had encountered them a few times and always served them with utmost care.

Unexpectedly, this time the lady is not only beautiful, but also has a good temperament.

The hostess looked at the heavy reward money in her hand, smiled, and continued with her work.

Shen Youying wiped herself with hot water and changed into a clean nightgown. Liuyun then brought over the cooked porridge. Since they were traveling, they couldn't be as refined as they were in the Prince's mansion. Liuyun used the rice she had brought with her and bought a chicken from the host. She minced some of the meat and added it to the porridge, while the rest was put in a clay pot and simmered with nourishing medicinal herbs prescribed by Master Huodong. Shen Youying would have fresh chicken soup to drink the next morning.

Liu Yun cooked a large pot of chicken porridge in a clay pot. The porridge was thick and fragrant. Shen Youying took a bite and looked at Liu Yun in surprise: "I didn't expect you to have such good cooking skills. You are not much worse than the chef of the Prince's Mansion."

Seeing that she liked it, Liu Yun was relieved and said, "It's good that Madam likes it."

Shen Youying drank a small bowl of porridge, which whetted her appetite, and then ladled out another half bowl. Seeing that there was still more than half left in the casserole, she told Liuyun and Bailuo to divide it up: "I can't finish such a big pot, you two can share it."

Seeing that she looked well and had eaten a bowl and a half of porridge, Liu Yun realized she couldn't eat much more, so he took the rest out and shared it with Bai Luo.

Shen Youying had just finished her porridge and was afraid that lying down would not help her digest it, so she got up in her soft shoes and slowly walked around the room, treating it as a stroll to aid digestion.

As she was walking, she suddenly heard a slight noise outside. She stopped and looked towards the door, asking, "What's wrong?"

A moment later, Liu Yun's voice came: "It's nothing, Bai Luo just tripped over something."

Upon hearing this, Shen Youying curled her lips and said, "Are you hurt? There's some medicinal wine for sprains and bruises in the medicine box."

A muffled response came from outside.

Shen Youying then fell silent and continued to walk slowly, holding onto the edge of the table.

Unbeknownst to her, the door behind her slowly opened, and Xue Shen, clad in soft armor, stepped in quietly, standing still and waiting for her to turn around and walk towards him.

Shen Youying circled the table, and when she reached the door, she suddenly noticed a figure in front of her. She looked up in surprise, and when she saw who was in the room, her eyes widened in shock, and she was speechless for a moment.

Xue Shen smiled and walked towards her, patted her belly, and pulled her into his arms: "Why are you so silly?"

Shen Youying was enveloped in his strong arms, and after a long while, she finally said, "Why are you here?"