Chapter 70 Drinking Snow (Part 10) Like a predatory animal...

The next morning, Zhi Rou emerged from the earthen house wearing a sheepskin cloak. The light filled her entire field of vision, obscuring her view, and for a moment she thought she was in the capital.

She took a deep breath, flicked her sleeves, and stepped out of the courtyard. Just then, she bumped into someone passing by, wiping their eyes. Glancing at her out of the corner of their eye, they hurriedly tried to hide, but Zhi Rou raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong, sister?"

Hearing someone ask, Jing Yao had no choice but to stop, turn her back, and lower her eyes: "No... Your Highness, I..."

Zhi Rou's answer was hesitant and stumbling, but upon hearing this, she already understood somewhat.

Last night, when she went to fetch water, she happened to overhear several palace maids whispering nearby, saying that Huai Xian was unpredictable and that when she got angry, she would flick her sleeve and scratch a palace maid's face.

Judging from Jing Yao's appearance, she has most likely been troubled by Huai Xian.

Zhi Rou has a cold expression; when she dislikes someone, her eyes and brows become even sharper.

Putting aside the fact that Huai Xian separated her from her family, his arrogant nature was very incompatible with her. However, her status in the group prevented her from contacting the nobles of Bei Li. If she wanted to leave, she would have to stay by Huai Xian's side first.

Seeing her condition, Jingyao worried that she had said the wrong thing, so she quickly swallowed her words and said, "It's alright, I'm fine... Have you packed your things, Miss? It's time to set off."

If there are no obstacles on the road, we should arrive in Yuyang this evening.

“I don’t have anything,” Zhirou replied.

Come to think of it, they weren't going beyond the Great Wall willingly; they were just taking someone with them to serve His Highness. What personal belongings could they possibly have? Jing Yao chuckled awkwardly and bid her farewell for the time being.

The group set off at Chenshi (7-9 AM), with Zhirou following beside Huaixian's carriage. Since the hunt in the forest, Huaixian had never summoned her again.

The sun didn't rise high until midday, the wind was still relatively calm, and the sunlight finally felt warm on my skin.

Zhi Rou slightly adjusted her cloak sleeves, and just as she stopped, a slender figure suddenly collapsed, falling beside her legs. The others did not stop, but instead walked around them and continued walking with the group.

Zhi Rou frowned and helped the person on the ground up. When she saw the worn-out shoes showing under the pleated skirt, her eyes widened slightly.

With her arm still clasped around the man's fingers, she used the leverage to stand up. Her body was still swaying, but once her vision cleared, she quickly let go, thanked Zhi Rou, and then stumbled to catch up with Cheng Lin.

Zhi Rou didn't say anything, but took a few big steps to follow and walked back to the princess's carriage.

Her boots were altered by Jing Yao. From Chuzhou to Yunchuan, a journey of nearly two months, they remained as good as new every day, never rubbing her feet and always very clean. Had Jing Yao been making shoes for her the whole time?

Huai Xian looked out through the gap in the carriage floor and saw Zhi Rou.

The journey had lasted several months, and some members of the group had already succumbed to the long trek and lost their lives in Liangzhou. The rest either endured the hardship or were granted a ride along by the Crown Prince for a period of time.

Only Song Zhirou looked agile and healthy; apart from her cool and aloof expression, she exuded a vibrant and energetic aura.

Huai Xian was already unhappy because of the proximity to the border, but seeing her like this, the guilt he felt towards her earlier had long since faded with time. After a moment, he looked back and asked, "How much longer until we reach Yuyang?"

Qingtang carefully replied, "Your Highness, there are only a few dozen miles left."

There was a moment of silence in the car.

Qingtang feared that Huai Xian might have some other tricks up her sleeve, so she lowered her eyes and dared not utter a sound.

Shortly after, she instructed, "There's one person missing from clearing the road ahead. Send Song Zhirou. She's got the strength; she should get some real work done."

Qingtang hesitated for a moment, and another maid in the carriage immediately obeyed, got out of the carriage and gave instructions to Zhirou.

The people responsible for clearing the road were mostly men. When they suddenly heard that Huai Xian had summoned someone who was different from the rough men, they guessed that the princess was throwing a tantrum again.

Shaking his head, he knew that cooperation was still necessary, so he abandoned the tasks of reconnaissance and marking, and assigned the most arduous tasks to her.

Zhi Rou didn't mind putting in some effort; it was just as well. As she walked with the group, she always felt like she was gradually leaving her hometown. Doing some work would help clear her mind for a while.

As Huai Xian's entourage descended upon Yu Yang, the afterglow was like blood, birds fluttered their wings and circled in the sky, and the procession slowly came to a stop.

The Crown Prince and General Qi met with the people sent by the Northern Li Kingdom in front, while Huai Xian sat in the carriage, seemingly unconcerned about anything, and didn't even exchange glances with the Crown Prince.

After finishing her task, Zhi Rou stayed at the front of the group. She could see the Crown Prince's mount, and foreign languages ​​were constantly mingling around her. Her mind was in turmoil as she listened.

Arriving in a foreign land in this way inevitably leads to feelings of frustration, but before she even arrived, she hoped that the group could move quickly.

As it was evening, the wind was a bit chilly. Zhi Rou wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and casually glanced up, seeing two leading grassland men under the sky.

They were all around twenty years old, tall and strong, wearing a long robe of a foreign tribe with extremely intricate patterns, and their braids were adorned with bone carvings and gold and silver ornaments. Their faces were hidden in the fiery light and shadow.

Zhi Rou felt a knot forming in her heart, sensing that the person on the right looked somewhat familiar.

She stared at him for a while, and by sheer coincidence, the man turned his face, his gaze piercing through the crowd and looking directly at her.

His eyes were so bright, like a predatory animal. When their eyes met, his handsome eyebrows lifted slightly, revealing a smile of interest.

At the same time, Enhe gently tugged on the reins, and the horse turned in this direction with a "clattering" sound. The leather straps on the saddle swayed back and forth slightly, creating a swaggering and imposing feeling.

Zhi Rou's hands, hidden beneath her cloak, clenched tighter as she locked eyes with him, calculating her options. After a short while, she looked away and pursed her lips.

The good news is that she no longer needs to investigate who he is; the person sent by the Northern Li Kingdom to greet her is either the seventeenth prince, Alamusu, or the nineteenth prince, Enhe. The bad news is also about his identity; he is actually a prince of the Northern Li Kingdom.

Judging from his expression, it was clear that he recognized her as well.

Zhi Rou remained motionless for a while, only to hear a bell-like sound getting closer and closer. Her heart felt like it was being pounded in a frying pan, filled with intense anxiety.

This person is not a good person. She has something on him, and she wants to get the dagger back. It will not be easy for her to protect herself. Her future path in Beili will not be easy.

Enhe did not approach Zhirou, but instead rode up to greet General Qi and exchanged a few words. It turned out that he could understand Chinese, but he spoke it haltingly and even somewhat clumsily.

Alamusu saw that Enhe was ahead of him, and his face showed hidden anger. He quickly ordered his men to go forward and meet the Yan Dynasty's entourage to the royal tent.

Yuyang and Yunchuan are quite different. Although they are close in distance, Yuyang has a compact layout, numerous barracks, and the sounds of drills can be heard frequently.

Wei Yuanzhan and his party set off last night, and in order to avoid clashing with the marriage procession, they rode at breakneck speed all night and arrived at Governor Zhang's residence early this morning.

Upon seeing the letter from Marquis Wei, the soldier who had gone to inform him quickly returned and invited Wei Yuanzhan inside, but said that the commander-in-chief had not yet returned and asked them to sit in the hall for a while.

I had anticipated this before I came. Most of the scions of noble families who suddenly went to the Northwest to join the army were doing so to gain military merit and obtain an official position, hoping to receive a higher reward upon returning to the capital.

To outsiders, this was perfectly normal. It was perfectly reasonable for Zhang Jixiao to dislike him.

Wei Yuanzhan lifted his robe and sat down, tapping his frozen fingers almost imperceptibly. He took the tea offered to him but didn't drink it, and sat in the hall to wait.

His manners were impeccable; he stood upright, his eyes never straying, displaying the demeanor of a true gentleman. Chang Huai Lan Ye, however, knew perfectly well that if the Marquis hadn't asked someone to do something for his master, making them wait so long, his master would have already been secretly playing with a knife in his hand.

Lan Ye looked around; it was so quiet there wasn't a soul in sight. He muttered under his breath, "Our master has never been treated like this before. If you ask me, this Northwest is no place to stay. The weather is bad enough, but in spring and autumn, you might even run into bandits..."

“You don’t need to follow me,” Wei Yuanzhan interrupted.

He glanced at him, his voice somewhat decisive, "Joining the army was my decision, it has nothing to do with you. When you return to the capital, please tell my father and mother that I am doing well and they don't need to worry about me."

"How can that be?" Lan Ye's dark eyes narrowed for a moment, and after realizing what he meant, she hurriedly confessed to him, "Master, that's not what I meant. I... I didn't say I wanted to separate from you!"

Wei Yuanzhan remained silent, secretly not wanting them to stay with him in the army.

He wasn't here to gain prestige, and he even needs two people to serve him. It's no wonder Zhang Jixiao doesn't respect him. Besides, the military camp is definitely not as lazy and comfortable as the capital. He came here willingly, while Lan Ye and the others suffered this undeserved disaster because they followed him.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lan Ye became even more anxious and nudged Chang Huai with her elbow, signaling him to help her.

When they entered, the soldiers were all expressionless, and a chilling atmosphere filled the air. Chang Huai was afraid of implicating his master, so he dared not say anything. He brushed Lan Ye's hand away and stood obediently, waiting for Commander Zhang to return.

They waited for a whole day. As the sun set in the west, the people who had been waiting did not appear. Instead, someone from the household brought them food and arranged lodgings for them, telling them to rest for the time being.

Wei Yuanzhan had never experienced such cold treatment before.

Pride by nature and still immature, he raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly, speaking in a friendly tone: "I dare not trouble Governor Zhang. I have been impolite to visit you today and have truly disturbed you. Farewell."

He bowed slightly, lifted the hem of his robe, and stepped out.

That night, Bei Li ordered the selection of a good place to camp, saying that Princess Yan was tired from her journey and should get a good night's rest before heading to the royal tent the next morning.

Having reached the grasslands, Huai Xian had no choice but to stand up from the carriage and face them. Seeing that both princes were older than her, and that she was marrying their father, Khan, she felt a wave of nausea.

After the felt tent was set up, the palace servants boiled water, and several Northern Li female slaves brought over milk tea and a variety of food, placing them on the couch.

Huai Xian waved them away. As she watched the decorations in the tent gradually being replaced by foreign objects, and even the food tasted strange, she inexplicably burst into tears on the mattress.

She thought she had cried all her tears the day she learned she wasn't her father's biological child, but today, her emotions collapsed again, and resentment and helplessness surged up like a tidal wave.

Hearing the commotion, the palace servants guarding outside the tent exchanged glances, shook their heads, and continued to stand.

Not far away, the nineteenth prince of Beili Kingdom and his men were wrestling, their shouts rising higher and higher. Huai Xian, listening to the barbaric commotion from inside her tent, cried even harder.

Zhi Rou shared a tent with Jing Yao and the others, located behind Huai Xian. She bent down to go out and happened to see Jing Yao carrying a lantern walking towards them, so she raised her eyebrows and asked, "Is Your Highness crying?"

Jingyao nodded, walked closer, took Zhirou's arm, and whispered, "It's good to cry for a while, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

Zhi Rou glanced at her in surprise. She then realized that she had misspoke and opened her mouth nervously, as if to explain something. But Zhi Rou smiled, which stunned her. Then she raised her sleeve, covered her face, and chuckled softly.

In late autumn, a thin mist shrouded the mountain lake. The weather was cold. Jingyao sniffed after leaving the tent for a while and then asked, "Where are you going, young lady?"

"It's too stuffy inside, I'm going out for a walk," Zhi Rou replied casually. "Anyway, His Highness doesn't need me."

Zhi Rou's true purpose was to find an opportunity to climb into En He's tent, retrieve her knife, and then stay far away from him, keeping to herself.

Thinking of something, she said to Jingyao, "Thank you, sister."

"Thank me?" Jing Yao was confused. She heard her continue, "If it weren't for you, I would have worn out several pairs of boots by now. How could I have gotten this far?"

"I just did it on the spur of the moment, it's nothing to mention," Jing Yao said sheepishly.

Wind blades roamed everywhere, while the campfire burned tirelessly, emitting a hissing sound.

Enhe was surprised to see her. From a distance of several dozen steps, he silently scrutinized the tall figure under the tree.

The firelight reflected in her clear eyes, and just like that day, she was silent, wary, and perhaps even a little timid.

A lazy yet defiant smile appeared on Enhe's lips. He casually pointed at Zhirou and said in his clumsy Mandarin, "You come here."