After deciding to travel to Qihuai County together, the young people returned to their respective homes to begin preparations.

Besides Wu Lanshan, who appeared to outsiders to be a prince recovering from a long illness, Cui Yuanzhao also invited Wang Jingze and Lei Yan to accompany him.

In addition, several second-generation officials from Beijing were also interested in joining the trip, and a rough estimate suggests it's already a fairly large group.

"Prepare three carriages, and also enough manpower."

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, Cui Yuanzhao gave instructions to Zhao Quan.

He had already explained the matter to Cui Renshi, who did not object or say anything. Cui Yuanzhao then simply arranged the matter through his steward Zhao Quan.

After saying that, Cui Yuanzhao added, "By the way, arrange some more manpower. The journey from the capital to Qihuai County is long, and the people going there are of high status, so we must guard against all dangers."

Zhao Quan smiled and said, "Young master, I will arrange this matter properly. Please rest assured that there will be absolutely no problems."

Cui Yuanzhao nodded, "Understood, thank you for your hard work, butler."

“It is my duty to work for the Cui family.”

After confirming some points of attention, Cui Yuanzhao returned to his room.

Inside the room, the maids had already prepared all the clothes and other necessities he would need for his trip to Qihuai County, which he could take to the carriage early the next morning.

Cui Yuanzhao, who initiated the trip to Qihuai County, didn't actually do anything; he was only responsible for contacting the people traveling with him.

Of course, Cui Yuanzhao, as the son of the prime minister, was already used to this kind of thing and did not see any problem with it.

Shortly after, there was a knock on the door.

Zhang Da's voice came from outside the door, "Young Master, are you asleep?"

Cui Yuanzhao sat up and called out, "Come in."

Zhang Da pushed open the door and carefully walked in through the crack, arriving at Cui Yuanzhao's bedside by the moonlight.

"What's the matter so late?" Cui Yuanzhao asked the other party.

Zhang Da stood before them, bowing low, and revealed a piece of information: "Young master, the lord just spoke to me. He instructed me to lead a team to follow the caravan tomorrow and secretly protect you and the other young masters."

"I know, you don't need to tell me such trivial matters." Cui Yuanzhao was a little impatient. He was already preparing to rest early and conserve his energy for tomorrow's journey.

Zhang Da said with a serious expression, "Just now, the master revealed who will be responsible for protecting everyone's safety tomorrow."

"Those inhuman, ghostly figures?" Cui Yuanzhao's expression changed. Several lifeless figures flashed before his eyes, and he subconsciously felt disgusted.

Zhang Da nodded in confirmation.

Cui Yuanzhao grumbled, "It's just a trip to Qihuai County, we don't need all those people. We could just find some servants from the manor. People who don't know better would think he's trying to get back at Old Tang."

Zhang Da chuckled awkwardly upon hearing this, not daring to respond to the topic.

It's fine for the father and son to talk about such things, but if a servant like myself dares to get involved in such matters and the Prime Minister finds out, I'll suffer a terrible fate.

"Alright, go and rest. We'll let you relax for a few days when we get to Qihuai County."

"Thank you, young master."

Zhang Da happily thanked him and left the room.

I've already been to Qihuai County. Once I get there, I don't need to worry about safety. It's safer than the capital, and I don't need to be by your side all the time.

The next morning, Cui Yuanzhao unusually got up early, served by his maids.

He walked out of the room, yawning.

Even after washing up, I still felt sleepy.

Cui Yuanzhao boarded the carriage, and the other servants placed the prepared packages of various sizes on it.

As he entered the carriage, Cui Yuanzhao glanced at the drivers of the three carriages, who were some of the more astute servants from his household.

Just as Zhang Da said, those sinister guys were following them in the dark, and even Zhang Da disappeared early this morning.

Without much thought, Cui Yuanzhao sat down inside the carriage, lifted the curtain, and ordered, "Let's go, let's go pick everyone up first."

The three carriages headed in different directions, and everyone would meet outside the capital city and then go to Qihuai County together.

The only people traveling with Cui Yuanzhao were Wang Jingze, Lei Yan, and Wu Lanshan.

The residences of the two ministers were not far from the prime minister's residence, so it did not take too long to pick them up. Even though Lei Yan was a bit late getting up and it took a little over half an hour, it still only took a little over half an hour.

The person who lived the farthest away was Wu Lanshan, whose palace was located in the suburbs of the capital.

This place is sparsely populated, you rarely see anyone, and it's far from the city center. Its only advantage is the pleasant scenery.

"Actually, it's quite nice to stay in a place like this for a while occasionally."

Wang Jingze leaned back on one side of the carriage, lifted the curtain to look at the snow-covered landscape outside the window, and sighed.

“It’s so boring,” Cui Yuanzhao objected. “Every summer, my whole family goes to the mountains to escape the heat, which is the most boring time of the year. We can only stay with the servants in the mansion every day and do nothing.”

The car jolted, and Cui Yuanzhao's body bounced up and down. He shouted outside, "Be careful!"

"Yes, young master," the driver replied, his voice trembling.

The carriage then became much smoother, and Cui Yuanzhao moved closer to Wang Jingze, hooking his arm around his neck and saying, "If you ask me, Qihuai County is the most interesting. You don't have to be controlled by your parents in the capital, there are many interesting things, and many beautiful girls."

After he finished speaking, he said with some regret, "It's a pity that those pretty girls can only flirt a little, touch their hands and waists while they're getting massages, but they don't entertain the customers."

Lei Yan asked, slightly surprised, "Not entertaining guests?"

"Yes, do you think it's like your Chunfeng Pavilion? In Qihuai County, it's not allowed to provide companionship. Let alone forcing women to accompany guests, even if someone is willing to accompany guests, it will cause big trouble once money is involved."

"Even voluntary companionship is not allowed?" Lei Yan was even more surprised. He was already a regular at Chunfeng Tower and was used to such things. Now, hearing Cui Yuanzhao say this, he found it unbelievable.

Cui Yuanzhao shook his head. "Indeed, it won't work. Once discovered, they will be expelled from Qihuai County and never be able to return. If even those who accompany guests are treated like this, the consequences will be even worse if someone dares to force a woman."

Lei Yan did not speak again.

Soon, Wang Jingze spotted a figure standing outside a mansion in the distance. "I see the young master."

Wu Lanshan waited alone outside the mansion. As soon as the carriage approached and stopped, he immediately got on.

“Why are you waiting outside? It’s so cold. You’ve just recovered from your illness, so don’t catch a cold. I would be in big trouble if you did.” Cui Yuanzhao quickly invited Wu Lanshan to sit down next to him.

"Where are the others? Are we the only ones?" Wu Lanshan glanced at the other two people in the carriage.

"The others met at the city gate; they should have arrived by now."

When the carriage arrived at the city gate, it was indeed found that two carriages were already waiting there.

Cui Yuanzhao peeked out and laughed, "We've now become the Beijing tour group that Old Tang mentioned."