Zhao Shu once thought that Ma Zhiyuan's poem, "Withered vines, old trees, and crows at dusk; a small bridge, flowing water, and a humble dwelling; an ancient road, a west wind, and a lean horse; the setting sun, and a heartbroken traveler at the ends of the earth," was desolate and bleak, yet also tragically romantic.

Later, Ajiu learned from the internet: "Withered vines, old trees, and crows at dusk; wearing long johns home; an ancient road, a west wind, and a lean horse; a broken bowl and wandering the world..." So she no longer felt romantic.

Lanxi Town was a necessary stop on the way to Guanzhou. On this day, the large group of people finally arrived at the post station in Lanxi Town before dark. Logically speaking, the Empress Dowager's imperial carriage should stay in the imperial palace. However, since the founding of the Taizu Emperor, not to mention the emperor and empress, even the princes and dukes rarely returned to Guanzhou. Nowadays, most of the people living in Guanzhou were relatives of the Taizu Emperor from before he became emperor.

If you count them, they are almost all from beyond the fifth degree of kinship. However, the Zhao clan of Dayong did indeed originate from Guanzhou. Now in Guanzhou, just as Bianzhou is the domain of the Huo family, the Zhao family is the most powerful in Guanzhou.

Therefore, there were not many imperial palaces along the way, and Lanxi Town was one of them.

When the Empress Dowager arrived, she decreed that local officials along the way need not come to greet her, as government affairs were of utmost importance. Only the postmaster and his men stood guard ten miles outside Lanxi Town with trepidation, just to welcome the Empress Dowager. This was the first time such a distinguished person had come to Lanxi Town, and he dared not be careless in the slightest. When the phoenix came to this small place, he found fault with everything and wished he could have the people of Lanxi Town completely renovate the town.

Ten miles away, he naturally couldn't see the Empress Dowager, so he followed behind the large group of people. Sun Liu secretly lifted the carriage curtain and happened to see the postmaster following in the distance. He said to Zhao Shu, "Why don't we call the postmaster over and ask him what fun things to do and what good food to eat in Lanxi Town?"

Zhao Shu glanced at the sun, which was already setting in the west. It would probably be dark soon. It wasn't safe for a girl to go out in the dark, so she shook her head. "That's not a good idea. We're not here for sightseeing. Besides, my grandmother hasn't forgiven me yet."

"Tsk, it's obvious you don't know how to please the elderly. I see my cousins ​​often bringing nice things to my grandmother, and she dotes on them a lot." Sun Liu said disdainfully to Zhao Shu, her face full of arrogance, as if she knew so much about pleasing the elderly.

Zhao Shu didn't expose her, but said, "It's not appropriate for a young lady like you to call the postmaster over. If the postmaster is unreasonable, it will damage your reputation if word gets out. It's not advisable."

Sun Liu's eyes darted around, and he covered his face with a veil, lifted the carriage curtain, and asked Yan Zelu, who was guarding the carriage, "Young general, where is Lord Wei?"

Yan Zelu dared not be negligent. The people in the carriage were Princess Jun and her companion, Miss Sun Liu. He was very satisfied with both of them, especially Miss Sun Liu. It would be great if she could marry their master. If he could marry a girl from the Sun family, those snobbish people would no longer look down on their master.

He rode closer and asked, "Is there anything you need, young lady? Lord Wei instructed that you, the princess and young lady, should not hesitate to give orders."

If Zhang Changhen heard this, he would definitely scold him for being hopeless, saying, "Besides misunderstanding, what else can you do?"

Sun Liu was somewhat disappointed, but as Zhao Shu said, it was inappropriate for a young lady like her to ask a stranger what he had been doing, so she said, "Please ask the postmaster if there are any fun places to visit in Lanxi Town." Originally, she wanted to say "delicious food," but after thinking about it, she decided against it, as it would damage her image as a young lady asking about food.

Yan Zelu listened and said it was a trivial matter. "Please wait a moment, Miss." He then rode away and returned about a quarter of an hour later. He came to the carriage and said, "Miss, the postmaster said that Lanxi Town is a small place. Apart from the wild forests, there is no beautiful place to visit."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu, who was inside the carriage, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Sun Liu glared at Zhao Shu and said, "I know, thank you for your hard work, little general." Then he lowered his voice and asked Zhao Shu, "What are you laughing at? If there were anything fun, I would have taken you there, right? Now look what happened, there's nothing to do."

Zhao Shu remained silent, but Sun Yun could tell from her expression that she knew something. Clutching her clothes, she threatened, "What do you mean? Speak up, or I'll call your Mr. Huo over."

Zhao Shu: "...Sixth Miss Sun, Sixth Aunt Sun, please watch your words. Mr. Huo is not mine, and it won't make a difference if you call him."

"Oh, then I'll tell the Empress Dowager that you've been urging me to go out and play." Sun Liu retorted without batting an eye, fabricating a story out of thin air.

Upon hearing this, Green Ivy hurriedly said, "Sixth Miss Sun has wronged my princess. I can testify to that!"

"The Empress Dowager certainly won't believe it," Ban Shu quickly retorted. The two had become very familiar with each other over the journey, and their banter was evenly matched.

Upon hearing this, Green Ivy deflated. There was one good thing about noble ladies from scholarly families: everyone thought they were virtuous and gentle. But where was Miss Sun Liu's quiet demeanor?

Sun Yun smiled smugly, "Speak quickly."

Zhao Shu wasn't afraid that the Empress Dowager wouldn't believe her, but there was no harm in saying it, and it would only anger Sun Yun. Either way, she would win. She said, "Who are we? If something happens to us in Lanxi Town, wouldn't Lanxi Town suffer? That's why the postmaster said there was nowhere to look after us. He was just afraid that you and I would sneak out and get into trouble. Do you think he can take responsibility if something happens to you in Lanxi Town?"

Sun Yun thought for a moment, gave a soft hum, and then suddenly became energetic again, grabbing Zhao Shu's hand, "Why don't we disguise ourselves and go out? Don't plays often talk about women dressing up as men? The emperor sometimes even goes on incognito visits. What are we?"

“Miss, Madam said you mustn’t act recklessly. You’re here to guide the princess into a virtuous lady.” Banshu pouted, but her words carried no weight. Why would Sun Yun listen to her? Now that the emperor was far away, the Sun family had no authority over her.

"Shut up, or I'll send you back to the capital." Sun Yun glanced at Zhao Shu sideways and continued his offensive, "Ah Jun, didn't you promise to take me out? Are you going to go back on your word?"

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