Chapter 57: Keep it, I like it

After Shen Xingwan and Yan Jinghuan finished their meal, the servants had already packed their luggage and were waiting outside the door.

Yan Jinghuan reached out and held Shen Xingwan's slender fingertips, smiled, "Let's go, let's go."

The cheerful tone seemed as if he was just inviting her to go for an outing in the suburbs.

Shen Xingwan was not used to being so intimate in front of others. She struggled slightly, trying to pull her hand free and walk away. However, Yan Jinghuan was not willing to let her go. He frowned slightly, looked at her, put more force into his hand to hold her hand tightly, and led her out.

Shen Xingwan was nearly pulled to the ground by him, but seeing that she couldn't get away from him, she had no choice but to give up and let him hold her hand.

It was very quiet all the way down the stairs. I didn't see the innkeeper or the waiter, nor did I see any diners. It was obvious that the place had been cleared out.

The two walked out of the inn hand in hand. When Shen Xingwan raised her eyes, she saw a luxurious black carriage parked outside the door. The body of the carriage was painted with gold and embroidery, and it was very exquisite. The doors and windows were all painted with patterns of flying swifts.

That was Yan Jinghuan's special car, which he would only use when he needed to travel long distances.

Shen Xingwan's heart tightened, and then she realized that his offer to accompany her to Yangzhou was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but seemed to be based on his thorough preparation.

Yan Jinghuan put his arms around her slender waist and helped her into the carriage with a little force.

The attendant immediately opened the door and lifted the curtain, only to see that the carriage was very spacious and exquisitely furnished. There were two brocade cushions placed by the window and a small mahogany table in the middle. On the table there was tea set and fruit snacks were already laid out.

There was actually an exquisite little couch deep in the carriage, covered with a brocade quilt and mattress, which looked extremely comfortable.

"Just take my car. You're complaining about back pain. You'll feel more comfortable lying down."

Yan Jinghuan got in the car, sat down next to her, and spoke casually, as if he didn't realize there was anything wrong with this arrangement.

Shen Xingwan glanced at him and said, "Your car is so big. Some places on the path I took yesterday were very narrow. I'm afraid it would be difficult to pass."

Yan Jinghuan shook his head, his thin lips slightly raised, "Why take the shortcut? I've ordered people to open the official road, let's take the official road."

After that, he ordered outside: "Let's go, take the official road to Yangzhou."

Following his order, the carriage started slowly and drove away from the inn.

Shen Xingwan sat by the window, resting his chin on his hand, looking wistfully at the scenery passing by quickly outside the window.

Feiyun had already been arranged to sit in another carriage. At this moment, there were only the two of them in the carriage, and it was very quiet.

Yan Jinghuan took the teapot, poured her a cup of tea himself, and handed it to her, "Are you worried about something?"

Shen Xingwan took the teacup and took a sip. She felt the tea had a rich aroma and a sweet aftertaste.

But no matter how good the tea was, it was hard to soothe her annoyance. She lowered her eyelids and said sullenly, "I am a little worried about Princess Guang'an. Tomorrow, she will leave for the marriage. With her temper, I wonder how she will cry."

Yan Jinghuan's eyes dimmed slightly. He took the teacup from her hand and placed it on the small table. He reached out and gently stroked her black hair. "Don't worry. I have my own arrangements."

Shen Xingwan raised her eyes to look at him, eyes full of worry, "Are you really sure? She is a princess after all. If she regrets the marriage, the emperor will..."

Yan Jinghuan interrupted her and stroked her lips with his fingertips. "Since I promised you, I will try my best even if I am not sure."

His amber eyes gazed deeply into hers, "Trust me, okay."

Shen Xingwan looked into his eyes that were like deep pools, and the uneasiness in her heart gradually subsided a little.

After a long while, she finally nodded, leaned her head on his shoulder obediently, and sighed softly, "I believe you."

Yan Jinghuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he leaned down to kiss her forehead and coaxed her: "Have a good rest. Yangzhou is a bit far, and it will take a while to get there."

Shen Xingwan snuggled into his arms, letting him tuck the quilt in for her, closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep.

The carriage moved forward steadily and had a smooth journey.

Whenever he encountered a checkpoint guarded by soldiers, he only needed to show Yan Jinghuan's token and they would immediately let him pass respectfully without any delay.

The carriage sped along the official road in the starry night, and its wheels rolled over potholes, raising a cloud of dust.

Shen Xingwan sat on the cushion, her eyes slightly closed, and was swaying gently with the carriage.

Suddenly, there seemed to be the sound of horse hooves catching up quickly. A horseman flew to the side of the carriage, and a faint voice came from the messenger: "Presenting the memorial, please have a look at it, Prince Regent!"

Shen Xingwan opened her eyes and saw Yan Jinghuan frowning slightly. He lifted the carriage curtain and took a vermilion lacquered and gold-painted box.

"This is the third time."

Shen Xingwan sighed softly and watched him take out the memorial from the box and read it carefully. His slender fingers tapped lightly on the paper, his eyes deep.

Yan Jinghuan pursed his lips slightly, took a wolf hair brush beside him, dipped it in ink, and splashed ink on the memorial, with such force that the ink penetrated the back of the paper.

His handwriting is just like his personality, with iron-like strokes and silver-like hooks like a soaring dragon, full of domineering power.

Shen Xingwan leaned against the cushion, watching him review the memorials quietly, her eyes unable to help but move between his serious profile and handsome eyebrows.

His eyebrows and eyes were as beautiful as a painting, and the dark brocade robe he wore made him look even more dignified. Even though he was sitting in the carriage with his tall and straight figure, he did not seem cramped at all. Instead, he exuded a unique masculine temperament.

After reviewing the memorial, he closed it, put it back into the box, handed it to the messenger waiting outside, and ordered, "Send it back to the cabinet as fast as possible."

After the man took the order and left, Shen Xingwan asked in confusion, "Sending documents back and forth like this is not only time-consuming, but also delays things, right?"

She frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, "Or... you should go back to Beijing. I will go to Yangzhou by myself. With your token, it will be convenient to take the official road."

Yan Jinghuan withdrew his gaze, turned to Shen Xingwan, and a faint smile appeared on his thin lips.

"Don't even think about it."

He reached out and grabbed her slender wrist, pulling her into his arms, and gently stroked the slightly scattered hair on her temples. "It's not a big deal. It's just that those people couldn't make up their minds and didn't dare to act on their own, so they sent me this reply."

He stroked her cheek with his cool fingertips, "For me, nothing is more important than being with you."

Shen Xingwan turned her head away from his lingering fingertips and snorted softly.

Yan Jinghuan didn't take it seriously, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Who told me that Xingwan was born so beautiful? If I don't keep a close eye on her, what will happen if I lose her?"

"Smooth talk!"

Shen Xingwan glared at him, unable to hold back her laughter, and immediately put on a stern face as if to push him away, "You are so shameless, you just say nonsense, how can you coax people like this."

Yan Jinghuan's eyes dimmed, and he leaned close to her ear, his breath was full of burning heat, "This mouth not only can say..."

He lifted her chin with his slender fingers, his eyes burning, "You can kiss me, do you want to try?"

Shen Xingwan's cheeks flushed, and she quickly pushed him away and turned her back, "It's broad daylight, stop messing around! The coachman and guards outside can hear it!"

Yan Jinghuan refused to give in, hugged her slender waist and chased after her, "What are you afraid of? I am the regent who loves my princess, who dares to say anything?"

Having said that, he kissed her without waiting for her reaction.

Shen Xingwan punched him on the chest out of embarrassment, but gradually immersed herself in this gentle tenderness.

The carriage was still galloping steadily on the official road, with its curtains hanging lightly, blocking out the view of outsiders and obscuring the spring scenery in the room. Only the wind chimes hanging on the eaves rang in the wind.

The sun rose and set, and finally at dusk on the third day, the outline of Yangzhou City could be seen in the distance.

Shen Xingwan opened the car window, looked at the city illuminated by the sunset glow, and pursed her lips.

Yangzhou is Tang Lin'er's hometown.

What secrets is Tang Lin'er hiding here?

"We're here." Yan Jinghuan's voice sounded in her ears.

The carriage slowly drove into the city gate, passed through the bustling streets, and headed towards the east of the city.

Shen Xingwan planned to find an inn to stay in first, so she asked Yan Jinghuan softly, "Do you know which inn is the best in Yangzhou?"

Yan Jinghuan had accompanied her on this journey, so she had to make sure he was settled and live comfortably in Yangzhou.

Yan Jinghuan's eyes sparkled with a smile, "Not going to the inn."

Shen Xingwan was slightly surprised, "Then where are we going?"

Yan Jinghuan just smiled and didn't answer, only told the driver to keep going.

The carriage drove to a quiet place in the east of the city and slowly stopped in front of an exquisite mansion.

There were servants waiting at the gate of the courtyard. When they saw the carriage arriving, they hurried forward and knelt to greet it.

"My lord, madam, you have worked hard on the journey."

The person leading the group turned out to be the steward of the Regent's Palace. The steward looked calm and walked up hurriedly to pay his respects.

Shen Xingwan was stunned and looked at Yan Jinghuan, "This is..."

Yan Jinghuan helped her get out of the car and put his arm around her slender waist. "This is the house I ordered someone to buy a few days ago. It's already been cleaned up and is waiting for you to move in."

Shen Xingwan felt warm in her heart and her eyes turned red, "You..."

Yan Jinghuan raised the corners of his lips, without saying much, he took her hand and led her into the courtyard.

The house is not particularly large, but it is exceptionally elegant.

The courtyard is filled with luxuriant flowers and trees, and flowing water under small bridges, exuding the graceful charm of Jiangnan gardens everywhere.

Shen Xingwan walked in the yard and couldn't help but stop.

Yan Jinghuan stood behind her, looking at her profile illuminated by the sunset, his eyes soft, "If you like, we can come and stay here from time to time."

Shen Xingwan knew that he had put a lot of thought into it, and couldn't bear to reject him, so she turned around and smiled at him, "Yeah."

Feiyun and other servants quickly moved all the suitcases and boxes into their respective rooms and settled them down.

Naturally, a study was set up for Yan Jinghuan in the house. The memorials sent urgently from the capital had piled up like a mountain. After the two of them had dinner, Yan Jinghuan went to deal with the piled up things first.

Feiyun helped Shen Xingwan wash and brush her teeth, made the bed for her, then got up and took out a box of benzoin from the box. She took out a stick of benzoin, blew on the fire stick to light it, and inserted it into the incense holder next to Shen Xingwan.

When Shen Xingwan smelled the familiar fragrance, she was stunned for a moment and asked Feiyun: "Where did you get this fragrance from?"

Feiyun was also stunned for a moment, looking at Shen Xingwan, a little unsure of what she meant, and explained: "This was brought by my son-in-law, who asked me to light one for you at night, saying that you might be very tired from the journey, and smelling it would help you sleep better."

She hesitated and pulled out the incense stick. "Miss, you don't like it? Then I'll put it out."

"Hey." Shen Xingwan hurriedly stopped her, "Keep it, I like it."

"oh......"

Feiyun was a little confused, but still followed her instructions and put it back into the incense holder.

Shen Xingwan sat on the edge of the couch, looking at the rising green smoke, and felt warm in his heart.

After looking for a while, Shen Xingwan looked at Feiyun who was packing boxes and boxes at the side, and suddenly said: "After getting up tomorrow, let's go to the Tang Mansion to take a look."