Chapter 100 Chapter 100 I heard he is also Uncle’s father

Perhaps Yu Ming's matter was mostly settled, Nan Xu slept soundly that night and got up at daybreak. Since she had no maid to serve her outside, she got dressed and went downstairs to ask the waiter to get water for her to wash her face.

Because of Sima Xun's instructions, they were the only ones staying in the inn. The shopkeeper watched Nan Xu coming down from upstairs, nudged the waiter who was dozing off behind the counter, and asked Nan Xu with a smile if she had slept well, and then asked her what she wanted to eat in the morning.

The Shu Mandarin was a little different from the Kyoto dialect. Nan Xu roughly understood what was being said and ordered a few of his favorite dishes. After thinking for a while, he ordered two more Shu dishes.

After ordering the dishes, Nan Xu looked at the empty lobby, wrapped her clothes tightly, and walked out.

I entered the city after dark last night and didn’t know what it looked like.

As I stepped over the threshold, what came into view was a vast expanse of white fog. The candles under the eaves of the shops in the streets and alleys were still lit. I looked around, but I couldn't tell the direction or see the entire appearance of the buildings.

Nan Xu took two steps and looked down. The toes of her shoes were soaked by the dew on the shallow grass in the yard. In the blink of an eye, she felt the biting cold on her feet. Nan Xu hesitated and stepped back. Just as she was about to turn around and enter the inn, she caught a glimpse of a figure flashing by in the corridor. From the back, it seemed to be... Ruizhu?

Why was she going to the backyard so early? Without time to think, Nan Xu lifted her skirt and followed.

There were several rooms and a shed for storing firewood in the backyard of the inn, as well as a stable for guests' horses to rest. Nan Xu watched Yin Ruizhu quietly enter one of the rooms and was about to tiptoe over to take a look when suddenly, he felt a touch of warmth against his back.

Nan Xu paused, knowing who it was without looking back.

"Are you walking silently?"

"What are you doing here?"

The two spoke at the same time, and then stopped at the same time.

Nan Xu turned around silently and found that Duan Wenpei was wearing a sky green thin cotton gown, with a dark brown cloak with black patterns casually covered on the outside. His black hair was draped over his shoulders. He was leaning against the pillar, looking at her with soft eyes.

She looked at him carefully. If she hadn't known Duan Wenpei's usually indifferent temperament, she would have thought he was some wealthy young man who had nothing better to do early in the morning, so she went out to play with the cat and walk the bird...

Nan Xu was not used to his gaze, so she poked his shoulders with two fingers and pushed him away.

"Did you see Ruizhu coming this way just now?"

Duan Wenpei took in her awkward expression, stood up straight, took off his cloak and put it on her.

"I only saw you sneaking off to the side. I didn't notice the rest of you."

The cloak carried a refreshing soapberry scent that inexplicably reassured her. Nan Xu wanted to refuse, but then thought it was too hypocritical. Besides, Shu was indeed much colder than Kyoto, so she went along with it and pulled it closer to her shoulders.

"That's strange. Let's go and take a look."

Duan Wenpei naturally wouldn't refuse Nan Xu's request. When the two of them arrived outside the wing room, they found the lock on the door had been opened by someone and had fallen to the ground. Nan Xu no longer hesitated and pushed the door open.

The wing room was not big and the furnishings were simple. Apart from the person imprisoned in the cage in the middle, no one else was seen.

Nan Xu walked forward, wanting to see more clearly, but was stopped by Duan Wenpei.

"No need to look, there's no one else in the room except Zhao Huaijue."

Nan Xu pointed at the burnt 'human figure' and asked in surprise, "How come he's still alive after being in this state?"

Duan Wenpei put his finger to his lips and blew twice. A guard came over. Duan Wenpei asked a few questions, gave a few more instructions, and pulled Nan Xu out of the room.

"Are you sure you saw Yin Ruizhu coming?"

Nan Xu was completely confused by him, so she didn't care that he was holding her hand. "I'm definitely not mistaken. I'm very familiar with Ruizhu's figure. I just don't know why she wasn't there when we went in. I clearly saw her go in... Could she be trying to take revenge on Zhao Huaijue?"

After knowing who lived there, Nan Xu still had nothing to understand.

She heard that Jingyi was taking someone with her when she entered Shu, but she didn't expect it was Zhao Huaijue.

"No, Shu is the Zhao family's territory. Ruizhu can't act rashly."

Nan Xu said this as she broke free from Duan Wenpei's hand and walked quickly towards the inn.

Duan Wenpei felt the remaining warmth in his palm and smiled lightly.

His wife is very smart, and she understands everything instantly... He used to admire her, but now he feels proud of her. He is so lucky not to have lost her...

*

After breakfast, everyone packed up their things. Within a quarter of an hour, Sima Xun came with people to pick them up.

There was still some time before noon, and after everyone discussed it, they all agreed that it was important to go to the areas with the most severe disaster first.

No matter what doubts or opinions Sima Xun had about their group, since they had come, he could not lose sight of the main issue and ignore the people.

Sima Xun ordered people to prepare a villa for them to stay in. Before Duan Wenpei could say anything, Princess Jingyi's carriage had already set off for the villa.

Duan Wenpei turned around and asked Nan Xu to bring Yin Ruizhu to follow.

The sun peeked out, the fog dissipated, and the city of Shuzhou appeared quietly before everyone.

Nan Xu said something to Yin Ruizhu in the car. She lifted the curtain, shook her head at Duan Wenpei, and said that she would go with them.

When the flood came, almost all places except those on higher ground were flooded, and there were few places for these noble ladies of Kyoto to stay.

Sima Xun cursed these noble ladies for choosing the wrong time to have fun, but smiled and advised Nan Xu to go back to the villa to rest. "I have selected a few smart maids to serve in the villa, and also bought many small toys unique to Shu for you to play with. If you feel bored, you can let them take you and Miss Yin for a walk around the villa. As for going to the disaster area, you are a female relative, so it is best not to go."

Nan Xu glanced at Sima Xun, knowing he'd misunderstood, and explained, "Your Excellency, the Governor has misunderstood. We're just tagging along, staying put and not causing any trouble for you. It's also my own selfish motive. The Concubine Dowager is concerned about His Highness Prince Yi, and since we're cousins, I know he's doing disaster relief work, so I have to go and see him, to put my mind at ease."

Having said that, and bringing up the King of Yi again, Sima Xun couldn't say anything no matter how much he had in mind. He could only look at Duan Wenpei, hoping that he would take care of his wife.

Duan Wenpei sat high on the horse, lowered his head and thought for a moment, then agreed to let Nan Xu go with him.

Sima Xun's heart skipped a beat. Well, he thought this person was such a powerful person, but he turned out to be a soft-hearted person.

Sending such a person to Shu, does Your Majesty really have the confidence to deal with the Zhao family and King Yi...

*

The architecture in Shu is not as gorgeous as that in Beijing. There are few red walls and green tiles, but mostly gray bricks and green tiles. The courtyards are compact and simple, much like the weather in Shu, hard and cold.

The creaking sound of the axles as the carriage rolled over the cobblestone road was very clear to my ears.

After passing through several alleys, the surroundings finally became lively.

"That kid, don't run away. Food is very precious. If you eat it, it will leave crumbs. Be careful or your mother will spank you."

"Sir, the governor! Hey, is this the high-ranking official from Kyoto? Oh my god, how handsome are those wolves?"

...

Nan Xu and the other person sitting in the car quietly lifted the curtain and looked out. The gray world finally had some fresh colors.

"These people are so brave that they are not afraid of the Sima prefect. The prefect does not blame them for coming close to us and talking, delaying our progress."

Yin Ruizhu had lost her temper in the morning due to Nan Xu's persuasion, but when she suddenly saw this scene, she forgot her previous depressed mood.

Nan Xu also took a closer look and found it interesting. "Maybe it's just the customs of each place."

"Did you catch what 'wolves are so handsome' means? It's not praising my uncle and my brother-in-law for their good looks, is it?"

"I guess so. You don't know. This morning, the innkeeper asked me what I wanted to eat. He said, 'What would Madam like to eat?' I almost heard it as 'eat fool'. It scared me."

"It's true that each place has its own customs, even the official language is different..."

The people in the car found it interesting, and Nan Yicheng and Li Zhan, who were riding horses outside the car, also found it very special.

Only Duan Wenpei looked at everything familiar in front of him with an expressionless face.

After crossing the main street and heading west for a long time, the carriage finally stopped.

The houses here are badly damaged, people are dressed in dirty clothes, and it is also more lively than the main street.

Women, children and the elderly were all making a lot of noise, vying for a spot in front of the porridge stall.

Everyone dismounted and walked over, with Nan Xu and Yin Ruizhu walking quietly at the end.

When an official saw Sima Xun coming with a group of well-dressed people, he hurriedly started shouting.

"Don't make any noise. The elderly and weak should be in front, and the adult men should be in the back. Line up in four rows in front of each shack. Don't make a commotion, and don't grab anything."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people in the government office began to maintain order.

The queue was quickly formed, with the people each holding a bowl, waiting for the officials to scoop porridge.

Duan Wenpei looked for a while and walked inside.

Li Zhan was the chief officer of this disaster relief effort and also went with them. Nan Yicheng thought about it and stayed to protect Nan Xu and Yin Ruizhu.

Sima Xun led the way, explaining the losses caused by the disaster as they walked. Everyone felt uncomfortable looking at the tragic scene before them.

As he was speaking, someone in front suddenly called out "Master".

Duan Wenpei's back stiffened and he slowly raised his head. In his sight, he saw the man in dark clothes, surrounded by a group of servants, checking the situation of the resettlement center set up by the Zhao family.

Just a profile is enough to evoke the past that is too painful to recall deep in one's memory.

Li Zhan was the first to notice Duan Wenpei's strange behavior. After encountering the assassin that day, he and Duan Wenpei rarely saw each other, and he did not send anyone to lock him in the carriage again. The two seemed to have a tacit understanding and temporarily put the matter behind them.

He called Sima Xun and motioned him to look forward.

After Sima Xun saw it clearly, he quickly introduced, "That's the current Marquis of Zhenbei, oh, the current head of the Zhao family, Zhao Mingcheng, Lord Zhao."

He paused and looked at Duan Wenpei, "I heard he's also Uncle's father."

Duan Wenpei retorted coldly, “Uncle Ben has nothing to do with him.”

Sima Xun was a little embarrassed. "Ahaha, this, hahaha, when I took office, I only knew that Lord Zhao had three sons. It was only recently that I heard that the Marquis's wife knew that you were coming back, and she made a big fuss to buy things for you. Alas, Lord..."

Duan Wenpei strode forward. Zhao Mingcheng also noticed them and looked over.