Chapter 24: Farewell. My face is just a little bit rounder, but I haven’t gained weight…
Zhou Shan sat in the carriage, accompanied by Yu Xi. The maids and eunuchs sat in the carriage at the back. The servants and bodyguards all rode horses. Zhang Jinwei also rode a horse. If he got tired, he could go back to Zhou Shan's carriage.
As the group left the imperial city, a group of nimble men on horseback chased them. Zhang Jinwei heard the hurried sound of horse hooves and turned around to see that it was the Jinyiwei who came to escort them.
He saluted the Jinyiwei team and asked with a distant smile, "Master Mu, are you here to escort the princess' carriage?"
Mu Guang had already reached the carriage. He tugged at the reins, halting the horses. He replied, "It's His Majesty's order, commanding us to escort the princess. We can only return after she arrives safely in the Three Qins. He originally only sent a centurion to lead the team, but His Majesty felt they were too clumsy and might be negligent, so he asked me to come along. I happen to have some official business in Shaanxi, so I'll just stop by."
Zhang Jinwei's smile remained unchanged: "Then I'll trouble you, Master Mu."
At this moment, there was a sudden noise in the carriage. Mu Guang looked over alertly and saw that a corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing half of the princess's face, staring at his direction with resentment.
Mu Guang was startled by the look. He touched his face, straightened his clothes, and looked left and right, unable to find anything offensive. He couldn't help but wonder inwardly what he had done to offend this Princess Jiayi. She had been so cold and indifferent to him the last time at Daxinglong Temple. She had never been kind to him.
He didn't know when he had offended the princess.
Zhang Jinwei naturally noticed it as well. He glanced at the carriage calmly and saw that the crimson curtain half-covered the man's face. He had a porcelain-white face and black eyes. In his hand was a sky-blue handkerchief that hung softly on the window frame, like a wilted diligent lady.
"Lord Mu, the journey is long and we shouldn't delay any longer. Let's go." Zhang Jinwei withdrew his gaze, nodded to Mu Guang, raised his whip, and led the way away.
They left the capital and headed west for half an hour. They heard the sound of horse hooves again and looked back. They saw a man riding a horse towards them, stirring up a cloud of dust. The towering capital behind them was completely buried in the dust.
The Taoist had black hair, white skin, a gloomy face, and was wearing a bright blue Taoist robe. He came on horseback, and his demeanor was truly outstanding.
——It’s the Sixth Prince Zhou Heng.
Zhang Jinwei immediately shouted, "Stop the car!"
The group slowly stopped.
The Jinyiwei nearby also stopped, each with a strange expression, silently tugging at the reins, causing the horses to paw the ground with their front hooves. Some, in a playful mood, exchanged glances with their colleagues, then furtively glanced at their leader, their shoulders shaking as if they were trying to stifle laughter.
Mu Guang noticed the unusual movement of his subordinates, glanced coldly at the accompanying Jinyiwei, raised his right hand holding the horsewhip, and pointed at the subordinate who was shaking the most violently from a distance, full of warning.
The Jinyiwei all looked solemn and did not dare to touch the sensitive spot again.
After Mu Guang finished dealing with his subordinates, he looked back at Zhou Heng eagerly, but saw that the man had a dull expression. He dismounted from his horse, carrying a heavy bag. He said to Zhang Jinwei, "The Dali Temple was busy with business. I came late and almost forgot to see my sister off."
Zhang Jinwei laughed and said, "What are you talking about, Sixth Prince? It's not too late for you to come."
"Why did it stop again?" The carriage curtain was lifted again. Zhou Xian looked unhappy and half of his head was stuck out of the window. When he saw Zhou Heng, his eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "Sixth Brother!"
After saying that, Zhou Shan was about to get off the car.
The carriage used for the long journey was tall, and Zhou Xian, holding up her horse-faced skirt, had many inconveniences and could not easily jump off. Seeing this, Zhou Heng said helplessly, "You stay in it, I'll go over."
Zhou Xian listened to him and sat on the edge of the carriage, waiting for Zhou Heng to come over.
"I've packed some things for you to take to Shaanxi." When they reached the carriage, Zhou Heng handed over the bundle in his hand and said with a smile, "Open it and take a look."
Zhou Xian smiled upon hearing this, his brows curved, and he immediately opened the bundle. He first took out a food box, removed the lid, and saw that it was full of the palace cakes he usually loved to eat. It was estimated that they were made not long ago. The silk nest tiger eye candy was as thin as a hair and had an enticing aroma.
Zhou Heng: "Eat it quickly on the way. It's not cold yet. It will go bad if you keep it for too long."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Shan broke off a piece of candy and put it in her mouth. Her cheeks immediately became puffy. Zhou Heng was amused and reached out to pinch her cheeks. They were soft and delicate. He pinched them for a while and suddenly asked in surprise, "Has Shanmei gained weight?"
Zhou Xian choked.
He stared at Zhou Heng with resentful eyes, which then drifted to a certain person. The guy had a faint smile on his lips, and it was unknown what he was thinking. When he noticed Zhou Xian's gaze, he looked up and blinked at him, as if to say -
See, what I said before was right, right?
Zhou Xian was furious for a moment.
She'd gained weight, but only her face was a little rounder. Zhou Xian's exposed wrists were still delicate, a sight that made people feel distressed. Zhou Heng then warned, "You're still too thin. Wheaten is a common food in Shaanxi, so don't be picky. You're always sick, and I suspect it's because you're too thin."
Zhou Xian nodded reluctantly.
Zhou Heng continued, "It's dusty here, so don't eat yet. There are a few pills under the food box. They are all secret recipes from my friends in the martial arts world. Take them out and have a look."
After closing the lid of the food box, Zhou Xian followed Zhou Heng's instructions and turned to the bottom of the bundle. Sure enough, she saw a row of small porcelain bottles, tied medicine bags, clean gauze and other items.
Zhou Heng was worried, his true nature showing. He couldn't help but nag, "Each medicine bag has its own use. If you get sick in the future, just follow the instructions on the list to get the medicine. The three small porcelain bottles on the left all contain gold wound powder, a rare and valuable item. Just pour a little and spread it evenly on the wound..."
"Alright, alright, I know everything. Sixth brother, go back now!" Zhou Xian was growing impatient. He felt dizzy from being nagged so much that he quickly gathered up the bundle, rolled it up into a ball, and hugged it tightly to his chest. "Sixth brother is so kind to me. He must have written down on paper how and when to use the medicine, just in case I forgot, right?"
Zhou Heng sneered: "You know your own character! Well, I'll leave it here. Remember to write to me often!"
Zhou Xian hurriedly agreed, clutching his bag, looking back every few steps, and reluctantly trudged back to the carriage. Still feeling unsatisfied, he leaned out the window again, tears welling up in his eyes.
Zhou Heng waved his hand casually: "Take care!" Then he said goodbye to Zhang Jinwei, and finally walked straight towards his horse, passing by the Jinyiwei.
"Your Highness..." Mu Guang said in a daze.
"Lord Mu?" Zhou Heng raised his eyebrows, then said calmly, "What's the matter?"
"I..." Mu Guang was speechless for a moment.
Zhou Heng glanced at him indifferently, said no more nonsense, jumped on his horse swiftly, and sped away.
The sky was filled with dust, the early autumn sky was blue, and the capital city was already far away.
…
After ten days of traveling, no matter how fast or slow they went, they were finally not far from Taiyuan Prefecture in Shanxi Province. In order to discuss with Mu Guang, Zhang Jin planned to rest for two or three days and let the princess take a walk around Taiyuan Prefecture.
Zhou Xian sat in the jolting carriage for ten days, feeling his bones were almost falling apart. Sometimes, when he was about to sleep, his head would be jolted sideways and bang against the carriage wall. He was too embarrassed to lean against his aunt, so he had to force himself to stay awake.
A few days later, Zhang Jin was tired from riding and went back to the carriage to rest. He buried his head in the man's shoulder and hummed in his heart: I'm going to hit you!
In fact, they didn't bump into each other much, because Zhang Jinwei held him in his arms. He curled up beside Zhang Jinwei, sleeping in a slumber.
Arriving in Taiyuan Prefecture and entering the inn, Zhou Xian first had several large pots of water boiled and rubbed himself thoroughly. Afterward, he finally felt somewhat better. He covered himself with his large robe, his hair dripping wet. It was already late, and he didn't have time to wait for his hair to dry. Too sleepy to open his eyes, he quickly climbed into bed and fell asleep.
So that night when Zhang Jinwei was sleeping, he always felt that there was a slippery snake beside him, swimming around, from his face to his neck. It was not scary, but it was itchy.
The journey was tiring, and Zhou Xian had a sweet night.
Zhang Jinwei went out early, saying he was going to visit an old friend; Mu Guang was in a hurry, probably because he had important business to attend to, and he rarely saw people. He left two Jinyiwei to follow Zhou Shan, and Zhou Shan had no good face for him at all.
Now that she was awake, she had a hot breakfast: salty tofu pudding, big natural pancakes, and various kinds of rice noodles. Zhou Xian ate, but found it less than palatable. Still feeling hungry, she couldn't help but eat a few more bites.
While he was eating, he listened to Qianshan counting the accounts.
What are you settling?
Whoever wins or loses in playing cards!
It turned out that during these ten days, Qianshan, Muxue and two young eunuchs had been riding in a carriage, playing cards every day, until they lost all sense of the world and argued over a few pieces of silver.
Zhou Xian commented: "Four weak cats fighting each other, thinking they are giants fighting for the top of the mountain. Alas."
Eunuch Li Rui complained, "If Qianshan hadn't been playing dirty, she'd have yelled 'I won't fight anymore! I won't fight anymore!' and wouldn't have allowed us to put it on her account... Princess, look at her!"
Qianshan sneered: "Li Rui, you still owe me five taels of silver!"
The few of them started making noise again, and Mu Xue and Zhou Shan watched the show while having breakfast.
Speaking of drama... Zhou Xian was a dedicated person who acted to the end and did not forget his yearning for the reputation of Buddhism. After dinner, he went straight to Chongshan Temple in Taiyuan Prefecture to burn a few incense sticks.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival drew closer, Chongshan Temple became increasingly bustling with activity and people. Zhou Xian walked along the stone steps, peering through the hazy curtains. He was struck by the stark contrast between Taiyuan Prefecture and the capital, and he was struck by a sense of novelty. The buildings here were square, and the furniture was simple and ancient, quite different from the Suzhou-style furniture popular in Beijing, possessing a unique charm.
He followed the crowd into the temple. The Jinyiwei were no more than three steps away from him, which made him feel quite uncomfortable. So he complained, "You are too close!"
The two Jinyiwei smiled bitterly, and one clasped his fists and said, "Princess, this is our duty. Please forgive me."
Zhou Xian was speechless and could only light incense as usual. He then walked around the temple casually for a few steps. Suddenly, he saw a crowd of people in front of him, and everyone was chanting "Amitabha". He took a look at them curiously.
It turned out to be a monk, distributing blessed amulets to people.
The amulet cost ten cents each and was poorly made. Zhou Xian took a few glances at it, lost interest, and turned to leave.
"Donor, please stay."
A hoarse voice sounded behind him, so hoarse that Zhou Shan felt like coughing. He turned around and saw an ordinary monk.
Zhou Xian no longer had any favorable impression of Baldy, and said impatiently, "I won't buy the amulet."
The dumb monk chuckled and said, "This poor monk and you have a connection. You don't need to spend any money on this. I will just give it to you."
Zhou Shan watched him warily, while the Jinyiwei guards beside him narrowed their eyes, ready to strike. The mute monk wasn't nervous either. He simply pulled out a protective amulet from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Shan with a smile on his face.
Someone who seems familiar.
Zhou Xian accepted it as if by some strange coincidence.
The mute monk did not argue and just gave it to him and said "Namo Amitabha". He sat back in his original place and continued to sell his amulet.
Zhou Xian walked to the side under a nearby locust tree and carefully examined the amulet in her hand. It was an ordinary wooden plaque with the image of Guanyin Bodhisattva carved on the front and a line of words engraved on the back: "Grow old together, and have a happy marriage for a hundred years."
Zhou Xian suddenly felt bored and was about to stuff it into his sleeve when a thin roll of paper suddenly rolled out from the crack of the wooden sign. He was extremely surprised and secretly opened it. He saw that it was written in tiny calligraphy:
"Escape home, five hundred taels of silver, and I guarantee no one will notice."
"Bodyguard, ten taels of silver a day, I guarantee you'll be safe and sound."
"Kill someone, and you'll be punished with five hundred taels of gold for a ninth-rank official... Eighth-rank officials... Military officers will be fined, merchants will be fined, and royal relatives will be fined. (Note: We won't kill ordinary people or people from the underworld. If you have any grudges, please bear the consequences yourself.)"
The signature is Kong Kong'er under the lotus seat, and then the signature is Fang Yuan.
Zhou Xian was stunned.
When he looked up, the mute monk had disappeared without a trace.
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