Chapter 45: If Xiao Ling also planned to go to his mother's hometown
Ganzhou is located on the north side of Jiangnan Road, a place with abundant waterways and thriving produce.
I've heard that Ganzhou is crisscrossed by waterways, with white-walled and black-tiled houses built along the water. In spring, there are misty rains and apricot blossoms, and in autumn, the ponds are full of water chestnuts and lotus roots, giving it a unique, gentle, and elegant charm. Moreover, there is much more scenery along the way in Jiangnan.
As long as it doesn't interfere with Xiao Xu's work, Yun Sheng will gladly go.
But setting off in three days would be too hasty, and the round trip would inevitably mean spending the Mid-Autumn Festival on the road.
Yun Sheng hesitated for a moment, then finally agreed.
She thought that if she didn't go with Xiao Xu, he would have to spend the festival alone. If they were together, even if they were on the road, it would still be a kind of reunion under the full moon.
Time was too rushed, and the next day Yun Sheng busied herself with preparing luggage for the trip.
Aside from spending the Mid-Autumn Festival away from home, she was extremely looking forward to this trip.
Yun Sheng had only traveled around the capital with her family a few times in the past, and would return home after only three to five days at most. This trip would last for at least a month, which made her very excited.
After packing some of Yun Sheng's frequently used personal belongings, Cui Zhu quickly came to Yun Sheng's side and asked in a low voice, "Princess Consort, would you like to bring some storybooks?"
Yun Sheng subconsciously glanced around; there were other servants packing their luggage inside the room.
She tilted her head and said in an even lower voice, "Take it with you, and hide it carefully so no one sees it."
Cuizhu nodded in agreement and walked toward the corner where the storybooks were stored.
The next day, Yun Sheng went to pay her respects to Shen Yuewan and told her about her trip.
To her surprise, Shen Yuewan was completely unaware.
"Are you and Changyu going to Ganzhou? When did you decide to go, and how long will you be gone?"
Yun Sheng was puzzled as to why Xiao Xu had not informed his father and mother about his trip. She had assumed that he had already asked for permission.
Shen Yuewan saw through Yun Sheng's thoughts. After hearing the answer, she sighed softly: "Chang Yu has always been like this over the years. He is decisive and capable. Once he has made a decision, he will do it directly. We rarely ask questions. It was my fault back then. I left the mansion in a fit of anger and failed to accompany him when he was young."
But she smiled gently and patted Yun Sheng's hand lightly: "Fortunately, you two are together now, so this trip shouldn't be in vain."
Shen Yuewan roused herself and quickly summoned her servants, giving them a series of instructions.
She was unaware at first, but now that she knows, and the two of them are going to the place where she grew up, a place she knows very well, she has to make full preparations for them.
Time flew by and it was evening. When Xiao Xu returned, he saw several sets of special oiled silk rain gear and windproof cloaks neatly folded on the couch in the outer room.
Yun Sheng wasn't in the bedroom. In the blink of an eye, he found her at the desk by the east window.
Xiao Xu walked over and saw a detailed map of the route spread out on the desk, with a handwritten booklet next to it, recording the names of reliable inns, restaurants, and even reputable car and boat companies in the major towns along the route from the capital to Ganzhou.
Yun Sheng hadn't done anything shameful today. Hearing the commotion, she looked up and saw Xiao Xu nearby. She smiled and waved to him, "Chang Yu, come and take a look."
"Today I went to Yi'an Hall. My mother knew we were going to Jiangnan, so she specially prepared these for us."
Xiao Xu noticed an open long brocade box on the table, containing several items that were clearly quite old, as well as several brand-new letters.
The letter was written in Shen Yuewan's elegant handwriting, and simply listed the surnames of several old friends from Ganzhou and their approximate current residences.
“My mother said that although you have never been to Ganzhou, your relatives there all know you well. My mother often talks about you with relatives and friends, and also…”
And then there was the little Xiao Ling, who went to Ganzhou with Shen Yuewan and boasted to everyone he met about his unparalleled elder brother.
Yun Sheng didn't say this aloud, but instead said, "In addition, there are some old things and name cards that my mother brought from Ganzhou back then. She said that if there is anything on the road or when you arrive at a certain place, you might need to deal with people."
Xiao Xu's gaze lingered on the objects on the table for a moment, his expression unreadable, and he simply gave a faint "hmm".
Yun Sheng turned to look at him and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Is it... that I shouldn't have told Mother?"
"That's not true." Xiao Xu lowered his eyes for a moment, then looked up again with a much more relaxed expression. "I'm just a little surprised that Mother was so well prepared."
Xiao Xu recalled that long ago, unlike when he was tutored by a learned tutor appointed by his father in the mansion, Xiao Min's academy organized a study trip, and Shen Yuewan also took care of her younger brother's luggage in a meticulous way, preparing everything that might be needed along the way.
At that time, Xiao Xu did not understand why his mother would go to such lengths when servants could do the same thing. But Xiao Min seemed very happy and asked him expectantly if he wanted to go with her.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuewan didn't wait for his reply before she continued to busy herself preparing more clothes for him.
However, Xiao Xu did not ultimately participate in the study tour with Xiao Min, as he was already burdened with heavy coursework and had no interest in it.
To this day, he can no longer remember whether Shen Yuewan prepared any luggage for him, or if she did, what kind of preparations she made.
He didn't care much at the time, but now, looking at these objects on the table, he felt a strange emotion.
Yun Sheng continued to ramble on, "I never thought you wouldn't have told Father and Mother about this long journey. Mother also said today that we left in a hurry, otherwise she would have liked to prepare more."
"Changyu, should we bring all of these?"
Xiao Xu said, "Yes, take it with you."
Yun Sheng: "There's one more thing. I'd like to go back to my parents' home tomorrow and stay there tonight."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xu's face immediately darkened.
Before he could say yes or no, Yun Sheng said directly, "I'll be away for so long this time, and I won't even be in the capital for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Consider it an early celebration with my family. Come to the Yun residence to pick me up the day after tomorrow morning."
*
The day before his departure, Yun Sheng set off early in the morning to return to the Yun residence.
When the Yun family learned that Yun Sheng was going to travel far away with Xiao Xu and would not even be home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, they originally planned to quickly gather the collateral branches and hold a simple family banquet in advance today, but Yun Sheng stopped them.
Since Xiao Xu was going on this trip under an assumed name, it was not convenient for more people to know about it.
She is returning to her parents' home today simply to spend some quality time with them before leaving; that's enough for her.
That evening, Yun Sheng took out the nearly finished sachet from her boudoir.
Normally, it wouldn't take this long to embroider a sachet, but this one took nearly two months to complete.
Because they lived under the same roof, according to custom, she had to embroider alone, away from Xiao Xu.
Sometimes she would be drawn to the storybooks, and before she knew it, Xiao Xu would be off duty and back home. Other times, Xiao Xu would be neglecting his duties and would inexplicably return home early when he was supposed to be on duty.
In short, I embroidered it on and off, and now it's finally finished.
Yun Sheng sat in front of the dressing table, looking down at the sachet for a long time.
The sky-blue soft satin was embroidered with an orchid on both sides, exactly the same as the drawing Xiao Xu had made.
Yun Sheng had intended to compare her feelings when she made the sachet with those when she made it for Xiao Ling, but when she came to her senses, she found herself just staring at it, her mind wandering, and in the end, she made no comparisons or came to any conclusions.
For some reason, even though she was thinking about the same emotion called liking, she couldn't find common ground between the two.
It seems that these two emotions are inherently different.
She gently put down the sachet and looked up at herself in the bronze mirror.
A moment later, Yun Sheng picked up the scissors beside her and cut off a lock of her hair that had fallen across her chest.
Black hair wrapped around red thread, quickly weaving a delicate love knot between her fingers.
She carefully placed the love knot into the opening of the sachet, hiding it beneath the spices, and then tightened the drawstring.
Yun Sheng looked at the bulging sachet, patted it with satisfaction, and murmured softly, "Then I'll give it to you like this."
The next morning, Yun Sheng boarded the carriage that Xiao Xu had come to pick her up in front of the Yun residence.
The trip involved only two simple carriages, and besides the coachman, there were only four or five servants accompanying them.
Once outside the city gates of the capital, they were a couple who were small merchants from Jiangnan, running a silk business in the capital. The husband wanted to go south to find sources of goods and also return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. The wife, longing for her hometown, went with him.
The carriage rumbled away from the capital, blending into the southward-bound merchant caravans, completely inconspicuous.
Yun Sheng turned to face the car window, and without raising her hand, the wind lifted the curtain, allowing her to peek out and see a patch of greenery passing by.
Yun Sheng slightly raised her chin, letting the wind blow across her face, her hair flowing smoothly behind her ears like silk.
Suddenly an arm reached out from her side, put its arm around her shoulder, and pulled her back a little from the window.
"The morning breeze is cool; let's wait until the sun is higher before we look at it."
Yun Sheng obediently sat back down next to him, and unconsciously lowered her gaze, which fell on the plain black plaque hanging from his waist today, with a two-finger-wide flat leather sheath hanging next to it, presumably where he kept a small knife.
Xiao Xu assumed she was looking at his wound and said calmly, "Didn't I already check it the night before last? It's already starting to scab over."
The night before last, Yun Sheng asked Xiao Xu to lift up her clothes to expose her waist and abdomen so she could check her injuries.
She was worried that his injuries might be serious and he would suffer on the road, but she didn't expect him to be so strong. His wounds healed very well and even scabbed over.
After that, her gaze had little to do with checking the injuries.
At this moment, Yun Sheng's gaze had nothing to do with his injuries. She just glanced at him casually and suddenly felt that his outfit today matched the sachet she had embroidered quite well.
"What are you thinking about? Why aren't you saying anything?"
But Yun Sheng hadn't decided when to take out the sachet or how to give it to him.
She changed the subject: "My parents have also prepared a lot of things for us. The carriage behind us is almost full. Why didn't you politely decline some of them? We might not even need some of them along the way."
"How could I refuse my father-in-law and mother-in-law's kind offer? I can just hire a carriage at the next post station."
“Aren’t we a small business couple? Isn’t it too much of a waste to drive three horse-drawn carriages?”
Xiao Xu laughed and said, "If your husband can't even afford to hire another carriage, how can he have the confidence to let his wife leave her hometown and go to the capital with me?"
"..."
He was quite into his role.
Yun Sheng gave an "oh" and then said nothing more, quietly leaning against the cushion, her body naturally pressed against Xiao Xu's.
"Take a nap if you're sleepy."
Yun Sheng said she wasn't sleepy, but she still leaned her head against Xiao Xu's shoulder.
The carriage fell silent, and the rising sun cast faint silhouettes of the two figures pressed together, swaying gently in the carriage as it moved.
Xiao Xu lowered his eyes and saw that Yun Sheng's eyes were open and her gaze was still drifting towards the window. Although it was quiet, she did not seem bored.
She was slender and petite, and he easily pulled her completely into his arms. Her eyes were bright, and it was not hard to see the anticipation and joy in them for the journey.
Xiao Xu's heart tightened, and he wanted to lower his head and kiss her.
But he made no move or made a sound to disturb her enjoyment of the scenery outside the window.
He originally brought her along to avoid Xiao Ling suddenly returning to the capital when he was not there.
He didn't even want to think about what would happen if that were the case.
He only wanted to think about what would happen to him and Yun Sheng along the way.
When traveling, they accompany each other and abandon their original identities, as if they can temporarily forget everything else.
The only downside was that he did have some official business on this trip, including some secret matters concerning the Prince Zhao's residence.
Perhaps in the future, he and Yun Sheng will have the opportunity to travel together alone again.
Didn't she like that country couple? She wanted to find a plot of land and a courtyard.
He would do what she wrote in her absurd storybook.
At that moment, Yun Sheng suddenly looked up from his shoulder, and the shimmering gaze that had just been falling on the window now gently fell into his eyes.
Xiao Xu's throat tightened, feeling a bit dry, but he didn't show it on his face.
Yun Sheng asked, "Chang Yu, do you have any plans on where we'll spend the Mid-Autumn Festival along the way? Will we be able to reach Ganzhou before the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
There are still two weeks until the Mid-Autumn Festival, but when you're out and about, you can only give a general idea of what the road conditions will be like, not a definite one.
Xiao Xu asked, "What's wrong? What are your plans?"
As Yun Sheng met Xiao Xu's gaze, a faint pink blush appeared on her cheeks.
But her tone remained calm as she said naturally, "No, I just thought that we couldn't possibly spend the festival on a mountain road in a carriage. It would be best if we could reach Ganzhou, or at least stay in a more prosperous town."
Xiao Xu looked at her silently for a moment, then reached out and cupped her face: "Why are you blushing when you're just thinking about the festival?"
He should have said it, because as soon as he did, Yun Sheng's originally rosy cheeks turned bright red, and she felt a surge of heat.
Xiao Xu's eyes gleamed with interest as he placed his palm completely against her cheek.
"Aren't you annoying?" Yun Sheng turned her head away and pushed him away in the process.
She peeked out the window, then pressed herself against it.
"The sun is shining, I want to enjoy the scenery, don't talk to me anymore."
*
The journey from the capital to Ganzhou is nearly a thousand miles, which seems far, but the trip was much easier and smoother than Yun Sheng had imagined.
However, they still couldn't reach Ganzhou by the Mid-Autumn Festival. Because there were so many new things along the way, they kept stopping and starting, often making Yun Sheng almost forget that Xiao Xu had official duties to attend to.
When she realized what was happening, she urged Xiao Xu to set off immediately and not delay any longer. He calmly said it was nothing and accompanied her to several famous scenic spots. They even stayed an extra day in a town famous for its restaurants, which was mentioned in Shen Yuewan's booklet.
With such delays, there were only two hundred miles left to go, but it was already close to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
They stopped in nearby Wangzhou, a medium-sized prefecture city on the North-South Canal, with bustling markets and numerous inns, making it much more convenient to spend the festival here than in the wilderness or remote towns.
That evening, as Yun Sheng looked out the window at the bustling streets, she murmured, "Mid-Autumn Festival is still three days away. Is it too much of a waste of time for us to stay here like this?"
Xiao Xu was examining the report sent by Mu Shan when he heard this and looked up: "Further ahead, apart from Ganzhou, there are only scattered villages and desolate mountain roads. Wangzhou is the most suitable place to stay."
"But wouldn't staying for three days interfere with your important business?"
Xiao Xu put down the paper in his hand and looked at her face: "How could that be? This whole journey has been about important business, and we haven't wasted a single moment."
"Liar," Yun Sheng thought to herself.
He was so busy taking her sightseeing that she hardly ever saw him handle any business.
She overheard everything just now; the letter had been delivered yesterday, but Xiao Xu only opened it now.
Xiao Xu seemed to see through Yun Sheng's thoughts, and pointed to the letter with his fingertip, saying, "This letter is a report and visiting card from the local provincial judicial officials who learned that I had arrived in Wangzhou. I will have to meet with them and inquire over the next two days, so staying here is not a delay."
Xiao Xu was originally going undercover under an assumed name, and the local officials should not have known his whereabouts in advance.
However, since they were traveling around, their whereabouts were bound to be revealed. It didn't matter if they were found out; he could take a few days to deal with the surrounding matters.
Yun Sheng never inquired about his official duties. Upon hearing this, she simply said "Oh," and then added, "Then I'll take my men and wander around the city on my own for the next two days. You don't need to worry about me; just focus on your own business."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Xu walked to the window and hugged Yun Sheng from behind.
Xiao Xu was much taller than her, and when he leaned down slightly, his chin rested on the top of her head.
Yun Sheng stood by the window, only able to see the street scene outside, not the man behind her, but the familiar, warm breath enveloped her as he approached.
Xiao Xu's heartbeat pounded against her back, and he could feel it clearly.
Even now, as they simply embraced each other quietly, their heartbeats would gradually quicken due to the warmth of each other's bodies.
Yun Sheng heard her own heartbeat become erratic and felt Xiao Xu lower his head to kiss her hair.
She looked up at the night sky and said softly, "The moon is already very round tonight, it feels like we're already celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Xiao Xu didn't look up; the moon in the sky didn't seem to attract him much.
Even though Yun Sheng couldn't see behind him, she seemed to know that he hadn't looked at the moon at all.
Yun Sheng heard her heartbeat skip two beats again.
She paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "There's something I haven't told you yet."
"What is it?"
"I've come to realize something during this time: my past feelings for the Third Young Master shouldn't have been called liking him."
When Yun Sheng uttered the words "Third Young Master," Xiao Xu's arms, which were originally wrapped around her waist, involuntarily tensed up.
After she finished speaking, he was stunned.
Yun Sheng didn't hear a response from behind, but could tell from his body language that he had heard it.
She didn't turn around, and after thinking for a moment, she added, "I've never been in a relationship with him. I've only ever heard about him from other people. It felt a lot like liking someone, but I've never experienced it, so I couldn't tell before."
Xiao Xu forgot to breathe for a moment, and his voice was a little hoarse when he spoke: "Then why can you tell the difference now?"
"because……"
Yun Sheng trailed off, not finishing her sentence.
She suddenly turned around from Xiao Xu's tight embrace, her lips curving upwards and her eyes crinkling: "You have to work tomorrow, I'm going on a trip, so you should get some rest."
She wanted to tell him the rest of her thoughts on Mid-Autumn Festival night.
*
In the dead of night, all was quiet.
Yun Sheng woke up from a hazy dream.
When she opened her eyes, her mind was not fully awake, and she vaguely thought she was still in a dream.
She only gradually came to her senses when she realized she couldn't recall the scenes from her dream and smelled the scent of bath beans from Xiao Xu's bath in the bedroom.
She woke up in the middle of the night, something that rarely happened to her.
Yun Sheng squinted and subconsciously moved to get closer to the person next to her, but when she reached out, she found that Xiao Xu was not on the bed.
Yun Sheng woke up in that instant.
She opened her eyes to find the room pitch black and completely silent.
She nervously touched the spot where Xiao Xu had lain, feeling the still obvious warmth, and gradually relaxed.
Unlike at home, the inn's bathroom wasn't inside the room, so she assumed Xiao Xu had gotten up in the middle of the night and gone to the bathroom.
Yun Sheng felt relieved and wrapped herself in the blanket. The early autumn night brought a slight chill, and the remaining warmth beside her seemed to dissipate quickly.
For some reason, she couldn't sleep at all, so she just kept her eyes open, waiting for Xiao Xu to return to the room, but she waited for a long time and he still didn't come back.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Sheng slowly sat up from the couch, reached for the outer garment beside her, and put it on.
She wondered if Xiao Xu had been summoned away in the middle of the night due to an urgent matter.
She didn't know.
Yun Sheng planned to go to the bathroom. If she didn't run into Xiao Xu, she would take care of herself and then go back to her room to sleep.
With that thought in mind, she put on her embroidered shoes and pushed open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a faint light illuminated the upper corridor of the inn, which shouldn't have been lit.
When they checked in, Xiao Xu booked the entire floor of guest rooms. Apart from the room they were staying in, the other rooms should have been empty.
A faint light emanated from a guest room in the corner of the corridor, as if only a small candle was lit inside. This seemed very furtive, and it was unclear whether it was to avoid the light disturbing her sleep or to deliberately conceal something.
Yun Sheng stared at the guest room for a long time, then, as if possessed, she walked over.
Inside the room, Mu Shan reported: "Your Highness, we have discovered the whereabouts of the Third Young Master, who is located in the vicinity of Mingjiang County."
What is he doing in Mingjiang County?
If Xiao Ling was returning to the capital, he would not have passed through Mingjiang County, given the location where he went missing.
Mu Shan said, "Without Your Highness's orders, I did not allow our people to be exposed to the Third Young Master. We have been following him for several days, but we have not yet been able to deduce his intentions."
Mingjiang County is only 300 li away from here, a distance that made Xiao Xu feel very irritated, especially since they would be going to Ganzhou in three days.
Ruo Xiaoling also planned to go to her mother's hometown.
Xiao Xu, his face grim, cut off his thoughts and said coldly, "Arrest him."
Mu Shan was taken aback, then quickly replied "Yes," and asked, "Your Highness, now that we've captured the Third Young Master, should we still send him south, or...?"
A muffled thud was heard, especially noticeable in the quiet night.
Mu Shan stopped speaking abruptly, and Xiao Xu looked in the direction from which the sound came from with an inscrutable expression.
Both inside and outside the house seemed to freeze in time.
Until the sound came again.
Yun Sheng slowly pushed open the door from outside.
For the first time, she keenly noticed a hint of panic flash in Xiao Xu's eyes when he was expressionless.
Or perhaps it was the obvious, barely suppressed expression on his face.
Their eyes met, and Yun Sheng moved her lips, her throat tense as she whispered, "Tell me, what do you mean by capturing the Third Young Master and sending him south?"
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