Chapter 205 Growing Taller
"Look, look, look! I haven't even said anything yet, and she's already thrown off balance. It seems that the man Aunt Zheng has chosen for Sister Zheng must be exceptionally handsome and brave to make Sister Zheng, who has always said she doesn't want to get married, so ashamed that she ran away from the capital with me!"
Qi Yuxuan lowered her eyes, feigning grievance. When she saw Zheng Yanling angrily waving her hand to scratch her, she quickly hid among the maids Lan Xin and Bi Sui.
Several little girls were laughing and joking inside the carriage, their laughter echoing as the wind lifted a corner of the curtain.
Qi Jun rode his tallow tree, watching from a distance. Only after hearing the sound did he feel relieved and tugged on the reins, spurring his horse towards the city.
"Your Highness, since you're already here, why don't you go up and greet Princess Chang Le and Miss Zheng?"
Sun Miao, who was two steps behind him, asked in confusion.
"Too talkative."
The crown prince on horseback gave a light rebuke, and Sun Miao immediately covered his mouth, daring not to speak again.
The carriage traveled northwest, passing through countless cities and villages. The scenery gradually transitioned from the red maple leaves covering the mountains and plains outside Beijing to the snow-covered and yellow sandy landscape outside Lancheng. Both Qi Yuxuan, who had never traveled far from home in her past and present lives, and Zheng Yanling, who had only ever wandered around the outskirts of Beijing, enjoyed the scenery to their hearts' content.
It's only November, and it's already snowing in Lancheng!
You should know that in Beijing, it only snows a few times during the coldest part of the year, and most of the time it melts before it even hits the ground, leaving behind a messy, muddy mess on the streets.
As a child, Qi Yuxuan hated that kind of weather the most. Unlike rain, which would wash away some dust and mud, when she went out, her trousers, shoes, and socks would always get wet and dirty. Her cloth shoes would get wet and make her shiver from the cold.
On the second day of the eleventh month, the group was inspected by the guards at the gate of Lancheng and slowly drove into the city.
Not far from the city gate, a middle-aged man wearing a dark fur coat, his hands tucked into his sleeves, saw them and took a few steps toward them, somewhat excited and uncertain, and asked:
"Could it be a distinguished guest who has come all the way from the capital?"
The coachman recognized that these were people from the Lin family who had come to pick them up, and immediately announced the name of Princess Chang Le.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "Princess Chang Le," the other person's eyes widened in surprise, and he pulled out his hand, deftly lifting the hem of his robe and kneeling down, excitedly shouting:
"This humble subject pays respects to Princess Chang Le!"
Someone shouted this at the city gate, startling the passersby. Regardless of whether the person in the sedan chair was Princess Chang Le or not, they knelt down without understanding why.
Qi Yuxuan had been listening intently from inside the carriage when she heard the commotion. When she heard the people outside bowing to her, she was so startled that she immediately gave Lanxin a look, signaling them to get up and go about their business.
She came to Lancheng to see her maternal grandmother, the Lin family, whom she had never met but who had always doted on her. She didn't come to show off her status as a princess. If the local officials found out, they would impeach her without hesitation, and she would have a hard time explaining it to her mother.
Seeing Qi Yuxuan's low-key and cautious demeanor, Zheng Yanling laughed heartily:
"Don't worry, even if you don't reveal your identity as a princess here, once you arrive at the Lin residence, the whole family will still bow and greet you. When the neighbors ask, do you think you can escape it?"
Although Lancheng is nearly a thousand miles away from the capital, the circles of people with some power and status are all pretty much the same.
The Lin family has been based in Lancheng for many years. Except for the old patriarch who took his family to the capital to develop, almost all of the collateral descendants have settled in the Lin family. Qi Yuxuan can't keep a low profile even if she wants to.
Zheng Yanling hit the nail on the head, and Qi Yuxuan could only nod and not interfere further.
Princess Chang Le said that everyone should not stand on ceremony and should rise immediately.
Lanxin got out of the carriage, said this, and then walked alongside it instead of getting back in.
Everyone saw a beautiful, dignified young woman step out of the seemingly ordinary carriage. Although they could tell from her words that she was just a maid, her demeanor was that of a young lady from a wealthy family.
Seeing her get off and follow the carriage, the crowd of people dared not watch the spectacle any longer and scattered to do their own things.
The middle-aged man also stood up and stepped forward, following on the other side of the carriage, respectfully addressing the distinguished person inside:
“Princess Chang Le, I am Lin Quanyou, the steward hired by the Lin family. Madam Lin has difficulty walking due to the winter, so she couldn’t come to the city gate to greet you in person. However, they are already waiting at the alley entrance for Your Highness’s arrival…”
"What?!"
When Qi Yuxuan heard that Old Madam Lin was still waiting outside the alley despite her mobility issues, her brows furrowed.
She never thought of having the old lady come to pick her up in person. Her grandmother was an elder and was not feeling well, so how could she wait in the wind and snow?
"Steward Lin, we have many carriages and people, so we are moving slowly. Please go back quickly and tell Grandmother and the others not to wait outside, but to come inside immediately."
After saying that, she added, "If I find a member of the Lin family waiting for me outside when I arrive at the Lin family's residence, I won't go in!"
Her tone was coquettish, but her words were full of concern for Old Madam Lin and the Lin family. Lin Quanyou felt a warmth in his heart and hurriedly agreed, then went ahead to explain the reason and borrow a fast horse.
After hearing that the person had left, Qi Yuxuan slightly lifted the curtain to look at Lanxin on the other side and called out softly:
"Lanxin".
Lan Xin was taken aback, and immediately bent down and turned her head to look inside.
A warm, soft hand warmer was handed out, inside which was a heavy hand warmer.
Qi Yuxuan urged her, "Hurry up and put it on!"
"Princess! These are yours, how can I use them..."
Zheng Yanling hissed, "Hurry up and catch it! Are you trying to freeze your princess by letting in the wind?!"
Lanxin dared not say anything more, and quickly took it, slipping her hands inside, feeling the warmth reach right to her heart.
The group had a lot of things, and the street was not cleared. It took the carriage almost half an hour to finally arrive at the entrance of Lin's Alley.
"She's here! My cousin, the princess, is here!"
A cheerful and lively male voice rang out from the alley entrance. Qi Yuxuan was startled and peeked out from behind the curtain, only to see a tall figure walking briskly toward the Lin family's gate. He was tall and had long legs, and disappeared in a few steps.
Who was that person? She called her cousin, the princess. She had never met any of the Lin family's cousins other than Lin Kuangzheng's two sons, so after thinking about it for a while without success, she stopped caring and waited patiently for the carriage to stop.
Once the carriage came to a complete stop, the driver set up the footstool, several maids went out first, followed by Zheng Yanling, and finally Qi Yuxuan.
The Lin family watched as one beautiful young woman emerged from the carriage after another, and three such women came out in succession before finally becoming a uniquely dressed, ethereal beauty!
"Wow, Yuxuan has grown so tall! It's just that she doesn't look much like Hui'er..."
Madam Lin, supported by two maids, stood under the eaves and rubbed her eyes in disbelief as she watched the tall Zheng Yanling get off the carriage.
Yu Xuan has grown so tall even before she reached marriageable age. That's wonderful! It must be thanks to the food at the Princess's residence that she's grown so tall!
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