Chapter 41 Running Away from Home
As dawn breaks, a hazy and warm glow spreads across the sky like an orange satin ribbon, gradually revealing its charming shyness to welcome the sun's ardent rays. Tiny drops of dew evaporate into wisps of mist after daybreak.
Facing the bright sun, Su Qingyan rode his horse and led his entourage toward the city gate of the capital. The Su family was once the Marquis of Zhongyong, but by his generation, they had fallen into decline. His father had asked someone in the court to secure him a job escorting grain supplies, which was also a way for his generation to begin entering officialdom.
He was appointed a fifth-rank supervisor and, in cooperation with the grain convoy, escorted the supplies to the northern frontier, thus completing his mission. Whether he would stay on the frontier to work hard or return to the capital to join the Imperial Guard was still undecided.
This trip was merely for prestige. Accompanying him were the second legitimate son of the Marquis of Changxing and the illegitimate son of the Duke of Jing. The journey to deliver grain and fodder took only a little over a month. Upon their return, they would have a legitimate path to enter the officialdom.
Su Qingyan reined in the reins, straightened his back, and looked up slightly at the towering city wall in front of him. He greeted the young men from the noble families on either side of him and then looked at the grain transport official.
The grain transport officer dismounted, bowed, and asked, "Your Highness, the number of people and the grain have been counted. May we depart?"
Su Qingyan nodded slightly, gently tugged at the reins, and waved her hand to give the order: "Let's go!"
The group sprang into action instantly, following Su Qingran as she slowly moved out of the city.
Behind the unnoticed procession, two small figures stealthily climbed onto the empty carriage of the Duke of Jing's illegitimate son. Once inside, one of their exquisitely sculpted faces secretly peeked out from behind the carriage curtain.
Ten-year-old servant Qing Shu hurriedly pulled his master aside, cold sweat pouring down his forehead: "Young master, don't look outside! If we're discovered, we'll be sent back. You're lucky, but I'm afraid I'm doomed. The Duke and Madam will beat me to death!"
Qi An released his hand and responded softly, "I know, shh."
The person in the carriage was Qi Rong's fourth younger brother, Qi An, the third son born to his second wife. These days, several children of the Duke's mansion, along with their wives, had all had accidents on the same day, causing chaos at home. The Duke had criticized the Prince of Chu in court, and although His Majesty had issued an edict to reprimand him, there had been no actual punishment.
As for the Duke, he was beaten with a sack and a club after court, and he's still lying at home.
The second son, who had broken his leg, and the third son, who had smashed his head, were also lying in hospital beds. The Duchess's courtyard had not been repaired. These days, most of the noble families in the capital were watching the Duke's mansion make a fool of itself.
The Duke was busy recovering from his injuries, while his wife looked after the second and third sons. As for the youngest son, since he had only suffered a minor burn, she felt it was nothing serious and didn't pay much attention to him.
Qi An was at a sensitive age, feeling that his father and mother didn't love him and that only his older brother truly cared for him. After failing to win favor and being scolded by his wife, he took advantage of the family's inattention to bribe someone to find out that the grain transport team had recently set off. He then evaded the maids and servants in the house and planned to sneak off to Daxingwei to find his brother.
It was easy to deceive others, but Qing Shu was a servant chosen for him by his grandmother. The two grew up together and were both clever and quick-witted, so it was impossible to hide from him. So he took him and escaped from the Duke's mansion. He spent money on the servants of the Duke of Changguo's family to buy an extra empty carriage, saying that it was prepared by the Duke of Changguo's family for their young master.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, the two hid in the carriage, intending to take advantage of the supply train to go to the frontier to find Qi Rong.
Qi An also packed a lot of valuable items. He had already planned that if they were discovered, he would bribe the soldiers and manage to reach the frontier without being caught. If they lost them halfway, he would buy a carriage and rush to the frontier.
Anyway, there's no place for him at home anymore, so he just wants to go to his older brother's side. With him sticking to his older brother every day, his mother will have some reservations when she takes action.
When he gets older, he will also join the army and follow his older brother to achieve great things.
Qi An was dressed in a royal blue brocade robe with a matching belt around his waist. Five or six fine jade pendants jingled around his waist, and he had a small cloth bag on his back. He was huddled in the carriage, covering his mouth, his eyes darting around, probably plotting some mischievous idea.
The caravan had been traveling for five or six days. The coachman was a member of the Duke of Changguo's family and had been bribed. He was now subtly observing the situation inside the carriage. They were at the very back, with the foot soldiers in front.
During rest breaks, the two little devils would be covered by the coachman, fall a section behind to relieve themselves, and then return to the carriage after they were done.
They managed to keep it a secret for quite some time.
This time, the same method was used. After the procession had spread out for a while, just as the coachman was about to tell the two to get off the carriage, the procession suddenly stopped. Su Qingyan, who was leading the procession, along with the grain transport official Lord Chen, Gu Jia from the Marquis of Changxing's mansion, and Li Jingzhou from the Duke of Jing's family, rode back and surrounded the carriage.
Su Qingyan narrowed his dark eyes, staring at the coachman with a hint of coldness. His handsome face was filled with displeasure: "I've been watching you for three days. Every time we set up camp, you have to stop a bit behind. Who is hiding in the carriage? Tell me the truth, or you'll be executed on the spot!"
Li Jingzhou tapped the carriage with his scabbard: "Old Zhou, how come I didn't know I asked you to procure a carriage? Tell me about it!!"
The coachman knelt on the ground, trembling so much he could barely speak.
Qi An, inside the carriage, blinked his eyes wide, not expecting to be discovered so quickly. Qing Shu tugged at Qi An's sleeve, cold sweat breaking out, fearing that the people outside would really chop them up.
Qi An lifted the carriage curtain, his face covered in dust and his clothes somewhat dirty. With a fawning smile, he climbed out of the carriage and, face to face with Su Qingyan, waved his paw like a beckoning cat: "Brother Su, what a coincidence~"
Su Qingyan's eyes widened in surprise, Li Jingzhou looked astonished, and Gu Jia couldn't help but burst out laughing: "An'an? What's wrong with you?"
Qi An helped Qing Shu down from the carriage, then looked up at Gu Jia with a pleading expression: "Brother Gu, I've run away from home. I'm going to Daxingwei to find my older brother~"
Li Jingzhou grabbed Qi An and mounted him on his horse: "So you bribed our groom to sneak in? You've got some nerve, Qi An! Aren't you afraid your uncle will go back and punish you according to family rules!"
Su Qingyan sighed, "Nonsense!"
Qi An had never ridden a horse before, and he was so scared that he quickly grabbed the horse's neck and climbed up: "My father doesn't care about me, and my mother only cares about my second and third brothers. She hasn't come into my yard for almost half a month. Nobody in the family cares about me. I'm going to find my eldest brother and follow him to make a name for myself in the future."
The group looked at each other, amused by Qi An's comical pose. Su Qingyan's eyes also lit up with laughter: "Your family probably doesn't know you're out. Your parents must be worried sick. Qi An, stop fooling around. I'll find someone to take you home later."
Qi An shook his head and clung even tighter to Li Jingzhou's horse: "I'm not going back, I'd rather die than go back."
Li Jingzhou chuckled softly, "Alright, Qingyan, let's give him a ride. He's been gone for so many days, it might not be safe to go back now. There have been banditry lately, so having him with us will at least provide some protection."
Gu Jia also said with great interest, "Jingzhou is right. Send someone back to the Duke's mansion to tell them that the person can stay with us for now. To be honest, I also want to see Qi Rong's expression when he sees this brat, hahaha."
Su Qingyan felt a mischievous glint in her eye and smirked, "Fine, let him come along. You, ride back to the capital now and deliver a message to the Duke and Duchess of Qi. Tell them their young master has infiltrated our grain transport team. We're worried about bandits on the road, and it's not safe for a child like him to come with us. We'll first transport the grain to Daxingwei, and then hand it over to their heir. Tell them not to worry..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
