Chapter 815 Rivals are always eyeing each other with intense hatred.
Cheng Wanwan was standing in the crowd when Madam Ruan pulled her out.
"Wanwan, I'm begging you to look after my Zhuzhu..." Madam Ruan said with a great headache, "She threatened her eldest, second, third, and fourth sons to find her a way to replace a lowly soldier in the envoy's entourage. By the time I found out, it was too late... The only woman accompanying her is Madam Sui, so I had no choice but to swallow my pride and ask Madam Sui for help..."
She really wanted to arrange a few maids to take care of her daughter, but the girl refused. If she hadn't really had no other choice, she wouldn't have wanted to trouble Madam Sui.
Cheng Wanwan glanced at Ruan Mingzhu, who was standing properly in the ranks of soldiers, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Sister Ruan, I will help take care of her."
"Thank you so much."
Mrs. Ruan thanked her profusely, then looked up and glared fiercely at her daughter.
Nguyen Minh Chau pretended not to see it, straightened her back, gripped her spear, and stood upright like all the soldiers, waiting to depart.
On the other side of the line, Shen Zheng pulled Shen Dongming aside and earnestly instructed him: "Dad, don't just focus on official business. Take some time to chat with your godmother. It's been such a long journey, it's easy to get bored. Just think of it as keeping your godmother company, right?"
Shen Dongming frowned: "I know exactly what you're up to, kid. I advise you to give up on this idea as soon as possible."
Five years ago, he did indeed harbor inappropriate thoughts towards Madam Sui, but as Madam Sui rose through the ranks and the Zhao family changed its social standing, those thoughts long since vanished. Now, he feels respect, admiration, and even awe for Madam Sui…
“Father, you’ve given up on this idea, but someone else hasn’t.” Shen Zheng gestured toward the Prince of Qin. “If you think that person is worthy of my godmother, then just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Shen Dongming's expression immediately turned serious.
Although he was busy with official duties, he had heard rumors about the relationship between the King of Qin and Lady Sui, but he never took them seriously.
But now the King of Qin is going to Asab with him. The mountains are high and the road is long. What if something happens on the way...?
Just as the sun was about to rise, the long queue was finally ready to set off.
The Emperor, Empress, and civil and military officials watched from a high place as the crowd receded into the distance. Zhao Sidan and Cheng Zhaoshen stood together, standing on tiptoe to watch the crowd grow ever more distant.
"Go back." Madam He was also in the farewell party. She turned to her daughter-in-law beside her and said, "Xiao'er is busy with things. Even if she doesn't go to Assab, she will only come home once every one or two months. You'll get used to it."
Cheng Fang nodded. She didn't have time to dwell on the sadness of parting. She had many things to do: the progress of the Grand River Banquet in the capital and the promotion of Dahe Zhao's skincare products. Just these two things alone would keep her busy for a long time.
The people who came to see them off slowly dispersed, each with their own things to do, and another busy day began.
The convoy heading towards Assab traveled further and further north, gradually moving towards the northernmost regions.
Cheng Wanwan initially sat in a carriage prepared by the imperial court. This carriage was much more comfortable than the one at her own home. She could lie down on one side without any restraint, while Granny Qi, Gu Bing, and Gu Leng sat on the other side.
After resting and having lunch at the post station, she was summoned to the royal carriage by Queen Assab.
The royal carriages are even more luxurious and spacious, with floors made of wild animal hides that are extremely comfortable to walk on. Even if the ride outside is bumpy, the people inside feel no discomfort at all...
She finally realized that she wasn't carsick, but rather that she had never experienced the ultimate in good things.
After she got in, the Queen rightfully dismissed the two maids from the carriage. Perhaps because the two maids weren't worried about the Queen causing any trouble on the way back, they readily got out and went to the carriage behind.
"Finally, those two sentries are gone." The Queen pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lady Sui, please sit with me for the rest of the journey. Don't hold back just because I'm the Queen. You can lean against me or lie down as you like. We Asab don't have so many complicated rules."
As she spoke, she kicked off her shoes and lay down on one side.
Cheng Wanwan liked people who weren't bound by formalities, so she followed suit, grabbed a cushion, and lay down to sleep.
The two turned to each other, looked into each other's eyes, and then laughed out loud at the same time.
“Since we’re just killing time anyway, why don’t I teach the Queen to speak the language of the Great Yu Kingdom?” Cheng Wanwan spoke first. “We can communicate in the language of the Great Yu Kingdom from now on. Those two old women can’t understand a word, they’ll be so frustrated.”
The Queen's eyes lit up: "I may be a little slow to learn, Lady Sui, please don't think I'm stupid."
“Let’s start by learning some everyday phrases.” Cheng Wanwan immediately switched into her teacher’s role. “We people from Dayu Kingdom greet each other by asking if we’ve eaten yet. This phrase isn’t difficult. Queen, just repeat after me to pronounce it like this…”
The two talked in the carriage, and time passed quickly.
The King of Qin, however, was not so lucky.
He was summoned by King Asab to sit in a carriage, and a minor official from the Court of State Ceremonial acted as his interpreter and followed him in. King Asab would say a sentence, and the minor official would translate it. The questions were all about political affairs, things that the Prince of Qin had no interest in at all. However, his elder brother had said that he could not be disrespectful to the Asab royal family, so he could only patiently deal with the situation.
After sitting for more than half an hour, the King of Qin finally couldn't stand it anymore and said, "It's a bit stuffy, I'm going out for some fresh air."
In truth, King Asab was just making conversation. As the ruler of a nation, he was only somewhat aggrieved in front of his younger brother, the Prince, and was always the object of flattery in front of others. However, because he needed something from the Great Yu Kingdom, he had no choice but to lower his stance and speak to the prince of the Great Yu Kingdom. He racked his brains to find topics to talk about, but the other party was lukewarm at all. He had long wanted to give up...
Fortunately, the other party left first, and Wang immediately felt much better. He spread his arms and legs out and fell fast asleep on the carriage without any regard for his image.
The King of Qin jumped off his carriage, whistled, and his steed galloped over. He mounted the horse, slowly fell behind, and stopped beside Cheng Wanwan's carriage.
Just as he was about to speak, someone leaned over and said, "Is Your Highness looking for Lady Sui? Lady Sui has been invited to the Queen's carriage."
The King of Qin turned around and saw Shen Dongming.
He suddenly chuckled: "Lord Shen is a civil official, yet he can ride a horse. That's quite remarkable."
"Your Highness, I used to know how to ride, but I'm not very good at it," Shen Dongming said, holding the reins. "This caravan isn't going fast, so I can keep up by riding slowly. It'll be a good opportunity for me to practice riding."
The King of Qin vaguely heard laughter coming from the Queen's carriage, and could tell that the woman was very happy.
It was rather inconsiderate of him to approach another woman in a carriage.
But he was so bored on the way that he had no choice but to strike up a conversation with Shen Dongming: "How many years did you serve as the magistrate of Ping'an County, Lord Shen?"
"I started working in Ping'an County at the age of twenty-two and became an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue at the age of thirty-seven, which was a total of fifteen years." Shen Dongming's voice carried a hint of nostalgia. "If I have the chance, I would really like to go back to Ping'an County for a visit."
“Lord Shen could have served in Ping’an County for his entire life. His promotion was entirely due to Lady Sui.” The Prince of Qin smiled insincerely. “Lord Shen spent fifteen years and had to rely on Lady Sui’s good fortune to become a fifth-rank official in the capital. Lady Sui, on the other hand, was easily appointed as a fourth-rank official, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. People are indeed incomparable.”
These words carried a strong sense of contempt.
Shen Dongming wasn't stupid; he could tell that the Prince of Qin probably knew he had proposed marriage to Lady Sui and was deliberately belittling him in his words.
He continued, "Indeed, Lady Sui is such a kind and talented woman, who can compare to her? The people of Dahe Village all say that among the thousands of men in the world, the man who can be worthy of Lady Sui must be one in a million. His appearance goes without saying, but the most important thing is that he must be talented. Your Highness, who do you think is worthy of Lady Sui?"
King of Qin: "..."
Shen Dongming ostensibly asked for his opinion, but in reality, he was subtly putting him down, implying that he was incompetent.
Yes, yes, he has no ability, but he has power.
He sneered, "Lord Shen has been alone for quite some time now, hasn't he? I'll have my brother bestow a marriage upon you later. You need a wife to manage the household affairs, don't you?"
Without waiting for Shen Dongming's reply, he kicked the horse's belly and rode away.
Shen Dongming: "..."
This King of Qin lacks martial virtue!
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