Song He'er put on her clothes and wrapped herself in a thick cloak, which was her only and warmest garment.
"Mother, I'm fine. Let's hurry on our way. It seems like the deadline given by the court is running out."
As Qin Xiaoniang tidied the carriage, she nodded and replied, "Who doesn't think the same way? The sooner we get up the mountain, the sooner we'll get there. But it seems we've already reached the border of Xizhou. If we go a few more miles, we'll be completely out of Xizhou."
Thinking of this, Song He'er fell into deep thought...
Can Jiang Huaifu leave Xizhou so easily? Although that wild land rarely receives attention from the Central Plains, it is still part of the Central Plains. If a foreign prince like him were to set foot there so easily, and the spies from the Central Plains found out, it would inevitably cause another bloodbath.
"Mother, I'm going to see Jiang Huaifu. You wait for me in the carriage."
Qin Xiaoniang was definitely unwilling, after all, Song He'er's health had just improved, and if she went out and got chilled, she would probably get a high fever again.
"you......"
"I'm fine, this little illness is nothing. If I'm this delicate, what will I do when I get to Xinzhou? There aren't even any doctors there, let alone a decent place to live!"
Qin Xiaoniang couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had no choice but to agree.
Jiang Huaifu's resting place was not far from here. This time, he did not have his men set up tents in a grand manner, but simply picked a sheltered spot to sit down.
As usual, he was surrounded by a group of highly skilled soldiers, who did not allow anyone to approach.
Only one of the younger soldiers, who often brought them things, recognized her and quickly approached respectfully, asking, "Miss, what is it?"
"I want to see your young prince."
"Oh, please wait a moment while I go and inform them."
"Um."
Song He'er waited quietly in place. The young soldier was very disciplined and did not waste time on the way. Instead, he quickly reported the matter to Jiang Huaifu. After receiving instructions, he hurriedly returned.
"Young lady, please come with me."
Song He'er followed him to Jiang Huaifu's side.
The person in front of me seemed to be in a bad mood, with a cold expression, head down, carefully wiping the long sword in his hand.
Song He'er spoke softly, "Your Highness."
"Is it urgent?"
Song He'er shook her head and didn't say anything.
Jiang Huaifu raised his eyes, his cold gaze sweeping across her face.
"You just woke up and ran out into the wind, aren't you afraid of getting sick again?"
"I have something to tell you. Also, I've come to return Your Highness's hand warmer."
Jiang Huaifu glanced sideways at the glittering gold object in Song He'er's hand and coldly replied, "I don't want anything that's been given away."
"Your Highness, you should take it back. Xinzhou is such a poor and remote place. If I keep such a treasure, I'm afraid it will bring me trouble."
Jiang Huaifu still didn't take the hand warmer, as if he hadn't listened to Song He'er's words at all.
"Your Highness... we're about to leave the Western Continent. The Emperor of the Central Plains has just ascended the throne, and now is a time when he needs capable people. There must be many spies sent by the capital along this border. Once you enter, they will definitely report to the court, which could be detrimental to you. I... I'm only thinking of you..."
Jiang Huaifu suddenly looked up and stared at her with great interest. After a long while, he smiled teasingly.
"Do you think I'm a good-for-nothing?"
Song He'er stared in disbelief, unsure how to respond.
"This isn't my first time visiting your Central Plains. When has that dog emperor ever found out?"
......
Jiang Huaifu smiled and continued, "Snow Mountain is too difficult for ordinary people to cross. I just don't want you to die so soon. If I think of you again in the future, I can go and see you. It won't completely extinguish my thoughts of you, will it?"
Missing her?
Looks like this bastard's gotten used to using himself as a substitute, hasn't he!
"I am young and do not understand what Your Highness is saying."
"You are young, but you have many tricks up your sleeve. You are smarter than anyone else, so don't pretend in front of me."
Song He'er's cheeks flushed red. Even with her silver tongue, she couldn't out-argue this man!
"Your Highness, since the girl you loved is no longer alive, do you think it's appropriate for you to treat other girls this way? If you truly loved her, how could you transfer your affections to someone else in such a short time?"
Jiang Huaifu's face instantly turned cold again, and he bluntly retorted, "When did I ever say I liked that girl??"
"That's what the Queen said."
"It's one thing for them to think that way, but you're so smart that you actually believed it. Given my personality, if I really had romantic feelings for her, even if she died, I would still let her enter the royal ancestral hall and become my queen in a proper and honorable way. Why should she have died unjustly for so many years without a name or status?"
After hearing this, Song He'er was speechless.
Jiang Huaifu's words did make some sense, but no matter how reasonable they were, they were still matters within the royal palace. There were plenty of scandalous affairs in wealthy families, let alone in such a large royal palace.
"I have done my best to persuade Your Highness. If you insist on not listening, then so be it. In short, life and death are predestined, and wealth and honor are determined by fate."
After saying that, Song He'er was about to leave.
Jiang Huaifu suddenly called out to her from behind, “Don’t worry, I’m confident that as long as you cross the snow mountain safely, we will return immediately. Your emperor in the Central Plains will not find out. I will not implicate you, nor will I harm myself.”
"Thank you," Song He'er replied simply, and then left.
Before leaving, he even placed the small, red-gold hand warmer on the ground.
When they returned to the carriage, Qin Xiaoniang had already loaded everything onto it, and Zhang Xiue and Li Qiang's wife were washing the children's hands.
Upon seeing her return, Qin Xiaoniang gestured for the children to get into the carriage first, but then pulled Song He'er aside to ask her questions.
"How is it? He's not mad at you, is he?"
Song He'er shook her head. "No, Mother, you don't need to worry about this anymore. Besides, he himself said that he is confident that he will leave once we cross the snow mountain."
"Oh... he really is a persistent person."
"Let's go, we'll go first, and the people behind them will follow."
"Um."
Everyone boarded the carriage, and the driver was still Li Qiang's wife and Zhang Xiu'e.
As we walked, the weather grew brighter and the terrain became higher. Birch trees were particularly abundant at the foot of the mountain, but by the time we reached the middle of the mountain, there were hardly any left!
"Stop! There's a situation ahead!"
......
Jiang Huaifu isn't a scumbag! Please stay tuned. Also, thank you so much to all the readers who gave him five-star reviews! Love you!
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