Master Ai looked at his niece with affection, knowing that although she was sometimes arrogant and mischievous, she never did anything against the rules.
Just as she said, even if she wanted something, she would consider others. If she wanted to take it, she could have just asked, either because she was meeting with ministers or before the court session ended. Knowing that she was favored by him, she didn't act arrogantly or domineeringly and just took the things directly. That's true royal demeanor—not letting her own actions implicate servants.
Thinking of this, Master Ai's eyes darkened, as if he had thought of something.
"When we get back, I'll have Li Yu bring that jade bottle over to you. Why bother making the trip yourself?" Master Ai said considerately, waving his hand.
Then came a moment of laughter and joy. Inside the carriage, a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere prevailed.
Hearing the sounds from inside the carriage, Yongqi breathed a sigh of relief, then a smile appeared on his face. "Looks like they're having a good chat." He disapproved of Xiaoyanzi approaching Anke with ulterior motives; he knew his cousin's personality perfectly well. If only time could stop at this moment.
Ertai had been riding beside the carriage from the very beginning, listening to everything that was happening inside. He knew that the princess had just played chess with the emperor and had even won a magnolia-shaped jade vase. Judging from the princess's tone, Ertai knew that she must be in a very good mood. Knowing all this, a faint smile remained on Ertai's handsome face.
Erkang rode in front, glancing back at the carriage every now and then, listening to the sounds inside. He assumed that Ziwei's relationship with the Emperor must have improved considerably, which put his mind at ease.
Ever since he returned from confinement, he felt something was off. First, how could his friends have gone out together while he and Ziwei were under house arrest? This baffled Erkang. Then, when he went to serve at the Qianqing Palace, the guards around him no longer treated him with the same respect as before. This gave Erkang a strong sense of loss. Coupled with the fact that the Emperor no longer valued him, he felt like he had fallen from heaven to earth. It also made him realize that he was just an insignificant guard. To the Emperor, guards like him were a dime a dozen; no wonder the Emperor didn't take him seriously.
With this in mind, Erkang pinned his hopes on Ziwei. If Ziwei regained her identity, the Emperor would understand his good intentions and bestow a marriage upon the two of them, making him the imperial son-in-law.
Erkang is now obsessed with revealing Ziwei's true identity.
Benjamin gazed at the sunset on the horizon. The beautiful scenery made him want to immediately dismount and paint a picture. But he had to keep going, so he had to suppress his longing.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, we finally saw the twinkling stars.
It turned out we had arrived at a small village, and right at the entrance of the village was an inn—Yuelai Inn.
Fu Heng and Fu Lun, who were at the front, naturally noticed it. Fu Heng simply took the reins with one hand, turned around to the carriage, knocked on the window, and whispered, "Master, there's an inn ahead."
Fu Heng carefully examined the inn ahead, then gave a hand signal to someone in the shadows. No one noticed Fu Heng's gesture. Meanwhile, the guards who had received Fu Heng's order had already begun to scout and investigate the location.
When they arrived at the inn, the guards had already surveyed the area and nodded to Fu Heng, indicating that the inn was very safe.
Fu Heng then felt relieved and helped the master down from the carriage. After the master got off the carriage, he naturally reached out to help An Ke.
When everyone had stopped in front of the inn, the master went in first. He hadn't expected the innkeeper to be a woman.
Master Ai was only surprised for a moment before recovering. An Ke then stated the purpose of his visit. "Boss, are there any vacant rooms upstairs?"
"Yes, how many rooms would you like, sir?" The woman had delicate features, but her voice was very low and hoarse.
When traveling, personal safety is paramount, and besides, not everyone is willing to confide their secrets to others. Anke didn't ask her question.
He glanced back at his uncle and then counted the number of people. His uncle definitely wanted a room, no doubt about that, but he'd heard that Lord Fuheng didn't seem willing to share a room with anyone other than his wife. The rest would be paired up.
After taking inventory, Anke smiled slightly at the owner and said, "We need nine superior rooms, something elegant and quiet."
When the woman heard that they needed to go to a room, she looked up at An Ke. She was immediately captivated by An Ke's beauty, as if drawn in by her clear, bright eyes. After a moment of stunned silence, she came to her senses and led the way. "Please follow me, sir."
Although the woman was dressed in a coarse blue robe, her gait was remarkably elegant. She didn't seem like someone struggling to make a living; she appeared more like a daughter of an official.
The group followed the woman to the inn's back courtyard, which had two floors. After discussion, it was decided that Anke and her companions would stay on the upper floor, while the master and the men would stay on the lower floor.
Anke walked slowly upstairs and noticed that each room had a small wooden plaque hanging on it. They read: Qing (清), Jing (净), Ya (雅), and You (优). Anke and Qing'er stayed in the private room. The moment Anke opened the door, she finally understood why it was called Ya.
The room was very clean and the furnishings were quite elegant. Anke and Qing'er were both very satisfied with the room.
As for the rooms where the man below lived, they were named: Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum, and Wind.
After checking their room, Anke and Qing'er went down to the front of the inn and asked the owner, "Do you have meals available now?" The inn didn't seem to be doing very well. The front of the inn had a main hall on the first floor, while the second and third floors were for living quarters. There was also a two-story backyard, which was completely full of guests.
Since they arrived, they hadn't seen any guests dining in the lobby. The upstairs was also very quiet. Therefore, Anke had no idea whether the inn offered food.
"These are just some simple home-style dishes. If you don't mind, please sit down and have your meal in the front." The woman kept her head down.
Anke glanced at the boss thoughtfully a couple more times, then said, "Okay, thank you for your trouble."
Anke then moved to the backyard and invited the master and the others to dine in the front hall.
In the center of the right side of the front hall, there was a large round table. It was nearly empty, and the master, not bothering with formalities, took a seat. Naturally, Fu Heng and Yong Qi sat beside him. Next to Yong Qi were An Ke Qing'er, and over there were Fu Lun, Er Kang, and Er Tai. Directly opposite the master were Xiao Yanzi and the others.
Just then, the owner came out carrying a mahogany tray filled entirely with vegetarian food. In this remote place, far from any village or shop, Anke felt incredibly fortunate to have such a meal.
In no time, the owner had served all the dishes: a plate of braised tofu, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, an egg drop soup, and some other vegetables.
After the master started eating, they quickly followed suit. However, they were still mindful of their manners, so although they ate quickly, they did so with great elegance.
After dinner, the master, along with Fuheng and Fulun, seemed to be discussing something. The younger generation all tacitly refrained from following them.
The small group from Shufangzhai also left in perfect unison, except for Ertai, who remained standing in the same spot.
Anke and Qing'er were still sitting in their seats, watching the owner clear away the dishes.
After the owner finished tidying up and stood in the inn's lobby, An Ke finally spoke up and asked, "Is this such a big inn run by you all by yourself? Haven't you thought about hiring a helper?" An Ke had been observing for a long time and couldn't help but wonder why the owner was doing everything himself.
The boss was clearly taken aback, and when he spoke, there was a hint of helplessness in his voice. "I'm used to it, and I'm more comfortable being alone."
“But it’s not good for you to be so busy all by yourself.” An Ke wasn’t being nosy; from the moment she entered the inn, she had been observing the owner. She noticed that the owner only glanced up at them when he first came in, and then kept his head down. Just now, when the owner served the food, An Ke caught a glimpse of a red mark on the owner’s wrist where his sleeve fluttered.
However, Anke remained silent from the beginning, and only asked her question after almost everyone had left.
"We hired them before, but business wasn't very good. So we gradually laid them off." The boss was probably between 22 and 25, but his voice carried a world-weary air, and his movements were very practiced…
"If you hear any other noises tonight, please do not come to the front." Anke was pondering this when she heard the boss's low voice.
A question mark floated into Anke's mind. Under what circumstances would an inn's business be bad? And why didn't they come forward after hearing the commotion? Although the inn was very elegant, it always gave Anke a mysterious feeling. This feeling was like a thin veil, shrouding Anke's heart, making her feel somewhat depressed.
Qing'er also frowned, clearly doubting her boss's words.
Before Anke and Qing'er could ask anything, the shopkeeper raised the candle in his hand. "It's getting late, sirs, you should rest now." He began to politely decline customers in the front hall.
Anke and Qing'er exchanged a glance. Though they had no idea what to do, they did as their boss instructed and left the front hall.
A secluded path connects the front hall and the back courtyard, with a pavilion and a small bamboo grove nearby. At this moment, the pavilion is already full of people—the Shufangzhai group.
Anke was deep in thought and didn't notice any of this, simply walking silently with her head down. Her attention was so focused that she didn't even realize she had taken the wrong turn.
Just as Anke was about to crash into the bamboo, Ertai hurriedly called out, "Miss!"
Anke snapped out of her reverie and realized she had strayed onto a small dirt path and nearly bumped into some bamboo. She gave Ertai a grateful smile.
Ertai nodded to Anke with a faint smile. Only after Anke turned away did Ertai begin to ponder his boss's words. However, Ertai's imagination ran wild.
Ertai: Could it be that this place is extremely unsafe? Regardless of safety, I must listen for any sounds from upstairs tonight. If An'an is in danger, I must rush upstairs and subdue the assailant with lightning speed. I'll sleep fully clothed tonight!
Just then, I saw the master come out of the orchid room, followed by Fu Heng.
"Where did An'an go?" the master asked with a teasing look. She had just returned from outside, so she certainly hadn't come back with them. The master's scrutinizing gaze swept over Ertai.
Could it be that An'an has fallen for this silly boy? The master scrutinized him from head to toe with a critical eye. Although he was good-looking, he held no official position. Even marrying the daughter of a minister would be a stretch, let alone his own niece. His niece's future husband must be of noble character and of a suitable background.
Thinking this, the master couldn't think of anyone among the Eight Banners' descendants who, apart from Fuheng's son, was worthy of his niece. Unfortunately, Fuheng's son was already married. This was a bit of a problem. The master couldn't help but scratch his bald head. He felt like a worried, anxious father, completely forgetting that this wasn't his daughter. He'd completely forgotten her father.
Prince Rui: Isn't this my daughter?
Your Majesty: Hmm? (???.???)????
If the two are mutually in love… Thinking this over, the master glanced at Ertai again. That Erkang is practically useless now. Presumably, the Empress Dowager won't let Qing'er marry into the Fu family. Looking at this Ertai, he seems to have some ideas. Remembering the war on the frontier, the master secretly resolved to send Ertai to the frontier to earn merit after returning to the palace.
If he truly lives up to expectations and achieves military merit, it's not impossible to remove him from the Fu family, give him a different identity, and grant him an official position. If he truly loves his niece, he will surely fight valiantly on the battlefield. At that time, he should be barely worthy of his niece. Just thinking this made the old man grit his teeth.
An Ke walked to the master's side with a heavy expression and whispered in his ear, "Uncle, something's not right about this inn."
The old man looked up, staring at his niece in shock. Fu Heng had just said he had scouted the inn and found it perfectly safe. It wasn't that he doubted his niece or Fu Heng, but he was simply amazed by her keen observation skills.
Fu Heng's eyes also revealed admiration. He had just been discussing this matter with his master. The guards' hasty investigation was naturally just a check of the surrounding security; they wouldn't delve into the details. It wasn't that the guards were careless, but in such a short time, they couldn't find out much; they could only do their best to ensure the surroundings were safe.
Fu Heng had just observed that there were no other guests at the inn. This shouldn't be the case. Furthermore, regarding the innkeeper, although she had tried her best to remain steady, Fu Heng still noticed that she had a slight limp in her right leg.
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