"Lord Dugu, your subject is ready!"
On the surface, Helian Chen was supposed to escort Dugu Zhi back to Xicheng.
Dugu Zhi had absolutely no doubt—
Isn't it a bit odd that a noble marquis who commands 20,000 cavalry would personally escort a mere county magistrate like her home?
She would just think, "Isn't this what should be done?"
I am a follower of the goddess.
She is a chosen one who can make accurate prophecies.
It is only natural that the sage values her and treats her with various honors.
When facing Helian Chen, she even carried a hint of imperiousness.
She nodded reservedly, "Alright! Let's set off then!"
Unbeknownst to her, Dugu Zhi had already placed herself on the same level as Helian Jue.
Helian Chen was merely a subject before the emperor, only slightly better than a servant.
As the future mistress of the house, Dugu Zhi felt that she had the right and the qualification to do so.
Helian Chen: ...Never mind!
The Empress once said, "Don't argue with a fool."
Moreover, with Dugu Zhi by his side, he can better complete his mission if he goes to Xicheng.
The distance between the North City and the West City is not too far, about two or three hundred miles.
Helian Chen specially found an oxcart for Dugu Zhi.
In fact, even in such a border town, the powerful and wealthy didn't pay much attention to such things.
Horse-drawn carriages were more popular than oxcarts.
However, if you're going to put on an act, go all the way.
Since Helian Chen had made up his mind to use Dugu Zhi, he would naturally make sure to save face.
The vehicle must be an oxcart, so as to appear noble.
Sure enough, Dugu Zhi was very satisfied to see the oxcart, which was a rare sight in the Northwest.
She's someone who's lived a second life. (Reading...)
In her past life, she went to the capital.
Upon arriving in the capital, I learned that the truly distinguished people traveled by oxcart.
Although the oxcart was slow, it was stable.
Sitting on it, you experience relatively little bumpiness.
Moreover, Empress Xie also acquired something called a tire, which made riding in it even more comfortable.
In her previous life, Dugu Zhi was unfamiliar with the rules of the capital and entered the capital by carriage.
When people found out, they talked and gossiped about it behind my back.
Some say that the Dugu family has declined so much that they no longer even have an oxcart;
Some say that the Dugu family has lived in the Northwest for so long that they no longer know what "nobility" means.
...For the sake of a carriage frame, Dugu Zhi and the Dugu family were secretly mocked by the powerful and wealthy people in the capital for a long time.
Dugu Zhi was proud and arrogant, and had never been treated like this before.
Unfortunately, she was the one who didn't know the rules of the capital and didn't switch to an oxcart.
This made her feel ashamed and angry, but also deeply ashamed.
Having been reborn, Dugu Zhi became somewhat obsessive—
This time, if I go to Beijing again, I will definitely not do anything that would give people cause for gossip.
"Helian Chen, you're very good!"
She became exceptionally sensitive, and Dugu Zhi was quite satisfied with the courteous treatment she received from Helian Chen.
She stood ramrod straight, giving Helian Chen a slight nod in quiet approval.
Helian Chen: ...You have quite the airs!
Neither the emperor nor the empress has ever treated me like this.
Well, okay, the emperor and empress might not look down on him from a high position, but they would directly call him stupid (a typical straight man).
Although Helian Chen didn't quite understand what the Empress meant by "straight man," he figured it was probably like the word "stupid" that the Emperor often used—neither of them were compliments.
Of course, Helian Chen wouldn't hold a grudge.
He knew that the Emperor and Empress considered him one of their own, which was why they joked like that.
But what exactly is this Dugu Zhi?
How dare a mere county magistrate be so presumptuous in front of him, the first and most respected new sage, the Marquis?
Helian Chen silently grumbled, but his face grew even more respectful.
He still used the same strategy, desperately telling himself that the person in front of him was not Dugu Zhi, but the Empress!
Yes, it works very well.
Dugu Zhi became increasingly casual with him.
At first, they would politely address him as "General Helian".
Then they started calling each other by their first names.
They kept calling him "Helian Chen, Helian Chen," treating him like a lowly lackey they could order around at will.
"For the Northwest Army, for the Sage, I will endure!"
Helian Chen clenched his fists tightly and continued to serve him with meticulous care and attentiveness.
The distance of two or three hundred miles took Helian Chen seven or eight days to cover because he wanted to show his "respect" for Dugu Zhi.
The group arrived in Xicheng at the end of July.
The guards at the city gate saw Dugu Zhi and quickly sent someone to the general's mansion to report the news.
Before long, Dugu Zhi's two older brothers came out to greet her.
"Helian Chen, this grape wine is quite good. It's sweet, sour, and gives you a slightly tipsy feeling."
Dugu Zhi, holding a glass cup, leaned lazily against the slowly moving oxcart, enjoying the fine wine.
"When the Left Wise King's camp was cleared out, some wine was found. It was said that it was obtained by robbing merchants from the Hu region."
Helian Chen was like a diligent little follower, riding a horse, but moving very slowly.
He followed on one side of the oxcart, and could also step back a couple of steps.
"Your Excellency is of high status and must have used many fine things. I simply want to express my gratitude!"
Helian Chen smiled broadly, even with a hint of ingratiation.
In Dugu Zhi's eyes, his behavior was an attempt to curry favor with the future mistress of the house.
In the eyes of Dugu Zhi's two older brothers, however, it was just some brat trying to curry favor with his younger sister.
"Well done! He Lianchen looks like a lecherous scoundrel, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes!"
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