The captain stood up and presented the imperial edict.
Guo Yuanzhen, with one hand hanging, cursed, "Are you blind? Can't you see that my hand is injured?"
The captain had no choice but to open the imperial edict and read it to him.
After hearing this, Guo Yuanzhen became furious.
This little emperor is forcing him, forcing him to either return to the capital or mobilize troops.
Returning to Beijing means handing over military power, and at most being given an idle job, or even being directly dismissed from office, which is no different from imprisonment.
It is not possible to mobilize troops now. His two grandsons, Xiao Gu and Wei Chifei, are eyeing Beiting covetously and have already formed a blockade. Once he mobilizes troops, he will have no chance of winning.
He knew that the emperor's son had no good intentions in sending the envoy to Beiting with such fanfare, so he wanted to delay the envoy for as long as possible, waiting for the spy to contact the people in the capital and then cooperate with them from inside and outside.
By then, Prince Ying would have ascended the throne, and he would have the evidence of his usurpation of power in his hands, so it would be easy for him to proclaim himself king.
But I didn't expect that this bastard envoy would not follow the rules. He actually announced the decree on the spot and ran away after announcing it. It was really infuriating.
He tore off the bandage that was holding his hand in the sling and lashed the imperial edict with a whip, causing the captain to stagger.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and bring him back to me!" If Lou Yunchun runs to Anxi, we will have to fight this uncertain battle.
The captain quickly seized a soldier's horse and led his second-in-command and a team of cavalry to chase after Lou Yunchun.
After Guo Yuanzhen vented his anger, he also spurred his horse to chase after him.
A feeling of humiliation is inevitable.
———— The dividing line of the journey————
To get to Chongzhou from the capital, the closest route is the Shannan Road, which starts from Jingzhao and passes through the five prefectures of Jinzhou, Tongzhou, Kuizhou, Shizhou, and Sizhou before reaching Chongzhou.
Xu Jiang estimated that even if they traveled day and night and changed vehicles and boats, it would take at least half a month to reach Chongzhou.
Moreover, Butler Shan and Liu Mei have to adapt to the journey, which will delay them for at least a day or two.
The two of them had lived in the capital for a long time and rarely even left the city, let alone such a long journey. Naturally, they could not bear it for a while.
After only half a day's march, Liu Mei had become pale and Housekeeper Shan was not much better. Xu Jiang then found a place with a shady rock spring and asked everyone to dismount and rest.
"Here." She wet her handkerchief with water and wiped Liu Mei's face to cool her down, then went to get a bowl of water.
Steward Shan rested on the cool stone for a long while before his expression relaxed. Several guards had been training all year round, so they were fine. At this moment, they were drinking water, washing their faces, and chatting and laughing by the small spring nearby.
Xu Jiang took a bowl and went upstream to collect the clear and cool mountain spring water. After sharing it with Shan Guanjia and Liu Mei, she scooped up water to quench her thirst, clean her hands and wash her face.
The spring water was clear and cool, which immediately dispelled most of the summer heat. Xu Jiang went to the car to get a bag of hawthorn cakes to share with Shan Guanjia and Liu Mei, and also took two bags of chestnut cakes for the guards to share.
These cakes were prepared by Mrs. Lou. Although they taste good, they should not be stored for a long time. They should be eaten as soon as possible to prevent them from becoming sour and changing taste, thereby wasting good things and Mrs. Lou's kindness.
She also took a bag of lotus seed cakes and ate most of them in one go, drinking some spring water.
Liu Mei sat down beside her. Xu Jiang saw that the hawthorn cake in her hand was still full, so she asked, "Don't you like this? Would you like some lotus seed cake instead?"
Liu Mei shook her head, "No, give it all to my wife, I have no appetite."
Xu Jiang took the hawthorn cake from her hand and handed her a piece of lotus seed cake, saying, "You should eat something anyway. The journey is still long, and you won't be able to bear it if you don't eat."
Liu Mei sighed and had to answer it.
"This guy is really useless." She swallowed half a piece of pastry with difficulty and said apologetically to Xu Jiang, "I came here to take care of my wife, but now my wife is still taking care of me."
Xu Jiang patted her hands and comforted her, "You're just not used to it yet. You'll be fine after a couple of days." It was really hard for her. She had lived a peaceful and stable life with Madam Lou and had never suffered such a hardship.
"I used to envy my wife for traveling around, being as free and easy as a fairy. But now that I'm following her, I realize that even a fairy's life isn't that easy."
Xu Jiang chuckled and said, "If you complain like this now, you will be obsessed with it when you think about it later."
Liu Mei didn't believe it, "What's there to read?"
"I miss the mountains and rivers along the way, the people and events along the way, the things I've seen and heard along the way, and even the hardships along the way." The wind blew through the forest, making Xu Jiang squint her eyes in comfort. "When you have walked through this vast landscape and returned to the backyard, you will understand the preciousness of this moment of leisurely forest and spring scenery, and this gust of wild wind."
Liu Mei was stunned when she heard this, and her heart seemed to calm down at this moment.
The butler Shan at the side sighed softly and said, "I have lived for most of my life, but only now have I tasted the true taste of life."
Xu Jiang looked over and saw his face was filled with relief, but also sensed the regret in his words. She smiled and said, "Shan Bo, when we're out and about, let's not be bound by the rules of the mansion. You're the elder by age, so it's only right that you treat us as our senior. From now on, don't call yourself a slave."
Shan Boyi asked, "How can this be done?"
"Yes, yes. Logically, I'm not your master. Madam Liu and the guards are under your supervision at home, so why shouldn't I do that?" Seeing Shan Bo's expression relax, Xu Jiang continued, "Besides, when we're away from home, we all need to look after each other. Calling each other uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, is much closer. Even when dealing with people, it's easier to treat them as if we're family."
"this……"
Seeing that Shan Bo was reluctant to agree, Xu Jiang clapped her hands and said, "It's settled."
Shan Boci smiled and said, "Then I'll listen to Madam Xu."
"Uncle Shan, from now on, you can call me A Jiang, just like Auntie." After saying that, Xu Jiang took Liu Mei's hand and said, "From now on, we can call each other sisters. Since you are older than me, I will call you Mei Jie. You can call me A Jiang or Mei Jie."
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