Xue Shen loosened his grip on her and helped her sit down on the edge of the bed before saying, "I came because I was worried about you."
He carefully examined Shen Youying's face by candlelight, and was relieved to see that her complexion was rosy and there was nothing wrong with her: "Have you been feeling unwell after traveling for so many days?"
Shen Youying shook her head: "I was only a little unaccustomed to it on the first day, but I got used to it afterward. The carriage was spacious and well-cushioned, so it wasn't very bumpy."
Xue Shen said, "The army will catch up in another day. You can follow behind the army and settle down when you reach Xizhou."
Shen Youying did the math and said, "Then it will be nearly ten days' journey."
Xue Shen nodded and said, "Almost. I have already sent people to Xizhou to prepare a residence. When we arrive in Xizhou, you can settle in the residence first. I may need to lead troops to assist the local government in wiping out the remnants of the Northern Rong army. After the Northern Rong remnants are cleared out, we will try to find out about my father-in-law's whereabouts."
Hearing that his arrangements were well-organized, Shen Youying nodded in relief. Seeing that he was still wearing soft armor, she reluctantly grabbed his hem and asked softly, "Are you going back later?"
Xue Shen said, "I'll watch you sleep, and I'll leave when it's almost dawn."
Shen Youying hummed in agreement, took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and moved a little further in, gesturing for him to come up: "Then you should rest for a while too. Is the army camp far from the village? If it is, you can rest for a bit and then leave first. Don't worry about me."
Xue Shen sat on the edge of the bed, tucked the blanket around her, and said, "It's not far, only an hour's ride on horseback. You go to sleep first, I want to see you a little longer."
Shen Youying didn't really want to sleep, but she was afraid that if she didn't sleep, it would be harder for Xue Shen to leave. So she could only hold his hand and obediently close her eyes.
Xue Shen sat by the bed watching her, gently patting and coaxing her with his palm on the quilt. Before long, Shen Youying actually fell asleep.
Even when she was asleep, she still clung tightly to Xue Shen's clothes.
Looking at her peaceful sleeping face and touching her protruding belly, Xue Shen felt all the fatigue from riding for two hours disappear. In fact, he had just lied to Shen Youying; it would have taken him two hours to ride from the army's camp.
As soon as the army set up camp, he eagerly handed over the affairs to Pang Lai and rode over.
The army was to break camp and set off before dawn, so he had to get back as soon as possible.
Xue Shen sat by the bed for half an hour. Seeing that Shen Youying was sleeping soundly, he used a dagger to cut off the hem of her robe that she was tightly holding, then quietly got up and left.
Bai Luo, who was guarding the night outside, saw him come out and was about to get up when Xue Shen raised his hand to indicate that she didn't need to see him off, and then turned and went into the night.
Before setting off, he summoned the commander of the guards and the Fire Cave Immortal to give them repeated instructions, making sure that there would be no danger or mishaps on the journey, before riding away.
*
The capital city.
The four maids, left waiting for two days, finally couldn't hold back any longer on the third day. They rushed to Tingmei Pavilion, blocked the door, and asked, "Miss Danzhu, we've been here for three days now. When will the Princess summon us? We were ordered to take care of the Princess and help her recover. We've been eating and sleeping in the Prince's mansion but haven't done any work. We really can't explain this to the Emperor and the Empress."
They didn't really want to be so polite, but ever since Danzhu summoned two strong old women to take them to the back room and settle them in, those two old women wouldn't leave, following them like ghosts day and night. They couldn't find an opportunity to send a message to the palace or do anything else.
Now, this is the only option left to listen to Mei Xuan's crying and tantrums.
Seeing them making a fuss, Danzhu frowned in disgust and said, "I know, please stop arguing. I'll go in and inform the Princess Consort right away."
She turned and went inside, then said after a moment, "The Princess Consort invites you in to speak."
After being in the Prince's mansion for several days, they finally met the Princess. The four matrons quickly stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles in their clothes, and followed Danzhu into the room.
Inside the room, Princess Qin had her back to the door, and she appeared to be preparing tea.
Behind her was a thin gauze screen embroidered with landscapes; from the four people's position, only half of her hazy profile could be seen.
Danzhu curtsied and said, "Your Highness, the four matrons have arrived."
Princess Qin continued stirring the tea leaves with her wrist suspended, and only after she had finished stirring did she speak slowly: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty and the Empress, for sending several people to take care of me. However, they are all old servants who have served the Empress for a long time, and I dare not ask them to do anything. You can stay in the Prince's residence without worry."
The four women panicked upon hearing this. They hadn't come to the Prince Qin's residence to live a life of leisure. What if their master gave them instructions and they failed to complete them? If it was later discovered that they had been loafing around in the Prince Qin's residence, they would likely face dire consequences.
The head nanny quickly said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but we are here to serve you. How can we just stay here and do nothing? If the Emperor and the Empress find out that we are so negligent, we will not be able to explain ourselves. We have served many masters in the palace before, and we are all experienced veterans. We are not afraid of hardship. If Your Highness has any requests, please just tell us what to do."
Princess Qin paused upon hearing this, as if pondering. After a moment, she said, "In that case, those old women can stay at Tingmei Pavilion."
The four were immediately delighted, exchanged glances, and thought to themselves that Princess Qin was young and indeed easier to fool.
Having achieved their goal, they stopped nagging. After giving a few more instructions on precautions for pregnant women, they glanced at Danzhu with an air of superiority and left with their heads held high.
After they all left, Danzhu stepped forward and said, "You imitated it so well. If I didn't know better, I would have been fooled by you too."
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