Chapter 364 Read Less Storybooks
The journey from the capital to Huzhou Prefecture was by waterway, along the Grand Canal. After exiting Chaoyang Gate, one would take a horse-drawn carriage for forty li (approximately 20 kilometers) to reach the wharf in Tongxian County. From there, one would board a boat and travel south along the canal to reach Huzhou Prefecture directly.
Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao were on a merchant ship carrying goods and passengers. There were only six people in their group: Gu Jingxi and his wife, his two attendants, Zhou Yun and Yu Chuan, and Meng Jinyao's maids, Qingqiu and Chan'er.
They requested three guest rooms: one for their two attendants, one for their two maids, and one for the couple.
Although they wanted the superior room, the room itself wasn't very big. It had a table, chairs, and a dressing table, but the space was small. The table and dressing table were much smaller than those in a home. A few steps behind the table was the bed, which wasn't big either. It was just enough for two people to sleep in, but they would bump into each other if they turned around.
When Meng Jinyao opened the door and saw the room, she was stunned. She hadn't expected the superior room to be so small, even though the merchant ship they were on was quite large.
Qingqiu was also stunned for a moment. This room was even smaller than the room where she, a maid, lived. Chan'er, on the other hand, did not show any expression. Chan'er had experience traveling by boat and had stayed in rooms that were even worse than this.
Soon, Meng Jinyao accepted reality. Staying in such a room while traveling meant that only those with money could afford it. Others who were poorer than them would have even worse conditions when traveling by boat, and some might not even have their own rooms. She stepped into the room, looked around, and smiled, "The room is a bit small, but it has everything you need, and there's a window, so it won't feel stuffy."
Qingqiu came in and put down the luggage of Meng Jinyao and her husband.
Gu Jingxi said, "You don't need to serve me here. Go to your rooms and put your luggage away."
The group acknowledged and withdrew. Their three rooms were side by side. Chan'er, Zhou Yun, and Yu Chuan all knew martial arts, and their skills were quite good. So when the group left the cabin, one of the three would stay behind to guard the ship, since there were more passengers than just them.
After they left, Meng Jinyao asked curiously, "Husband, weren't you going to investigate a case? You only brought two attendants, is that enough?"
Gu Jingxi pulled her to sit down and said gently, "A large number of people makes a big target. I usually rely on them as spies when investigating cases. If there is a real need, Chan'er can also be of use."
Meng Jinyao was taken aback and asked in bewilderment, "We were in the capital before, but now we're going on a long trip. Don't the stories say that high-ranking officials are always accompanied and protected by many experts when they travel?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi couldn't help but laugh: "Who exactly wrote this storybook? It's utter nonsense, full of unrealistic things. It's not like it's a royal trip, why would there be such a grand procession? Not only me, but other officials don't bring many highly skilled martial artists when they go on official business. They only bring a few guards who know how to fight and a few servants to attend to them."
Meng Jinyao hesitated and said, "Then perhaps they don't have any capable people under them? Why don't you use the many people under your command, my husband?"
Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected that A Yao would think that he had many highly skilled martial artists under his command. He usually didn't have any experts around him. He had constables to arrest criminals, so he didn't need his own people. What gave A Yao such a misconception?
Seeing that he remained silent, Meng Jinyao asked again, "Why are you looking at me like that, my husband?"
Gu Jingxi laughed and said, "Your husband only has this many people under him. Don't read too many storybooks. Storybooks are misleading."
Seeing that his young wife still had questions, he explained, "Your husband is just a civil official. He doesn't need to fight or kill, nor does he intend to rebel. There's no need to train so many highly skilled martial artists. We do have servants at home who know martial arts, but they are just guards. It's not easy to train people like Chan'er who are both highly skilled and loyal. I've only trained six over the years. Besides the three you see now, one of them was seriously injured and can no longer use martial arts. After getting married and having children, he works as a manager on one of my estates. The other two left for Huzhou Prefecture ahead of time."
After listening, Meng Jinyao nodded knowingly, then asked, "What if we encounter bandits or river pirates on this long journey? A-Ning's mother-in-law and Madam Shen's family are merchants. I heard A-Ning say that the caravan always brings guards on its journeys to prevent being killed and robbed by bandits. They will rob merchants' goods, so they will probably rob well-dressed people as well. Are we taking too few people?"
Gu Jingxi explained calmly, “Ayao’s concerns are not unfounded. We have Zhou Yun and the others, which is enough. Zhou Yun alone is equivalent to dozens of guards. Even if Chan’er is not as good as Zhou Yun, she won’t be much worse. In addition, there are also guards of the merchants on this merchant ship. The people who were carrying goods when we boarded the ship all know some martial arts.”
Meng Jinyao was stunned after hearing this. So, although they only brought three people who knew martial arts with them, they were experts, which was equivalent to bringing hundreds of guards who knew martial arts.
Gu Jingxi continued, "Actually, in times of peace and prosperity, they wouldn't dare to rob government officials on official roads. They only dare to rob during times of chaos or in extremely dangerous places. In times of peace, if mountain bandits or river bandits become even slightly rampant, the government will definitely send people to suppress them. So official roads are relatively safe, and there's no need to worry about encountering them."
After speaking, Gu Jingxi looked down at her and said gently, "The capital city is the safest place. The area outside the capital city is not the same, but in times of prosperity, the danger is much reduced. However, it is normal for a young girl like you, who is confined to the backyard, not to know the situation outside. In the future, we will take more trips to learn more about the outside world."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Okay."
At this point, the boat had already set sail, traveling at a steady and uniform speed on the canal.
Gu Jingxi brought seasickness medication, but none of them were prone to seasickness and are currently feeling well.
That evening, Meng Jinyao found the bed somewhat uncomfortable. It was hard and small; it was fine for her alone, but cramped for two, making it difficult to stretch out. She could easily roll into Gu Jingxi's arms if she turned over. Plus, there was the sound of water outside, so she wasn't sleepy and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Gu Jingxi knew that she was not used to it and therefore could not sleep, so he asked, "Ayao, the story from last night is not finished yet, shall I continue to tell you?"
Meng Jinyao nodded: "Then, husband, please continue."
Gu Jingxi's voice rang out. Her voice was very pleasant, but the story was really boring. She felt like she was listening to a monk chanting sutras. Before long, she started yawning repeatedly and fell asleep quickly.
The next morning.
When Meng Jinyao woke up, although she hadn't slept well the night before, she was still excited about her first trip on a long journey, and the novelty was still there, so she was in pretty good spirits.
After having a rather ordinary breakfast, she pulled Gu Jingxi to the deck outside for some fresh air.
The couple were strikingly good-looking, attracting attention from onlookers. Judging from their clothes and appearance, they were clearly wealthy and powerful, and virtually no one dared to approach them or disturb them.
However, there are exceptions, and here is one of them.
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