042
"We'll set off this afternoon. I'll give you about twenty men." Governor Wang took out a token and handed it to someone beside him: "Mosong will lead them to protect you on your journey north."
Mo, true to his name, accepted the token without uttering a sound and stepped aside.
Wang Zhiyan's originally gentle eyes darkened for a moment: "Daughter will go and say goodbye to Mother first."
"Go on, and remember to comfort your mother properly." Governor Wang casually fiddled with the flowers and plants beside him without looking up.
Wang Zhiyan gritted her teeth, suppressing her resentment as she retreated.
As soon as I entered, I saw a woman pacing back and forth anxiously.
Wang Zhiyan didn't speak, but stepped forward, took her hand, and silently applied the medicine to her: "Mother still has to make a living in this inner courtyard, why bother to upset Father for my sake?"
The woman patted her hand, seemed about to say something but then shook her head and sighed: "It's better not to talk about your father and me. Even if this hadn't happened, he would still be unhappy with me."
"It's a pity that if your maternal grandfather were still alive, he wouldn't have been so heartless."
Her eyes were red and her eyelids were swollen, suggesting she had been crying a lot.
"It's alright!" The woman wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, somewhat amused and exasperated. "Thinking about it, it's actually quite good. The world is in chaos now, so at least you won't have to suffer hunger and hardship if you marry a prince."
"fine."
Wang Zhiyan moved her lips. If she married him, all her previous plans would be in vain. If she didn't go, the governor's mansion would surely be punished, and her mother would inevitably be reprimanded.
What should she do?
Seeing her dazed expression, Madam Wang felt a pang of pity in her eyes. She placed the land deeds and silver notes she had prepared beside her into her hand and instructed, "These are all dowry items that your maternal grandmother secretly gave you when your mother got married. They are all land deeds and shops in the capital. The locations aren't the best, but they're still a little something extra."
“Your father doesn’t know these things, Yan’er…” Madam Wang brushed a stray hair from her ear: “Remember to leave yourself a way out. You must rely on your husband, obey and respect him, but you must not entrust him with your whole heart.”
"The most fundamental thing is to live your life well and make yourself feel good."
Wang Zhiyan's nose tingled, and she hugged her tightly: "Yes, things will get better."
Madam Wang gently patted her daughter's back, gazing out the window into the distance, her voice choked with emotion as she sang the nursery rhyme her mother used to sing to her when she was a child: "The wind sways... the leaves fall... Mother laughs under the tree..."
...
"It's getting dark. At this rate, when will we reach the next post station?"
Chun Ya covered her head and complained, then got a tap on the head: "What are you doing, Sister Qiu Shui!"
Qiu Shui handed her the kettle and said irritably, "Can't you stand it already? The road from Yunzhou to Luoyang is still quite long! Miss hasn't even said anything yet."
Now is the time to stop and reorganize. Qiu Shui lifted the curtain and saw that for more than an hour, the young lady was still staring at the handkerchief in her palm. Judging from the needlework, it must have been made by the madam herself.
She softened her voice: "Miss, would you like some water?"
Before he could offer any further words of comfort, a knock was suddenly heard in the carriage: "Miss."
"who?"
"Merson".
Wang Zhiyan initially didn't want to respond, but he knocked a few more times, so she got annoyed and had no choice but to get up.
She flung open the curtain, ignoring the man's outstretched arm, and jumped off the carriage.
To reassure his mother at the beginning of the journey, he changed into his most splendid attire. Before even leaving Yunzhou, he changed into men's clothing, which would make it easier for him to move around.
Mosong silently withdrew his hand and followed.
"Speak," Wang Zhiyan walked to a more secluded corner, "What is it?"
"Does Miss despise me?" After a moment of silence, Moson came to this conclusion.
Wang Zhiyan smiled sarcastically: "You are very self-aware. Since you know that, you shouldn't come to me to make me unhappy."
"Why?"
Wang Zhiyan scoffed lightly: "Can't I just dislike it without a reason?"
She knew that the person in front of her was her father's bodyguard, who had been monitoring her for at least half a year. Now, ostensibly for protection, he was actually supervising her. Was she supposed to be grateful and like him?
Mosong paused for a moment, then took out the token from his pocket and handed it to her: "This is for Miss."
It was the token that commanded these twenty-odd people.
Wang Zhiyan knew these twenty-odd people; although they were dressed as servants, they were all top-notch martial arts experts.
Something seemed amiss. Wang Zhiyan looked up at her suspiciously and asked, "What do you mean by this?"
“I know that Miss has always had connections with Shannan Prefecture.” Mo Song lowered his eyes, not looking into her eyes: “These guards only obey orders. If Miss wants to leave…”
"Kill me, and then they'll listen to you."
Along with the token was a somewhat worn dagger.
Wang Zhiyan chuckled lightly: "What is this, surrendering?" She took the token and dagger, flipped them over in her hand, and approached Mosong without saying a word.
When the dagger was pressed against his chest, Wang Zhiyan could feel his tense body in the face of the threat and the hand beside him that was trying to retaliate but was suppressed by reason.
She smiled slightly, but said nothing. She walked away with her hands behind her back after passing him.
When Mo Song came to his senses, he discovered the dagger and the token tucked into his belt. Was the young lady's martial arts skill truly so extraordinary? He hadn't even felt the dagger being inserted into his belt.
*
"Miss, it's getting dark. Should we continue our journey?" Qiu Shui asked softly as she placed the filled water bag into the carriage.
Wang Zhiyan tapped on the edge of the carriage window: "We'll rest here tonight. Go and tell Mosong to be on guard, in case there are bandits or wild beasts."
This area is located at the border of Yunzhou and Yizhou, surrounded by mountains and rivers. In times of peace, it would certainly be a good place to live in seclusion. In times of famine, it is also an excellent hideout for bandits.
The journey is long, and the weather is getting colder.
Therefore, they brought mostly dry rations and dried meat that could be stored, which was already an excellent meal. A fire was lit, and the guards took turns keeping watch. Wang Zhiyan only brought two maids with her, and the group huddled around the fire to keep warm.
"Miss, Chun Ya has cooked some meat porridge. Have some to warm yourself up." Qiu Shui looked frail, but she was quite strong. She carried a large bucket of porridge forward, first serving it to Wang Zhiyan, and then distributing it to the guards one by one.
Although these men were partly monitoring her young mistress, the journey north was long and arduous, fraught with unknown dangers, and they needed these strong men to protect her. If they encountered bandits or refugees, having someone hold them off would allow her to escape further.
Qiu Shui: "Miss asked me to bring you some porridge. There aren't enough bowls and chopsticks, so please take turns eating."
The group, having eaten some flatbread, were quite thirsty and had been smelling the aroma of porridge for a while, but hadn't dared to ask the young lady. They looked at each other, then glanced around for their leader.
Mosson, who had been dozing in the tree with his arms crossed, opened his eyes and jumped down when he heard his men calling him.
When Qiu Shui saw someone suddenly jump in front of her, her eyelids twitched in fright, and she almost spilled her porridge.
"Give it to me." Mosong took the porridge from her hand. "Has Miss eaten yet?"
Qiu Shui: "Ah? Yes, Miss has already eaten."
"Okay, thank you."
As expected of Mosong, Qiu Shui thought to herself. He lived up to his name. Not only was he elusive, but he also spoke in a very slow, deliberate manner. A man like that would definitely have a hard time finding a wife.
She just didn't expect that she would blurt out her true feelings. Not only did the young lady warming herself by the fire hear it, but Mo Song, who came to return the bucket, also heard it all.
Qiu Shui's face immediately turned red, and she couldn't stay a moment longer: "Um, Miss, I'll go and tidy up the carriage for you."
"Chun Ya, come with me." Without waiting for Chun Ya's reaction, he pulled her away.
Wang Zhiyan smiled helplessly and continued to warm her hands by the fire.
Seeing the person next to him still standing there like a block of wood, carrying the bucket, he chuckled: "My maid is still young and doesn't know how to speak properly, Commander Mo, you don't need to take it to heart."
Upon hearing this address, Mo Song's eyes dimmed for a moment before he picked up the bucket and prepared to leave.
"Don't wander around carrying that bucket, or Father will say I've mistreated his trusted bodyguard." The tone was sarcastic. "Sit down and warm yourself by the fire."
Just when she thought she wouldn't get a response, she saw someone put down the bucket and sit down not far from her.
In this desolate wilderness, one must be extra vigilant. Things might be better once we enter the town tomorrow; Wang Zhiyan has no plans to rest tonight.
Having someone to chat with to relieve boredom is one way to pass the time.
"Where is Commander Mo from?"
Mo Song paused for a moment, then looked down at the ground: "Miss, just call me by my name."
Wang Zhiyan rolled her eyes and curled her lip: "Fine."
"Merson".
“I was originally from Yangzhou, but I fled to Yunzhou when I was a few years old.” Mo Song paused, “and was taken in by an adult when I was starving to death.”
Wang Zhiyan seemed to have heard a joke: "My dad has such a kind heart? What about those others? Were they all adopted too?"
Mersson: "Most of the time, yes."
She nodded: "Adopting them and training them as bodyguards is indeed a good idea. They must have suffered a lot during training."
Mosong's heart skipped a beat. Was this... concern for him? Probably not. "The adults rarely criticize."
"Since it's been so difficult to survive until now, and you're highly valued by your father, why would you lie and insist on entrusting your life to me?"
Wang Zhiyan simply sighed. Seeing that he didn't speak, she didn't want to ask. She didn't need to consider what he was thinking, nor did she need to trust him.
If necessary, she would certainly find a way to get rid of these people, even without his so-called feigned or unsubstantiated surrender.
"Once you enter Luoyang, you can return to Yunzhou to report back." Wang Zhiyan stood up: "It's getting late, you should rest early."
But in just a moment, he realized that something was wrong with his surroundings.
Qiu Shui rushed over, pulling Chun Ya along, trying her best to maintain her shock: "Miss, there are so many! We saw many green eyes in the woods over there..."
At this moment, one of the guards on lookout came over, his brows furrowed: "Miss, it should be a pack of wolves, about a few hundred feet away from us."
"They must be watching us."
Merson reacted quickly: "Leave three people to keep watch on the outside, and the rest of you retreat to the inner circle to protect the young lady."
"Besides swords, use fire to drive them away." Wang Zhiyan took off her cumbersome cloak, tied up her half-loose hair, and drew her sword from the side.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight."
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