Upstairs, in the shadows at the end of the corridor, a tall figure was leaning on the windowsill. The sunlight shone through the window lattice, casting a mottled light and shadow on the man's chiseled profile.
"Your Majesty, do you want me to go and find out the details of those two people?" The guard Batu asked in a low voice, obviously having also seen the scene downstairs.
Amur shook his head slightly, a playful smile on his lips: "Don't make a fuss, I'm just curious, although the couple looks like they are not in harmony, but the way the woman walks is like a noble who lives a life of luxury in the Central Plains."
Batu followed his gaze and saw that although Chu Qingluan was wearing coarse cloth clothes, there was an air of dignity in her every move.
Especially when he was confronting Qi Che just now, his straight back and slightly raised chin reminded people of a white swan that refused to bow its head.
"Interesting." Amur suddenly chuckled. "People in the Central Plains call this... pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger?"
Batu frowned: "Your Majesty, our trip is secret..."
"Don't worry." Amur raised his hand to interrupt him, his eyes suddenly sharp.
"This king is not interested in creating unnecessary trouble. I will continue my journey early tomorrow morning and must find her before the birthday banquet of Emperor Chu..."
The last sentence was spoken very softly, but it made Batu straighten his back involuntarily.
He knew that the king had risked his life to come to Da Chu just to find his beloved who had been forced into the palace twenty years ago.
At the other end of the corridor, Chu Qingluan seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around to look at the shadows.
But at this time there was no one there, only a faint scent of sandalwood mixed with the scent of grassland wind and sand, slowly dissipating in the air.
…
After taking a shower and changing clothes, the waiter brought hot meals.
Chu Qingluan ate slowly, but her peripheral vision kept an eye on the movement outside the window. Although this inn was small, there was an official road near the town. When she entered the inn just now, she also noticed that there were often merchants coming and going. Perhaps...
"What are you looking at?" Qi Che suddenly moved sideways to block her view. "Rest after you finish eating. We'll set out early tomorrow morning before daybreak."
Chu Qingluan put down her chopsticks and suddenly said, "I want to drink some wine."
"What?"
"I said," she looked up at Qi Che, "I want a cup of warm rice wine. You know, I am used to drinking a cup before going to bed."
This is the truth.
When she was in the south of the Yangtze River, where the soil was humid, she did have this habit.
Qi Che's eyes moved slightly, as if he was recalling something. After a moment, he actually stood up and went to call the waiter.
Before leaving, he specifically told Chu Qingluan, "Stay here and don't move. Otherwise, you know what I'm going to do."
After saying that, Qi Che turned around and went downstairs.
A quarter of an hour later, the waiter brought the warm wine. Chu Qingluan took the wine glass and slowly drank it down under Qi Che's gaze.
As the wine went down her throat, warmth slowly rose from her stomach, and a look of satisfaction finally appeared on her pale face.
"Satisfied?" Qi Che asked her.
Chu Qingluan put down the wine glass and suddenly gave him a very faint smile: "Thank you."
This smile made Qi Che stunned, and the sinister look in his eyes dissipated a little.
After nightfall, Chu Qingluan lay in bed with her clothes on, with her back facing Qi Che.
There was only one oil lamp lit in the room, and the light was dim. She could feel Qi Che's gaze sticking to her, like a maggot on her tarsal bone.
"Qingniang," Qi Che suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice, "I know you hate me, but one day you will understand that I am the only one in this world who is sincere to you."
Chu Qingluan closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, ignoring him.
She is waiting.
Waiting for the man in the next room to take action.
Late at night, everything was quiet except for the occasional chirping of insects outside the window.
"Oh no, there's a fire!"
"Quick, someone come put out the fire!"
Downstairs, a sudden burst of shouting broke the silence of the night.
Qi Che stood up suddenly and walked quickly to the window.
The moment he pushed open the window, the orange-red firelight illuminated his gloomy face.
"Our horses..." he muttered to himself, his fingers subconsciously gripping the window frame.
The direction of the fire seemed to be exactly in the direction of the stable.
Chu Qingluan sat up slowly and said, "Do you want to go take a look?"
Qi Che turned around and stared at her sinisterly: "Do you really want me to leave?"
"I'm just reminding you that if you lose your horse, it won't be easy to find a replacement in this remote place."
At this time, the shopkeeper's heart-wrenching cry came from downstairs: "Hurry up and put out the fire! The stable is connected to the wine cellar, it's all over now!"
Qi Che's fists clenched and unclenched.
Seeing his hesitation, Chu Qingluan said calmly, "Then don't go. At most you can stay a few more days.
Wait for the passing caravans, and you can always buy horses."
Little did he know that this sentence made Qi Che fall into deeper hesitation.
Their identities were forged, and the government would definitely block the city gates and search everywhere. Let alone a day, even staying for a quarter of an hour longer would involve unknown risks.
After a moment, he suddenly strode to the bed, took out a thin silver chain from his bag, and grabbed Chu Qingluan's wrist.
"Just in case." A trace of determination flashed in Qi Che's eyes. He tied one end of the silver chain to the bedpost and clasped the other end around Chu Qingluan's wrist.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back."
Chu Qingluan's eyes were extremely cold, and her phoenix eyes examined him without blinking.
"Qi Che, you'd better pray that you can fall into my hands alive."
There seemed to be a struggle in Qi Che's eyes, but more of it was a paranoia that could not be questioned. He turned around, grabbed the water bag in the corner, and rushed downstairs.
However, just after Qi Che left, the door of the next room opened, and Amur strode out and went straight to the room where Chu Qingluan was.
Seeing that Qi Che had left, Chu Qingluan was left here alone, but was locked with a thin chain. She couldn't help but frown.
He took a step forward, stood in front of Chu Qingluan, and asked in a not-so-standard Da Chu dialect:
"I have done what you said. Next, you should tell me where have you seen this pattern before?"
As Amur spoke, he suddenly tore open the collar of his shirt, revealing the tattoo on his chest.
It was a totem of a gray wolf howling at the moon, with its head raised toward the sky and a crescent moon grasped under its sharp claws - Chu Qingluan had seen it before in Concubine Jiang's palace.
It turned out that just half an hour ago, when Qi Che went downstairs to call the waiter to bring some wine, she saw through the half-open door that a drunk man stumbled into Amur in the corridor.
The drunk man tore open Amur's collar in a panic, and the tattoo was unexpectedly exposed under the light.
The guard Batu was about to draw his sword, but was stopped by Amur's eyes. The drunkard realized that something was wrong and apologized.
Amur simply straightened his clothes and turned away.
But that fleeting glimpse was enough for Chu Qingluan to recognize that the pattern was exactly the same as the one on the wolf-head jade pendant that Concubine Jiang treasured.
"Can you tell me now?"
Amur pointed at the tattoo on his chest, his amber eyes fixed on Chu Qingluan: "What do you mean by 'Cang Wolf's Oath' when you said it in the Western Regions language?"
Chu Qingluan raised her wrist lightly, "Since you have come this far, why not finish the good deed?"
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