Chapter 8: Human Flesh.
With those burdens gone, their travel speed immediately increased, and they arrived in Chenzhou in just three or four days.
This time, Qin Lie deviated from his usual practice and did not travel solely along the official road. Instead, he took the route through Chenzhou Prefecture and sent someone to inform its governor in advance.
When the princess arrived, Chen Yu, the governor of Chenzhou, not only personally greeted her at the city gate, but also hosted a welcoming banquet that evening, where he and his wife entertained the princess and her consort.
Chen Yu was over forty years old. His grandfather and Qin Lie's great-grandfather were from the same hometown. At the end of the previous dynasty, they accompanied Emperor Taizu in conquering the country. Later, when the country was settled, Emperor Taizu promoted civil officials and suppressed military generals. General Qin volunteered to guard the border, while Chen Yu's grandfather was sent to Chenzhou by Emperor Taizu.
Chenzhou is a long and narrow place, bordering seven other prefectures: Xiang, Qing, Yong, Jun, Heng, Xu, and Jun. Nearly half of its area is mountainous and forested, and it was occupied by bandits for many years. When Chen Yu's grandfather came here, although it was not a remote place, it was a poor village.
Now, with three generations of family running the business, they are not exactly wealthy, but they can be described as living in peace and contentment.
Chen Yu was quite talkative. He first told Qin Lie about his grandfather's past, and then talked about how the Xiongnu army had pressed in, and how the situation was so critical. Fortunately, the Qin family of Jizhou stepped forward to save the people from disaster. Finally, he lamented that his grandfather had also ridden into battle, but he himself had lost his martial arts skills. He truly envied Qin Lie, the heroic son of a military family.
The flattery was so pleasing to the eye.
Madam Chen was a woman of quiet refinement, not one for many words. She treated Lingyi and Zhen Shi with utmost courtesy, even appearing somewhat awkward.
However, their youngest son, Chen Zhaoming, although he seemed to be listening attentively to his father, had already set his heart on Lingyi. He would steal glances at her every now and then while drinking, and then blush for quite a while.
After a while, even Chen Yu noticed and glared at him without making a sound, but his silly son was just beginning to experience the stirrings of first love and was oblivious to his old father.
Chen Yu could only pray in secret that the princess and her husband would not discover the great disrespect his son had committed.
Fortunately, the princess sat calmly opposite them, displaying her imperial bearing, and did not glance in their direction.
As for the prince consort... it's unclear whether he didn't notice or didn't care, but his expression remained unchanged.
The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely, and the atmosphere was harmonious and joyful. Lingyi hadn't eaten such fresh dishes for many days, and since they weren't leaving until noon tomorrow, she could eat to her heart's content today.
After enjoying her meal with elegant grace, she recalled her earlier doubts and asked Madam Chen, "On the way here, I saw a kind of tree in Chenzhou that had only a bare trunk and no leaves or bark. I have never heard of it in the palace. I wonder if it is unique to Chenzhou?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but when a princess speaks, others naturally listen attentively.
For a moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
In the silence, only Chen Zhaoming answered in detail: "Those are not tree species unique to Chenzhou. It's just that the bark and leaves have been eaten and gnawed clean."
Lingyi became even more curious: "What? Is tree bark edible?"
Qin Hong scoffed, "The princess, living in luxury, naturally wouldn't know this. When people are starving, they'll eat anything, let alone tree bark and grass roots..."
"Qin Hong!" Qin Lie coldly stopped him from continuing.
Lingyi felt she had said something wrong, but no one could tell her exactly what she had done wrong.
Looking around, she saw that Madam Chen, Madam Zhen, and even the palace servants serving her all avoided her gaze, leaving her full of doubts.
Back in her room, Lingyi asked about Granny Zhao again.
Granny Zhao sighed, "You are a princess, living a life of luxury, but it has nothing to do with you. Why bother asking about those things?"
"Good nanny, please tell me!" Lingyi coaxed her, "Even if you don't tell me, I will secretly inquire, and someone will eventually tell me."
Helpless, Granny Zhao could only give a vague answer: "What could it be? It's nothing but filthy stuff."
"filthy stuff?" It was nothing more than those kinds of things. Lingyi felt nauseous just thinking about it and lost all interest in asking any further questions.
Just then, the palace servants brought hot water. These days, we've been staying at the post station, a place where we can only do a simple wash. It's been a long time since we've had a proper bath, and we always feel dirty.
Upon seeing the bathtub with floating flower petals, Lingyi immediately changed her mind and happily took a relaxing bath.
While taking a bath, Lingyi was still wondering if Qin Lie would come tonight. After all, compared to the post station, this place was much more convenient.
Therefore, she deliberately had Mingzhu take out the pills given to her by the Fifteenth Princess from the chest, which was seen by Zhao Mama, who then fooled her by saying they were a secret medicine for maintaining the skin.
It's only because her skin is truly flawless that people could be so easily fooled.
Moreover, Zhao Mama could never have imagined that a married woman would take contraceptives. Even if she could have imagined it, she would never have expected that Lingyi, a princess from the deep palace, would have such a thing in her possession.
There were still more than half of the pills left in the bottle, which put Lingyi at ease. She placed the bottle under her pillow and lay flat on the bed. She thought of Qin Lie's unfamiliar and cold attitude last time and wondered whether she wanted him to come or not.
He didn't come that night.
He came over to discuss matters after breakfast the next day.
Lingyi didn't understand, "Why are you reducing the size of the carriage again? You even have to give up my imperial carriage?"
Qin Lie explained, "Further ahead is Bingzhou. Governor Chen specifically instructed that since the disaster, a White Lotus Goddess has repeatedly displayed her supernatural powers in Bingzhou, and many people have followed her. The government offices in Bingzhou have become virtually useless. If outsiders who do not believe in the religion are discovered by them, their lives will be in danger unless they are forced to join the religion and practice with them."
"We need to detour through Qingzhou. Qingzhou is mountainous and forested, making it inconvenient for the princess's carriage to travel there. Moreover, there are many bandits there, all of them desperate criminals. We need to disguise ourselves as ordinary people returning home to visit relatives in order to pass through."
Lingyi was unwilling, but she remembered that last time, she had cried and only managed to save four people. If she asked for help again this time, she would lose all face as a princess. So she had no choice but to nod.
Although she nodded, she was still unhappy, especially once they set off. The ordinary carriage was bumping along the mountain road, making her feel like her bones were about to fall apart, which made her even angrier.
Until they encountered the first wave of bandits.
Lingyi had only ever heard of bandits in stories after leaving the palace. When she heard someone blocking her way, she secretly peeked out from behind the sedan curtain.
But the bandits were not as described in the stories, with "full beards" and "evil eyes," nor did they carry "golden-ringed broadswords" or "wolf-toothed beacon clubs." They were just a group of thin, sallow-faced men, women, and children, dressed in patched coarse cloth clothes, holding wooden sticks and standing by the roadblocks made of stones and tree stumps.
Following the rules of the underworld, Qin Hong took out some items and placed them on the ground some distance away. After saying a few words, the people moved the roadblocks and let them pass.
Lingyi, curious, asked Qiu Min, who was guarding her carriage, "What did you give them?"
Qiu Min said, "A dozen taels of silver, plus some food."
Lingyi exclaimed in surprise: "They robbed and looted, and this is all they wanted?"
Qiu Min explained, "These are just refugees who were forced to go up the mountain to become bandits. They only want to fill their stomachs. If we give them too much, it will easily arouse their greed and make them take risks."
Lingyi pouted: "If I had known that these bandits were so easy to deal with, I would have prepared more silver. Why would I have bothered changing to this sedan chair?"
Qiu Min said, "That's not the case. These are just some insignificant vagrants. If the princess's imperial carriage enters the mountains, I'm afraid some powerful bandits will respond. Moreover, the vagrants we just saw may have been a way to lower our guard, and there's no guarantee that there will be powerful bandits later. They were forced to accept the 'toll money' because they didn't want to cause trouble, under pressure from the prince consort's aura. If they see the princess's imperial carriage, the temptation of money will tempt them, and they might come out in full force, fighting to the death."
Hearing him say this, Lingyi couldn't help but lift the carriage curtain and look at the front of the procession.
Previously, there were hundreds of people in the convoy, and she was surrounded in the middle, with a great distance between them. Now there were only a few dozen people left, and she spotted Qin Lie at a glance.
He changed out of his light armor and into a black cotton outfit, with only his wrists and waist bound by leather, and sat steadily on his horse.
A general on a warhorse, no matter how he disguises himself, his very back view exudes an imposing aura, and coupled with his cold face, he is even more formidable.
Even without warhorses, this man was not easy to get close to. It was only after Lingyi had been married to him for a few days and was no longer so afraid that she discovered he was actually a very handsome man.
Qin Hong spurred his horse and trotted a few steps to catch up with Qin Lie. He leaned over and spoke mysteriously. Qin Lie thought something was up and listened intently, only to hear him whisper, "Third Brother, the little princess is peeking at you!"
Qin Lie, who had been riding horses since he was three, swayed slightly, looking at his cousin in disbelief. "I told you to keep an eye out for ambushes in the surrounding mountains and forests. What were you watching for?"
Qin Hong is innocent; it's not like he's the only one who's been paying attention!
Previously, the princess rode in a phoenix palanquin, always wearing a veiled hat and cloak, and was surrounded by palace servants. She also ate in her own room and did not have contact with outsiders.
Now, disguised as an ordinary citizen, I sit in the hall of the post station at noon and eat with everyone.
As soon as the veil was removed, a collective gasp filled the air.
Qin Hong was willing to bet that none of the guards and servants had eaten their fill at noon!
Normally, the food is devoured in three bites when it's served, but surprisingly, there was still quite a bit left when we left at noon.
Beauty is alluring! Beauty is truly alluring!
He certainly wouldn't covet his sister-in-law, not even by pretending to be a "snow-covered exclusive".
But he couldn't resist being spied on. He had just sensed something was wrong with the person next to him, who kept glancing back, so he turned around and caught the little princess peeking at him!
The man who was being spied on had a cold expression: "If you travel even faster, we'll be out of Qingzhou in ten days!"
"Third Brother!" Qin Hong was shocked. Qingzhou was not large, but it was full of mountains and forests. They were with the princess and their second sister-in-law, and there were bandits blocking their way. The original plan to leave in twelve days was already a bit difficult, let alone ten days.
Qin Lie ignored him, lightly spurred his horse forward.
In just a few days, Lingyi encountered no fewer than ten groups of bandits, and her initial curiosity turned into numbness.
Most of the bandits would pass if given some silver. However, he had encountered a couple of fools who were too clever for their own good. After Qin Hong kicked one or two of them away, they naturally learned to behave themselves. Not only did they not receive any silver, but they also had to respectfully see them off.
She had even gotten somewhat used to the daytime jostling, but lying in bed at night felt strange; her body ached all over as she touched the mattress. Plus, since they were disguised as commoners, they couldn't stay in the standard rooms at the inn. The standard rooms were even more cramped and narrow, with terrible soundproofing; the guards' snoring constantly drifted over, and she could only manage to fall asleep by completely burying herself under the covers.
The only thing they adapted to well was the food they ate on the road.
Last time, with the number of carriages reduced, she was left with only two imperial chefs; this time, she had none left. As a commoner, she couldn't let everyone at the post station go hungry, so she had to prepare food for them first. If she didn't "do as the Romans do," she would only have the option of going hungry.
At first, the food was really hard to swallow, but when she thought of Chen Zhaoming saying that the bark and leaves of the trees in Chenzhou had been eaten by refugees, Lingyi felt a complicated feeling in her heart and forced herself to eat a few more bites. Gradually, she began to appreciate the deliciousness of the wild vegetables in the mountains, and she could eat half a bowl of rice with them, more than she usually ate when she ate imperial meals.
On this day, Lingyi was extremely thirsty in the carriage. She had now roughly figured out the travel and stopping times. Usually, they should have stopped at the post station by this time, but today it was already dark outside, and they were still on their way.
Qiu Min told her not to worry. The two post stations had just been either empty or destroyed. The prince consort had ordered that if they couldn't find a place to stay at the next post station, they should find a place to camp.
Lingyi was unaware that the post stations not only provided lodging and food for travelers, but were also important hubs for the imperial court to transmit information and documents.
The post station is blocked; something terrible must have happened here.
But she could hear the heaviness and worry in Qiu Min's tone.
Fortunately, after traveling for a short while, they turned a corner and saw the brightly lit post station ahead.
Unlike the imperial carriage, this carriage could not hold tea and snacks without spilling. Lingyi was already thirsty and hungry, and looked out the window with great anticipation.
She wasn't the only one who was thirsty and hungry; the guards traveling along the way were in the same boat. Just then, a mountain breeze blew by, carrying the aroma of meat from the post station, which instantly invigorated everyone.
Since arriving in Qingzhou, apart from the dried meat they brought with them, they hadn't seen any meat at the post station. They had considered hunting wild game in the mountains, but the bandits had already hunted it all down. After finishing their dried meat, they were all like rabbits, eating nothing but vegetables and radishes. The mere smell of meat made everyone drool and grind their teeth!
Qin Lie's face darkened, and he not only ordered them not to enter the post station, but also told them to hurry up and continue their journey.
There was only one road between the two mountain inns. The aroma of meat became more and more enticing as they went further. When they passed the inns, the hungry guards in the escort group hesitated for a moment, but when they saw that all the prince consort's guards walked past quickly without looking at them, they could not say anything and could only do as they were told.
Only Lingyi was so hungry she was practically drooling, staring longingly outside.
Outside the post station, on the open ground, several dozen people had set up two large pots, with flames blazing beneath them, and a rich aroma of meat wafting from them.
She looked up at the pot again, wondering what kind of meat smelled so good that she had never tasted it before.
The roaring fire in the stove was stirred by the night wind, and she could only vaguely see the white meat and soup inside. It wasn't until the carriage passed by another pot that she saw a pale human hand hanging outside that pot.
"Ah—" The exclamation stopped abruptly. Granny Zhao covered her mouth tightly and didn't dare to let go until they were quite a distance away.
As soon as she let go, Lingyi bent over and vomited.
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