On the official road leading to Kaifeng Prefecture, a large group of people walked along. In the middle of the procession, in a carriage, sat the Second Prince Hongshi and his concubine Linlang.
The journey was not pleasant. Since it hadn't rained for a long time, the official road was covered in dust. As a prince, Hongshi had never suffered before, and he complained constantly along the way.
"Why is there so much dust on this road? It's like a muddy swamp!" Hongshi couldn't help but complain.
Hongshi believed he would become emperor, but now he was being sent to impoverished rural areas to provide disaster relief, which made him very uncomfortable. Although it was his own choice to go, Hongshi didn't truly want to serve the people.
Along the way, seeing many disaster victims, Prince Hongshi, instead of feeling pity, felt disgust.
As he was complaining in his heart, a slender, delicate hand held a grape to his lips.
The owner of the hand was dressed in a lake-blue dress, with lightly drawn eyebrows, a touch of rouge, and a dotted almond-shaped mouth. Her black hair was loosely tied up, and there were a few gold ornaments in her hair, but instead of looking tacky, she appeared elegant.
Her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, her lips were like red apricots, her hair was as black as ink, and her eyes were like water. No wonder Hongshi doted on her so much.
"Your Highness, please have something to eat!" Linlang said with a charming smile.
Hongshi held Linlang in his arms and took a bite of a grape. He had grown increasingly fond of this concubine lately, and even took her with him when he was ordered to provide disaster relief.
He let Linlang rest her head on his lap, stroked her back, and said, "This journey has been so arduous. If you hadn't been with me, I would have been so bored!"
Linlang said sweetly, "His Majesty values Prince Bei, and it is my blessing to be able to accompany Prince Bei. I am very happy to be able to relieve Prince Bei's worries."
Despite this, her gaze was filled with disdain, and deep down she looked down on this pampered prince.
After hearing Linlang's words, Hongshi's resentment dissipated somewhat, since he was going to provide disaster relief this time in order to gain merit in front of his father, the Emperor.
Linlang thought to herself, "If it weren't for the Eighth Prince sending me, who would want to accompany you! You can't even endure hardship, yet you want to be the emperor!" Remembering what the Eighth Prince had told her, Linlang became even more attentive to Hongshi, making him even happier.
This woman was not as docile and approachable as she appeared. Not only was she calm and composed, but she also spoke and acted flawlessly, and her meticulousness and thoughtfulness were astonishing.
As the two were enjoying their time together in the carriage, they heard a guard outside say, "Your Highness, we are about to arrive in Anyang City."
The days of travel had taken a toll on Hongshi, and he immediately ordered that once they reached Anyang City, they should find an inn. All he wanted now was to take a good bath and rest on a soft bed for a while.
So, the group stopped at the best inn in Anyang City. This huge entourage stunned the people of Anyang City, who all stood on the perimeter, eager to see what the current Second Prince looked like.
The carriage stopped, and the eunuch who was driving got off first, squatting on the ground to stand on his tiptoes. Hongshi got off the carriage, looked at the people around him, frowned unhappily, and then went straight into the inn.
The innkeeper bowed to him, but he ignored him.
In Hongshi's mind, these ordinary people were insignificant, and he was not on the same level as them. After booking the best room in the inn, Hongshi immediately had someone bring him a basin of water so he could finally take a bath.
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