The sun had already risen, its brilliant rays shining upon the earth. After traveling for several days, Hongshi and his party arrived in Hebi, less than two hundred kilometers from Kaifeng. Hongshi sat idly in the carriage.
Suddenly, a guard outside the carriage reported, "Your Highness, someone is waiting for you at the city gate."
Hongshi found it strange. Although he had not concealed his whereabouts during this disaster relief effort, how did they know when he would arrive?
The carriage stopped at the city gate, and a man said, "Your humble servants, the magistrate and garrison commander of Hebi County, respectfully welcome the Second Prince!" After saying this, they knelt down and bowed.
Hongshi lifted the curtain and asked the kneeling man, "Who just said he was the magistrate of Hebi?"
The kneeling man took two steps forward and said, "My surname is Tong, and I am the magistrate of Hebi County."
Hongshi then asked, "How did you know that Prince Ben would arrive today?"
Magistrate Tong replied, "I received orders from the Eighth Prince, saying that Your Highness will arrive soon, and that you have had a long and arduous journey, so I must give you a proper welcome!"
Hongshi nodded and said, "Eighth Imperial Uncle is very kind!" After saying that, he lowered the curtain and let the carriage follow Magistrate Tong into the city.
It turned out that both Magistrate Tong and the local garrison commander Zhang were supporters of the Eighth Prince. Hongshi believed that the Eighth Prince was loyal and supported him, so he saw nothing wrong with revealing his whereabouts. On the contrary, he felt that the Eighth Prince cared about him and wanted him to get some rest.
Upon entering the city, Hongshi moved into a separate courtyard prepared for him by Magistrate Tong. After Linlang coaxed him to sleep, she went to find Magistrate Tong and revealed her identity.
Magistrate Tong cupped his hands to Linlang and said, "The Prince has instructed me that if the young lady has any requests, please tell me and I will do my best to fulfill them. If the young lady has any news, she can also give it to me and I will relay it back to the capital."
Linlang nodded: "I understand! We are both working for Eighth Master, so we must do our best!"
Magistrate Tong laughed and said, "Of course!"
After exchanging a few words, Linlang, fearing she would be discovered, returned to Hongshi's bedroom. When she got back, she found that Hongshi was indeed awake and asking the maid where she had been.
Linlang suppressed the disgust in her eyes, smiled, and walked into the room. She sat on the bed and said, "I was feeling bored earlier, so I went for a stroll in the courtyard." Then she took the handkerchief from the maid and wiped Hongshi's face.
Hongshi asked with his eyes closed, "Do you like it here?"
Linlang said, "I like it very much!"
"If you like it, then let's stay a few more days!"
Linlang stood up, tossed the handkerchief back into the basin in the maid's hand, walked to the table to pour tea for Hongshi, and then said unhurriedly, "Master, don't you still have to go to Kaifeng?"
Hongshi sighed, took a sip of tea, and said, "Kaifeng Prefecture isn't going anywhere, so arriving a few days later won't cause any problems. I really wish we were traveling together for leisure instead of having official business to attend to!"
Linlang replied, "Master, if you want us to have plenty of time to travel and enjoy the scenery in the future, I'm afraid you won't take Linlang with you then!"
“Master, how could I not take you! Master loves you the most!” Hongshi said, looking at Linlang.
Linlang pouted: "That's not necessarily true. If you see someone prettier than Linlang in the future, and someone you like more, then you won't pay any attention to Linlang!"
Hongshi pulled her close: "How could that be! No matter what kind of beauty you are, I will only ever love you."
Just as the two were laughing and talking, a voice came from outside: the magistrate of Hebi County was requesting an audience.
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