Chapter 101 Farewell to the Caravan: One More Person
Anhe felt it was absurd.
"Me, petty?"
Zhao Liangxu continued, "Yes, before I could even explain why I met with him, Eunuch An started making petty speculations. He guessed what I did to make you angry just by listening to what others said, without even hearing me say it myself. Eunuch An didn't even see it with his own eyes, so how could he be so sure?"
Zhao Liangxu crossed her arms and looked at An He with a accusing expression.
Anhe didn't actually believe anything based on the spy's words. He trusted Zhao Liangxu more than the spy's few words.
However, Zhao Liangxu's vague answers only fueled his speculation.
Anhe's lips were taut as he slowly said, "Our family doesn't have..." with certainty.
But I did make some wild guesses just now.
He paused, then said, "Then tell me properly, why did you go to the teahouse with him? What important matter was it that you were discussing in such a quiet place?"
Zhao Liangxu pursed her lips, no longer trying to hide anything, and told An He everything in detail.
An He initially listened patiently, putting on a serious expression for Zhao Liangxu, implying that he wasn't that angry. He believed that as long as Zhao Liangxu told him the truth, he would naturally believe her.
Anhe frowned more and more as he listened. How dare Zhou Feng, that shameless bastard, make such a request?
An He's face grew even more somber. Zhao Liangxu, seeing this, knew that he was angry again because of Zhou Feng, so she comforted him instead.
"...Eunuch An, don't worry about these trivial matters now that you've heard this. Anyway, Zhou Feng has never been up to any good, as you've always known. It's not worth getting upset about these things for another night."
"You've even managed to fool our family. Come here."
An He was somewhat moved by Zhao Liangxu's words.
She should have been the one angry, because she was the one who was more unreasonable, and she almost lost her temper just now.
Zhao Liangxu was a little closer to Anhe.
An He himself didn't know why he asked Zhao Liangxu to come closer, so he simply touched her cheeks and ears, then reached for her hands and wrapped them in his own.
“You should be angry about this. Even the most good-tempered person wouldn’t act like this. You should have told us about this disgusting thing immediately. If we can’t kill him, don’t we have other ways? You don’t seem like the kind of person who doesn’t seek revenge. If you couldn’t find a way to do it yourself, then just tell us.”
Anhe continued, "Also, my family... you're right, my family is petty and prone to making wild guesses when we hear nonsense. But my family is also easily swayed. If you say a few nice things to my family, we can let it go. Don't try to make my family angry all the time."
“But it was Eunuch An who asked me first. I realized something was wrong and that’s when I understood. If I didn’t understand, wouldn’t I have been led astray by Eunuch An’s probing? Eunuch An said it wasn’t Chunyi and Xiayi who told you, so who was it?”
Anhe recalled the trembling eunuch's appearance, how he couldn't trace the clues properly and only caused him trouble!
Anhe secretly noted this down, planning to settle the score with him tomorrow.
“He’s an incompetent subordinate. He went to investigate the female guards around Zhao Chengxin, but he couldn’t find them. Instead, he saw a tiny trace of you and came to tell us nonsense.”
Zhao Liangxu caught the name Zhao Chengxin. She looked at the papers on the table and asked, "Has Eunuch An made any progress in his investigation recently?"
"There's only a little bit of news, but it'll be soon."
An He snorted and said, "His female guard must be quite capable. Zhao Chengxin himself is still under surveillance, but somehow the female guard managed to escape right under his nose."
"Once we deal with them, you won't have to be so constrained by Zhao Chengxin. At least there will be less criticism in the court."
*
For almost half a month, Zhou Feng's side was very quiet. Apart from Lu Xuan asking her for news after their chance encounter, no one from Zhou Feng had any contact with Zhao Liangxu.
It seemed that Zhou Feng had only given Lu Xuan this task because of the gift-giving, and after being rejected, he had a change of heart and stopped getting involved.
When the day came for the caravan to leave the capital, Zhao Liangxu specially wore light clothes and got up early to look for Azhar and the others.
She had already arranged with Anhe to see Azhar off for a while outside the city. Since she hadn't seen much of the scenery outside the capital, she decided to treat this as a simple outing. A day trip would be too rushed, so she decided to rest at the post station for one night and return to the city the next day.
Anhe then directly instructed Chun and the other person to openly follow Zhao Liangxu and protect her safety.
"Remember to come back early, and don't let your mind wander."
Anhe said quietly, with a hint of inexplicable worry.
He was genuinely afraid that Zhao Liangxu might not return once she left the city, or that she might see some unfamiliar sights and decide to venture further afield, or perhaps she might simply decide to leave Southern Zhou with Azar...
Anhe remembered that Zhao Liangxu was particularly fascinated by new and interesting things. Her heart was naturally drawn to the outside world. The small countries and dynasties outside of Southern Zhou all had their own customs and characteristics. It was hard to say whether Zhao Liangxu would become interested and run away in a flash.
These are all Anhe's old problems: being sensitive and overthinking.
He was used to thinking this way, so he didn't tell Zhao Liangxu.
Anhe silently suppressed these burgeoning thoughts.
Upon seeing Zhao Liangxu, Hazard immediately invited her to get into the carriage.
She had met all the members of the caravan and was quite familiar with them.
However, the Persian caravan that arrived in Southern Zhou had these same people, but when they returned, there was one more person in their caravan.
Zhao Liangxu met someone who was both unexpected and yet perfectly logical.
"Is Princess Zhao here to see us off? We're being treated very well."
The other person's voice had an upward inflection, which was her usual way of speaking. When facing guests, she was always charming and coquettish.
This time, however, there was less of that sweetness in her voice and more of genuine joy.
"Yu Yan, are you going to leave with them?" Zhao Liangxu asked.
Yu Yan no longer wore that red dance dress that exposed a lot of skin, but she still loved red. She wore a flowing and beautiful crimson dress, like a fiery red wind.
Upon closer examination, it makes sense.
Hazard met Yu Yan at the banquet, and the two got along quite well during the event.
"Perhaps this is also my lucky encounter? After all, I helped Xiao Liu back then, and God is happy to grant me some good days. It was Hazar who gave me some gold jewelry. I never expected it to be so valuable. After I pawned it at the shop, I was not only able to redeem myself, but I also still have a lot of spare money."
Yu Yan smiled and said, "I never thought that at my age, I could still go out and see the world."
Knowing Hazard's personality, if she and Yu Yan were having a pleasant conversation, Hazard would inevitably take off a piece of gold jewelry from her arm or somewhere else and then enthusiastically give it to her.
Yu Yan chatted with Zhao Liangxu for a few words before going to help the rest of the caravan arrange the goods.
Wearing that wide-sleeved dress, she truly looked like she was walking on air.
Inside the carriage, the incense, a specialty of Hazar's hometown, burned, and the interior decoration was full of exotic flair.
Azar told her husband, Bena, to go outside and drive the carriage. Chun and the other two sat on the edge of the carriage outside, keeping watch. The rest of the caravan members had their own carriages. Most of the caravan members were very greedy and were happily counting their spoils from the past few months in Nanzhou, very affectionately embracing their treasures.
"Don't let Hassan's appearance fool you; he's got a taste for small, exquisite trinkets. The jewelry Bena and I wear were all personally selected and appraised by him. Right now, he's probably flipping through his two boxes, counting all these gold and silver ornaments." Azar took advantage of the caravan's absence to chat with Zhao Liangxu, secretly badmouthing them.
"It's a pity. I thought that Xu Zhi would feel more attached to her father's hometown after coming to Nan Zhou, but it seems that she still prefers our caravan."
As Hazard spoke, he took it upon himself to review the trip, recounting his experiences at Southern Weekly.
"Everyone has gained a lot, but I think I have two particularly unique gains. The first is that I have become friends with you."
Hazard said with a smile.
"As for the second one..."
Zhao Liangxu continued, "So Yu Yan became a member of the caravan, right? She's very happy, and you're happy too."
A distinctive carriage was traveling through the capital. As people admired the carvings on the carriage, they suddenly heard a burst of hearty laughter coming from inside.
It swayed along with the wooden pendant hanging on the car.
Hazar laughed so hard he almost shook inside the carriage: "You always seem to know what I'm going to say. I think you'd be a perfect fit for our caravan."
"But unfortunately, you'll have to stay with your Ninth Prince."
Hazar pondered, "He's a servant of the emperor, he probably doesn't even leave the capital. Are you going to live with him in the capital all the time? Won't it be boring?"
The carriage left the city and slowly departed the capital along the official road.
Zhao Liangxu peeked out and saw the city gate gradually shrink and become blurry in her field of vision.
"That's not necessarily true."
"So you want to leave him? I've heard that eunuchs are even more stubborn than ordinary men. Do you think he'll let you go?" Azar thought it was impossible for Zhao Liangxu to stay in the capital forever.
As Zhao Liangxu watched the wind outside the car blow and the trees gradually grow denser, the greenery reflected in her eyes also increased.
“Him? Of course not.” Zhao Liangxu repeated, “Of course he won’t let me go.”
Hazard asked in confusion, "Then..."
“But I can go out with him. His Majesty could send him to another place to oversee things for a while, or on some other important trip. That would be an opportunity, and besides…”
Azar's face went from puzzled to suddenly realizing: "Oh right, anyway, he's the Ninth Prince. I heard he can influence the emperor's thoughts. It's really amazing that your Southern Zhou can still live so peacefully and be so rich."
She believed that a country ruled by eunuchs was essentially doomed.
But after trading with Nan Zhou, she discovered that Nan Zhou was still very wealthy and did not seem like it would perish in a few years.
If Zhao Liangxu hadn't been familiar with Hazard's way of speaking, she would have even thought that Hazard's words were sarcastic.
"Go on, and what?"
Hazard also wanted to hear what methods she had to go to the outskirts of the capital with Anhe.
Zhao Liangxu remained silent.
While Hazard was scratching his head in frustration, Zhao Liangxu remained silent.
Hazard said helplessly, "Well, life is always full of regrets, and not knowing everything is also a kind of beauty."
The two chatted in the carriage for a while until Zhao Liangxu could see the shadow of the post station through the square window, and she knew that the journey was almost over.
Hazard said, "We're about to part ways, and I told you before that I had a special gift for you."
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Author's Note: The next chapter is a gift (shh!), opening the comments scared me again, hahaha.
I received so many nutrient solutions, comments, and even free tickets yesterday! Everyone was also celebrating with me for reaching 100 chapters, I'm so touched!
However, my previous estimate of twenty chapters was completely wrong. I still have a lot to write, lol. I should be able to write until at least the end of October.
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