Chapter 5 005 The Handsome and Ethereal Young Man
Six months later.
In the early spring of the twenty-first year of the Jiayou era.
The city gate of the capital.
As the wide bluestone road drew near, groups of two or three people, some in carriages and others on horseback, walked from the end of the road toward the towering city gate.
A very simple carriage followed the people entering the city and stopped outside the city gate. A black sign was hung on the carriage, which read "Lin".
"Whoa—"
Inside the carriage, the servant Nanfeng, dressed in blue cloth, looked around and saw that the line of people queuing to enter the city gate stretched as far as the eye could see, and they hadn't moved for a long time. He turned back to the carriage curtain with a blank expression and said, "Miss, there are many people in line. We'll have to wait."
"..."
Upon hearing the rustling sound, a slender fingertip lifted the curtain from inside the carriage, revealing a maid named Shiliu with her hair styled in double buns and wearing a long turquoise dress.
"We've finally arrived in the capital. This journey has been quite an ordeal."
"Sister Pomegranate, aren't you sitting comfortably in the car? I'm a great driver, and it's not bumpy at all, so why are you making things difficult?"
Shiliu pretended to pat him: "You're just bored, how dare you make fun of me."
The two playfully wrestled for a while, occasionally moving forward with the flow of people.
"Pomegranate, have we arrived in the capital?" A soft, pleasant voice came from inside the carriage.
Shiliu immediately stopped playing with Nanfeng and said with a smile, "Yes, miss, we've arrived at the city gate, but we still have to wait in line for the guards to verify our identities."
A moment later, the car was quiet.
Seeing this, Shiliu didn't ask any more questions. She sat quietly on the carriage frame and moved slowly with Nanfeng, following the flow of people.
Inside the carriage, two large trunks of luggage were piled up at the far end. Lin Wan, wearing a snow-white veil, sat leaning against the side, lazily lifting the window curtain. A cool breeze blew, and the veil fluttered, adding to her ethereal and otherworldly beauty.
The journey from south to north was bumpy and took almost a month.
Through the car window, what came into view was no longer the water town of Jiangnan, but an unfamiliar scene: mottled bricks and stones, towering city walls, and soldiers standing guard on the city walls, creating a solemn and desolate atmosphere.
Overhearing Shiliu and Nanfeng talking ahead, Lin Wan suddenly thought of Taohong, who was already married.
Before she came to the capital, Tao Hong, who was already married, wanted to come along, but because she was already a month pregnant, she couldn't bear to see Tao Hong suffer from the long journey, so Shi Liu went with her to the capital instead.
She raised her eyes and looked at the seemingly endless procession outside the carriage. Her expression was blank for a moment, and her father's words before parting echoed in her ears.
“Your maternal grandmother, who lives far away in the capital, fell seriously ill before the New Year and is now in poor health. She misses your mother very much, but your mother has been gone for many years.”
"I have summoned you to the capital this time in the hope that you can spend more time with your maternal grandmother. Your maternal grandmother holds a high position in the capital, so you must be careful with your words and actions. Remember not to be as willful as you were last year."
"If you still haven't met the young master Lu you've been longing for by next year's coming-of-age ceremony, then you should go home and prepare for your marriage. Your family will arrange everything properly for you."
"You are the eldest sister in the family, and there are two younger sisters who both look up to you. You should set a good example as the eldest sister."
Suddenly, a commotion broke out ahead, followed by a sudden stop of the carriage. Lin Wan was so startled that she lost her balance and nearly fell forward.
"How do you walk? Does anyone stop suddenly like that?"
A moment later, the carriage curtain was lifted.
Shiliu: "Girl, it's almost our turn. The guards are telling everyone in the carriage to get off so they can check their identities."
Lin Wan didn't say much. She reached out her hand and, with Shi Liu's help, got off the carriage and stood beside it.
The weather in Beijing is different from that in Jiangnan. It lacks the lingering mist and rain of the Jiangnan water towns. It is only early spring, and the occasional breeze does not bring much coolness.
Scattered among the bustling crowd, they gradually approached the city gate.
At this moment.
"Boom—"
Suddenly, the city gates swung open, and a military officer in black robes rode a tall horse to the front, followed closely by armored soldiers. They galloped out of the city and lined up on both sides of the road, setting aside the people entering and leaving the city gates. The guards at the city gates stopped to check and verify identities, and they all straightened their clothes and waited solemnly.
In an instant, the once bustling city gate fell silent for a long while.
At the end of the road, a group of soldiers in dark armor escorted a magnificent carriage as it approached from afar.
The crowd of people suddenly erupted in noise and commotion.
"Look, they're here!"
Wow—it's the Crown Prince!
The already crowded people suddenly surged forward, and in the pushing and shoving, Lin Wan's carriage was pushed to the outer edge.
Seeing such enthusiastic people for the first time, Shi Liu asked the old lady next to her, who was also squeezed out of the crowd, out of curiosity.
"Who is this young master? Why is he so popular?"
The old woman looked at the three of them with surprise: "Are you all from out of town?"
"Yes, this is my first time in the capital."
"No wonder," the old woman laughed. "In the capital, who doesn't know that the Emperor's most beloved Consort Shu has an exceptionally talented nephew? That man is the heir of the Prince of Xiangyang's mansion."
As soon as the conversation started, several people standing close together gathered around and began to chat.
"He's so young yet holds such a high-ranking position; I heard he's a very important official."
"Haha, I know that one. He's the Imperial Censor. My eldest brother works there as a gatekeeper, and I've seen him several times."
"Oh, kids don't even bother to think before they lie. Everyone knows that last year there was a flood in Jiangnan, and the young master was ordered to go and provide disaster relief. How could your older brother have seen him?"
"If you ask me, what's most concerning is that he's still unmarried. I wonder which noble lady in the capital will be lucky enough to marry him. I'm so envious!"
Lin Wan squeezed into the queue, watching the armored soldiers lined up to enter the city gate.
The chatter continued in my ears as the ornate carriage slowly approached from the front. A corner of the gilded curtain was lifted by the wind, slightly revealing a hand placed by the window. In the sunlight, the hand was slender and long with distinct joints, and the fine blue veins at the joints were particularly smooth and beautiful, making people want to take a second look.
The voices beside her made her withdraw her gaze, and she muttered under her breath, "Last year's floods in Jiangnan?"
She tilted her head slightly, gazing in the direction of Jiangnan, and remained silent.
The ornate carriage happened to pass in front of her.
At that moment, a warm breeze swept by, lifting Lin Wan's snow-white veil and revealing a pale pink magnolia-like face on her left cheek.
The ceremonial carriage passed over the queuing crowd and drove directly into the city gate. The warm breeze swept across the carriage, and the gilded curtains were lifted once again.
"Squeak—"
The sound of the carriage wheels rolling caused a slight jolt, and the young man, who had been dozing, slowly opened his eyes.
Through the curtain lifted by the wind, onlookers glimpsed the young man inside the car.
He was handsome and ethereal, exactly like the man who disappeared half a year ago. The only difference was that his cool eyes were not bound by silk ribbons or veils.
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