Encounter again
As Mei Sheng left Congwu Town, she took one last look at the town. It was a pity; the town was too small, and she couldn't find tea oil or other items needed for waterproof makeup at the cosmetics shops.
The caravan was long. Although Mei Sheng was of ordinary status, she was not a servant of the Su family, so she was given a simple carriage.
Sitting in the inner room, she was dressed warmly and didn't feel cold at all.
When the caravan stopped to rest, Mei Sheng pinched the curtain of the carriage, which was being held back by a small table, and peeked out from behind a corner.
A thin child stood outside, his face red from the cold.
"Hey, kid, come up here and warm up." Mei Sheng waved to him, but the woman next to the child hurriedly pulled the child behind her and said, "Young man, thank you, we'll be warm walking here."
After saying that, the woman gave Mei Sheng a stiff smile.
Mei Sheng changed the subject and explained, "I have a job, would you like to help me? There's a reward."
As she spoke, she seemed to have caught a gust of cold wind in her mouth and coughed a few times.
My throat still hasn't gotten better.
Upon hearing this, the woman happily pulled the child into the carriage and asked with a smile, "Young man, what kind of work is it?"
“My clothes are torn, and I don’t know how to sew.” Mei Sheng pointed to a piece of clothing in the wooden box, which had a large tear in it.
The woman's eyes lit up: "Young man, you've come to the right person. My skills are among the best in our caravan. Besides, what man would know how to sew? These are things women do."
Mei Sheng said nothing, just smiled, poured them a cup of hot tea, and then teased the children with candy.
A moment later, Mei Sheng subtly inquired about the caravan's guards: "Auntie, where have you always recruited the caravan's guards? These guys look very imposing. I want my family to choose guards like them in the future."
Seeing Mei Sheng smiling innocently, the woman said in a low voice, "What's going on? Where would our Su family get so much spare money? These guards were brought by another young master."
"Oh? You're the same as me. Should I go say hello?"
The woman's expression immediately changed: "No, no, no, young man, that guard is fierce, he might hurt you."
Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng nodded, seemingly frightened, and did not mention the matter again.
She suddenly remembered the group of people she had met before getting on the bus, when she went to express her gratitude to Su Ningwan.
Unlike ordinary guards.
As for her voice, Mei Sheng had already prepared a reason to explain to Su Ningwan on the spot, but he seemed to be in a hurry and was absent-minded, so he probably didn't hear clearly.
Fortunately, his throat was only half recovered, and his voice sounded quite different from before.
Leaving the jurisdiction of Wu County, one would inevitably pass through a well-prepared defense line.
"Arrest this man!"
A chain was fastened to the kneeling man, demonstrating the swiftness and ruthlessness of the action.
They actually caught a prisoner from the imperial court on the spot.
Today, the defenses are exceptionally tight, several times tighter than when we left the city.
"Stop, dismount for routine inspection." The armored guard slightly blocked the caravan with his left hand, and the caravan stopped immediately.
As the person in charge of the caravan, Su Ningwan hurriedly got off the car, covered his sleeve and pretended to hand over a bag of silver, cupping his hands and smiling, "Please check it, sir."
Unexpectedly, the garrison soldiers, having lost their silver, shouted, "What is the punishment for disrupting military affairs?"
In an instant, the knife was pressed against Su Ningwan's neck, and the situation became critical.
"Investigate thoroughly!"
Mei Sheng loosened the curtain in his hand, and subconsciously touched the travel permit in his sleeve again. Since he was able to pass through the city gate last time, he figured this time...
Just then, the garrison shouted, "Interrogate the travel permit matter carefully!"
The heavy footsteps scattered, indicating that they had split up to investigate.
Why does your voice sound different?
"Sir, that's right, I'm just sick, cough cough..."
"Guards, arrest her." The shackles were put on, and the woman nearby was taken away by the soldiers.
The speed at which they arrested him sent a chill down Mei Sheng's spine. In the dead of winter, she finally felt the bone-chilling cold.
What to do, what to do?
Just as Mei Sheng was in a state of confusion, a voice rang out, startling the soldiers into quickly surrounding a carriage inside the caravan.
Seeing the footsteps fade into the distance, Mei Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from her palms with a handkerchief.
"I was kidnapped by him, sirs, please save me."
The woman's voice was hoarse, and she seemed weak and easily bullied.
Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng paused.
"Come down!" The garrison's voice was stern and imposing, but upon closer listening, a hint of joy was also hidden within it.
A voice suddenly came from the center of the caravan, low and soft, and Mei Sheng couldn't quite make out what it was saying. But after a while, the voice of the soldier disappeared, and the carriage started moving instead.
what happened!
When it was Mei Sheng's turn to check her travel permit, she noticed that the guard was distracted. He glanced at her permit and compared it to her appearance before waving her away.
What was originally a difficult matter has now been inexplicably resolved. Mei Sheng looked up, lost in thought.
No matter what happens, she will never turn back from her own path.
The carriages traveled leisurely, heading towards the distance.
The guard behind him said, "Sir, this is an order from above. Will there be any trouble if we just let them pass?"
The garrison commander said in a deep voice, "You're still young and don't understand. We little people are just ants that big shots can crush at will. If we hadn't let them leave, we would have lost our lives."
"What if the higher-ups find out?"
"At most it's dereliction of duty. Hurry up and report to your superiors that Commander Lu from Yanjing has just left Wu County."
"yes!"
The caravan traveled on the official road, and there were not many obstacles along the way. Although it was not as fast as by water, it was very safe.
The guards surrounding them were skilled and powerful; if any foolish bandits dared to approach, they would be no match for them.
Mei Sheng's mind flashed with images of the swords and knives in the hands of the caravan guards, and their cold indifference as they killed, and a sense of unease crept into her heart.
She had intended to use the Anning caravan to travel to Anhe County, but now that something was amiss with the caravan, she had to leave quickly.
At night, after eating a bowl of mixed meat dishes brought by the woman, Mei Sheng closed her eyes to rest.
"Help! Help!"
The sobbing sound came from a distance in front of me, faint and gradually fading away.
Mei Sheng looked at the child tugging at her clothes and coaxed, "Put my clothes down first."
The child huddled in the corner and shook his head at her: "Big brother, I'm cold."
Mei Sheng comforted him, covered him with another blanket, and then closed her eyes as well.
Upon hearing the first cry for help, Mei Sheng privately inquired about the matter with Su Ningwan, but he was helpless.
The caravan now belongs to someone else.
During the day, the caravan traveled normally until nightfall when they could rest. After a few more days, the caravan moved faster and faster, and the caravan had less and less time to rest.
Moreover, caravans never traveled near towns or through densely populated areas.
Mei Sheng could only follow suit and couldn't break free for the time being.
One day, while everyone in the caravan was eating, Mei Sheng went out for a while and saw a small puddle from a slightly higher place.
For several days in a row, Mei Sheng had not washed her face and was feeling very uncomfortable.
The water from her palms flowed down to her wrists, and to her dismay, some color bleeds off. This discovery filled Mei Sheng with worry.
Even the most waterproof makeup should fade after a few days.
"What are you doing?"
A voice suddenly appeared behind her, startling her so much that she immediately hid her wrist behind her back.
Turning around, Mei Sheng's pupils contracted slightly, and he hurriedly lowered his head: "I am just a passenger following the caravan."
"Everyone is eating, what are you doing here?" Lu Lan narrowed his eyes, and the swordsman beside him slowly drew his sword. As soon as the sword was drawn, a cold light flashed.
Mei Sheng's mind raced, and she said, "I saw this puddle in the distance and wanted to wash my face. If this young master doesn't believe me, he can ask Brother Su."
After saying that, she clutched the clothes on her arm and took a step back.
"That's enough! Are you going to kill someone again?"
The questioning voice came from the woman next to the man opposite, revealing her deep resentment.
Bai Qi turned and left, saying, "I don't want to wash my face anymore."
Lu Lan followed, completely disregarding Mei Sheng. The swordsman accompanied Mei Sheng to Su Ningwan to verify her identity before letting her leave.
Another night passed, and this time, the sound of the carriage finally ceased, as if some wish had been fulfilled.
The caravan's provisions were all dry rations, and no matter how much dry rations they had, they would eventually run out.
Upon reaching the edge of a small town, a man finally emerged from the unassuming carriage. It was the same man they had seen in the puddle that day. He left some men to guard the area before riding into the town.
"Keep an eye on people."
The guards bowed and watched them leave.
Mei Sheng thought for a moment, then asked the ladies in the caravan what kind of rouge and face powder they needed, and then asked the maid who often got on and off the carriage: "Miss, I'm going to town, could you please bring me some rouge?"
Although Mei Sheng was a man, he still had a sensitivity to color, so the rouge and face powder he chose were exactly what the young girls in the caravan wanted.
"Okay, thank you, young man," the maid replied with a smile.
Which girl doesn't love to look pretty?
"What about the other girl in the carriage?" Just then, Bai Qi lifted the carriage curtain and glanced coldly at Mei Sheng.
Before Mei Sheng could get closer to ask, someone approached her.
Bai Qi glanced at the man and sneered, "What, the dog's going to turn on the world just because the master isn't here?"
The black-clad swordsman said quickly, "Miss, this man is probably up to no good."
"Who gives you the right to speak to me? Get out!"
Bai Qi cursed a few times in a foul tone, venting her anger, before casually saying to Mei Sheng just as she was about to leave, "Could you bring me one too? Thanks."
Mei Sheng agreed and quickened her pace into the town.
"Boss, some, please..."
After bringing Bai Qi a box of rouge that complemented her skin tone, Mei Sheng mixed in some tea oil she had previously used and gave it to her maid before returning to her carriage.
That night, Lu Lan returned on horseback with his men and asked bluntly, "Did someone give you some rouge?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Qi, who was sitting in front of the bronze mirror, turned his head. The rouge in his mouth was on her lips, making Bai Qi look more radiant: "Does the rouge look good?"
Lu Lan stared straight ahead and said, "It's not good-looking."
"The person is even more attractive."
Lu Lan stepped forward, lifted Bai Qi's chin, and kissed her domineeringly.
This time, Bai Qi pushed him away forcefully again and responded strongly: "I believe you that someone else is behind my maternal grandmother's family case. But you are not allowed to touch me until my maternal grandmother's family case is cleared up."
Lu Lan licked her lips, forcing a smile: "If you trust me, of course I'm willing."
After Bai Qi fell asleep, he went outside the carriage and asked the man, "Has Rouge been examined?"
"Checked, no foreign objects were found."
"Find an opportunity to kill that brat." He narrowed his eyes, his face grim, and gave the order to the maid.
Upon hearing this, the maid was taken aback and replied slowly, "Miss said she would go to thank him tomorrow."
Lu Lan stared at the maid without saying a word, the scars on her face appearing like ghosts in the night.
"Never mind." Lu Lan turned and left.
The maid knelt down and performed the full kowtow.
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