I was hugging a small pillow and leaning against it when the fragrance wafted in. I pinched my thigh and looked over pitifully.
"Ying'er~ If you keep looking at me like that, you can forget about getting out of the carriage."
"Just one skewer, smell it, it smells so good."
"Even if it's not tasty, you have to finish it. Don't throw it away!"
"I promise I won't lose it." How could I possibly lose such delicious roasted meat? Xie Yuancheng is just petty. I sometimes want to eat other things too.
In the end, Xie Yuancheng still bought me a string of skewers. He got off the carriage himself to buy them and even waved them around in front of me.
I snatched it and took a bite. The taste was so strange. It smelled so good, but it tasted so bad.
"Ying'er~ You promised not to throw up, you have to finish it." Xie Yuancheng leaned against the little cushion and looked at me. I almost burst into tears. Who was the idiot who invented this barbecue? Didn't they consider the taste buds of the diners?!
"I, I'll eat it!" I closed my eyes and took another bite. It was really awful. I'll never eat anything while smelling it again.
"Alright." Xie Yuancheng took the meat skewer, ate the other half, and then coughed a few times.
"My lord, some snacks and water." A young man handed in a small box of snacks and a water bag.
Xie Yuancheng first gave me a piece of pastry to tide me over, and then I drank a couple of sips of water, which helped to relieve the sour taste in my mouth.
"You should have some too. The owner of this barbecue restaurant doesn't know how to do business. How can he let customers eat this kind of meat?"
"They've been selling this kind of food for years. It's just that Ying'er doesn't know how to choose. Just because something smells good doesn't mean it tastes good."
"Yes, Yuancheng is still the most reliable~" I started praising him with my eyes closed. As long as Xie Yuancheng enjoyed it, I was happy to praise him too.
After I calmed down, I started to prop myself up with my hands and look outside. "It's the same here as before, only the people are different."
"Of course, it's not time for things to change for the people under my jurisdiction yet."
Xie Yuancheng had a particularly handsome smile. He hadn't changed at all over the years and didn't look like a father at all.
"Ying'er~" He came closer again, so I moved to the other side to sit down. Xie Yuancheng frowned and poked my hand with his fan.
"Don't move, or I'll get angry."
“Ying’er has turned her back on me many times, and I don’t hold it against her. Why are you still hiding it?”
Xie Yuancheng was lying against another soft cushion. I really wanted to kick him off, but I held back because of the dark circles under his eyes.
I obediently went over to massage Xie Yuancheng's shoulders, and he smiled smugly. I'll take it as compensation for him. Thankfully, Xie Yuancheng was there with us on this journey, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get back so smoothly.
Although he didn't say it, I could tell that my dear Marquis was very tired.
I was giving Xie Yuancheng a very thorough massage, and he was almost asleep when suddenly the carriage stopped abruptly. Luckily, I was leaning on Xie Yuancheng's shoulder, otherwise I would have rolled off and hit my head.
What's going on outside?
"My lord, a woman is blocking the carriage."
"A woman?" I immediately lifted the curtain to look, but I didn't recognize her and she wasn't as pretty as me, so it didn't affect my mood.
Xie Yuancheng followed behind me with a smile on his face. I turned around to look at him unhappily, and Xie Yuancheng whispered to me.
"Ying'er, she's a new recruit in her household."
"Newly hired?" I stared at him suspiciously. "Hired a woman to stop your car?"
Xie Yuancheng always goes fast. He'd grab me and start kissing me, and I'd blush instantly, completely unsure how to react.
When he let go of me, there was applause from the side, and I quickly burrowed into Xie Yuancheng's arms.
"Ying'er, you've made me doubt you."
"Really, tell them to stop clapping, I'm getting embarrassed."
I was really having a headache. I kept falling into their traps. Xie Yuancheng led me off the carriage, and that's when I realized that this woman was about thirty years old.
"Ying'er, this is Hongyu. If you need anything in Linyang, you can ask her for help."
Xie Yuancheng introduced us, and I immediately realized something was wrong: "Wait a minute, aren't we going to the capital soon? We won't be staying in Linyang for more than a few days."
"It's good to get to know each other beforehand."
Xie Yuancheng smiled without changing his expression. If he doesn't let me go back to see Yu'er and the others, I'll get angry with him.
"Madam, I've heard of you before, and seeing you today, you are just as I imagined."
Hongyu's voice is very gentle; you can tell she's a good person just by listening to it.
"Ying'er, go to the city with Hongyu. I need to see the shadowy figure your mother planted in Linyang."
Xie Yuancheng spoke in my ear, "You were just yelling at someone for stopping the carriage, and now you're leaving me behind so soon." The first time I came to Linyang, Consort Ji did indeed send me to deliver a letter.
But I never even met that person when the shopkeeper took it.
Xie Yuancheng actually left, leaving behind the carriage and Hongyu. When I turned around, he was nowhere to be seen. Hongyu smiled, pulled me into the carriage, and immediately ran ahead.
"Don't worry, Madam. The Marquis has just gone out on business and will be back soon."
"Hongyu, do you know what Yuancheng went to do?"
"I know," Hongyu smiled gently, "but I can't tell you."
"You guys have been around him for so long that you've been influenced by that bastard Xie Yuancheng. I should have known better than to go out with him."
"Today was an accident. I was supposed to stay hidden in the shadows, but someone was following you, so I had no choice but to come down."
"Is someone following us?" I was about to lift the curtain to look when Hongyu grabbed my hand and shook her head. I wouldn't look.
"Who is it?" I leaned closer and asked in a low voice. Hongyu just told me not to overthink it and that it would pass quickly.
I'm so curious. Why would someone follow the Marquis when he leaves his residence? The only people I can think of are the Crown Prince and the Second Prince; they're his two biggest rivals right now, and they provoke him all the time.
"Hongyu, let me ask you something. Is Xie Yuancheng going to arrange for me to stay in Linyang again?"
“This…” Hongyu started laughing again, “The Marquis didn’t say, so I don’t know either.”
I covered my face. They were all Xie Yuancheng's subordinates; it was no wonder they wouldn't tell me the truth. Bizhu was much more obedient. I'd ask her when we got back.
The carriage traveled for a while before stopping. Hongyu led me off the carriage, saying that she wanted to avoid being seen and would take me back via a shortcut.
"What? We've only been out for a short while, and we're already going back to the manor!" I was unhappy. I'd rather stay at the manor and play with Yan'er.
"Madam, things have come to a sudden end. The Marquis originally intended to take you for a walk outside the city, but recently some strange children have been coming to the city, and then refugees have arrived as well."
However, as far as we know, the border is very peaceful, and there have been no floods or natural disasters in Da Zhao. Their arrival is too suspicious.
Hongyu pulled me along quickly, and I suddenly thought of the children who relied on the charity of others for food. When I first saw her being lifted up, her feet dangling in the air, barefoot, I felt sorry for her, but later I was really annoyed by her.
I told Hongyu what happened, and she led me to hide in a small alley: "Where is that girl now? They must be organized and have a purpose."
I shook my head. I only heard Xie Yuancheng say that he couldn't stand being poor and ran away. He's only a few years old and he's so vain. I didn't care about what happened after that.
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