Chapter 33 He really didn't catch up...
Yunzhu and Ayan traveled non-stop for two hours before finally arriving at the county town closest to Yunzhou in Luozhou.
Because Yunzhu's appearance was too striking, Ayan changed into men's clothing along the way, while Yunzhu wore a veiled hat, and the two presented themselves as husband and wife.
After spending the night in Luozhou County, Yunzhu and Ayan were still not quite at ease, because this place was the closest county to Yunzhou. If the people from the Huan Prince's Mansion were to come looking for it, finding this county would not be difficult.
So while the two rested and washed up inside the house, they took turns guarding the door.
After Yunzhu finished washing up, Ayan took her place. Once Ayan had finished washing up as well, the two of them sat together on the bed, quietly observing the movements outside.
They didn't hear any sounds of pursuers until the dead of night, and only then did they finally feel completely relieved.
Ayan said, "Why don't you go to sleep first, Princess? I'll keep watch tonight, so don't worry."
Yunzhu sat cross-legged on the bed. Hearing Ayan's words, she silently reached out and took her hand.
A thin mist settled over her eyes. She knew in her heart that it would be best for her if the people from the Prince Huan's mansion didn't follow, but when she was sure that they really hadn't set off to chase after her, she still couldn't help but feel disappointed.
So Xiao Mingzhang really wasn't going to pursue her...
So he really wanted her to just disappear...
The bet that the Prince Huan's Mansion wouldn't catch up was actually part of Yunzhu's plan.
Since Xiao Mingzhang and his group were already planning to kill her, Yunzhu thought that if she were the person in charge of the Huan Prince's mansion, she would not have sent anyone to chase after her at this critical moment.
Instead of sending anyone to pursue them, they simply announced to the public that the Crown Princess of the Prince Huan's Mansion had passed away. For them, wouldn't that be the most time-saving and effortless way?
He's a smart person; he knows what to do.
But plans are plans, and premonitions are premonitions. When Yunzhu actually found that no one came up to chase after her, she still felt like her heart was being torn apart.
It was all fake. All the warmth and love she had believed in were actually fake...
The only sound outside was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
“Princess…” Seeing that Yunzhu didn’t speak, Ayan wanted to persuade her again, but then heard Yunzhu say, “It’s alright, I’m not sleepy. I’ll stay with you tonight.”
Ayan didn't say anything more. She took Yunzhu's hand in return and sat down with her on the bed in the inn.
To keep things light, Yunzhu only brought a few things with her when she left home: two sets of clothes to change into, three calligraphy templates that she had been practicing for more than half a year, some silver notes and gold, and a book that she hadn't finished reading...
Since she had nothing else to do at night, she took Ayan with her and started reading the book that she had always found very difficult.
They read very slowly, but as long as they were focused on their books, even the most difficult nights seemed to pass quickly.
Before we knew it, dawn had broken.
When the first rooster crowed outside, they got up and continued their journey to the city of Luozhou.
They traveled from Yunzhou to Luozhou, and only after reaching the actual city of Luozhou could they turn back to the Western Regions.
As she set off for Luozhou, Yunzhu couldn't help but look back once again.
Standing in front of the inn, Ayan seemed to finally sense a hint of her princess's reluctance. She wanted to scold Xiao Mingzhang and the Huan Prince's family, but after thinking it over, she decided against it.
Enough, enough. No matter how much she says, in the end only their princess will be hurt. It's better for her to keep quiet.
They traveled in silence, from Yunzhou to Luozhou, a journey that took three days. Whether it was luck or the Huan Prince's Mansion truly didn't send anyone to pursue them, they didn't encounter a single pursuer along the way.
They finally arrived in Luozhou City. Ayan breathed a sigh of relief and excitedly told Yunzhu, "Princess, we can finally go back to the grasslands!"
Yunzhu nodded.
Three days had passed, and she had completely accepted the fact that there might not be any pursuers. After all, if she could think of a solution, why wouldn't Xiao Mingzhang and Xiao Shao?
She looked at the city of Luozhou before her and took a deep breath.
According to Yunzhu's understanding of Luozhou, Luozhou is a more prosperous and interesting place than Yunzhou. This city was once known as the Eastern Capital hundreds of years ago, which shows how prosperous it was.
Yunzhu had intended to take a good stroll around, but perhaps because Luozhou had recently been affected by the drought in Qingzhou and Jeju, walking on the streets of Luozhou, Yunzhu could see the same situation as Yunzhou, with disaster victims everywhere.
"Go away!" Yunzhu and Ayan were leading their horses, looking for an inn to stay in when they looked up and saw an innkeeper chasing a five or six-year-old child out.
The child was dressed in patched clothes, unkempt and emaciated, with only his eyes clearly visible among his many features.
She had a steamed bun in her mouth, and even though she was chased away, she wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, she sat down and started eating it.
"Don't come here to steal our steamed buns again, understand?" The innkeeper stood with his hands on his hips, looking down at us and lecturing us. "If you want to eat steamed buns, you can have someone else steal them from you from time to time. What's the point of targeting our place? Do you know how many times you've scared away our guests these past few days?"
The child shook his head, clearly unaware.
The shop owner was helpless. He didn't intend to say anything more to the child and turned to go into the shop.
But his eyes were sharp, and the moment he turned his head, he saw Yunzhu and Ayan leading their horses and carrying bundles. His lips immediately curled up, and he bowed and scraped as he came forward to greet them, saying, "Esteemed guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"
Yunzhu and Ayan exchanged a glance, and Ayan then imitated the man's manner, saying, "My wife and I are passing through this area and plan to stay for a few days."
Upon hearing that they wanted to stay at the inn, the innkeeper's eyes practically lit up with a smile: "You've come to the right place! Inns are hard to find these days, but mine is the only one that's still available!"
"Hard to find?" Ayan asked. "Isn't Luozhou a big place? How come it's so hard to find an inn?"
"Oh, don't even mention it." Without waiting for a reply, the innkeeper took the reins from Yunzhu and pulled her towards his backyard. "Last year, Qingzhou and Jizhou suffered from a locust plague, and now they're facing a drought. There's nothing we can do, so people have all come here. There are refugees everywhere. The government says they'll settle them, but they don't have any decent ideas. They can only requisition the inns in the city to house these disaster victims."
"Using the inn as accommodation for disaster victims?" Yunzhu asked in surprise.
"Yes," the innkeeper replied.
That's quite a big deal.
Yunzhu sighed silently to herself, then asked, "Don't the innkeepers have any objections?"
"Yes!" the shopkeeper said. "But the government just doesn't want to build shelters for the disaster victims like the neighboring Yunzhou. What can we do? Anyone who has objections can go and stay at the government office for a few days, and then everyone will behave themselves."
"..."
The government office in Luozhou really does handle things in a simple and crude way.
Yunzhu pretended not to hear the innkeeper mention Yunzhou, and followed the innkeeper with Ayan, circling back from the backyard to the main hall.
As she passed through the lobby, she saw the child sitting on the stone steps of the inn again.
Oh no, to be precise, he was a little beggar.
Yunzhu then asked through the veil of her veil, "What's wrong with this child?"
"Oh, this little beggar?" The shopkeeper said casually. "She appeared about half a month ago and has been stealing things from my house several times. Every time, she would run over and snatch one as soon as I made fresh steamed buns for the customers. She seems to be from Qingzhou. I've never seen her parents, and I don't know if anyone is still at home."
"..."
It turned out to be another impoverished disaster victim. Yunzhu couldn't help but turn around and take another look at the little beggar.
Ayan started negotiating the price of accommodation with the owner and casually asked, "The inns over there have all started taking in disaster victims, so why is your inn still able to do business?"
The innkeeper chuckled awkwardly, "We can't really use all the inns to accommodate disaster victims. We have to reserve a few for travelers like you, can't we?"
"Does your family have any connections with the government offices in Luozhou?" Ayan asked again.
The innkeeper gave her an approving look, a hint of pride in his eyes and brows, and said, "An elder in my family works as a clerk in the Luozhou government office. Putting aside other things, keeping my inn from being polluted by disaster victims is a piece of cake."
"Disaster victims polluting?" Yunzhu disagreed with this statement. If given a choice, who would willingly leave their hometown, become displaced, and go to a place they've never been before, becoming a burden to others?
These people from Qingzhou and Jizhou are not only unlucky enough to encounter a drought that has not been seen for hundreds of years, but they are also looked down upon and their existence is considered a form of pollution.
She was about to speak up for the disaster victims when, just as she opened her mouth, she suddenly felt a churning in her stomach.
"Mmm..." Before she could make a sound, she immediately covered her mouth and bent down.
"My...my wife, what's wrong?" Ayan was startled and anxious, and immediately went to help her up.
Yunzhu covered her mouth and shook her head.
She didn't know what had happened to her just now; in a sudden instant, nausea welled up in her throat.
"Did you eat something bad?" the innkeeper asked with concern. "There's a clinic not far from here, and the doctor there is quite skilled. You can go and have a look if you need anything."
Yunzhu nodded and thanked the innkeeper for his guidance.
But she didn't think it was a big deal. It was just a sudden vomiting. Perhaps it was because she had been getting up early to travel for several days in a row and was too tired, so she felt a little unwell.
It should be fine after a good night's sleep.
After paying the room fee, Ayan helped Yunzhu upstairs to rest.
Before going upstairs, Yunzhu glanced back at the little beggar sitting at the door. Finally, she said to the innkeeper, "I want four dishes and a soup for lunch later. Tell her to stay, and I'll treat her to a meal with us."
She raised her head and pointed in the direction of the little beggar.
The innkeeper was astonished, unable to understand why anyone would be willing to treat a beggar to a meal. But since the guest was a god of wealth, he naturally had no choice but to comply with the guest's request.
Seeing that the boss was indeed going to the little beggar again, Yunzhu finally continued upstairs with Ayan.
She took a nap upstairs, and her body felt much better afterwards.
At noon, she and Ayan went downstairs again, where the little beggar was already waiting at the table, drooling over the dishes.
Yunzhu smiled and walked up to her.
She was about to speak, but the moment she opened her mouth, that familiar churning feeling in her stomach surged up again.
"Ugh..." Yunzhu didn't have time to cover her mouth this time, and she gagged, which was heard by everyone at the table.
The little beggar blinked her big almond-shaped eyes, looked at Yunzhu, then at Ayan beside her, and asked in a clear voice, "Are you pregnant?"
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Author's Note: Jewelry: He actually didn't chase after us! [Angry][Angry][Angry]
Persimmon: Not an inch less... [Heartbroken][Heartbroken][Heartbroken]
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