The next day, Shang Shaoyan was going to send Lin Jing to Shengjing. Qiao Xiuyu originally wanted to go with her, but Shang Shaoyan refused: "You've only been here for one day, aren't you tired? Just stay here. It's not like this is my only birthday. There will be many more opportunities in the future."
Qiao Xiuyu listened to Shang Shaoyan's advice and decided to stay in Shuzhou.
Bai Lu privately asked Shang Shaoyan, "Princess, no matter what, the Seventh Young Master is still a Northern Zhou person. Shouldn't we keep the glass factory a secret from him?"
Shang Shaoyan thought for a moment and said helplessly, "There's no need to bring it up deliberately, but there's no need to hide it either. If he asks, just say that Xu Xian read it in an ancient book and ask Xu Xian to deal with him."
So, after settling things with Xu Xian, Qiao Xiuyu stayed in Shuzhou.
As he was leaving, he looked at Lin Jing, who was elegant and aloof, and saw Shang Shaoyan chatting and laughing with her. He couldn't help but feel a little wronged.
Seeing this, Shang Shaoyan found it amusing and waved to Qiao Xiuyu, signaling him to come over.
She took Qiao Xiuyu's hand and said to Lin Jing, "This is my fiancé, his surname is Qiao, you can call him Seventh Master."
Lin Jing glanced at Qiao Xiuyu indifferently and nodded, saying, "Seventh Master."
Shang Shaoyan then looked at Qiao Xiuyu: "This is Doctor Lin, whose medical skills are superb. I am fortunate to have invited him to come to the capital with me to treat my brother. Whether he succeeds or not, he is a benefactor of my Zhenguo Duke's Mansion."
Qiao Xiuyu was no longer aggrieved. He solemnly bowed to Lin Jing and said, "He Yang's elder brother is my elder brother, and the benefactor of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is also my benefactor. I thank Doctor Lin for his kindness."
Shang Shaoyan: "..."
Qiao Xiuyu's serious expression looked silly, which made not only Shang Shaoyan want to laugh, but even the aloof Lin Jing couldn't help but smile.
Xu Xian watched from the side, as quiet as a chicken, not daring to utter a word—it was as if the sun had risen in the west that his master could actually be happy!
After saying goodbye, Shang Shaoyan made a promise to meet again in three months with Xu Xian, Tai Jian, Bai Lu, Cheng Chu and others who came to see him off. Then, under the gazes of the crowd, which were either surprised or ambiguous, he hugged Qiao Xiuyu before mounting his horse.
Qiao Xiuyu watched Shang Shaoyan's departing figure with reluctance, a sense of loss lingering on her delicate and beautiful face.
Seeing this, Xu Xian comforted him, saying, "Seventh Master, there's no need to be sad. The storybook I wrote has already been sold to a bookstore, and it will be printed and sold on a large scale in a few days. When that happens, you can buy a few copies and read them repeatedly to ease your longing."
At this moment, Qiao Xiuyu had no idea how much of a shock he would suffer later. Upon hearing this, he nodded in a good mood and said, "Thank you, Lord Xu."
Xu Xian smiled and said, "Seventh Master, you're too kind."
Bai Lu: "
She felt a little guilty and lagged behind by half a step, after all, she was the one who provided the material for the story.
...
Only Shang Shaoyan and Lin Jing were going back to the capital. Both of them were skilled in riding and archery, so there was no problem for them to ride back to the capital directly.
Shang Shaoyan originally wanted to travel slowly, fearing that Lin Jing would suffer – this divine doctor looked like a pampered (crossed out) and frail person, and if he got sick from exhaustion while traveling, who would treat Shang Yunlan? Besides, he was her benefactor, so she couldn't let him get tired.
However, for some reason, Lin Jing seemed even more anxious than her, and took the initiative to suggest that she should get to Shengjing as soon as possible. Shang Shaoyan suppressed the doubts in her heart and had no choice but to speed up.
Lin Jing had thought that a noble lady like Shang Shaoyan would probably need him to take good care of her, but to his surprise, Shang Shaoyan took care of him more. Whether it was encountering refugees or bandits blocking the road, or failing to reach the city and having to hunt and camp, Shang Shaoyan was able to solve all of these problems.
Lin Jing was initially a little embarrassed, wanting to help Shang Shaoyan, but after repeatedly making things worse, he realized that knowing to eat when he was hungry and to use an umbrella when it rained was the greatest help he could give Shang Shaoyan.
The two moved quickly and entered Hangzhou territory on the sixth day.
Lin Jing followed Shang Shaoyan into the city. The two of them hadn't had much rest for six days, so they found an inn to rest for a while.
Lin Jing was a germaphobe. He took a full half-hour bath and then had someone buy him a set of fine clothes before going to find Shang Shaoyan, who was reading a book.
"Princess, I need to buy some medicinal herbs later. I'll be back before dinner." Lin Jing leaned against the door and yawned. "Do you have any plans?"
Shang Shaoyan smiled and said, "I don't have any plans. I'm going to take a nap and then go for a stroll around the city."
Lin Jing nodded and then left.
As Shang Shaoyan closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep, she suddenly remembered that it was Xie Huayin, whom she had met in this inn.
Xie Huayin has a lot of problems. She couldn't have appeared in Hangzhou for no reason. When they saw her that night, she was dressed elegantly, not like she was in a hurry. But the next day she changed into a pair of short clothes that were easy to walk in, and disappeared again after following them for a day.
With this thought in mind, Shang Shaoyan found it hard to fall asleep. She got up and decided to take a walk around Hangzhou to see if she could find any clues.
Street vendors hawked their wares loudly, while a storyteller in a nearby teahouse told his tale with great enthusiasm; a few elegant ladies strolled by in twos and threes, their faces half-hidden behind round fans, chatting and laughing…
Suddenly, Shang Shaoyan stopped and stared straight at a bridge.
The bridge looked like an ordinary stone bridge, with the delicate and exquisite features unique to the Jiangnan region; some red silk ribbons for blessings or love locks for praying for marriage were hung on it, and there were a few jade pendants, which should have been hung up by some wealthy and powerful people who lived extravagantly.
The jade pendants were well protected, hanging on red silk with the owner's surname written on it. When the wind blew, the other red silks fluttered gently, but the jade pendants hung steadily by the bridge.
Shang Shaoyan raised an eyebrow and looked at each piece one by one.
The lotus jade pendant of Shen's Third Sister, the gourd jade pendant of Li's Fourth Brother, and the goldfish jade pendant of Yan's Eldest Sister.
Shang Shaoyan paused for a moment in front of the goldfish jade pendant, and upon discovering that it was indeed Yan Xuening's handwriting, he couldn't help but chuckle before continuing to examine it.
Chen, Zhang, Mo...
She only stopped walking when the red silk with the words "Second Sister Xie" appeared in front of Shang Shaoyan.
Shang Shaoyan pinched the red silk and found that there should have been a jade pendant on it, but it had been forcibly torn off, leaving many rough edges.
"Just as I thought." Shang Shaoyan muttered to himself, then suddenly smiled. "Truly worthy of being Teacher Xie."
It seems that Xie Huayin's identity is not as she thought; she is not Qiao Xiuyu's aunt who was lost among the common people at all.
Shang Shaoyan had doubts from the moment Xie Huayin said that this world was a book she had read.
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