Everyone was like parched people who had been walking in the desert for too long, and suddenly they saw an oasis, and they all rejoiced at the same time.
Shen Mingzhuang was also overjoyed. As soon as he arrived at the post station, he had two tables of good food prepared for him.
These days, you can't just eat beef indiscriminately, but there's plenty of mutton. As soon as they got to the door, they could smell the aroma of mutton and bone broth being simmered at the post station. This made Shen Mingzhuang and his group, who had been eating dry rations for days and whose mouths were so bland, swallow hard.
Benyue Lingfeng took out his waist token and said, "The inn cannot accept any more guests tonight."
Upon seeing the waist token, the shopkeeper glanced upstairs. Ling Feng, noticing the shopkeeper's hesitation, frowned and asked, "What is it? Is there something you want to say?"
The innkeeper was startled by the booming voice and shook his head repeatedly, "No, how could that be? Gentlemen, please come upstairs. Fine wine and food will be served immediately."
Seeing this, Benyue added, "No need for fine wine, just bring out the good food."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang hesitated for a moment, then turned around and instructed the shopkeeper: "Serve a pot of plain porridge first, then serve the best dishes."
Benyue Lingfeng and the others were dumbfounded. Why would they eat plain porridge if they didn't have two bowls of meat soup and vegetables at this time? Was the Empress trying to save money?
Everyone had some complaints, but He Wenqing explained with a smile, "Young Master is doing this for your own good. We haven't eaten anything oily or greasy these past few days, and we don't have anything mild to eat to line our stomachs. If we eat those oily and greasy things directly, you'll know how bad it is tomorrow."
It turns out it was for their health.
Everyone felt a little embarrassed. Looking at Benyue Lingfeng scratching his head with an awkward smile, Shen Mingzhuang suddenly found them rather cute. After serving as imperial guards for so many years, their hands must have been stained with a lot of blood, yet they could still show such expressions, which showed that their innocence had not been extinguished.
Shen Mingzhuang was exhausted and felt sticky and uncomfortable, so she asked someone to fetch water and bring it upstairs. She chose a private room and planned to wash up before going downstairs. After the past two days, her hair was full of sand and dirt, and she was disgusted with herself if she didn't wash it.
Upon hearing this, Benyue Lingfeng dropped the pancake in his hand and was about to get up to guard her. Shen Mingzhuang knew that everyone was tired, so he wouldn't let them follow him. He smiled and glared at the two of them, saying, "Which of you can beat me? Go and rest, don't bother."
Although these words were somewhat hurtful, they were also the truth. Benyue and Lingfeng looked at each other, chuckled twice, and dared not insist any further.
That's true. There's no point in them following along. The Empress might not even want them to come. They might even cause trouble for her. Anyway, the post station is only so small. If anything happens, they'll definitely be able to find out in time.
Seeing that the two were no longer insisting, Shen Mingzhuang turned around, closed the door, and went inside.
Seeing the clean bedding, Shen Mingzhuang just wanted to lie down and get a good night's sleep, but she was covered in dirt and since she was going to sleep there that night, she didn't dare to lie down directly.
Fortunately, the woman who tended the fire at the inn quickly brought water upstairs.
She asked for a bathtub, which took eight or nine tubs of water to fill.
The old woman, having received instructions from the shopkeeper, knew that this group of people had connections in the capital and dared not offend them. However, when she turned her head and saw that the young master was so elegant and handsome, she was dumbfounded and remained stunned for a long time before she came back to her senses.
Shen Mingzhuang didn't feel uncomfortable about it. Everyone loves beauty, and this old woman probably just thought she was pretty, which is why she looked at her a few more times. She didn't blame her for it.
Seeing that she was easy to talk to, the old woman smiled and asked her, carrying the empty bucket, "Young master, are you from the capital?"
Shen Mingzhuang nodded faintly without saying a word, and the old woman laughed again: "The capital is good, right under the emperor's nose. My granddaughter works as an embroiderer in the capital."
So that's why he's curious about everything in the capital, he thought with a smile, relieved. He remained silent.
The old woman didn't seem to care. She gestured toward the earthen wall beside her and said in a low voice, "Don't blame me for being nosy, but it's rare to see such a handsome young man at the post station. There's one living next door too. What a dashing young man! You rarely see one like him on ordinary days, but these past few days there have been one after another."
Seeing Shen Mingzhuang frown slightly, she thought that her words had displeased the handsome young man, so she dared not say anything more and immediately shut her mouth, smiling apologetically, "Then this old woman will not disturb the young master's bath. Please be careful, it is windy here at night, so don't open the windows too wide, or you will catch a cold."
Hearing these words of concern, Shen Mingzhuang snapped out of his reverie, smiled at the old woman, who responded with a couple of "Ah," then turned and left, closing the door behind her.
Shen Mingzhuang bolted the door, feeling a little strange.
Weizhou isn't exactly a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Most of the people walking along this road are business people coming and going from the north and south. What are you handsome young men doing here?
However, thinking that this matter had little to do with her, Shen Mingzhuang shook her head, too lazy to think about it anymore. She went to the bathtub behind the bamboo screen, tested the water temperature, and found it to be just right. Only then did she take off her clothes and wash off the dust on her body before stepping into the bathtub.
Soaking in warm water, surrounded by steam, was a very relaxing experience. Shen Mingzhuang took out a white flatbread from his spatial storage, took two bites, and swallowed it to tide him over.
After finishing the pancake, she finally felt some strength back in her body and no longer felt like she couldn't get out of the water.
But then a gust of wind blew in, and she couldn't help but frown. Why was there such a strong smell of blood in the wind?
The energy she had accumulated over the past few days immediately energized Shen Mingzhuang. She carefully sniffed the air and confirmed that it was indeed the scent of the wind blowing in from outside.
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