Sitting in the carriage of the Marquis of Wuqing's residence, He Yunxiao couldn't help but mock Nan Zhu's wife.
Even though he had received professional training, he couldn't help himself.
In the enclosed space of the carriage, Meng Qingrou and He Yunxiao sat facing each other, behaving as if nothing were amiss.
Seeing He Yunxiao trying to hold back his laughter, Meng Qingrou said angrily, "Stop laughing. I was just a little nervous. If it happened again, I definitely wouldn't do it like this."
He Yunxiao suppressed a laugh and said, "Nan Zhu, cough cough, is this really Nan Zhu's first time leaving the palace?"
Meng Qingrou proudly said, "Of course not. When Nanzhu was a child, she went to the ancestral mausoleum with her mother to pay respects. She also went hunting in the mountains of Jingcheng and to Qingyuan to escape the summer heat."
He Yunxiao secretly calculated that since she remembered so clearly, she had probably only gone out three times, and all of those were when Nanzhu was a child, when her mother was still alive. Nanzhu is seventeen years old now, which means... good heavens, she hasn't actually gone out at all!
He Yunxiao remained silent, waiting to see Nan Zhu's wife's reaction when the carriage arrived in the bustling city.
Meng Qingrou was sitting quietly in the car, but when she heard a commotion outside, she became somewhat uneasy.
Her big eyes blinked frequently with curiosity, and she kept changing her sitting posture. Sometimes she would put her hands on her lap, sometimes she would put them in front of her chest and swing her drooping hair, and sometimes she would stop playing with her hair and instead use her fingertips to touch the silk cushions on the carriage.
He Yunxiao found it amusing, so he deliberately said, "Nanzhu, I got up early this morning, so I'll sleep for a while. Wake me up when the carriage stops."
"Um."
He Yunxiao rested his chin on his hand, pretending to be asleep, but actually kept his eyes open with a slit, staring at his wife, Nanzhu.
Seeing that He Yunxiao was asleep, Meng Qingrou was initially hesitant to move. Then, she tilted her head and carefully examined He Yunxiao. She realized that he was indeed asleep.
At first, she simply twisted her neck, looking around the carriage from all directions, but then she became bolder. Afraid that He Yunxiao would discover her, she quietly shifted her position, moving to various parts of the carriage to look around. She even touched things that piqued her curiosity, not content with just looking.
The noise outside the carriage gradually grew louder and louder.
Some of the words even sounded as if they were coming from behind or beside Meng Qingrou.
Meng Qingrou had never seen these things before and was very curious. She sat in her original position and, after confirming that He Yunxiao was not awake, quietly twisted her waist, turned around, and lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.
Her pretty face was pressed against the carriage wall, her big eyes peeking out from a small crack to observe the outside world.
Her first impression of the outside world was how bright it was!
It felt like being directly in front of the sun, so bright I couldn't open my eyes.
However, her beautiful eyes quickly adapted to the change in light intensity, and the scenery outside gradually became clear.
The ground of Yinjingcheng was made of large, worn-white stones. These stones stood side by side, each with very small gaps between them. In some places, the stones were cracked, creating larger fissures filled with soil. In places where people didn't often walk, small green grass would grow from these cracks. They were very small, very short, and rather cute.
Then there were houses lined up along the roadside, some tall, some short, some made of stone, some made of wood, one after another, passing by the car as if there was no end in sight.
There were also people walking along the roadside. Most were men, with a few women and children. They wore simple clothes made of linen, without many patterns, but they looked quite sturdy.
Occasionally, there are some beautifully dressed girls who are smiling happily.
Meng Qingrou leaned against the window, looking at everything outside, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips. She felt this kind of life was wonderful; everyone seemed so energetic and happy.
He Yunxiao was so engrossed in looking at his wife, Nan Zhu, that he decided to stop pretending to be asleep and openly stare at her.
You lean against the window looking at the street scene, while the person showing you the street scene looks at you from inside the car.
Looking into Nan Zhu's smiling eyes, He Yunxiao knew she was very happy. It was just a pity she was wearing a veil, obscuring her entire face. Otherwise, He Yunxiao believed that Nan Zhu, naturally radiating joy at this moment, would be at her most beautiful.
Damn veil, it's fine to keep out villains, but why is it also keeping out a gentleman like me?
Upon seeing the veil, He Yunxiao suddenly realized that it would be good to cover Nan Zhu's face when taking her out, but he also needed to create a new identity for her so that when calling her, he couldn't keep calling her Nan Zhu, could he?
Otherwise, what if I run into someone I know? Wouldn't that give me away right away?
He Yunxiao called softly, "Nan Zhu? Nan Zhu, stop looking."
Hearing He Yunxiao's voice, Meng Qingrou's small hand trembled. She turned around and, seeing that he was already awake, hurriedly said, "I, this, is just..."
"Okay, Namjoo, listen to me first."
"oh."
Meng Qingrou secretly glanced at He Yunxiao's face. Seeing that he looked normal, she knew that he hadn't noticed her strange behavior just now, and she felt relieved.
“Nan Zhu, we ran away secretly. Although I've put a veil on you to prevent others from recognizing you, I can't keep calling you Princess Nan Zhu, can I? That would give us away immediately. So I have to give you a fake identity, do you understand?”
"Um."
He Yunxiao continued, “We can’t walk openly on the street as unrelated men and women, so it’s best if we’re relatives. My He family is small, with few relatives, and even fewer relatives who have daughters, so it’s not easy to impersonate someone else. On the other hand, my mother and aunt’s maternal family, the Zhang family of the Duke of Dingguo, is large and prosperous, with many descendants and a complicated family relationship. You can take the surname Zhang.”
Meng Qingrou asked, "Is it the 'Zhang' from General Zhang Xian?"
"Um."
Meng Qingrou happily said, "Okay, then Nan Zhu will be surnamed 'Zhang'."
He Yunxiao laughed and said, "Nan Zhu can have any surname, as long as Nan Zhu's child takes my surname."
You filthy scoundrel!
Although she wore a veil, He Yunxiao had seen Nanzhu blush many times. Now, he could automatically picture what his wife Nanzhu looked like just by imagining it.
However, this was not the time for jokes. He Yunxiao continued, "My mother's brother has a daughter who is about your age and has a similar name, 'Zhang Lingrou.' You can use her identity."
"Um."
"Now, I am Nanzhu's cousin, and Nanzhu is my cousin, understand?"
"Um."
He Yunxiao cleared his throat. The reason he deliberately chose the identity of "Zhang Lingrou" was actually because he had some selfish motives.
"Let's try calling each other now. Cough cough, Rou-mei? Rou-mei?"
Meng Qingrou blinked, stunned.
"Your Highness, don't just stand there! I'm calling my cousin, Zhang Lingrou. Answer her quickly, or you'll give yourself away. Little Rou?"
"Oh... um, um."
You can call me 'Brother Yunxiao' or 'Brother Xiao' as you like.
He Yunxiao urged expectantly, "Call it now!"
After holding it in for a long time, Meng Qingrou finally blinked her eyes and whispered shyly, "Yunxiao... brother."
hiss……
The affectionate nickname, coupled with Nanzhu's sweet yet shy voice...
I felt really good...
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