Chapter 38 Come to Pick You Up
Early the next morning, Han Guilan accompanied Huang Jinfeng to deal with the remaining goods. According to Zhu Yuhuan's "bundled sales", they bundled the goods that were difficult to take home with several pieces of plain cloth that Zhu Yuhuan had asked the government for, and sold them all. Surprisingly, they were all sold.
However, Huang Jinfeng still had some ropes that she had used to pull the goods here, which were left at the resting place, so the two of them returned to their residence and happened to meet other people.
Last night, Huang Jinfeng used the excuse of meeting a fellow villager and did not return to his fellow villager's residence. He did not return home all night, and some of his fellow villagers were worried and some ridiculed him.
Seeing Huang Jinfeng return, some people came up to ask about her well-being, while others couldn't help but sneer and murmur, "She hasn't come back all night. Could it be..."
Han Guilan heard it all clearly and coldly scolded, "What are you talking about? My young lady invited Madam Huang to be her mistress. Do you have the right to talk nonsense and fabricate rumors here?"
She had an extraordinary demeanor during the past few years in the palace, and her attire was obviously not like that of an ordinary citizen. With her eyebrows raised and her words spoken in a stern tone, those who were originally whispering immediately stopped talking, but they all felt puzzled in their hearts.
Huang Jinfeng is an illiterate person. Which wealthy family would invite such a person to be the guru of their daughter?
Someone was kind enough to pull Huang Jinfeng's sleeve and whisper to her, "You're a woman out there, and your husband isn't here. Don't let anyone cheat you..."
Huang Jinfeng didn't care about other people's gossip. She just shook her head and said, "I'll go with her. This young lady lives in the government office, which is not a place that anyone can go."
Her voice was not loud, but everyone present heard the word "government office" clearly. They were stunned and did not dare to say anything.
Huang Jinfeng said nothing more upon seeing this. She packed up her things quickly and said goodbye to her fellow villagers.
Zhu Yuhuan specifically told the two in advance that they could set off back to Kuanhewei after packing up. The convoy had already been ready to go, waiting for the two to return.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at the door, they saw Zhu Yuhuan, who had just reined in her horse and had not yet dismounted. She was wearing a reed-yellow square-collared bodice with dove-grey jacquard skirt with dark patterns on both sides. She looked heroic and radiant, making people feel a little dazed.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at the two of them and jokingly said, "How is it? Am I not late?"
Han Guilan caught a glimpse of the goose-feather knife hanging on the saddle, then leaned forward to look into the distance. Sure enough, she saw Xu Gong driving a carriage in the distance. The other party had finally caught up with Zhu Yuhuan, and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his head with his sleeve. He didn't look tired, but more like he was scared.
Zhu Yuhuan dismounted swiftly and said with a smile, "I was afraid you might have brought too much stuff, so I asked Xu Gong to drive the carriage over."
Xu Gong got off the carriage and bowed to Huang Jinfeng, saying, "Madam Huang, please get in."
The people inside had heard the noise outside a long time ago and came out to watch the excitement. They saw a young lady dressed as a noble lady, leading a horse and talking to Huang Jinfeng at the door, and there was a carriage beside her. Only then did they realize that what Huang Jinfeng said was true, and she really had met a noble person.
Huang Jinfeng and Han Guilan had said before they set out that they didn't have much to bring, so how could Zhu Yuhuan have forgotten? She also saw that Zhu Yuhuan had changed his simple attire and even brought a carriage, as if he was here to "support her."
Zhu Yuhuan reached out and lifted Huang Jinfeng's arm, smiling and saying, "Master's wife, please."
At first, she just wanted Huang Jinfeng to go and come back quickly, but then she thought, Huang Jinfeng had not returned all night, and it would not be a grand ceremony for her to go back. It would be bad if some rumors were spread, so she took Xu Gong's horse and asked him to drive the carriage to pick her up together.
Xu Gong was originally unwilling to do so, but Zhu Yuhuan threatened him that if he didn't give her a horse, she would drive the carriage herself. How could she let the princess drive the carriage herself?
Helpless, Xu Gong could only follow obediently.
Huang Jinfeng felt uneasy, but she pretended to be calm and got on the carriage.
Zhu Yuhuan looked back at Huang Jinfeng's fellow villagers and said with a smile, "Thank you all for your care. My family's convoy is here, so I'll take Master's wife back to Kuanhewei first."
Everyone had never seen such a spectacle before and was stunned. It wasn't until the group left that someone started muttering, "This scene is even more impressive than that stingy guy in our village. That horse alone is worth a fortune... That outsider from the Li family has truly met a distinguished guest."
"I don't think so. What kind of woman from a wealthy family would show up in public every day? Don't be fooled."
"Being cheated? Didn't you see the knife she was holding? It was a goose-feather knife, a sword only officials could use..."
As the group walked a short distance, Huang Jinfeng couldn't help but stick her head out and said to Han Guilan, "Madam Han, how can I ride in a carriage?"
Han Guilan, who was sitting outside the carriage, turned around and said with a smile, "Walking is too slow. Taking a carriage is faster. We have to hurry back to the team, otherwise we won't be able to leave today."
Huang Jinfeng didn't dare to say anything more after Han Guilan said this, and could only remain in the carriage feeling uneasy. She had been working so hard for so long that no matter how frightened she was, she gradually fell asleep under the swaying carriage.
Strangely enough, the carriage looked ordinary from the outside, but it was actually very comfortably furnished inside, and sitting on it did not feel at all the bumpy ride she had experienced when she rode in the donkey cart of her fellow villager.
Liu Yongcheng had calculated the time long ago. As soon as the official market ended, Liu Yongcheng's letter was delivered, urging Zhu Yuhuan to return to Kuanhewei quickly and not to stay at the border for too long. After all, it was almost time for the autumn harvest, and who knew if there would be Tartars disturbing the border. Naturally, they could not stay outside the border for long. If something happened to the princess, they would be held responsible.
Therefore, Zhu Yuhuan did not delay any longer. He asked people to pack up their things early, picked up Huang Jinfeng, and headed directly south.
Huang Jinfeng slept very deeply. When she opened her eyes, she found that the carriage was pitch black. She was startled and secretly hated herself for sleeping so soundly. She lifted the curtain again and saw that there was a torch outside. Only then did she muster up the courage to lift the curtain and get out.
Huang Jinfeng hadn't noticed anything on the bus yet, but she was even more shocked when she got out. She was surrounded by soldiers, clad in dark blue armor, standing guard in a solemn manner. The soldiers didn't try to stop her, but they all stared at her intently, as if she had done something wrong.
Even though Huang Jinfeng had once fled south with her family and seen the Tartars killing people, she was still shocked by such a scene.
Her first reaction was naturally that the Tartars were invading, which was why so many soldiers came. But seeing that they were so quiet and did not seem to be fighting back, she wondered if this young lady had done something wrong, which was why she was surrounded by so many soldiers.
Fortunately, Han Guilan was the first to notice her. She quickly walked over, holding Huang Jinfeng with one hand, and smiled at her, "Madam Huang, are you awake? Dinner is ready, come quickly."
Huang Jinfeng's body softened, and she leaned against her and whispered, "What the hell is going on?"
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