CHAPTER 124: CHAPTER 123 JIANGNAN TRIP 1

Well, with that settled, it became much more discreet.

Whether in the Capital City or Jiangnan, merchants were as common as hairs on an ox, all moving in caravans, with horses and carts stretching in lines. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

Zhao Junyao did not ride a horse but sat inside a horse-drawn carriage.

The reason was simple: many people in the Capital City had seen the Emperor, and he feared being recognized.

After all, this was an incognito visit.

As the journey was quite dull, Xia Ruqing was summoned to the imperial carriage.

As soon as she boarded, she was astonished by the opulence before her.

"Indeed, it’s spacious!"

"What?" Zhao Junyao didn’t respond immediately.

Xia Ruqing explained.

"That time, when we returned from the Heaven Worship ceremony, this servant was sitting in the smallest carriage at the very end, and I was so cramped I could barely fit my feet!"

Zhao Junyao looked at his own carriage and then said,

"This carriage of mine is, well, passable, I suppose!"

"Passable?" Xia Ruqing looked as if she’d heard the world’s biggest joke.

Your Majesty, what are you pretending for? This carriage is made of red sandalwood, and the fabrics are all tribute items; this is rare, and that is scarce. And you call this passable?

Zhao Junyao was a bit confused.

Why is the little girl looking at me with that expression all of a sudden? Did I say something wrong? This carriage, though it couldn’t compare with my Imperial Chariot, is indeed not bad. Fairly passable.

Seeing him like this, Xia Ruqing became even more speechless.

Forget it, let’s not talk about the carriage. After all, communication between people from two different social classes isn’t that easy, is it?

Xia Ruqing sat properly on the other side of Zhao Junyao. She lifted the carriage curtain, curiously looking outside.

She was just about to broach the topic of, "Your Majesty, you truly are a good Emperor, governing the Great Chu Dynasty so well," and flatter him,

when Zhao Junyao suddenly gazed at her with squinting eyes.

"Qingqing! You are very clever!"

Xia Ruqing suddenly turned her head, instinctively.

"Ah?" she exclaimed.

"Emperor... What do you mean by that?"

Her ridiculously slow reaction left Zhao Junyao somewhat speechless.

However, adhering to the idea that "if you are going to praise someone, praise them all the way," he continued to explain,

"About the matter of the Noble Consort being poisoned, you... were very clever!"

He was impressed. He was confident that there weren’t many women in the Harem brave enough to confront the Empress. And yet, she did. Moreover, she did it with reason and evidence, not aimlessly.

Xia Ruqing was stunned for a moment and finally understood what the Emperor was trying to say.

So, she quickly got on the same wavelength as the Emperor.

She coughed lightly twice and said with a smug smile,

"Your Majesty, I am not just clever, I am extremely clever!"

Zhao Junyao was utterly speechless. Stunned. A moment later, he was still stunned. This...

He watched the little girl’s face brimming with smugness and confidence, almost wanting to spit out his tea. He felt his chest and temples throb. This little girl! This little girl! He simply had no way of dealing with her!

After pondering for a while, Zhao Junyao decided to give up on ’curing’ her.

He looked at her with an ’as long as you’re happy’ gaze.

Then he leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes to rest.

Some people are just too formidable, he thought. If he continued this, he worried he’d end up with internal injuries from sheer frustration.

Seeing him like this, Xia Ruqing began to tease him.

"Your Majesty, why did you stop praising me? Tell me, how was I clever!"

Zhao Junyao grew somewhat impatient with her chatter, and he reached out with his large palm.

BANG!

Xia Ruqing’s head was forcibly pressed against his chest.

"Be quiet, I need to sleep for a while!"

With that, he closed his eyes.

Xia Ruqing just watched him, his stunning profile and impeccable facial features.

Her eyes instantly turned into little stars, sparkling brightly!

After she gazed for a while, a pair of large hands suddenly covered her eyes.

"Close your eyes!"

"Oh!"

The procession moved neither quickly nor slowly, with Consort Yun’s carriage positioned in the middle.

The carriages of Honored Lady Lan and Honored Lady Xi followed behind Consort Yun’s.

When Honored Lady Xi looked back and didn’t find Xia Ruqing’s carriage, she felt somewhat puzzled.

"Could it be that Elder Sister Xia is with Consort Yun?"

Honored Lady Lan seemed a bit flustered by the question. After some thought, she said,

"Maybe so!"

Honored Lady Xi nodded in response.

"Well, that’s good!"

Then, as if something had just dawned on her, she leaned in and whispered in Honored Lady Lan’s ear.

"Did you know? When I heard that Elder Sister Xia was accused of conspiring against the Noble Consort, I was scared to death!"

Honored Lady Lan turned pale upon hearing this, clutching her chest, her expression filled with fear.

"You... are you out of your mind? The Empress has issued a gag order; no one is to speak of this again!"

"Oh, Eldest Sister Lan, it’s just the two of us in this carriage. If you don’t tell, who will know!"

Honored Lady Lan, after a moment’s thought, reluctantly nodded.

"Don’t overthink it. Lady Xia is probably not that kind of person!"

Honored Lady Xi also said.

"Exactly! That’s why I was so scared, terrified she’d be harmed by someone. Thank goodness, thank goodness!"

Honored Lady Lan was a little slow to react. After a moment of thought, she asked.

"Why do you think Honored Lady Hu would frame Lady Xia?"

Honored Lady Xi then said.

"Maybe... there was some unpleasantness between them! I don’t like Honored Lady Hu either. That time in the Imperial Garden, she wanted to kill my rabbit!"

Honored Lady Lan nodded in agreement.

"I was bullied by her in the Imperial Garden once too. Now, it feels like the Emperor has helped us get even!"

"Mm-hm!" Honored Lady Xi nodded happily.

With that, the two ladies unconsciously drifted to another topic.

"I wonder how my rabbits are doing. They’re almost due to have their babies. I can’t see them; I miss them so much!"

Honored Lady Lan quickly comforted her.

"You’ll see them once you get back, don’t worry!"

Honored Lady Xi then said.

"They’re eating more and more. Next time, I want to raise a cat just like Elder Sister Xia; she really is clever!"

Honored Lady Lan was puzzled.

"What do you mean by that?"

Honored Lady Xi explained with wide eyes, "Cats eat less, you know."

"Oh."

While the two young Honored Ladies chattered away, Consort Yun was not at all pleased.

She was originally meant to have a carriage to herself.

The three Honored Ladies behind her were supposed to share one carriage.

But Cai Die came back saying that only two people were sitting in the carriage behind.

That meant... Lady Xia was not there.

If she wasn’t there, where could she be? Surely, she must have been summoned by the Emperor! Lady Xia! Just as the Noble Consort predicted. This woman’s potential threat is significant indeed; she might well burst onto the scene with great success in the future! The Noble Consort truly had foresight!

She sat in her carriage, looking at the one trailing behind and listening to the laughter and chatter from within.

Fortunately... fortunately, I still have these two pawns. The better their relationship, the more useful they’ll be to me!

Meanwhile, in the foremost carriage, Xia Ruqing was leaning against Zhao Junyao’s chest.

Yes, she had fallen asleep, while he had not yet drifted off.

This girl... she really can eat and sleep! So carefree! Zhao Junyao was thoroughly impressed. However, he still felt this little girl was somewhat different from before!