Chapter 63: Set Off

  Zi Ruoye sat in the carriage, without her usual careless and lazy appearance. This time when going to Ning City, Zi Ruoye only allowed Zi Yanran to bring five people. The small team of five on the way would be too conspicuous. Although Ning City sends tribute coal to the capital every year, there are not many people who can see the high-ranking officials.

  "Ah......no beauty, how boring!" The sudden and abrupt voice of resentment floating from the carriage made everyone around speechless.

  The Emperor sent Wang Ye to Ning City to investigate the case, and it's likely related to Xuan. It's only been a day since they set out, but instead of being anxious, Wang Ye is complaining that there are no beauties in the carriage. What a miserable task! The one driving the carriage is Zhao Yu, a trusted aide of General Li, who is only 26 years old and has fought alongside General Li in many battles, big and small. Although she's just a deputy officer, she has considerable prestige in the military. Two days ago, she received General Li's notice to protect Zi Ruo Ye all the way until the investigation is over. The other four people are also her sworn sisters who have been through thick and thin with her, but they didn't expect to be assigned to protect Zi Ruo Ye, Ye Wang Ye this time.

  "Little Yu, what do you think we should do with this horse carriage for the next two months?" Zi Ruoye lifted the curtain and looked at Zhao Yu, who was driving the carriage. Zhao Yu's demeanor was very upright, and it was clear that he was a military man. Unexpectedly, Zi Yanran had actually sent Li General's trusted deputy to her, and she wondered if Li General would be heartbroken.

  Although Zi Ruoye's voice was sorrowful, especially the little Yu Yu that made her even more goosebumps all over her body, Zhao Yu still replied, "This journey is bound to be bumpy, and we may encounter bandits. Having a man by the king's side might make it difficult for us to protect him." His calm voice continued, "Once we arrive at the town, if the king is feeling suffocated, he can go to a brothel or something similar. It's best not to bring men on the road."

  Zi Ruoye's mouth twitched, and Zhao Yu actually gave her a feasible suggestion. What can be called suffocating, seeing her so serious and solemn answer, what could she say? She had no choice but to retreat back into the carriage silently. Originally thinking that Zhao Yu was a dull and uninteresting person, after all, they had walked for so long without saying more than a few words, unexpectedly...

  She took out a small wine jug and took a sip, then removed the purse from her waist and held it in her hand, stroking it. This was given to her by Yun Cong, a delicate wooden box with a white camellia flower pattern, every stitch seemed to convey what Yun Cong wanted to say to her. She remembered that this morning, Yun Cong had been silently gazing at her, as if there were a thousand words she wanted to say, but in the end, only one sentence was spoken: be careful with everything.

  It's been half a day since they came out, and she wants to go back...

  Yun Ning quietly followed Zi Ruoye's carriage all the way until it was out of sight before returning to the Wang Fu. He almost caught up, but he had promised the prince to stay at the Wang Fu and guard it, so he couldn't leave. If she didn't take good care of herself, he would definitely not forgive her.

  "My lord! What is it that you have summoned us for?" The black-robed figures knelt on the ground, their ghostly faces having gone a long time without receiving a summons from their master. Although they had been closely watching over their master for a year, they could not disturb him unless they were summoned.

  "I'm sure you have something on your mind." Yun Cong sat down in the chair, his gentle expression towards Zi Ruo turning cold and frosty, his voice also calm and unruffled.

  "Please, Your Excellency, the four of us will definitely complete your task." Although it had been a year since they last saw him, the aura emanating from His Excellency still left them somewhat shocked.

  "Go and protect the princess. Remember, you must not let her get hurt, if anything happens to her, you don't need to come back and see me." His eyes showed a deep chill, the princess had always been unpredictable in her actions, if he didn't send someone to protect her, how could the palace be at ease helping her?

  "The master said it was Zi Ruoye, King Ye?" The ghosts and monsters were a bit tongue-tied. Although they knew the master had married Zi Ruoye, they hadn't expected the master to actually fall in love with her. After all, they had always thought that the master wouldn't marry anyone, otherwise she wouldn't have been so determined to stay in Penglai Pavilion for a year. In their hearts, there were many people who could match the master, but it wasn't Zi Ruoye.

  "Do you have any objections? Besides my wife, Ziyue Ye, who else would it be? Remember to ensure her safety." Although slightly displeased with the tone of the ghostly spirits, there was nothing that could be done about it. After all, the prince himself had a fondness for putting her in such situations.

  "Yes! The task must be completed." In an instant, the black shadow disappeared. Yun Cong finally stood up, looking at the vast Wang Fu, and he had been worried for half a day, Master... you must come back safely.

  At this time, the Prime Minister's mansion was in a mess. Mr. Liu Qingyou got up early to talk to Liu Qingyou about some personal matters, but found that she was not in the house. The little grape was still asleep, and only saw a letter on the table. With a strong sense of foreboding, he opened the envelope and turned pale, rushing to find his wife.

  "Madam! Madam!" Mr. Liu Qingyou's father hurriedly ran over, while Mr. Liu Chengxiang was sitting in a chair reading a book, but saw his own husband running over with an anxious expression, and quickly got up to greet him.

  "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry? Didn't you go find You'er?"

  "Young master, Young master he..." Ran too hastily, panting slightly, waving the letter in hand, yet unable to articulate words due to urgency.

  Liu Chengxiang supported him to sit down, handed over the tea cup, "Slowly say, how is You'er? Is she being stubborn again?" Thinking that he didn't do anything after returning to the Liu residence yesterday... He was just quietly writing...

  "Yougui has run away from home!" The old man of Liu Chengxiang pushed away his tea cup, his small face full of anxiety, so anxious that he almost cried out. This foolish child, how could he leave so carelessly? A young man alone outside, what if he encounters some bad people?

  "Run away from home?" Although You'er had been resistant to the prophecy that she would become a phoenix queen since childhood, and occasionally sneaked out of the house, she was also turning a blind eye. "He's probably just going out for a walk, maybe he'll be back tonight. You're making a big deal out of nothing, don't worry."

  "No, madam, look at this letter that Qingyu left for us." He hastily handed over the letter left by Liu Qingyu.

  Letter?

  Liu Chengxiang took over the envelope with a puzzled expression, opened it and looked at it. The more he read, the deeper his frown became. Yu'er had actually gone to chase after Wang Ye? It turned out that Yu'er had always called Wang Ye a scoundrel? How could this child be so impulsive? This time Wang Ye was going to investigate a case, how could she just say go and then leave?

  "Madam, what...what can be done? Send someone to bring that child back! How can a man survive outside? If he's bullied by others, what will happen?" The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and her face turned even paler. But seeing that Liu Chengxiang only slightly furrowed his brow without taking further action, she realized he wasn't the father after all, so she didn't care!

  Liu Chengxiang put down the letter paper, looked at her husband who had been anxious and distracted for a long time, and said, "Now it's probably too late to catch up. You also know that Yu'er said she would do it, and although I'm surprised that Yu'er can go, maybe this is their chance." The old fox's eyes flashed with light as he smiled and said.

  "What... chance?" Why can't he understand?

  "Young Master You, he's always thought the person he liked was Deputy General Li, but in fact, the one he truly likes is probably Prince Wang. Haven't you noticed that after Young Master You saw Prince Wang, he became like a mouse seeing a cat? He never used to be this way before."

  When he heard Director Liu say that, he suddenly remembered that although Liu Qingyou was not happy with the arrangements they made for him, he had never complained and had always been very obedient. Moreover, he often liked to be with his older brother Liu Qingyue, and in some ways, their personalities were similar. However, after meeting Prince Wang, it was as if he had become a different person.

  As his father, although he always told him about the disadvantages of being a prince, he could feel that You'er was happy in her heart. In previous years when she was infatuated with Li Yu, You'er had never shown such an expression.

  "But he's a man outside, it's very dangerous. How can he catch up with the king?" The eyebrows and eyes were still full of worry, how could one not be worried about the flesh that had fallen from his own body?

  "It's all right, the prince will find out." Minister Liu smiled and picked up his tea cup to take a sip. His own son was probably thinking of sneaking along, but if it were the prince, he probably wouldn't let him have his way. "So you can rest assured."

  "I'll go to the ancestral temple to ask for ancestors' blessing."

  After Shangguan Mou returned home, he would occasionally take out a small stone and gaze at it, causing the people of the Shangshu Fu to be extremely worried. They wondered if after Wang Ye left, their young master had fallen ill due to excessive nostalgia... However, they also didn't dare approach him to ask.

  Her bright eyes stared unblinkingly at the stone on the table, and as long as the hostess had something to do, it would be displayed on the stone. So Meng'er had to stare at it all the time, today he almost followed Wang Ye together, but Yun Gege didn't go, so he couldn't go either.

  "Wife... wife... you have to come back quickly... Mochi wants to give birth to a little wife, little Mochi..." He really misses his wife, missing her hugs, and likes the doting gaze she gives him. It's a gaze that makes his heart feel sweet even when he doesn't eat sweets. Sometimes he even wants to turn into a kitten and snuggle up in his wife's arms forever.

  The Emperor is too hasty, actually sending Meng's wife to such a distant place. Her small mouth was pouting, almost as if it could hang a small wine jug. Thinking of this, her nose felt sour, but she immediately stopped herself. Meng wouldn't cry, his wife wasn't there, so he didn't cry.

  Why has it only been a few hours... yet he already feels like it's been a long time... My wife...

  Liu Qingyou walked for a while on the Zi Ruo Ye, then mounted his horse and followed, carrying a bundle containing some silver and two sets of spare clothes.

  "Damn it! You went all the way to Ning City, yet you still told me those inexplicable things... You must have done it on purpose!" After hearing those words, how could he possibly stay calm in the Prime Minister's residence? He knew that this time, the investigation in Ning City would not be simple. But damn it, why didn't he bring a few more people? If something happened, how could those few people protect her?

  Thinking of this, I couldn't help but get even angrier. This bastard is not only a drunkard but also arrogant! With a soft sigh, "Let's go—" I followed the path where Zi Yue Ye was walking from a distance. However, if that bastard were to discover me, he would definitely be ridiculed by her. Moreover, since she was investigating a case this time, he couldn't go and disturb her. It was better for him to keep watch over her from a distance.

  "Your Highness, there's a small town not far ahead. Will we be stopping for the night or passing through?" Zhao Yu's calm voice came from outside. In fact, they could have continued on their journey, as they had enough water and rations. After all, the road ahead was long, and hurrying along was also necessary.

  "There's a place to rest. Let's stop for the night." Zi Ruoye said lightly, going to buy some wine in the small town... If there was no wine, she feared it would scare these few people. Zi Ruoye sat in the carriage, gently swaying without feeling uncomfortable, in this short half-day, she went through the high officials in the capital, sending out Liu Chengxiang, Li Jiangjun, and Xingbu Shangshu... It was indeed a few suspicious ones, but whether or not it was true would have to wait until they arrived in Ning City.

  As for Zǐ Ruò Yè's answer, Zhào Yǔ was not surprised at all. She had already anticipated Zǐ Ruò Yè's response. After all, as a prince in the capital city, he must be used to luxury and comfort. Now that they were traveling far, it was likely that he would want to rest whenever they found a place to stop. Thinking of this, her brow furrowed slightly. At first, stopping once or twice wouldn't be a problem, but if they kept doing so frequently, the journey would be prolonged...

  Digression

  Today I'll update three thousand...