"Mom, have you gone into the city? Did you bring back the portrait from the city notice to see if it's a thousand taels of gold?"
"You brat, when would your mother have time to go into the city? Your mother has never seen what gold looks like in this life—"
In the small courtyard, the sounds of mother and daughter chatting and laughing could be heard from time to time.
Yang Dan glanced at the distracted Chi You and then at the map she was pointing to. He asked, "Miss, are you going to Yanzhou Commandery?"
Chi You snapped back to attention, quickly put away the map, secured her bundle, and mumbled without speaking.
"Oh, right, Miss, what's your name?"
The aunt's cheerful voice came from the other side.
Chi You paused and said softly, "My surname is Liu."
"So you're Miss Liu. Did you not find your friend? What are you planning to do?"
Seeing her lower her gaze, Yang Dan explained, "If you're going to Yanzhou Commandery, Father and I will be going to Yanzhou to sell our game in a couple of days. We can give you a ride."
"Ah, really?"
Chi You's eyes lit up.
Seeing that he had guessed correctly, Yang Dan smiled and scratched his head.
"I just figured you were going to Yanzhou. Of course, it's true. Yanzhou Commandery is by the sea, it's rich in aquatic products, and the price for game is higher. Father and I are leaving tomorrow, we can take you along."
"Yes, Miss Liu, if you're going, you can come with us. There's a river right outside our village, we can take a boat."
Hearing Yang Laohan's words, Chi You nodded quickly.
That night, she stayed at this family's home, waiting for them to set sail.
For two consecutive days, soldiers came and went for searches. Whenever someone came to search, she would hide in the cellar and was not discovered.
On the day they set sail, she woke up early and followed Yang Laohan along the small mountain path. By the time they reached the river at the entrance of the village, several small boats were already waiting.
"Miss Liu, come."
Chi You, disguised as a peasant woman, was inconspicuous among the crowd, but her eyes, which could not be hidden, were bright and moist.
After boarding the boat with her bundle, she sat at the stern.
"Brother Yang, how long will we be on the boat until we reach Yanzhou?"
Yang Dan rowed the oars and replied, "We're to the south, close to Yanzhou. We should arrive by evening."
Hearing this, Chi You breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the scenery on the river with contentment.
A gentle breeze blew, and the tension she had been holding in her heart slightly eased.
She hoped that when she reached Yanzhou, she could wait for Brother Yun.
They had promised to go to Southern Xinjiang together, to see all the mountains and rivers, and to roam the martial world.
She liked that kind of life.
After traveling on this small river for about an hour, they entered the Jingyan Grand Canal.
On the river, various boats mixed and sailed on the water, including sand barges, pleasure boats, and more small fishing boats of farmers, making it very lively.
The boat traveled south along the river for another period of time and docked at the shore.
Yang Laohan, who often came here, went ashore to buy sesame cakes.
Seeing many people on the shore, Chi You was afraid of being recognized. She got up, lifted the curtain, and hid inside the cabin.
Yang Dan glanced at her curiously. Seeing that his father had bought food, he brought some to her.
"Miss Liu, here, have something to eat. We'll be leaving after a short rest."
"Thank you, Brother Yang."
Her voice was well-behaved and soft. He felt a pang and quickly went out.
Chi You, not understanding why, took the sesame cakes wrapped in oil paper and began to eat slowly.
She hadn't seen Brother Yun for several days. She wondered if he had arrived in Yanzhou yet?
If she couldn't wait for him, what should she do?
"Oh, it's getting windy."
Voices came from outside. Chi You saw the straw hats and raincoats placed on the ground and quickly handed them out.
The wind outside was getting stronger and the sky was turning overcast.
Chi You looked at the surrounding weather, feeling a vague sense of unease in her heart, with a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"Miss Liu, we're about to set off. You should go inside to stay warm."
Hearing Yang Dan's words, Chi You obediently went inside.
She leaned to the side and closed her eyes, her thoughts in a jumble. She couldn't help but recall her days in the Prime Minister's mansion, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Why did her elder brother keep chasing them? Why wouldn't he let them leave?
"As the Saintess of Southern Xinjiang, to be infatuated with worldly affections! If it weren't for Da Liang wanting you for a marriage alliance, your fate would be to be confined in the Sacred Tower for your entire life."
"If it weren't for you, the hundred-year foundation of my Southern Xinjiang would have been destroyed in an instant. You invited wolves into the house, causing Southern Xinjiang to be engulfed in war, the nation ruined and the people displaced. We almost became slaves of a fallen kingdom. How laughable, truly laughable, that the dignified Saintess could be so incompetent."
"In my opinion, she is ambitious. She colluded with Da Liang to kill our King and support her younger brother to ascend the throne as the Gu King. Women, as expected, cannot bear great responsibilities. For their own selfish desires, they colluded with foreign enemies to destroy my Southern Xinjiang. Such is a woman's thinking."
Various strange voices suddenly intermingled in her mind. Chi You's mouth bled from the pain, and her small face contorted in agony.
"Ah—"
She cried out in pain and woke up.
"Miss Liu, what's wrong?"
Hearing the commotion, Yang Dan quickly lifted the curtain and came in. Seeing her spitting blood, he was greatly alarmed.
"Oh, you're bleeding."
He quickly took out a hemostatic pill from the box and offered it with a bamboo tube.
"Quick, take this medicine."
Chi You came back to her senses, took the bamboo tube, drank some water, and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
"It's alright, I don't need medicine."
Hearing this, Yang Dan looked at her with concern and said, "If you feel unwell, you can tell us. We can find a dock to stop and go to the city to see a doctor."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Yang."
After the boat had sailed for nearly two hours, the sky gradually darkened.
Chi You was no longer afraid of being seen. She put on her straw hat, got out of the cabin, and sat at the bow of the boat.
The sky was gloomy. The entire river was filled with ships stretching for miles, brightly lit. In the distance, at the large dock not far away, crowds of people bustled, and the sounds of hawking were endless.
"Brother Yang, is that the dock of Yanzhou Commandery ahead?"
Yang Dan heard her voice and replied, "Yes, once we pass this water line, we'll be there."
Chi You hummed and couldn't help but look towards the dock. She wondered if Brother Yun had arrived in Yanzhou.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead. On the shore, many soldiers appeared, seemingly conducting a search.
The entire water line was surrounded by unexpected tall ships, completely blocking the passage.
Everyone exclaimed, asking what had happened, and craned their necks to look ahead.
Chi You felt uneasy. She adjusted her straw hat and looked towards the southwest water line with wide eyes.
"Wow, so many warships! What are they searching for?"
Yang Dan looked in amazement at the large warships sailing from the southwest. The army had separated the ships on the river, and soldiers were using portraits and telescopes to search one by one.
All the boats were blocked in place and not allowed to proceed.
"Lord Jiang has ordered that we are searching for fugitives. Everyone is to wait in place and cooperate. No noise."