Fate is truly wondrous. Who would have thought that on the road of escape, one could meet Sanman and Jinhe?
It's one thing to meet them, but Shangguan Fang'er actually became Sanman's wife. If nothing unexpected happens, she will likely spend the rest of her life peacefully in Heyang County...
"Qing'er, don't leave tonight. When Sanman gets back, let's go to Yun Gui Fang for a meal!" Shangguan Fang'er was in a very good mood and wouldn't let go of Murong Qing.
Upon hearing this, Murong Qing raised an eyebrow, "If we go to Yun Gui Fang, we'll see Jinhe's mother. Let's choose another place..."
She didn't want Zhao Guihua to ruin her mood.
"Alright, the county town is small anyway, you pick anywhere you like. And stay at my place for a few more days, I have a lot I want to tell you..." Shangguan Fang'er's smile was warm.
Murong Qing was like family to her, and she had been in the capital for a long time. Shangguan Fang'er had no one to talk to...
"Okay, I'll stay until Jinhe returns to the capital!" Murong Qing smiled sweetly.
Meanwhile, in an inn in the county town.
Murong Taotao had Eunuch Ruan buy a large pile of gifts and was preparing to go to Dashui Village to see Xiao Jinheng...
Emperor Ming, seeing this, began to clutch his stomach and feign illness again. "Oh dear, oh dear, my stomach is hurting so much, it feels like I've eaten something bad again. Taotao, Dashui Village isn't far from the county town, we can go anytime. Let's... let's go in a few days, okay?"
Murong Taotao: "..."
A few days?
How long has he been here?
At least half a month, if not more.
Every day it's either a headache or a sore backside. I don't have time to waste with you...
"If that's the case, then Your Majesty should stay in the county town to recuperate. I'll go alone!" Murong Taotao said, then walked out without looking back.
Emperor Ming's eyes widened, and he stumbled to block Murong Taotao. "Taotao, why aren't you listening to me anymore? I said in a few days, and it's in a few days. You... you must not disobey orders!"
Murong Taotao: "???"
Judging by your attitude, you don't want me to see that little crown prince, do you?
Or do you have other plans?
"Is Your Majesty stopping me from going to Dashui Village because you're afraid I'll find my sister?" Murong Taotao curled his lips and looked at Emperor Ming coldly.
Emperor Ming: "..."
Is this kid a demon? How could he see through his thoughts at a glance?
"Even if Your Majesty doesn't say it, I know. My sister, when she was fleeing, met a scholar named Yun Jinhe in the prefectural county, right?" Murong Taotao frowned.
In fact, even if Emperor Ming didn't say anything, Murong Taotao saw through things very clearly...
He was just too lazy to argue with Emperor Ming.
"And that scholar named Yun Jinhe's home is in Dashui Village. Your Majesty is worried that once I find news of my sister, I'll neglect state affairs and abandon the people of Yan Country, right?"
Emperor Ming was questioned so much he couldn't lift his head, tightly clasped his fingers, and said in a muffled voice, "You... you already know, why are you still asking? I... I'm also thinking for the sake of Yan Country's stability!"
"Heh!"
Murong Taotao sneered, the corners of his mouth turning up. "You care about the country, and I can't reunite with my family? If I had known Your Majesty was such a selfish and narrow-minded person, I wouldn't have come to assist you, to help you, and even for my own selfish gain, I destroyed Chen Country and other small countries. If this were written in the history books, I would be a sinner for all ages, and my name would be reviled forever..."
Emperor Ming: "..."
Is it that serious?
"Then... what does Taotao want to do?" Emperor Ming was completely deflated.
Murong Taotao narrowed his cold eyes, pushed Emperor Ming aside, and took two steps forward. "From today onwards, you don't need to manage my affairs. Eunuch Ruan, let's go..."
The figures of one big and one small person walked out of the inn, got into the carriage, and headed towards Dashui Village.
Emperor Ming stood alone in the room, his heart filled with grief and indignation, extremely depressed...
"When did this brat find out about Yun Jinhe?" Emperor Ming was full of questions.
In fact, long before leaving Yan Country, Emperor Ming had already sent people to investigate thoroughly.
Including Murong Qing's escape, her being Jinhe's companion, and her temporary stay in Dashui Village, he was fully aware of everything...
The reason he didn't tell Murong Taotao in advance was that he was afraid that once he found his sister, he would abandon him.
Who would have thought that his little plan was working perfectly, but Murong Taotao knew earlier and clearer than him.
"It turns out I was just a hypocritical clown from beginning to end..." Emperor Ming scratched his face and collapsed on the bed to sleep.
At the old Yun family's place, in the plot of land belonging to Little Xi Tian.
Old Man Yun, holding a hoe, cleared the weeds on both sides of the furrows and then watered them.
His daughter had instructed him before she left that coffee trees were easy to grow and only needed watering every three days...
Looking at the scorching sun in the sky, Old Man Yun thought that if he didn't water them soon, the seedlings would dry out.
"Hey, Old Yun, hoeing the ground!"
The village chief walked over, a pipe in his mouth and a piece of cured meat in his hand. "My wife made this cured meat herself. You can slice it and stir-fry it or stew it, it's all good..."
Seeing this, Old Man Yun quickly put down his hoe and said apologetically, "Village Chief, why are you bringing things again? We don't lack anything!"
"Then should I take it back?" The village chief blinked.
Old Man Yun laughed heartily, "No, no, when you go back later, bring some milk curd, and have Caixia squeeze some milk for you..."
The Yun family never took anything for free. Reciprocity was the correct way to interact.
The two old men came to the shade of the wall to avoid the sun, puffing on their pipes and chatting.
"Old Yun, have you heard? The grasslands are restless again. Yesterday, Liu Er's son went into the mountains to hunt rabbits and saw a large group of people on horseback circling the Tuofeng Mountain. Oh my, they were all fierce and terrifying..." the village chief complained.
Old Man Yun listened and asked curiously, "What's so terrifying about that? Maybe they're just hunting. Tuofeng Mountain, how many high officials and nobles come to hunt and enjoy the scenery every year? Why do you describe them as prairie barbarians?"
"You don't understand!" The village chief extinguished his pipe and sighed. "Liu Er's son said that the people they were riding were Mongolian horses, with prairie scimitars at their waists, and ruddy faces, just like... just like your Xiao Jie. If they're not prairie people, then who are they?"
People from the Central Plains definitely don't look like that.
Old Man Yun looked at the clouds in the sky, lost in thought. "This matter has nothing to do with us common folk. Let them do whatever they want..."
Just then, a green cloth carriage drove over from the dirt road in the fields.