Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 796 - 994

Chapter 796: Chapter 994

Shangguan Xuanyi had Xiao Fuzi purchase a set of clothes and give them to Zhao Youwei as a token of Xiao’er’s gratitude.

At the Lu Ming Banquet, Shangguan Xuanyi overheard the second place scholar, Fang Quan, inquiring about Xiao’er with Jingrui. Noticing that there were too many people in the Imperial City concerned about his wife, Shangguan Xuanyi decided it would be better to leave sooner rather than later.

The month of February was almost over, and the couple set off under the envious eyes of many people.

For this trip, Shangguan Xuanyi had been preparing for more than half a year. He hoped to create beautiful memories for Xiao’er.

Di Shaowei came to see them off. As the carriage disappeared into the distance, he looked at his little daughter and pregnant wife, realizing for the first time that it was good to get married early, but having kids - that should wait a few years! Seeing others embark on a leisure trip so easily, he couldn’t help but feel envious.

Before Di Shaowei was married, he and Shangguan Xuanyi would roam from the southern seas to the northern mountains, so he understood the joys of traveling and decided to join them. Plus, there would be good food provided by Xiao’er!

However, plans are always inferior to reality. Yesterday, Ming Jingya felt sick after eating chive dumplings. A visit from the imperial doctor confirmed that she was pregnant, just over a month along.

As a result, Di Shaowei had no choice but to stay with his delicate wife while others went traveling. Yet, he was quite pleased about Ming Jingya’s pregnancy.

He held his daughter in one arm and cuddled Ming Jingya with the other, saying, "I can’t take you out to play this time. After the baby is born, I’ll take you around."

Ming Jingya nodded. She didn’t really care where they went, as long as she was with Di Shaowei.

The carriage was originally heading northwest, but at a certain intersection, it turned off the official road and headed south.

Seeing the wrong direction, Xiao’er asked, "What’s going on? Aren’t we going to the fief?"

"There’s no rush. We head south before going north. I want to show you the paths I’ve walked before."

"When did you start speaking so sentimentally?" Xiao’er’s heart warmed upon hearing this.

"I couldn’t help myself," he confessed.

"Smooth talker!"

"Try for yourself and see if I’m sweet." Shangguan Xuanyi leaned in after saying that.

"Quit it! Behave yourself, or I’ll ride a horse instead." Zhao Yong was still driving the carriage up front, and Xiao’er worried that Shangguan Xuanyi might lose control and initiate romance, which would embarrass her.

Shangguan Xuanyi was just teasing her. "His Majesty mentioned that the seawall in Hang County has been under construction for some time, we should check on its progress as we pass by."

"What detour! I don’t get it." Xiao’er was nearly faint from His Majesty’s unabashed request. They were clearly headed northwest, yet they were asked to oversee the construction of the seawall in Hang County – the two directions were completely opposite!

Shangguan Xuanyi pinched her puffed face: "His Majesty probably predicted that we wouldn’t obediently go straight to the northwest, so he said that."

"Exploiting our surplus labor," Xiao’er grumbled under her breath.

Shangguan Xuanyi chuckled and they started talking about other things. Their lunch was served in the carriage due to the space they had. The food was abundant and delicious, the aromatic scent made Zhao Yong leaving the carriage drooling.

Luckily, the burger was given to him by Xiao’er, it was delicious but could not compare to a table full of delicacies.

After eating, Xiao’er leaned on Shangguan Xuanyi’s shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.

...

The pair first stopped in Hang County to inspect the seawall’s construction. Since Liang, the construction foreman, was there, Xiao’er was at ease. She was not worried that anyone would cut corners or deliver shoddy work.

Xiao’er stayed in the town for a day, discussing bottlenecks encountered during construction with Liang. She left him two homing pigeons and instructed him to send her a message directly if there were any problems.

Having already toured Hang County, the couple continued south after checking on the sea wall.

On the 18th of March, they happened to pass through a town.

Shangguan Xuanyi remarked, "I once bought a small mansion in this town. After traveling for over half a month, let’s stay here for a couple of days."

Xiao’er nodded in agreement.

The mansion in the town was a modest two-family house.

A couple, with two children and an elderly person, lived there and were responsible for maintaining the mansion.

The husband was called Niu Tian, the wife was Mrs. Ma, their eldest son, Niu Ma, and their daughter, Niu Yang. Xiao’er almost laughed upon hearing their introductions. What a unique naming convention!

When Niu Tian saw Shangguan Xuanyi, he was overjoyed. He quickly asked Mrs. Ma to prepare a feast to welcome their esteemed guests.

Shangguan Xuanyi took Xiao’er to the main room. The room was spotless, and the garden was well-maintained –signs that Niu Tian’s family was diligent.

Yang Liu and Yang Mei quickly cleaned the room once more, made up the bed, and sorted everything that would be needed. After all, they would stay here for two days.

No one could deny Mrs. Ma’s culinary skills. Her scallion pancakes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Xiao’er couldn’t resist having an extra piece.

At night, lying in bed, Xiao’er asked the question on her mind: "Why buy such a small house here?"

From Xiao’er’s observation, she believed Niu Tian and Mrs. Ma were adept in their roles.

"This town is surrounded by mountains. However, if you cross the mountains to the southwest, you’d find yourself in Nangong Country."

"So, having Niu Tian here makes it easier to keep an eye on the happenings in Nangong Country?" Xiao’er understood upon hearing this from Shangguan Xuanyi.

Being clever, they needn’t explain things too clearly. Individuals should be careful of other individuals, and the same applies to countries.

"Yes, firsthand information is very important."

Xiao’er agreed and nodded. After a day on the road, Xiao’er was tired and soon fell asleep in Shangguan Xuanyi’s arms.

When Xiao’er fell asleep, Shangguan Xuanyi went inside his spatial ring. He took out a carved and polished ruby, a platinum ring, and some tools to start his final task of embedding them.

Tomorrow was the 19th of March, Xiao’er’s birthday. Shangguan Xuanyi had been extremely busy for these past few days. Apart from handling political affairs, he was learning how to make jewelry from a master.

Everything from selecting and carving the gem, to shaping the ring, was done by Shangguan Xuanyi himself. Now in the final step, he carefully placed the ruby into the ring, securing it firmly.

At the successful completion of his task, Shangguan Xuanyi let out a sigh of relief. He cautiously placed the ring on Xiao’er’s finger, and it fit perfectly.

With her slender and tender fingers adorned with this dazzling ruby ring, Shangguan Xuanyi couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her. The ring was a stunning addition to her graceful hand.

As midnight approached, Shangguan Xuanyi kissed Xiao’er’s forehead, reluctant to wake her, and whispered, "Happy Birthday."

Then, he settled down next to her and drifted off to sleep.