Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 824 - 822_1

Chapter 824: Chapter 822_1

When Gong Qinghua returned to the river bank, the figures of Yang Liu and Yang Mei had long disappeared.

He asked the captain, "Where have the two maids who were with Young Master Shangguan gone?"

The captain shook his head, "Not long after the young master walked into the grove, they also left. They didn’t tell me where they were going."

It was only then that Gong Qinghua realized that he had been tricked!

Darn it!

If the maid hadn’t spoken to him just now, he might have had some suspicions. However, as the maid was sneakily paying attention to him, when he wanted to leave, she went up and stopped him. Consequently, he did not harbor any suspicions!

Little did he know that as soon as he had entered the bamboo forest, they had slipped away!

Gong Qinghua glanced around, and was furious for the first time.

Daybreak was upon them.

At this time, an official boat came from a distance and stopped not far away. A man jumped off the boat and gave a courtesy to the captain, "Captain, I’m here on Young Master Shangguan’s orders to take everyone to their destination. You can ask the civilians to get on the boat."

The captain’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He had originally thought that he would have to wait at least half a day for his own fleet. Little did he expect Young Master Shangguan to be so considerate.

The captain hurriedly called everyone to board the ship.

The passengers were overjoyed to know that they could board the ship now and didn’t have to stay here to endure the river wind.

Moreover, this ship was much more luxurious than the previous one, and much larger, with three floors!

Most importantly, as soon as they got on the ship, they had something to eat – hot and steamy meat buns and fragrant, sweet porridge.

The crowd, that had been exposed to the cold wind all night, were starving. Once a bowl of warm porridge was in their stomachs, there were no complaints left!

Such luxury and grandeur, and it was an official ship! They would probably only ever get to travel on it once in their lifetime.

Moreover, due to this accident, the captain had returned their fares, so some people even thought that they were making the best out of their misfortune.

The captain went to Gong Qinghua, "Young Master, will you board the ship?"

Gong Qinghua glanced around, annoyed, "If I don’t get on the ship, what am I going to do here!"

The captain scratched the back of his head: How would he know!

...

Shangguan Xuanyi and Xiao’er came out of the void, and the outside world was already fully lit.

When Shangguan Xuanyi was in the void, he had already sent out a few pigeons. He had arranged for an official boat to pick up the people, and had also made an appointment with Yang Mei and Yang Liu about where to meet.

The two of them came out of the bamboo forest and waited at the river bank where they had been last night.

In no time, a low-key boat arrived. Compared to the previous two boats, this boat was not large. It looked plain from the outside but was exquisitely luxurious on the inside.

Yang Liu and Yang Mei jumped off the boat and asked, "Young mistress, are you alright?"

Xiao’er patted her stomach and laughed, "I’m fine!"

Shangguan Xuanyi pulled her restless hand, "The wound just healed, don’t be so hard."

Xiao’er smiled but didn’t say anything. She held Shangguan Xuanyi’s arm and got on the boat.

This time, the ship was full of their own people. There would be no accidents.

The boat ran for more than ten days. After walking on land for two more days, they finally reached Zhenyang County.

The greatest gain during these ten days of traveling by boat was that Yang Mei had finally adapted to the life on the boat and no longer got seasick.

When they arrived in Zhenyang County, Zhao Yong was already waiting outside the city gate.

Shangguan Xuanyi lifted the carriage curtain and Zhao Yong respectfully bowed.

"Have the people been sent?" Shangguan Xuanyi asked indifferently.

"Master, the people have been sent." A trace of hesitation crossed Zhao Yong’s face.

Seeing this, Shangguan Xuanyi said, "Let’s talk about it later."

Zhao Yong nodded, got on the horse and rode ahead to lead the way.

Zhao Yong had arrived here a day earlier. He had found the best inn here and had booked several top rooms.

Zhenyang County was in a relatively poor mountainous area in the south.

Even the county seat was far less prosperous than the Imperial city and even Shengping County.

The city wall was built from soil, which seemed incredibly weak to Xiao’er. However, having a city wall was always better than not having one.

This county was very mountainous, and there was also a big river, it was simply a place backed by a mountain and facing a river. Here, the climate enabled the cultivation of two seasons of rice every year. After the late rice, red flower peas could still be planted for one season.

In theory, there should be no problem for the people here to be self-sufficient.

However, most of the civilians here were thin with yellowish faces, dressed either half old or patched up.

Through the curtain of the carriage, Xiao’er looked out at the not-so-busy street and was a little confused.

Zhao Yong led the four to the inn. The manager saw their radiant and well-dressed group, in their silk clothes, and frowned slightly.

But he still greeted them warmly, "Are you sirs looking for lodging?"

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded.

"Boss, I made a reservation for a room yesterday," Zhao Yong had just gone to arrange the carriage and horses, and now he walked in.

"Ah, I see, you few are staying in the expensive rooms. Please forgive me for presuming to ask, but is this your first time in Zhenyang County?" The innkeeper looked somewhat torn, unsure if he should mention something.

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded, waiting for him to continue speaking.

Xiao’er looked at the innkeeper, who seemed hesitant to speak, and took the initiative to say, "If the innkeeper has something he wants to say, feel free to speak."

The innkeeper took a look outside, and said softly, "You might want to change into some coarse clothes."

Xiao’er was stunned for a moment and then asked softly, "Thank you for your advice, innkeeper. Could you perhaps tell us why?"

"You’ll find out soon enough." The innkeeper did not want to say more after that.

Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi looked at each other and didn’t press the innkeeper further.

Zhao Yong led the four to their respective rooms.

The room of Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi was the most luxurious in the entire inn.

Yesterday, Zhao Yong had booked the three best rooms in one go. The innkeeper even gave him a few more looks!

Did he think he was ostentatiously rich?

There were not many guests in the entire inn, and they were the only ones who could afford to live in such expensive rooms.

The room in this inn was as if no one had stayed in it before. Everything, including the furniture, seemed brand new.

Yang Mei checked out the whole place, even the chairs and tables were spotless.

Shangguan Xuanyi sat down with Xiao’er, and he looked at Zhao Yong, "Speak."

"A while ago, the Duke of Zhen arranged for several people in varied locations, and also arranged for people to secretly pay attention to Fifth Princess’s movements. I think this was all arranged with Crown Prince Jiang in mind."

"Does he know that Jiang Yuheng is not dead?" Xiao’er frowned upon hearing this.

Shangguan Xuanyi also looked thoughtful.

"How is it possible? However, it’s likely that if Crown Prince Jiang didn’t have your token, his identity would’ve been exposed by now. Crown Prince Jiang and the Duke of Zhen look too alike."

Xiao’er nodded upon hearing this. "Indeed, they do look alike. But if he doesn’t know that Jiang Yuheng isn’t dead, then how could he have people waiting there? The timing is too much of a coincidence!"

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