NABC Chapter 453 World 813
Chapter 453 World 813
Fu Yuanzhou's thoughts were shifting daily, sometimes hoping that Chu's father would return sooner, sometimes hoping that he would arrive later.
To his surprise, before Chu's father returned, Yin Yin suddenly wanted to go out as well.
"Yinyin, I heard you're going to the Ming Dynasty. Why so suddenly?"
The letter was sent out in the morning, and by noon the person had rushed over, showing that there had been no delay at all.
Yin Yin looked worried: "Father went to Ming Kingdom and should have been back by now, but he suddenly sent a letter saying that things didn't go well and he would be delayed."
"My elder brother and I were worried that Dad's obstinacy might lead to trouble, so we decided to go with the family's caravan to see what was going on and try to persuade him."
Fu Yuanzhou could understand Yin Yin and the others' concerns, but he was also worried about Yin Yin: "The road from Yangliao to Mingjing is so far, how can you endure the hardships of the journey?"
“When I was young, I often went out with my father. It was only after I took over the shop in Yangliao that I stayed at home most of the year and rarely went out. Don’t underestimate me.”
After Yinyin finished speaking, she explained to him in detail: "Originally, my brother said that he would go, but I thought that once he went out, he wouldn't be able to come back for at least one or two months. My sister-in-law is heavily pregnant. Do you want her to worry about my brother when she gives birth?"
"Besides, this time I'm going to Mingjing with my own merchant caravan, and we'll be protected by our family's security company."
Fu Yuanzhou knew he couldn't change Yin Yin's mind, so he said, "How about I go with you? I rarely go out when I'm in the capital, and nobody knows me. As long as the people around us don't say anything, nobody will know."
"No, that's too risky," Yin Yin said. "Ideally, we wouldn't let anyone discover our identities, but what if something goes wrong? Wouldn't the Ming Kingdom think that you, a prince, went to the Ming capital in secret without informing anyone, and that the Li Kingdom had ulterior motives?"
"Furthermore, you usually go out frequently, so if you suddenly disappear for a month or two, it will definitely arouse suspicion. If someone pays attention to you and reports this to the Emperor, saying that you left your fiefdom without permission, you will definitely be in trouble."
"In that case, you should prepare properly in Yangliao. When my father and I return, it will be time for our wedding."
"We can't both just sit back and do nothing, leaving everything to our subordinates. They don't do things the way I want."
Fu Yuanzhou wasn't unaware of the seriousness of the matter, and Yinyin had made it so clear to him that even if he wanted to pretend to be stupid and renege on his promise, he couldn't.
Fortunately, he was very willing to do the task that Yin Yin brought up later, and readily agreed: "Don't worry, Yin Yin, I will definitely keep a close eye on it."
Knowing that Yin Yin would be leaving in a couple of days, Fu Yuanzhou didn't return to the city and instead stayed at the Chu family's fortified village.
On the day of departure, he got up early and prepared a lot more things for Yin Yin, fearing that she would lose weight if she didn't have enough to eat and drink on the journey.
Yin Yin thought of the extra car that had been added to the convoy, which was full of things that Fu Yuanzhou had asked her to pack. At this moment, she could only let him continue to pack them without blinking an eye.
Since we've prepared an extra car anyway, we can just load everything up and take it all.
Fu Yuanzhou rode his horse and led his men all the way to the border of Yangliao before reluctantly stopping.
Yinyin sat in the carriage and followed the caravan across the border, continuing towards the border town of Ming.
Once Fu Yuanzhou was out of sight, Yinyin told Qingyun to quickly bring out the ointment and cosmetics she had prepared in advance.
The master and servant applied the cream together, quickly turning their originally fair and healthy skin into a sallow and dark complexion, thus diminishing their original beauty by several levels.
The two then removed their hair and changed into ordinary clothes. Apart from looking cleaner, they didn't stand out in the caravan.
After they had finished packing, the caravan arrived at the border of the Ming Dynasty.
If we want to enter the pass today, we have to go through here. In the future, unless we need to stay in the city, we may not have to pass through the city.
Otherwise, they would have to pay money every time they arrived at a city. With so many people in the caravan, including the guards, how much money would it take to cover the tolls?
When Yinyin and her maid got into the carriage, they were still looking quite dashing, but now, when they got off the carriage and were being checked at the city gate, they looked just like everyone else. If it were anyone else, they would definitely have murmured a few words, but since everyone in this group was a specially selected member of the Chu family, they didn't even frown.
After successfully crossing the border, Yin Yin, being hardworking and physically strong, helped the group spend most of their time outdoors, enduring wind and rain.
Despite their hurried pace, they arrived outside the capital city earlier than scheduled.
When the Li and Ming countries were enemies, there were merchants from both countries. Now that they are friendly countries, there are even more merchants traveling between them.
Yinyin blended in and successfully entered the city. After finding a place to stay and being settled in, she asked about her father's whereabouts.
Although the steward in Mingjing hadn't seen Yinyin for several years, he recognized her and quickly led her to wash up: "A few days ago, General Li's family fell into trouble. In order to smooth things over, they spent all their wealth and sold many houses, shops and estates."
"The master picked out a house and bought it, and arranged for it to be cleaned and repaired. Unexpectedly, the Li family received the help of the Sixth Prince, escaped punishment, and rose again. Someone from their household then sent word that they wanted to buy the house back."
“The master refused, so people from the Li family have been coming frequently over the past half month, and the master is receiving them right now.”
Yinyin asked curiously, "Is the Li family going to buy back all the houses and shops they sold before?"
The steward shook his head: "It's strange, the Li family didn't mention buying any other houses, but they specifically came to us about this one. I think they probably only dare to pick on us because we are merchants."
After hearing all this, Yin Yin gained a general understanding of what was happening in the capital and realized why her father hadn't returned home yet.
There were guests at Chu's father's place, so Yinyin wasn't in a hurry to go over. She asked someone to prepare hot water, and after washing up comfortably, she removed her makeup and carefully applied moisturizing cream before taking Qingyun to Chu's father's place.
Yinyin had only gone to Chu's father's place after hearing that the guest had left, but the man dawdled and didn't leave for a long time. She happened to run into him at a fork in the road.
The man, who had been keeping a stern face, turned his head and saw Yin Yin's appearance, then revealed a look of shock: "Who are you?"
The steward, who had been eagerly leading the way for Yin Yin, secretly thought to himself that something was wrong. He and Qing Yun stepped forward at the same time, blocking Yin Yin completely behind them.
"Young Master Li, have you been so captivated by the scenery along the way that you haven't left yet?"
Young Master Li ignored the steward and continued to ask, "Who is she?"
The manager's smile faded slightly, and he glared at the servant who was cowering to the side like a quail: "It's all because the servants below are ignorant; they can't even lead Young Master Li properly."
"Young Master Li, let me see you out!"
With the steward blocking their way, Yinyin and her companion didn't stand still like wooden statues. They quickly passed them and headed towards the courtyard at the end of the path to find Chu's father.
Young Master Li asked repeatedly, but the steward's answers were watertight. The servant next to him didn't recognize Yin Yin and knew nothing about her either. Helpless, he had no choice but to be led out.
Upon arriving at the gate, Young Master Li boarded the carriage, but after lifting the curtain and staring at the Chu family for a moment, he urged the coachman to leave in a hurry.