"Your Highness, it's late at night and the wind is strong. It's time for you to return to the Fenghe Palace to rest. Otherwise, you might catch a cold."
On the other side of the road, the carriage in which Wei Shuxuan was riding gradually disappeared from sight. Xin Shang tried to persuade Xin Zizhao, who was reluctant to leave. Xin Zizhao nodded, and his expression instantly switched from affectionate to determined. "Yes, I understand. Let's go back now."
Since there were people to take care of the journey, Wei Shuxuan didn't have to worry about anything. However, without any familiar faces around, she felt quite bored. The journey from the palace to Baolan Town seemed to have become much longer. She thought it must be because there was no one to chat with her, which made the time seem so long.
During the day when they were on the road, Wei Shuxuan always liked to lift the curtain of the carriage and look at the scenery outside. The snow - white clouds, the clean blue sky, and a stretch of lush green filled her eyes. The summer wind, tinged with a bit of heat, blew across her face. In a blink of an eye, she had been away from the palace for twelve days. Without any unexpected events, she should reach Baolan Town in about three days.
Soon, they arrived at the only way to enter the border area. There was only one road leading from the outside into the border town. "Miss Wei, we've reached the border."
"How long will it take for us to reach Baolan Town?" Wei Shuxuan asked the secret guard who was driving the carriage.
"About one more day, Miss Wei."
"Okay."
Just as they were passing through the border gate, Wei Shuxuan saw several young men transporting a cartload of sacks. The sacks were quite large. It was the first time she had seen such big sacks. They seemed to be filled with things like grain and fodder.
Wei Shuxuan didn't really care what was inside the sacks. She was just a bit curious because she rarely saw such large ones. Then she withdrew her gaze and let down the curtain. She didn't notice that one of the young men transporting the sacks was looking at her with a passionate gaze.
"Zhang Er, stop looking around and hurry up and transport the stuff out!" The leader, a strong - built man, couldn't help scolding Zhang Er when he saw his absent - minded look.
"Got it, boss."
Zhang Er quickly lowered his head and didn't dare to say more. He just pushed the cart loaded with many sacks hard. His good hearing allowed him to overhear the conversation between his two bosses.
"If we had enough manpower, we wouldn't have to recruit people from the inn. Now the inn is seriously short - staffed."
"Don't worry. Big Brother said we have enough people. We don't need to do those things anymore. We just need to run the inn normally. Now we just need to deliver the last batch to Big Brother and let them make major renovations. Then we'll be done."
There seemed to be some hidden things in their conversation. Zhang Er pursed his lips and lowered his head, pulling the cart.
Wei Shuxuan and her entourage had arrived in Le Pu Town. Since it was getting late, if they continued on to Baolan Town, it would be late at night by the time they got there, and the inns in the town would surely be closed. Wei Shuxuan thought that since they were already here, it didn't matter staying for one more night. So she told the secret guards to rest in Le Pu Town.
"Miss Wei, do you want to visit County Magistrate Tang of Le Pu Town?" A secret guard asked Wei Shuxuan.
"No. Just rest in the inn now. You should also go to bed early."
"Yes, Miss Wei."
That night, Wei Shuxuan lay in bed with her eyes open. By the faint moonlight outside the window, she looked at the bed curtain. For some reason, she wasn't sleepy at all. When she was alone and quiet, her mind would unconsciously be filled with the figure of Xin Zizhao. Her longing for him was like a cup of milk - salt black tea, bitter and sweet at the same time. Bitter because he wasn't by her side, and sweet because of the memories he left her.
"I feel so depressed. I wonder how Xin Zizhao is now. Didn't they say that Xin Yeheng was going to collude with Minister Zhang and Grand Scholar Jin to stage a coup? Will Xin Zizhao be in danger..." The surroundings were so quiet, but her mind was noisy.
Her mind was always in a mess. Wei Shuxuan felt that she never had a moment of peace. She got out of bed and opened the window. As soon as she opened it, she saw a full moon in front of her, cold and untouchable. Looking up at the moonlight, she seemed to feel a bit of coolness. The moon disc instantly reflected the appearance of the person living in her heart.
The moment she was bathed in the moonlight, Wei Shuxuan felt her heart calm down. It was as if when she saw Xin Zizhao's face, she became calm. The reason people have trouble sleeping, apart from being sick, is mostly their own worries and concerns, which make them restless and unable to fall asleep peacefully.
At the same time, Xin Zizhao was also gazing at the moonlight on the roof. He thought that his Xuan'er must also be missing him through the moonlight.
Their longing for each other was like an unbreakable red string that climbed over mountains and crossed rivers, finally connecting their hearts.
The next day, Wei Shuxuan got into the carriage full of energy. She set off from Le Pu Town and continued towards Baolan Town. Since Le Pu Town and Baolan Town were not far apart, they arrived soon.
Wei Shuxuan came to the Sanmei Inn again to stay. She had been here just a few months ago, and the events of that day seemed to be still fresh in her memory.
"Miss Wei, Miss Wei..."
"...Sorry, let's go in."
Reminded by the secret guard behind her, Wei Shuxuan came to her senses and strode in. This time, she must pay more attention to the people in the inn.
She sent the secret guards to investigate whether there had been any missing - person cases in the three border towns during the few months they had been away, while she stayed in the inn to observe the people there.
She ordered a pot of tea and a plate of pastries and sat alone in the lobby of the inn drinking tea. In fact, it was more like carefully observing the waiters and the innkeeper moving around in the inn.
The lobby of the Sanmei Inn was actually not much different from the lobbies of ordinary inns. It was just more spacious and the service was more considerate.
Maybe the waiters and the innkeeper had been working in the inn for a long time, so they looked no different from those in ordinary inns. Wei Shuxuan thought she should change her approach. She couldn't find a way to start from here.
She quickly finished the pastries on the plate and then returned to her room. The window of her room faced the backyard of the inn, and the backyard faced a small forest. She had never been there before.