Song Yihuan truly stole the show today. One could even say she outshone Song Nanxin, the princess consort of the Prince of Ningqin, and became the center of everyone's attention.
There were countless young ladies and gentlemen in the crowd secretly sizing her up, yet none of them actually stepped forward to talk to her.
Song Yihuan didn't really care whether anyone came to strike up a conversation with her. She remained as calm and composed as ever. She really didn't expect that the first person to talk to her would be Cao Jinyu, the legitimate daughter of the Cao family, whom she had met at the Duke Jiang's mansion and taught the solution to the nine - ring puzzle.
She remembered that this Miss Cao was timid and had a very gentle disposition. Song Yihuan had no ill feelings towards her. Nodding, she smiled and said, "Miss Cao, it's been a long time."
Cao Jinyu sat down beside her, her fingers nervously twined together. "Yes, it has indeed been a long time. Is this your younger brother?"
Cao Jinyu looked at Song Yixuan curiously. Song Yixuan was very smart. He beamed at Cao Jinyu and said in a clear voice, "Greetings, Sister Cao. I'm Song Yixuan from the Marquis Ding'an's mansion. I'm four years old this year."
Cao Jinyu was extremely surprised, her eyes widening slightly. "Miss Song, your younger brother is so smart and cute."
Song Yihuan ruffled Song Yixuan's hair and said, "He's such a little rascal."
"Miss Song, thank you for teaching me how to solve the nine - ring puzzle last time. With this thing, I won't feel bored at banquets anymore." Cao Jinyu said to Song Yihuan. "I've always wanted to find an opportunity to thank you, but I just couldn't meet you."
Song Yihuan didn't think much of it. "I'm also very happy to be able to help Miss Cao."
"Miss Song, can I come and talk to you often during this journey?" Cao Jinyu asked timidly. "They all think I'm timid, and my younger sisters don't like to play with me."
Song Yihuan had no friends in the capital and was quite unfamiliar with the other noble ladies in the city. Thinking that the journey would be long, she replied, "Of course. You're more than welcome. But Miss Cao, please don't call me 'Miss Song the Fourth' anymore. If you don't mind, you can call me 'Yihuan'."
Cao Jinyu smiled happily. "Then you don't need to call me Miss Cao either. My family calls me Ayu. You can call me that too."
Song Yihuan softly called out, "Ayu."
Watching Song Yihuan and Cao Jinyu chatting happily, not far away, Song Nanxin sneered and murmured in a voice only she could hear, "Does she really think that just because she got a compliment from the emperor, she can soar to great heights? Only this timid girl from the Cao family would be willing to talk to her."
Not long after, the Black Armored Army came to drive them, saying that they were going to continue the journey. Everyone packed their belongings and got back into their carriages.
Cao Jinyu reluctantly said goodbye to Song Yihuan. Seeing that the Princess of Ningqin seemed a bit tired, Song Yihuan didn't let Song Yixuan follow the princess this time. She took him back to their carriage to take care of him herself.
The carriage moved on. The siblings felt sleepy soon after sitting in the carriage and fell asleep in each other's arms. When they woke up, the sun had already set and the sky was gradually getting dark. The convoy had arrived at the first post - station on this journey.
The local officials from the nearby town, along with the innkeeper and the waiter of the post - station, had received the news early and were waiting outside to welcome the emperor.
This journey was not only long but also involved a large number of people. The number of rooms in the post - station was insufficient, so they couldn't have one room per person. After some negotiation, each family put aside their pride. The best rooms were shared by two people, the medium - grade rooms by three people, and the lower - grade rooms by four people. In this way, everyone was able to stay in the post - station smoothly.
As for the servants who accompanied them, some stayed in the carriages to guard the belongings, while others made do with sleeping in the stable of the post - station for the night.
Since Song Yihuan was traveling with the Prince of Ningqin's mansion, she was able to stay in one of the best rooms in the post - station. It happened to be the same room as Song Yixuan, next to the rooms of the Princess of Ningqin and Song Nanxin.
As night fell, the temperature dropped a lot compared to the daytime. Everyone was staying in this post - station, and it was noisy and not very quiet.
Song Yixuan was in poor health and was still young. He was already yawning and sleepy. After taking his medicine, he fell asleep to Song Yihuan's gentle humming.
Song Yihuan had experienced so much today and had slept all the way in the afternoon. She wasn't sleepy at all at this moment. So she pushed open the window and leaned on the window sill, looking out.
They were still within the territory of the capital. There was a small town nearby called Jiuyao Town, and the post - station was located on the official road leading to it.
The moonlight wasn't very good tonight. The moon was only a crescent, and the stars in the sky were blocked by thick clouds. The moonlight and starlight could only illuminate a small part of the scenery outside the window. From where she was, she could see soldiers in armor patrolling from time to time.
When they walked, the metal of their armor and boots clanged, which was very obvious in the night. However, for her, this sound made her feel quite at ease.
Suddenly, she was stunned. In the darkness, she saw a very familiar figure.
In the night, Ji Lingchuan, wearing armor, was leading two Black Armored Army soldiers walking from afar. From where she was, he looked as straight as a pine, with steady and powerful steps. The arm holding his saber was slightly propped up, and his shoulders were broad and reliable.
As if sensing something, the man stopped and looked up in her direction.
Song Yihuan was so scared that she shrank back, leaning against the window and breathing heavily, her heart pounding.
She cursed herself for hiding. Wouldn't it make her seem more guilty? She steadied herself, summoned up her courage, and leaned back against the window to look out again, but the man was no longer there.
She stared blankly in the direction where the man had stood, slightly in a daze. Actually, she had a lot to say to him, but there were many people in the post - station. Given their identities, they should avoid suspicion in public and not have too much contact.
It seemed that those words of thanks would have to wait until after the autumn hunting trip and when they returned to the capital.
What she didn't know was that under the lush big tree in the post - station, Ji Lingchuan was hiding in the shadows, looking up at the open window above. From his position, he could see Song Yihuan's beautiful profile illuminated by the moonlight.
The hand holding his saber tightened gradually until his knuckles turned white.
Ji Lingchuan stood under the tree all the time. Even after the figure lying on the window had disappeared and the window had been closed by her, he didn't move an inch. It wasn't until someone called out from behind:
"General? General? Why are you standing here? It's late at night. You should go down and rest."
Ji Lingchuan came back to his senses and then took steps to leave the big tree that had hidden his figure.
The night passed peacefully. At the Mao hour the next day, before dawn, the convoy was already ready to go. After the emperor got on his carriage, the convoy set off northward again.
The convoy going north to Xingzhou didn't always stop at post - stations. Sometimes they traveled all night. Walking and stopping all the way like this, twenty days later, the convoy finally reached the territory of Xingzhou and headed towards the main city, Tianxiang City.