They traveled light, with only one ordinary carriage originally intended for Zeng Haomiao and Shi Ning'an, the two who didn't know martial arts. But Shi Ning'an earnestly persuaded A Xi to get in too, saying she needed a good rest.
Rong Zhuo didn't think much and just nodded in agreement. "If you're not feeling well, just ride in the carriage with them. We still have several days on this journey, and the road is rough. Riding a horse will surely be bumpy."
A Xi naturally complied.
When they were halfway through the journey, Zeng Haomiao lifted the carriage curtain and saw that Rong Zhuo had ridden ahead. Then he turned back with a worried look on his face. "What's going on with you all? Ning'an, are you also joining in this recklessness? The lady's in poor health. Fortunately, we have the carriage. If she really rides a horse and endures the bumpy journey, I'm afraid in four or five days, no, not even four or five days. Maybe just two days, and the lady will surely..."
A Xi placed her hand on her abdomen, and a look of worry also flashed across her eyes.
She was an orphan and was used to wandering the rivers and lakes since childhood. Finally, she found a master and learned some showy martial arts skills from him. But then the master was captured by villains and taken to a brothel, where he was tortured to death. She then swore that she wouldn't just learn showy moves but real killing skills.
After years of hard training, she finally acquired some skills. By chance, she met Rong Zhuo.
She was used to a life of wandering. After meeting Rong Zhuo, she finally settled down. But in fact, she just had someone to rely on and still traveled around.
Now, there was a baby in her belly, her and Rong Zhuo's baby.
She lifted the carriage curtain and looked in Rong Zhuo's direction. Seeing his tall back on the horse, a faint smile appeared on her face. With him and the baby, anywhere was a real home.
The joy on Shi Ning'an's face faded away completely. She said quietly, "If Second Cousin knew about this, he would only leave Second Sister - in - law in Hankun and wouldn't take her with us."
Zeng Haomiao nodded. "Naturally. After everything is done, he can come back to pick her up, which can also ensure the safety of her and the baby."
Shi Ning'an looked at him. "Cousin, will everything really succeed?"
Zeng Haomiao fell silent.
Shi Ning'an continued, "I don't dare to take the risk, whether it's success or failure. The reason I came all the way to the capital regardless of the hardships is that I can't gamble on the future. Whether it's good or bad, I hope I can always be by Third Brother's side."
The carriage fell into silence.
After leaving Hankun, there was a small town nearby, but it was not convenient for the cavalry to go there. Zeng Haomiao took a few people to the town to buy emergency supplies and the medicine A Xi needed.
Shi Ning'an and Rong Zhuo sat in front of a shabby tea stall by the roadside. The tea here was not good. It was just hot water for passers - by.
Rong Zhuo took out some cakes and distributed them to Shi Ning'an and A Xi. They ate the cakes with the bitter tea.
The cakes were hard and dry, even worse than the unpalatable meals in the village.
Shi Ning'an tore off a bite, imitated them, and tried to eat it with the tea. But before she could swallow it, she vomited it out.
It was really too unpalatable.
Rong Zhuo looked up and smiled. "You've only been with me for four days, and you've lost a lot of weight. I'm afraid you've never eaten such rough food since childhood."
Shi Ning'an glanced at Rong Zhuo but didn't say a word. Among the four young masters of the Rong family, Rong Xuan and Rong Sui grew up in the capital and had a life of luxury since childhood. Although Rong Heng grew up in Wuyun and had to deal with occasional wars from time to time, he was still the descendant of the national - protecting marshal. Even if he ate and lived with the soldiers on the battlefield, his life in Wuyun was not bad.
Only Rong Zhuo left home angrily at the age of fifteen. Six years had passed since then. He had no power, no influence, and no money, and was always in danger. She wondered how he had managed to survive all these years.
A Xi said, "Ning'an, don't worry. They'll buy some steamed buns and stuffed buns in the town. Although they're just ordinary food, they're better than these hard cakes."
Shi Ning'an felt a bit embarrassed. Everyone was in the same situation, but just because she had come, they had to make special arrangements. But the cake in her hand was really too hard for her to eat.
Seeing her shyness, Rong Zhuo changed the topic. "Do you have a feud with Wei Hongmiao and Shi Qingmei?"
It was about what happened last night. In her excitement last night, she almost revealed that she had been reborn.
Shi Ning'an nodded. "Yes. Since Second Cousin knows about me, you should also know how I left the Shi family. The Shi family took everything from my mother, and I still haven't retrieved 30% of it. As for Wei Hongmiao and Shi Qingmei, they had bad intentions from the very beginning. They wanted to use me to get in touch with the Rong family."
Her tone was calm. Rong Zhuo opened his mouth but didn't ask any more questions.
Shi Ning'an looked up. "But it's all over now. They not only failed but also lost their lives because of it. I'm very happy."
There was no sign of happiness on her face. Instead, there was a sense of desolation.
But Rong Zhuo laughed. "As long as you're happy. No one will dare to bully you in the future."
Only then did Shi Ning'an really smile. "Grandfather also told me the same thing. I know that with the protection of the Rong family, no one will dare to bully me."
Rong Zhuo ate the whole cake. After drinking the bitter tea, he felt much more energetic.
Shi Ning'an asked, "Second Cousin, what's the current situation in the capital?"
Yesterday, Wei Hongmiao and Shi Qingmei fled to Hankun like stray dogs. It was obvious that in the game between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, the Crown Prince had won.
Rong Zhuo took a slow breath and said, "After the Rong family was stripped of their titles and positions, their power was handed over to Wei Hongmiao. In just half a month, Wei Hongmiao took control of the Capital Guard."
Rong Xuan was in the Military Affairs Department, and Rong Sui was in the Feathered Forest Guard. Their official positions were not very high, but they were not the kind of people who just relied on hereditary titles to idle around. They had some abilities and a certain amount of power in their hands.
It was absolutely impossible for Wei Hongmiao to take control of the Capital Guard in just half a month without prior preparation. Just from the successive accidents that happened to Rong Xuan and Rong Sui at the beginning of the year, it could be seen that the Capital Guard had long been full of loopholes and had been infiltrated by the people of the Third Prince without anyone noticing.
Rong Zhuo continued, "The Third Prince probably never thought that when he thought he was forming an alliance with the Eldest Prince, which was like adding wings to a tiger, in fact, he was seeking the tiger's skin. After the Rong family lost power, the Third Prince became too complacent. He didn't expect..."
"To be finally pecked by a bird?"
Rong Zhuo nodded. "The Dong family lost power just a few months ago. The Third Prince wanted to follow their example. It was really stupid. Maybe the Dong family saw that the Crown Prince was in a weak position and thought that the Eldest Prince had never been scolded by the Emperor and there was still room for maneuver. Taking advantage of the chaos in the capital, the Dong family made some moves in the Feathered Forest Guard. Ten days ago, when the Emperor went to the imperial mausoleum for a sacrifice, he was assassinated by secret guards and almost lost his life. Fortunately, Concubine Zhao sacrificed herself to save him."
Shi Ning'an's eyelids twitched. "Concubine Zhao?"
Rong Zhuo chuckled. "She's now Imperial Concubine Zhao."
Shi Ning'an was in a daze for a long time.
"Finally, it was found that the assassins were arranged by Wei Hongmiao."
Shi Ning'an took a deep breath. Wei Hongmiao was just one step away from achieving the merit of supporting a new emperor. Naturally, he wouldn't do such a thing as regicide. Although the Dong family's intention was to strike at the Third Prince, they also wanted to take revenge on Wei Hongmiao for his defection in the past.
It was a double - edged sword.
"The Emperor was extremely angry. The entire Wei family was raided and executed. Lu Wenyao, the new top - scorer in the imperial examination, was demoted three ranks and was removed from the Hanlin Academy. Relying on his last bit of power, Wei Hongmiao fled to Hankun with his wife Shi Qingmei, just to ask General Zhou to send troops..."
Shi Ning'an narrowed her eyes slightly. "If that's really the case, at this moment, the Third Prince may also be suspected by the Emperor. At this time, for the Third Prince to ask General Zhou to send troops, is he really going to rebel or is he just out of his mind?"
Rong Zhuo sneered. "The Third Prince is not stupid. It's just that Wei Hongmiao is not willing to accept his fate. The secret letter sent by the Third Prince asked General Zhou to get rid of Wei Hongmiao."
Just like the old saying goes, when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hound is cooked. Why did Wei Hongmiao think that the Third Prince would do his best to protect him after he was no longer useful?
Rong Zhuo stood up and walked outside the teahouse. The wind blew, lifting his long hair. Maybe because of his years of wandering, although he was only twenty - one or twenty - two years old, he looked even older than his elder brother Rong Xuan.
Each of them had their own missions and pursuits. The future was a bright light, and they had to use all their strength to lead the people around them towards that light.
Shi Ning'an followed him and stood beside him. The sun made her squint, but she didn't care.
"It's a good thing that Wei Hongmiao is being suspected by the Emperor. Wei Hongmiao rose to power with the help of the Northern Qi and General Zhou. Now that the Emperor thinks he has rebellious intentions, he will naturally consider the authenticity of the battle with the Northern Qi. In this way, the Third Prince may also be suspected by the Emperor."
Rong Zhuo slowly shook his head. "It's a pity that the Third Prince's side - concubine is the younger cousin of Imperial Concubine Zhao."
Shi Ning'an nodded. Yes, although no one from the Zhao family was currently an official, the Emperor's regard for the Zhao family was already very obvious. Imperial Concubine Zhao had tried to sacrifice herself for the Emperor this time - she didn't die, but it could be seen that she was truly devoted to the Emperor.
Rong Zhuo seemed not to want to talk about this. He looked back at A Xi, who was closing her eyes and resting, took out a small portrait from his sleeve, and handed it to Shi Ning'an with a smile. "Take a look."
Shi Ning'an took the portrait and was surprised. "Is this... Han'er when he was a child?"
Han'er was very cute when he smiled, with symmetrical dimples on his cheeks. Before, Shi Ning'an didn't understand why neither Rong Xuan nor Mrs. Shao had dimples, but Han'er did. Now she knew that these dimples were inherited from Rong Zhuo.
Rong Zhuo smiled. His smile was neither as gentle as Rong Xuan's nor as cold as Rong Sui's even when he smiled. His smile seemed to carry warmth and light.
He nodded. "Yes. This is a portrait of Han'er painted by Elder Brother when he was two years old. He said he thought Han'er looked like me and specially sent a letter with this portrait to me."
Shi Ning'an had only heard that Rong Zhuo had never returned home or had any contact with his family after he left. Although she heard from Rong Zhuo that he had written letters to Princess Zhaoming and Rong Xuan, she thought they would only write about important things. She didn't expect that they would even send a portrait of Han'er.
"Ning'an, do you think if I have a child in the future, will he be as cute as Han'er?"
Shi Ning'an looked at the portrait in her hand. The edge of the drawing paper was frayed. Han'er was only a little over three years old now. It was obvious that Rong Zhuo had taken out this portrait to look at it from time to time in the past year.
In fact, he already had a child. Shi Ning'an pursed her lips and smiled, then nodded. "Surely he will."
Rong Zhuo rarely showed a shy look and continued, "When I had a big argument with Grandfather and left home angrily at the age of fifteen, Elder Brother had just become engaged to Sister - in - law. At that time, I thought that a marriage arranged by the family was not worth having. Moreover, I was so stupid at that time. I thought I had great ambitions and only wanted to become an official through the literary path. Grandfather said harshly that no man of the Rong family would ever be a civil official. Then I decided to change my name and run away to be a military advisor under the name of A Yin. In short, at that time, I decided that I would never get married before I achieved my ambitions..."