early morning.
At daybreak, the convoy located in the suburbs had already begun to pack up.
Tents and bonfires dotted the plains, their flames extinguished, leaving smoke billowing from burning wood. Not far away, in the bamboo forest, guards in shifts stood guard.
The sun had not yet risen. As autumn approached, the weather was gradually getting colder. Morning dew hung on the grass outside the tent, and the air was moist.
Lin Qingqing, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, lowered her head and hurried towards His Highness's tent. Outside His Highness's tent, only two maids were guarding it. These two maids were not ordinary people either; they were Lin Qingqing's subordinates, and their martial arts skills were not weak.
As soon as Lin Qingqing walked in, a maid came forward and whispered something into her ear. After hearing it, Lin Qingqing's face was stunned. After a moment, she came back to her senses and subconsciously glanced at the tent in front of her.
last night……
As if she thought of something, Lin Qingqing's expression became a little strange.
…
When the sky was completely bright, a ray of sunlight shone through the bamboo forest, dispelling the moisture in the forest.
The tent was slowly opened, and a figure sneaked out of it. His bright eyes looked around, and after confirming that no one was around, he walked out lightly.
But after taking just two steps, the girl frowned slightly, a trace of pain appearing on her face. She bit her lower lip lightly, her expression somewhat pitiful.
Accompanied by a hint of resentment.
There seemed to be a hint of joy and shyness between her facial features, and she lacked some of the immaturity of a girl, and her face was as clear as a waterfall.
Your Highness, you really don't have any sympathy for women...
The little maid bit her lower lip, looking slightly aggrieved, and pouting slightly. She wrapped her clothes around her like a guilty thief, then sneaked away with her head down.
Not long after Xiao Zhu left, a figure walked out from behind the tent.
It was Lin Qingqing. She was watching the scene not far away, and only sighed softly after Xiaozhu ran away.
Then she walked outside the tent.
"Your Highness."
Soon, Lin Jiangnian's familiar voice came from the tent: "Come in!"
Lin Qingqing pushed open the tent and walked in.
A faint scent permeated the warm and dim tent.
Lin Qingqing sniffed, and seemed to realize something, her face looked a little unnatural.
She didn't know what kind of aura it was, but when she thought about Xiao Zhu's recent departure and the sound the maid outside the door said she heard last night... it was self-evident.
Lin Qingqing subconsciously glanced at the bed not far away. Lin Jiangnian seemed to have just woken up and sat up with his upper body naked. The bed was in a mess.
With her sharp eyes, she noticed that there seemed to be some women's clothes by the bed... ?
Lin Qingqing took a glance and quickly lowered her head.
"Your Highness, it's time for us to set off!"
"knew."
Lin Jiangnian yawned, feeling sleepy. He pulled his clothes from the side and put them on before getting up.
"Your Highness, the toiletries are ready. Please go wash and change your clothes first."
Lin Qingqing spoke softly, and Lin Jiangnian nodded, then stood up and left the tent. Outside the tent, a maid had been waiting for a long time.
Inside the room, Lin Qingqing began to help His Highness tidy up the tent and sort out the items on the bed. When she lifted the quilt, she saw a girl's bellyband left at the head of the bed.
Lin Qingqing's expression suddenly became strange. She looked down and soon saw a particularly glaring red spot on the messy bed.
"really……"
Lin Qingqing muttered to herself, her face slightly red. After a while, she came to her senses and sighed softly.
As expected, His Highness still didn’t let Xiao Zhu go!
After a moment's silence, Lin Qingqing quickly tidied the bedding on the bed, removed the bloodstained sheets, and put them away. She only breathed a sigh of relief after she had "destroyed" all the evidence in the tent.
Then he said, "Come in."
Outside the door, several maids walked in.
"Help His Highness pack up and get ready to set off!"
…
As autumn approaches, the further north you go, the colder the weather becomes.
On the official road heading north, a lone horse walked lonely on the road. Above the horse, a tired figure appeared.
There was a slight paleness on his cold face, and he could not hide his tiredness. He ran all the way north until a small town appeared not far ahead.
Only then did a hint of joy appear on her face.
It's finally here.
An unconcealable excitement and excitement appeared in Shen Lingjun's eyes.
Perhaps inspired by the little maid last night, she finally decided to leave.
Before leaving, she stole a horse from Prince Gou and headed north.
She's going to get help.
Now that she has lost all her martial arts skills, it is extremely dangerous to travel around the world. She must rush to Xunyang County as soon as possible.
There, there are her master's good friends.
The master once said that if she encountered difficulties in the future, she should go and seek help as soon as possible.
After running around all night, she was sleepy and tired. Seeing the small town ahead, she decided to rest for a while.
He rode slowly to the outside of the town, then dismounted and entered the town in a low-key manner.
Now she had to be careful and cautious, not to attract anyone's attention. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, she changed her clothes in a low-key manner along the way, trying not to cause any trouble.
Shen Lingjun led the horse into the town and soon arrived outside a restaurant and inn. When he smelled the aroma of food coming from the restaurant, Shen Lingjun was so hungry that he could not walk anymore.
Hungry!
So hungry!
She had a miserable life during this period!
Not to mention having a hot meal, even eating was a luxury. She hadn't eaten anything for almost the entire day since she left last night.
Finally, she stepped into the inn.
"Sir, please come in!"
The waiter in the restaurant warmly welcomed Shen Lingjun in, "Sir, what would you like to eat?"
Shen Lingjun sat at the table and ordered a large table of food in one go.
The waiter's eyebrows almost stood up from laughing, what a rich man!
"Okay, sir, please wait a moment!"
While waiting, Shen Lingjun subconsciously glanced around the restaurant. The restaurant was quiet and almost empty.
For some reason, Shen Lingjun vaguely felt something... weird!
Such a big restaurant, and no one is here?
No... there is someone!
Shen Lingjun raised her eyes and saw a figure sitting quietly by the window not far from the restaurant.
From Shen Lingjun's direction, he could only see the other person's profile. It seemed to be a woman?
Judging from his attire, he looked like a gangster. He wore loose clothes and a bamboo hat, which concealed his appearance.
A bit of a vulgar temperament.
After taking a few glances, Shen Lingjun didn't see anything unusual, so she looked away.
There are too many people dressed like this in the world.
Soon, the inn waiter brought the food.
When Shen Lingjun saw the table full of hot and delicious food, she finally couldn't help it and grabbed her chopsticks to eat.
satisfy!
So satisfying!
"Woo..."
When Shen Lingjun felt the taste buds of the delicious food on her tongue, she was so excited that she almost cried. The grievances she had suffered in the past few days seemed to come flooding back to her heart at this moment, and she devoured the food.
"Sir, would you like some wine?"
Seeing this, the waiter standing nearby immediately said, "Would you like to try our homemade wine?"
Shen Lingjun's mouth was full of food, and he spoke unclearly: "Bring some wine!"
"Okay!"
The waiter quickly brought a pot of wine.
Shen Lingjun poured a glass and took a sip.
So bland!
What kind of wine is this? It’s just average.
Shen Lingjun shook his head and continued to work hard, as if to make up for all the hunger he had suffered in the past few days.
After finishing all the food on the table, Shen Lingjun touched her stomach contentedly.
Eight-tenths full!
The waiter standing not far away saw this scene and looked a little surprised.
Have you finished eating?
This woman... can really eat!
As if he thought of something, the waiter quickly glanced behind him and gave a look.
At this time, Shen Lingjun, who had eaten and drunk his fill, slowly stood up and said, "Waiter, check out!"
"Okay!"
The waiter came forward enthusiastically with the account book, calculated everything, and then said, "Sir, your total consumption is twenty taels."
"How many?"
Shen Lingjun was stunned, wondering if she hadn't heard clearly.
"Twenty taels." The waiter repeated, looking at her with a smile.
"What kind of shady shop is this?"
Shen Lingjun spoke subconsciously.
Twenty taels?
In this era when three cents can buy a steamed bun, how can you spend twenty taels for a meal?
If this isn’t a black shop, what is it?
"Sir, you've misunderstood. All prices in our store are clearly marked."
The waiter was very professional and pointed to the plaque behind him, which indeed listed the prices of various dishes.
Shen Lingjun took a closer look and quickly realized something was wrong: "That's not right. I just ordered so much food, and it only costs five taels of silver at most. Where did the twenty taels come from?"
"Sir, you just drank some wine from our restaurant without charging any money." The waiter explained patiently.
"How much is that awful wine?"
"Fifteen taels!"
"Isn't this a shady shop?"
Shen Lingjun immediately got angry. Selling her a pot of broken and tasteless wine for fifteen taels, wasn't this extortion?
"Look at what you're saying, sir. That's not some crappy wine you're drinking. It's our secret recipe for longevity, brewed with a variety of rare herbs. It's priceless... I'm selling it to you at fifteen taels, which is quite a bargain."
Shen Lingjun is not a fool, so he naturally doesn't believe it.
What kind of rare herb is being sold to her for fifteen taels?
Shen Lingjun opened her eyes wide: "You are blackmailing me!"
"Sir, you're not planning to dine for free, are you?"
The waiter put away the smile on his face and looked at Shen Lingjun in front of him with a tough attitude: "Our store has clear prices. If you drink our wine, you have to pay!"
"you……"
Just as Shen Lingjun was about to scold the waiter, she caught a glimpse of a few dark shadows flashing by at the stairs not far away.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It’s over!
I really ran into a shady shop!
On normal days, she would naturally not be afraid. She would regard it as a small black shop as a chivalrous act and doing justice.
But now she has lost all her martial arts skills. If she gets into a fight, she probably won't be able to gain any advantage.
Thinking of this, Shen Lingjun reached out and touched her waist unwillingly. The next second, her heart skipped a beat again.
Not enough money!
She took out some change from her pocket, which added up to only five taels of silver.
She had never expected something like this to happen on this trip, and she didn't bring much money with her.
Her expression changed slightly, and then she gritted her teeth and said, "I only have five taels of silver!"
"Five taels?"
The waiter took a quick look and said, "Not enough, we still need fifteen taels!"
“Gone!”
Shen Lingjun gritted her teeth. She had just escaped from the clutches of that bastard prince, but she didn't expect that a waiter would dare to make things difficult for her.
"No more money?"
The waiter looked up and down at Shen Lingjun in front of him. Although she was disguised and her original appearance could not be seen, she still had some extraordinary temperament.
This woman has a good temperament, but I wonder what she looks like...
"So you just want to dine for free?"
The waiter narrowed his eyes and said, "It's not impossible without money, but... you have to stay!"
Shen Lingjun immediately showed a look of vigilance, "What do you want to do?"
The waiter shook his head and said, "Since you don't have any money, you have to stay here. You can only leave when you pay me back!"
"Don't even think about it!"
How could Shen Lingjun not realize that there was something fishy going on and rejected it immediately?
Seeing this, the waiter's face suddenly darkened, "This is not up to you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, four or five figures appeared at the stairs. They were all burly men. They surrounded Shen Lingjun with unfriendly eyes.
Shen Lingjun's face turned pale. It was indeed a shady shop.
"You, what do you want to do?"
Shen Lingjun said timidly, "Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the authorities? Is there still law?"
"Report to the police?"
The waiter crossed his arms and sneered, "In our place, even if the government comes, even if the emperor comes, it will be useless."
"If you dare to eat and dine for free, don't blame me for being rude!"
"Catch her for me!"
I thought he was a wealthy man, but he turned out to be a poor fellow. But it didn't matter. The woman in front of me was pretty, and it didn't matter if she had no money. I could still make a fortune by selling her.
As soon as he finished speaking, the four or five strong men around him approached quickly. Shen Lingjun's face looked extremely ugly and he clenched his fists. At this moment, a cold voice was heard.
"stop!"
At the same time, a cold voice was heard.
“Snap!”
The sound of silver falling on the counter.
"I'll pay the money she owes!"
Hearing this voice, Shen Lingjun was startled and subconsciously looked at the figure that appeared in front of him. It was the woman in the inn just now.
Why did she help herself?
Hearing someone speak out, the waiter immediately became angry: "Who told you to meddle in other people's business?"
A woman in plain clothes, loose clothes, a conical hat, and a light veil covering her face, making it impossible to make out her appearance.
The waiter was not unfamiliar with this person. He had noticed him since he entered the inn.
However, he also noticed that this person had a good temperament and might not be easy to provoke, so he did not dare to act rashly.
Their restaurant and inn had been open for so long that the waiter had already developed a pair of sharp eyes. He knew exactly who to provoke and who not to provoke.
The woman in front of them was the one they didn't want to mess with!
But unexpectedly, when they didn't bother her, she came out to meddle in their affairs?
The waiter immediately became furious: "What does this have to do with you? Go away, get out of here!"
The waiter waved his hand to drive the man away.
The woman under the bamboo hat had no visible expression. She raised her head slightly, revealing a pair of cold and beautiful eyes, and repeated it in a calm and cold tone.
"I'll give it to her!"
“…”