Chapter 126: Too Lonely

Magistrate Liu sat in the carriage at the front of the convoy, followed by Xiaoguo’s carriage. The carriage pulling the coffin was at the back. There were two rows of soldiers lined up on both sides, and there were more than ten people following behind.

Xiaoguo was shocked by this scene. To think that she was able to enjoy such privileged treatment in her lifetime, Xiaoguo had benefited greatly from her association with the Jiang family.

Keeping Qin Anming’s advice in mind, Xiaoguo scattered the joss paper every once in a while. According to his estimation, Xiaoguo only had to control the amount of joss paper she scattered each time. These joss paper would definitely last till they reached the capital. She didn’t have to stop to buy more.

Magistrate Liu sat steadily in the carriage and thought happily. He wondered how he would be rewarded after escorting her to the capital. Would he be promoted? Even if he wasn’t promoted, there should be other benefits.

Thinking of this, Magistrate Liu almost laughed out loud. He looked at Xiaoguo in the carriage behind him as if he was looking at the God of Fortune. He had to take good care of her along the way. His future depended on her!

“Go and ask Madam Jiang how she is. Is she feeling comfortable? Does she need to stop and rest?”

Magistrate Liu instructed the soldiers outside happily. His main job was to take good care of Qin Xiaoguo. Everything else was secondary.

“Yes!”

When the official heard this, he immediately ran to the back and came to Xiaoguo’s carriage. He knocked softly on the sedan chair. When Xiaoguo heard this, she lifted the curtain.

“Our county magistrate asked if you need to stop and rest.”

“No, let’s keep going.”

Although Xiaoguo found it strange, she did not say anything else. It was better to hurry on with their journey. The sooner they arrived, the better.

They had set off from Yonghai County at noon. They did not stop along the way and headed straight for Yongxiu County. When they reached the place, it was already dark and everyone was a little tired from the journey, so they entered the county and found an inn to stay for the night.

Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang had only had breakfast since the morning. They were starving by now.

Magistrate Liu assigned a room for Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang and ordered some food for them.

The others had also gone to eat and rest. It wasn’t so bad for Xiaoguo and the others who were sitting in the carriages, but it was hard on the officers and horses who were traveling on foot. Fortunately, Magistrate Liu was a considerate official and did not continue to grind the officers. He got them to do their duties by shift so that they could take turns to rest.

After dinner, Xiaoguo helped Zhuang Zhuang to wash up and carried him to bed.

The child was feeling sleepy even before they reached the county. He had not taken a nap in the afternoon. When they were having dinner, she had to feed him to stop him from dozing off.

In a daze, Zhuang Zhuang let Xiaoguo wipe his face and clean his mouth. As soon as he touched the bed, he slipped under the blanket without Xiaoguo having to remind him. He fell asleep shortly after he found a comfortable position in the bed.

Seeing that Zhuang Zhuang didn’t even need her to pat him to sleep, Xiaoguo rubbed his nose in amusement.

She blew out the candle beside the bed so that Zhuang Zhuang could sleep more soundly. Only one candle was left burning on the table in the room.

Xiaoguo strolled to the table and sat down. Then, she took out the simple hand-drawn map that the old village chief had given her before she left. According to him, if she were to go to the capital, she would probably be taking this route. He had drawn this based on what he could remember. It had been so many years, so it should not have changed much.

Xiaoguo was grateful to him. With this map, she could observe where she was in real time and figure out how close she was to the capital.

Take today for example. Xiaoguo used her fingers to trace the route from Yonghai County. After traveling for the whole afternoon, they arrived at Yongxiu County.

Xiaoguo pointed to the current location, Yongxiu County. The next place they had to go was…

Her finger slid to the next place, the Zhao family’s shop.

This name was really strange. Xiaoguo looked at the names of the county cities she passed by on the way. There were really all kinds of names. There was actually one called Goulou County.

Xiaoguo held back her laughter. These people from ancient times were really random and casual when it came to naming county cities.

Xiaoguo did some calculations. If she followed the route on the map, she would have to pass through 13 county cities before reaching the capital.

At this moment, Xiaoguo could not help but yawn. She patted her mouth and wiped away her tears.

Since they had to leave early in the morning, Xiaoguo decided to go to bed early. She got up and put the map away. After blowing out the candles, she climbed into bed amid the darkness. She found Zhuang Zhuang’s position and held him gently in her arms. Very soon after, she fell asleep.

In the county.

“Your Majesty, Lord Li requests an audience.”

“Bring him in.”

The eunuch lowered his head and acknowledged the order. Then, he went outside to summon Lord Li.

After a while, the sound of light footsteps approached. Shao Zhan put down his brush and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

“I, Li Rudao, hereby pay my respects to the Emperor.”

Lord Li Rudao was the Minister of Revenue who had called on Xiaoguo. At this moment, he was kneeling in the middle of the hall. He had just returned to the capital today after traveling day and night without stopping in between. The first thing he did when he returned to the capital was to report the situation. He had not returned home yet. His wife was still waiting for him to return home for dinner.

“Get up.”

Shao Zhan put down his teacup and looked at the person who had come to see him. “How is it?”

“Your Majesty, I have already settled the matter of the Jiang family’s ancestral grave in the capital. I also learned that Madam Qin has already set off safely from Yonghai County. I believe that it will take less than seven days for them to reach the capital.”

The Minister of Revenue stood up and said.

Shao Zhan’s lips curled into an imperceptible smile. “Very good.”

“You have to ensure that Madam Qin can reach the capital safely. You have to provide her with assistance to bury the two elders of the Jiang family in their ancestral grave.”

Shao Zhan’s voice sounded with a hint of satisfaction. When the Ministry of Revenue heard this, he straightened his back proudly. With Old Li on the job, he could take on the duties of two men.

“I accept the Emperor’s order!”

Shao Zhan waved him away.

Apart from Shao Zhan, there was no one else in the hall. At this moment, he was very happy. As long as he could get Qin Xiaoguo to stay, he didn’t believe that Jiang Danhe would still want to go home.

Thinking of this, Shao Zhan chuckled. Then, he stopped smiling and looked around. After confirming that there was no one around, he quickly wore a serious expression on his face again.

Shao Zhan’s mind was filled with a set of advice. When he was young, his mother had reminded him never to forget these words.

A ruler should not express joy and sadness overtly. He must always maintain his dignity and seriousness.

Shao Zhan laid his eyes on the book in front of him, but his life before and after becoming an emperor surfaced in his memories. Slowly, an inexplicable coldness appeared in his eyes.

“It’s so lonely being emperor…”

“Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience.”

Shao Zhan came back to his senses and slowly closed the book. A trace of disgust flashed across his eyes. He looked up at the door with a slight smile on his face.

“Bring her in.”

At Jiang Danhe’s residence.

“Li Shouji! Li Shouji!”

Jiang Danhe was knocking on the door of Li Shouji’s house. Every time he knocked, it felt like he was going to smash the door.

Li Shouji hugged his blanket and curled up on the bed. Two dark circles that looked like panda’s eyes hung on his tired face. He looked out the door angrily, as if this could hurt the person standing outside.

“Is there no end to this?!”

Li Shouji covered his ears with the blanket, trying not to hear anything outside the door. Jiang Danhe was the devil.

In the end, the door could not withstand the pressure and collapsed under Jiang Danhe’s pounding.

After an awkward silence…

Jiang Danhe retracted his hand and rubbed his nose awkwardly. “If only you had opened the door earlier.”

“?!”

Li Shouji glared at Jiang Danhe. “What are you talking about?!”