Chapter 79 As dusk approached, it was quite...

Chapter 79 As dusk approached, it was quite...

As dusk approached, Chen Dao sat on a small stool near the threshold of the rather old San Niu Inn, his gaze fixed blankly on the dusty official road ahead, his brows furrowed deeply, revealing a visible sorrow.

"Uncle, it's time to light the lanterns." Chen Jiuniu took out two lanterns marked with the word "shop" and gestured to Chen Dao that he was blocking the way.

"You good-for-nothing brat, why light a lamp before it's even dark? Wait until the sun has completely set." Chen Dao didn't even bother to look at his nephew, only uttering this remark while keeping his gaze fixed on the official road. It seemed that if he looked a few more times, he could spot the passing merchants.

"Uncle, look, the sun is almost completely setting. At this hour, no one will be coming. We should hang up the lanterns and hurry up to have dinner. My aunt has already prepared the food, and it will get cold if we don't hurry."

"What do you know? In the past, many people came here to stay in the middle of the night because they were out of the loop..."

The young man, impatient with his uncle's rambling, interrupted him directly: "Uncle, you said it yourself, that was in the past. Ever since that flash flood two years ago changed the river's course, the current has become so rapid that caravans that travel by water no longer like to pass through here. Besides, there were new bandits last year..."

"Alright, alright, light the lamp. You're so young, why do you talk so much?" Chen Dao interrupted his nephew impatiently as he heard him rattle off a bunch of things he didn't want to hear.

"Sigh! The officials in the government office have been saying they're going to suppress the bandits for ages, but it's been so many days and there's still no sign of it." Chen Dao stood up, picked up his small stool, and complained under his breath.

"They all talk a good game, but they do nothing and are utterly useless." Hearing his uncle's words, Chen Jiuniu rolled his eyes and muttered something rather offensive.

"If this keeps up, we'll have to drink...drink! We have guests, kid, hurry up and light the lamps, let's get ready to greet them." Halfway through his sentence, Chen Dao's tone suddenly became excited and impassioned.

With his uncle's excited tone, Chen Jiuniu turned to look at the official road. As the sun slowly set, a large caravan gradually appeared on the dusty road, with a flag embroidered with a large "Lu" character at the front fluttering in the wind.

At a glance, the procession alone had twenty or thirty carts loaded with goods, and behind the "Lu" flag procession, there were also scattered small groups of vehicles.

This is a typical case of large businesses leading small ones. Smaller merchants or individual traders would pay some money to follow larger merchants traveling the same route in order to seek protection and increase their safety.

Judging from the situation today, there must be over a hundred people here. Not only will the inn be full, but many more will probably have to borrow rooms in the village to stay.

"Go to the back and tell the villagers that we have guests. Also, ask Da Niu and the others to bring over some firewood, food, and fodder." After urging his nephew to hang up the lantern, Chen Daoli continued to make arrangements for him.

"Yes!" This time, Chen Jiuniu didn't care about his dinner anymore, and quickly responded and started working.

......

"Madam, smell this. Will this scent make you feel better?" Cat took out a fragrant pill made of mint, borneol, and borneol and put it into the small incense burner. She then took a small round fan and gently fanned the cool fragrance toward Xiao Yan Hui in an attempt to alleviate her motion sickness.

"I feel much better." Suppressing the dizziness in her head and the nausea in her stomach, Xiao Yan took a few sniffs of the fragrant pills prepared by the accompanying doctor. She felt that they seemed to have some effect, but she still felt uncomfortable.

Before returning, Xiao Yan had stayed in Jiangzuo City and had never gone anywhere else. The farthest she had traveled by carriage was only to the outskirts of the city.

This journey north made me realize just how arduous the ancient roads were. Especially with the recent rains, the roads were even more potholed and bumpy, and the muddy, jolting ride felt like it would shake your insides out.

Even though the carriage she was riding in was meticulously crafted and made as comfortable as possible, she still suffered from motion sickness for several days. Yesterday, she was so uncomfortable that she could hardly get up. Today, she was able to sit and lean against something, which means her condition is gradually improving.

"Madam, we've arrived! We've arrived! I can see the inn ahead. You can take a bath and get some rest tonight." Zhu Yue, her face beaming with joy, saw the inn sign in the distance through the curtain.

"After dinner, I'll give Madam a massage. You can finally sleep in bed tonight." Mao'er was also overjoyed to hear from Zhu Yue that the inn was just ahead.

Cat remembered that the group had stayed in a simple little village the night before last, and had simply slept outdoors last night. These past few days had been the worst in terms of conditions they had encountered on their journey. Not only was Madam exhausted and suffering from motion sickness, but she and Zhuyue were also feeling quite worn out. Tonight, they could have a good meal and a good night's sleep, which would be wonderful.

"From now on, be careful not to call her 'Madam' anymore." Since taking over the Prince's mansion, the servants have changed their address to Princess Consort. When they are out and about and do not want to reveal their identity, they also call her 'Madam.' But at this time, they are using the identity of a merchant family surnamed Lu. Qin Ji is the head manager of the caravan. For her, as the manager's wife, to call her 'Madam' would be overstepping her status.

In fact, their convoy at this time contained almost no people from the Prince's Mansion. Instead, they used another group of people under Qin Ji who were more trusted by him. As for the people from the Prince's Mansion, they followed Eunuch Anping, who was delivering the imperial decree, and took a different route.

Previously, when Mao'er and Zhuyue were herded into another carriage by Qin Ji, Xiao Yan Hui hadn't noticed their form of address. Now that Qin Ji had temporarily left for some business and they were called over to serve him, Xiao Yan Hui finally noticed the issue with their form of address.

"Yes, Master." The two quickly changed their address.

"Have Qin Ji and Lin the镖师 not returned yet?" In her dazed state, she vaguely heard Qin Ji say that he and Lin Ye were going to check out something in the Three Ox Canyon ahead.

"Yes, the young master and镖师 Lin have not returned yet, but they were supposed to meet up with the caravan at the San Niu Inn ahead, so they might already be waiting there."

Just as the cat was replying, the carriage stopped, and a deep, steady male voice rang out from outside: "Madam, we've arrived at the inn."

Judging from the voice, the person outside the carriage was Wei Xun, who was also one of Qin Ji's secret guards. His position was second only to Wei Sa. However, unlike Wei Sa, he was not a personal bodyguard. Instead, he was mostly out on business. Xiao Yan Hui only met him as a head镖师 (bodyguard) for the first time during this trip north.

"Understood. Please arrange food and lodging, Chief Escort." Cat replied, then asked, "Has the young master arrived?"

"The master's messenger brought back a message that they will arrive at the inn around midnight. Please, Madam, rest first."

The lanterns in front of the door cast a dim yellow light, and the inn, which was originally somewhat cold and desolate, seemed to come alive as soon as the caravan arrived.

The caravan stopped, and the well-trained guards arranged for security, while the porters began their tasks, feeding the horses and carrying necessary supplies. The small merchants following behind knew they wouldn't be staying at the inn, so they all went to the villages behind to find places to stay for the night.

As a middle-aged man with the marks of time on his face walked in with the villagers who came to greet him, he couldn't help but sigh to the merchant he was traveling with: "A few years ago when I traveled this way, it was quite lively here. There were about a dozen families around the inn who made a living by doing business with traveling merchants, setting up tea stalls and restaurants. I never imagined it would be like this now." There was a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

His companions looked in the direction he was pointing, but saw only a few dilapidated sheds. They couldn't help but sigh at the hardships of the world: "Everyone says there are bandits here. If we hadn't been with the Lu family business, we probably wouldn't have dared to take this road."

"Well, you're right. But I think the bodyguards the Lu family hired this time are all top-notch, so we don't need to worry too much this time."

Meanwhile, Wei Xun, who had just arranged for the caravan's lodging and security, was asking the innkeeper about the bandits: "Innkeeper, this place seems a bit deserted than in previous years. Is the road ahead still safe?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Chen's face showed a hint of unease. He rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice slightly as he replied, "Alas, to be honest, things have been rather unsettled lately... in the vicinity of Sanniu Gorge ahead. However, with a caravan of your size and such elite guards, they certainly wouldn't dare to provoke you. They would probably avoid you if they saw you from afar." As he spoke, he forced a reassuring smile.

As he finished speaking, he glanced cautiously at Wei Xun, then looked with a hint of surprise at the woman sitting quietly to one side wearing a veil. He had just heard someone call her "Grandma," so this must be the owner's wife of the caravan.

Why isn't the owner of this group here? Instead, it's the owner's wife who's come out. Could it be that she's the one in charge?

Several questions flashed through my mind, but the shopkeeper didn't ask any more and just answered honestly.

After chatting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and seeing that Manager Chen didn't seem to have any special information to offer, Wei Xun dismissed him.

“Grandma, our men have checked the inn from the front and back, and also searched the village behind it. There was nothing unusual. The innkeeper looks like an ordinary innkeeper. You can rest assured tonight.” Wei Xun clasped his hands in greeting to Xiao Yan.

"With you all here, I have nothing to worry about. I think the food here is quite ordinary. Have someone drive car number five. There's some meat we prepared when we were in Jiangzuo. Everyone has worked hard these past few days, so let's give them an extra meal." After saying that, Xiao Yan supported her still slightly weak body and went back to her room.

The cat and bamboo moon beside them quickly went to help the person.

"Thank you, Madam." Upon hearing the Princess mention carriage number five, Wei Xun's voice rose slightly above his usual tone. Even the other guards nearby who overheard this couldn't help but brighten their eyes; that carriage was loaded with fine goods. It seemed they were indeed in for a good meal tonight.

While Qin Ji was considering taking good care of his stomach, what he witnessed was a scene of utter devastation, with severed limbs and mangled flesh scattered everywhere.

In the Three Oxen Canyon, torches flickered and shadows danced, and the sounds of clashing weapons, screams, and neighing horses could be heard from time to time, clearly indicating that a group was being fiercely attacked. As the shouts grew more ferocious, the flashing of blades under the torches, and men fell one after another, their screams piercing the night sky.

Above the canyon, Qin Ji was looking down through his monoculars: "Do you know who the people down there are?"

"That carriage looks like that of an official's wife." Wei Sa also had a pair of almost identical binoculars in his hand.

These were rushed out of the glass workshop before leaving Jiangzuo, and only four were successfully made in the first batch. Xiao Yan kept two for herself and gave two to Qin Ji, so Lin Ye could only look at the one in Wei Sa's hand with envy.

"It should be Imperial Censor Shen and his family." Despite his envy, Lin Ye still had to get on with his work. After sorting through the recent news in his mind, he had his answer.