Chapter 78

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Chapter 78: Title

"Hey, did you hear? It’s not just us in the sixteen provinces making noise—the royal city is buzzing too!" a burly man in coarse clothes said, holding a bowl.

A thinner man beside him asked, "What’s going on?"

The burly man glanced around and leaned in. "I heard something happened to the princess at Prince Rong’s residence, and it’s causing quite a stir in the royal city."

"Princess of Prince Rong?"

"Exactly! They say when she was accompanying Madam Dou to Daguan Temple to pray, the carriage suddenly went out of control and fell off a cliff. And now, just as it’s Prince Rong’s birthday, the gates of his residence are shut tight. No birthday feast, and Prince Rong won’t even see anyone!" The burly man shook his head and sighed.

The thinner man frowned. "How do you know all this?"

"Am I an idiot? It’s all over the place here. Even the soldiers in the Northern Region probably know about it. You’d think Prince Rong would care more about his princess, but…"

The weather had been bad for days, delaying Gu Hengbo’s carriage. Spotting a teahouse in the wild, she went inside and soon overheard their conversation.

After the burly man spoke, he noticed someone watching them. Seeing Gu Hengbo dressed as a man, he quickly fell silent. Even though they were far from the capital, talking about royalty, especially Prince Rong’s affairs, could get them killed if the wrong person overheard.

Noticing the two men had stopped talking and were gulping down water, Gu Hengbo forced a smile, her emotions mixed. She stepped closer and sat beside them.

She whispered, "I just came from the royal city. Can I ask you two something?"

The two men exchanged glances and shook their heads.

Gu Hengbo, feeling helpless, pulled out some silver coins. "Just one question, gentlemen." She had some silver but couldn’t take out too much—being in such a remote place, it wouldn’t be wise to draw attention.

Seeing the silver, the two men swallowed and nodded. "Go ahead."

Gu Hengbo glanced around and lowered her voice. "I overheard what you said earlier. I won’t say much. Just one question: Is there going to be a funeral at Prince Rong’s residence?"

The two men looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

Noticing their hesitation, Gu Hengbo pretended to put the silver back in her pocket. The burly man quickly spoke up, "We only heard rumors. It seems there won’t be one."

Gu Hengbo raised an eyebrow. "No funeral? What about the Prime Minister’s residence?"

The big man shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know.

Gu Hengbo took a breath; deep down, she had a vague premonition. Lian Rong wouldn’t be easily fooled, but if she found out, why wouldn’t she just take her back? Or maybe she just didn’t want to bring her back at all?

Gu Hengbo let out a self-deprecating smile. She was just hearing some rumors; why was she so tense? No matter the possibility, she was fine right now.

Holding a few water bags, she stepped through the threshold and then turned back. “Um, I have one more question. Lian, is Prince Rong okay?” After asking, Gu Hengbo felt an urge to slap herself. Why should she care about her?

The big man fiddled with the silver coins in his hand, glancing at her. “You’ve already asked two.”

Gu Hengbo awkwardly smiled and hurriedly fled with the water bags.

They had reached the border between Dongyin and Northern Region. One more step, and she would have nothing to do with Lian Rong anymore. So what if they had been intimate a few times? People today would seek one-night stands all the time. Even if her heart was unbalanced, she just had to bear it.

But why was she feeling so wronged now!?

*

Thanks to the travel documents prepared by Gu Cheng, Gu Hengbo and her companions left the country very smoothly.

With this document, which looked like a decree from the television, Gu Hengbo had laughed for several days. This was an ancient passport, but unfortunately, she probably wouldn’t return to that life. Otherwise, she would keep it safe. (What would she do with a piece of old paper? Ridiculous!)

Actually, Gu Hengbo wasn’t particularly fond of ancient things, except for the valuable ones. Besides this travel document, her favorite was the battle maps. This strange hobby often made people laugh at her.

*

At first, Gu Cheng wanted Xiao Tang to send them to Liangzhou, but later he wrote that it would be better to send them to Zou Yuan’s residence; otherwise, he wouldn’t feel at ease. Gu Hengbo felt incredibly moved. If it were just her, Madam Dou, and Qingfeng, it would be one thing, but now with an injured person added in, it was really inconvenient. She wholeheartedly agreed to keep Xiao Tang with them.

Even though Lianyang’s injury wasn’t serious, the bumpy journey must have bothered him, yet this child was particularly resilient. The wound had reopened, but he didn’t say a word about the pain. Each time they changed the bandage, he didn’t even furrow his brow.

Sometimes, Gu Hengbo couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t it hurt? If it does, just say so. No one will laugh at you.”

At this point, Lianyang would smile at her and say not to worry; he wasn’t in pain.

“You’re so stubborn, kid. Qingfeng, be rougher when you change the bandage next time; I can’t believe he isn’t sweating bullets.” Someone couldn’t hold back anymore. She just didn’t understand what made this pampered prince, who lived in the palace, act like this.

Sometimes, people just like to be difficult; she was one of them.

Madam Dou probably couldn’t watch anymore and said helplessly, “Now that we’ve escaped safely, Meisheng shouldn’t throw tantrums. Once we get to Lord Zou’s residence, we’re under someone else’s roof; you can’t continue like this.”

Gu Hengbo leaned against the carriage wall, crossing her legs. “Mother, you finally admit we’re running away. I’m just worried about him; look at him like this, why should he endure?”

Her words were ambiguous, making Qingfeng look at her strangely, while Madam Dou wore a disapproving expression, thinking how could this child speak so unreasonably? Even though she had escaped, she was still legally married to Prince Rong. By seniority, this second prince still had to call her aunt. She would have to talk to her later; if this continued, something would eventually go wrong.

Lianyang turned bright red because of Gu Hengbo’s remark. With his delicate skin, he was sensitive and not only blushed easily but also felt shy.

As she glanced at him, Gu Hengbo noticed he didn’t know where to look. His eyes were shiny, like a little rabbit.

“Ha ha!” Gu Hengbo couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Lianyang, with a face so thin, how will you marry a wife in the future? Ha ha ha!”

Qingfeng poked her arm with a finger. “Miss, please don’t tease the second prince so much. He’s still injured; you should be more mindful of your image.”

Gu Hengbo patted Lianyang’s shoulder, breathing heavily from laughter. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. I really, really wasn’t joking.”

Lianyang felt a bit uncomfortable as she suddenly got close; he quickly averted his gaze.

Gu Hengbo scratched her head and chuckled.

Fortunately, the Northern Region Capital wasn’t positioned exactly in the middle of the country like Dongyin; they only had to cross three cities. They reached the Northern Region Capital after traveling less than a month. Just before entering the city, Gu Hengbo remembered something.

“Xiao Tang, can I ask you something? Do you know where to find dairy cows?”

“Dairy cows?” Xiao Tang looked puzzled.

Lianyang’s injuries had almost healed. It was the first time in over a decade that he had been away from the royal city for such a long time and distance. He felt a lot of curiosity about everything outside. Since he had rushed the journey, he hadn’t had the chance to appreciate anything. As he prepared to return, he felt somewhat reluctant. If he could see her settle here safely, he would leave with peace of mind.

Hearing Gu Hengbo’s words, Lianyang, though he had never traveled far, understood that there were many things. "I know about the cows you mentioned. Most of them are raised in the northern grasslands. We did not travel the official road when we came. The vast grasslands are to the west of the border between Dongyin and the Northern Region. Do you have something on your mind?"

Now, the two of them found themselves in an awkward position. Lianyang couldn’t call her royal aunt, but using her name felt strange, so he hesitated to address her directly.

Gu Hengbo rested her chin on her hand and said thoughtfully, "Well, if the Northern Region is just slightly southwest, then which country do these vast grasslands belong to?"

"They belong to an independent tribe that has always maintained friendly relations with several nations without invading each other."

"Can we enter freely?" She thought it was necessary to consider this issue.

"Of course we can. I heard from my royal uncle that the people there are very hospitable. Do you want to go?" After Lianyang spoke, his eyes held expectations for Gu Hengbo. If she wanted to go, perhaps he could accompany her.

Gu Hengbo frowned and shook her head. "I’m not thinking of going. I’m just concerned about their cows." It was already August, and once she got everything ready, winter would come. As long as she had enough people, it would all work out.

Qingfeng jumped down from the carriage and rubbed his shoulder. "Miss, what do you need the cows for? Where are we going to find Lord Zou’s residence?"

Madam Dou lifted the curtain to look outside. "Xiao Tang, do you know where Lord Zou’s residence is?"

At the city gate, people were coming and going. Xiao Tang scratched his head. "It’s my first time here too, Madam. Should I go in and ask around?"

Gu Hengbo was discussing how to get two cows with Lianyang and quickly replied, "You don’t know? Qingfeng, you should come up. We need to ask inside. Since we’ve come this far, there’s no way we can’t find the person. Xiao Tang, ride in and tell the guards that we are visiting relatives. Oh, just say we are going to see Lord Zou. If they can inform him directly, that would be even better."

Qingfeng gave Gu Hengbo a thumbs up as he jumped back up. "Miss, you’re so smart."

Gu Hengbo shot him a glance. "Your lady isn’t smart; even a fool could think of that." As soon as she said this, she earned looks of disdain from everyone, including her mother.

As Gu Hengbo expected, due to an outbreak in Liangzhou, the group naturally didn’t dare say they had come from there. They only mentioned that they had taken a detour from the royal city of Dongyin, showing their ‘documents’ to the guards. The guards did not give them a hard time and kindly sent someone to escort them, reminding Gu Hengbo of the people she had encountered when she first arrived in this world. The difference between people from one nation and those from another was indeed striking.

The customs of the Northern Region were not much different from those of Dongyin. If Gu Hengbo hadn’t come from Dongyin, she would have thought they belonged to the same country. She didn’t know whether it was because she had met few people or what, but she felt that even the common folk looked the same. It was like watching a TV show where, apart from the main characters, everyone else had the same face.

It felt very strange!

However, the next scene was astonishing for everyone, but it wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, everything had gone surprisingly smoothly since they departed; the author had made them travel from Dongyin to the Northern Region in hardly more than a few chapters, which was so fast. But the group had not anticipated, not even Xiao Tang, that the Lord Zou referred to by Gu Cheng was a woman!

What made things even more shocking was that she was a woman with a large belly!

Gu Hengbo immediately felt like a flock of little lambs had rushed past her from behind. Was it fashionable for pregnant women to attend court these days?