When Jiang Xiaoxiao arrived at the county residence, she saw Qin Fengmian and Su Hai standing together as soon as she got out of the car.
The weather was a bit gloomy today, and Qin Fengmian was still holding a folding fan in his hand.
Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but wonder if this guy's weapon was a folding fan.
Otherwise, who would be waving a fan around in such cold weather?
Qin Fengmian happened to see her too, and he walked over with a smile to greet her, "Little girl!"
After saying this, he felt a chill on his back.
When Qin Fengmian turned his head, he was met with Xie Xun's cold gaze.
Qin Fengmian quickly coughed, "Well..."
Xie Xun interrupted him, "Call her master."
Qin Fengmian: "That's too..."
Xie Xun: "Xiaoxiao, save some breath."
"Oh, okay." Jiang Xiaoxiao rolled up her sleeves and walked towards him.
Qin Fengmian immediately put on a serious face: "Master!"
Chen Sixi almost laughed out loud.
Before, he was the only one who was constantly teased by Xie Xun. Now, finally, he found a companion. It wasn't easy!
Qin Fengmian didn't want to be in this situation either, but the little girl Jiang Xiaoxiao was too powerful. If he fought her, wouldn't he just end up being pinned to the ground?
More importantly, Xie Xun turned out to be the third prince!
Even if he was the personal disciple of the national teacher, with status and dignity, he could only bow down in front of the prince.
The title "Master" was not undeserved.
Xie Xun took Jiang Xiaoxiao inside to get their stuff.
Apart from change of clothes and Jiang Xiaoxiao's magical instruments, there was almost nothing to bring to the capital.
When they came out carrying their bundles, Dean Gu and Madam Song had also arrived in a carriage.
Seeing this, Chen Sixi realized that they were leaving today.
He walked up and patted Xie Xun's shoulder, "Bro, I can only see you off to here. I am going to Cangwu Mountain to learn from a master. I don't know if I will have the chance to meet you again."
Then he turned to Jiang Xiaoxiao, "Master, remember any exciting events, and tell me all about it when we meet again. I always enjoy hearing your stories about defeating those river and lake charlatans."
Jiang Xiaoxiao's attention was on his previous sentence, "You're going to Cangwu Mountain to learn from a master?"
"Yep." Chen Sixi nodded, "Isn't my father hoping that I marry someone? If I just sit at home, the girl won't come to me. What's that old saying again, if the mountain won't come to me, I will go to the mountain.
So I decided to go to Cangwu Mountain myself. Learning from a master is one thing, but the main purpose is to shamelessly chase my future wife."
When he finished speaking, he noticed that Xie Xun's face had completely darkened.
Chen Sixi was completely puzzled and mouthed to Jiang Xiaoxiao, "Did I say something wrong?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao arranged her words, "No, you might have stepped on a tail."
Chen Sixi instinctively looked behind Xie Xun.
But Xie Xun didn't give him time to react. He directly pulled Jiang Xiaoxiao into the carriage.
Chen Sixi was still puzzled, "Hey, Xie Xun, what did I say wrong? At least give me a hint!"
Xie Xun, separated by the brocade curtain, threw him a sentence, "Good luck with your wife-chasing."
Chen Sixi thought it was a big deal, chuckled, "Oh, okay, thanks."
Yang Ershun went to Dean Gu's carriage, while Xie Xun and Jiang Xiaoxiao took another.
Qin Fengmian was originally tasked by his master, Bai Cheng, to escort Jiang Xiaoxiao to the Yin Yang Office.
But now, Jiang Xiaoxiao has acquainted herself with the third prince, and their parties have merged, with Qin Fengmian's men and Su Hai's men escorting them together.
The caravan set off from Kaihe County.
With their sizable party and grand procession, they attracted quite a crowd of onlookers even before they left the county, all of them speculating on which young master from a noble family was embarking on a journey.
As they were about to leave the city, the Steward of the Nie Family rushed up in a hurry, claiming to be looking for Young Master Xie.
Su Hai had no choice but to order a halt.
The steward approached Xie Xun's carriage, his voice low, "Young Master Xie, our master says that your status is no ordinary one and items of gold and silver are likely beneath you.
The men who helped you gather information before were assets he cultivated in Yanjing City. Now that they have crossed paths with you, they will serve at your command.
This is our master's token. Once you arrive, you just need to find Shopkeeper Cheng at the Nie Family Cloth Shop. Once he sees the token, he will understand everything."
As he spoke, the steward handed a jade pendant to Xie Xun.
This Old Master Nie was indeed extraordinary. His character was transparent and open-minded, his judgment sharp and steady. He had managed to guess Su Hai's identity before he even arrived.
Xie Xun had lived in Kaihe County for fourteen years, and there were few people there who were kind to him. Old Master Nie was one of them.
He accepted the jade pendant, "Please thank the master for me."
The steward laughed, "Young Master Xie, you are too kind."
There were no further pleasantries, such as asking him to look after them when he returned to Yanjing City.
Old Master Nie knew about Xie Xun's royal status, but as a businessman, he refused to exploit this relationship for profit.
This level of integrity was much higher than that of the average businessman.
Xie Xun watched the steward leave, then slowly let the curtain fall.
Jiang Xiaoxiao rarely saw Xie Xun accept things from others. Seeing him take the jade pendant, she asked, "You seem to have a good impression of Old Master Nie?"
Xie Xun nodded, "In terms of how he conducts himself, the old master is indeed admirable."
Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded, "So you've gained a few more helpers."
Being able to gather such top-secret information as the crown prince planning to open the tomb of the late queen in Yanjing City, Old Master Nie's assets were certainly not ordinary.
And he had given them so readily to Xie Xun, indicating that his impression of him was also favorable.
Xie Xun responded with a noncommittal grunt, "I'll have a chance to thank him in person later."
The caravan resumed its journey.
They traveled by day, rested by night, eating and sleeping at inns along the way.
Xie Xun had timed it perfectly. As long as they could arrive in Yanjing City before Jiang Xiaoxiao's next transformation, any delays along the way would be acceptable.
His goal was to make Murong Yuan as restless as an ant on a hot pot.
As expected, Murong Yuan was indeed on edge, unable to eat or sleep properly.
That night, Su Hai received a message via carrier pigeon.
The message was written in code by someone from the Palace of the Crown Prince. Translated, it asked where he was.
When Su Hai initially left the capital, he was given the order to bring back the third prince within a month.
But they had taken half a month just for one-way travel, and the third prince had not mentioned anything about returning to the capital.
By now, the month had long passed.
Seeing the urgency in the message, Su Hai had no choice but to report truthfully that it would likely take another half a month.
When Murong Yuan received the reply, he was so angry he almost spat blood, "Does it really take this long from Yunzhou to Yanjing City?"
The scout knelt on the ground, carefully saying, "It could be because winter is coming and the roads are tough to travel."
Murong Yuan took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Fine, half a month it is. When they arrive in the capital, I will personally go out of the city to greet them. I'm curious to see, after fourteen years apart, what the land and water of Yunzhou have made of my dear little brother."
