After dinner, Zhu Changle planned to go pamper Little Tail, but as soon as she stood up, her mother called out to her, "Go wash your shoes, and don't ask Aunt Feng for help."
"Mother..."
"Otherwise, you'll continue wearing them tomorrow."
Zhu Changle pouted. They always said she didn't act like a proper young lady, but which noble daughter had to wash her own shoes? Her mother's demands always changed with her mood, and she couldn't even say her mother was wrong. Ah, she truly was a filial daughter.
Thinking this way, Zhu Changle cheered up again and carried her shoes to the washing area at the post station.
"Young Miss, let me do it."
"Mother said I can't ask you to wash them." After tucking up her skirt, Zhu Changle crouched down to scoop water and rinse the shoes. Seeing that the mud wouldn't budge, she simply picked them up and started scraping with her hands while talking to Aunt Feng.
"Have you discovered anything?"
"Ten people followed us after we left the Capital City. They're friendly, not enemies."
Zhu Changle wasn't surprised. She might not understand the complex relationships in the capital, but she knew her father was the most loyal and useful official in the world. That's why the Prime Minister wanted to get rid of him. This time, her father's demotion was probably because their faction had lost a power struggle, or maybe he was taking the blame for the Emperor again. If the Emperor had any sense, he would definitely want to protect him. Having survived in the cracks for so many years without being controlled, the Emperor was certainly no fool.
"How do you rate their martial skills?"
"Not much to speak of," Aunt Feng's eyes fell on the shoes that were getting dirtier as they were washed, and her hand twitched, but she restrained herself from taking over.
"What do you mean by 'not much'?"
"Just that. Not much."
Zhu Changle looked up. "Aunt Lan will surely be delighted to have you return to keep guard with her for Master."
"They're no match for me," Aunt Feng withdrew her gaze and answered seriously. The young miss was usually easy-going, but when she was serious, she was most serious. "Unless they can form a battle formation."
"They've practiced formations?"
"I followed them for a while and observed. There were discernible patterns in their movement, and when they rested, I could see both offensive and defensive positions."
If the team sent out could form battle formations, it meant the Emperor still valued her father quite highly. Zhu Changle felt a bit happy for her father. Everyone wanted different things in life. For instance, she wanted to be a great hero righting wrongs, her master found joy in tormenting her, and her father wanted to be a loyal official who could share the Emperor's burdens. He had remained consistent from his youth until now, and in this aspect, she dared say no other official could compare to her father.
Fortunately, the person he was loyal to also had the heart to protect him. Her father would surely be happy to know this.
Lost in these thoughts, Zhu Changle, feeling a bit tired from crouching, swayed her head and fell back, only to feel a chill on her bottom. She suddenly remembered where she was and jumped up, feeling the wetness on her hand. Her face fell immediately, "By the time we reach our destination, my mother's lion roar will probably have reached its peak..."
Aunt Feng finally found her chance to take the shoes. "Young Miss, quickly go change and bring me your clothes to dry."
"Yes, yes, dry them quickly."
Zhu Changle snuck back to her room, covering her bottom. By the time she changed and returned, Aunt Feng had already scrubbed the shoes clean. Before she could say anything, Aunt Feng quickly said, "I've only scrubbed off the mud. They still need to be rinsed."
"I can do that." Zhu Changle handed her the clothes. "Don't let my mother see."
"Understood."
Traveling was naturally tiring, and Lady Zhang, as the matriarch, had to worry about everything inside and out, undoubtedly the busiest of all.
"Lady Li, take some people and go around once more to see if anything has been left behind. Once we move forward, we won't be turning back."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lady Zhang supported her mother-in-law as they walked towards the door, turning back to instruct, "Chang Ning, make sure you support Hanmei carefully. Don't let anything happen to her."
"Don't worry, Mother."
Xu Hanmei kept her gaze lowered and said nothing, holding onto her husband's hand as they walked out. Something occurred to her, and she glanced around but didn't see her sister-in-law.
"Zhu Changle!" The Old Madam's raised voice came through. Xu Hanmei quickly stepped over the threshold and looked up. On the second carriage in the line, two shoes were tied with a rope to the protruding wooden piece at the front of the carriage, fluttering in the wind.
"Ahem!" Zhu Changwang held back his laughter. "She went out riding Little Tail... Ah, here she comes."
"Clip-clop clip-clop..." The sound of hooves approached, and the red figure on horseback, full of vigor, made the corners of Lady Zhang's mouth turn up involuntarily. Remembering she was supposed to be angry, she pressed her lips together and straightened her face.
"I've come back just in time, haven't I?" Zhu Changle leapt off the horse and patted Little Tail's big head, letting it go play.
"Hurry up and take down those shoes of yours. What kind of sight is that!" Lady Zhang glared at her, though the lingering smile in her eyes robbed her words of any real force.
"Oh, Mother, it won't rain today, and the sun should come out later. I just found out you only packed one pair of spare shoes for me. If I don't dry these quickly, I won't have any to change into."
"If you just avoid the puddles and mud, you won't need to change shoes all the way to Yunbei County." Lady Zhang tapped her forehead. This unrestrained nature of hers was truly... She couldn't say it was bad, but it was really quite troublesome. Sometimes she even envied it, but being too free-spirited was indeed headache-inducing.
"Get on board, let's not delay," Zhu Maonian subtly came to his daughter's rescue. "Help your grandmother."
"Roger that!" Zhu Changle went around to support her grandmother, hunching her back in an exaggerated manner as if serving the old Buddha. This comical gesture made Lady Zhang burst out laughing, unable to maintain her stern expression any longer.
"Hehe." Zhu Changle grinned, her smug look impossibly endearing.
The Old Madam pinched her granddaughter's cheek. The bitterness of demotion was unimaginable, and the thought of the thousand-mile journey ahead was enough to weigh heavily on one's heart. Yet from their departure yesterday until now, that bitterness had been scarce, replaced instead by a ease not felt in the capital. Though it seemed Changle was constantly irritating her mother, it was precisely this energy that brought the Zhu family to life.
As the carriage began to sway into motion, Zhu Changle lifted a corner of the curtain and peeked out, looking left and right. She pulled her head back in and said, "Grandmother, the weather is nice today. Shall we tie up the curtains?"
The Old Madam smiled and nodded, meeting her granddaughter's sparkling eyes.
Zhu Changle immediately tied the curtains to the side. Though it wasn't yet Qingming Festival, the air after the rain carried a hint of moisture, crisp and cool, but not uncomfortably cold.
After placing a blanket over her grandmother's legs, Zhu Changle sat cross-legged on the carriage beam. She took the horse whip from a servant and cracked it in the air a few times. The servant swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and stepped back. Judging from the sound of those few cracks, it was clear that the Fourth Young Miss was quite skilled at driving a carriage and wouldn't run it into a ditch.
"Neigh..."
Zhu Changle quickly threw the whip back to the servant. Why hadn't Aunt Feng taken Little Tail ahead? That possessive creature wouldn't let her get close to any other horses!
Little Tail trotted alongside the carriage, sometimes accidentally getting ahead and then falling back in line. Zhu Changle laughed heartily watching its antics, occasionally teasing it, causing people in the other carriages to lift their curtains to listen and watch the commotion.
Zhu Changwang rested his chin on his hand, smiling as he looked at the brightening edge of the sky. The sun was about to come out, but it was a bit later than his family's little sun.
