This trip to Liang Country was conducted in private and secrecy. The group traveled lightly in plain clothes.
Initially, Palace Maiden Gong Xiaohua was not included on the trip. However, King Ye specially named and added her to the entourage.
When determining the officials to travel, the Guard Department selected the top elites from the palace guards and imperial guards to accompany the group as per normal procedures.
But because the Crown Prince would be part of the traveling party, the Guard Department also wanted to have Protector General Gong Xiaohua, who had traveled before, to go on another trip. Every time she was sent out on dangerous missions, she was able to accomplish them perfectly with a 100% completion rate.
They personally witnessed her frightening ruthlessness and agile adaptability when quelling the rebellion. Having her escort the Crown Prince and his party would allow them to rest assured.
Thus, they discussed the matter with Grand General and Duke Who Stabilizes The Country to have Protector General Gong Xiaohua protect and escort the traveling party, but were rejected by the Duke.
He nearly lost a good seed when escorting the Prince of Wei Country last time. And now they wanted to take another of his talents again. Was there no one available in the protection squad or the imperial guards that they had to keep plucking his good seedlings?!
Moreover, the third-rank Protector General was already in charge of two large armies. Instead of looking after her own troops, she kept accepting escort tasks and helping the Guard Department meet their targets?!
Furthermore, Protector General Gong had notified him of her plans to personally lead the special training of the Western Garden Army for three months. He strongly supported it.
Left without a choice, the Guard Department could only drop the matter and submitted the list of escorts as planned.
But King Ye did not hesitate at all to directly add Gong Xiaohua’s name into the list.
The safety of the future heir could not be compromised during this secret trip in plain clothes. Any accident would shake the foundation of the country or cause internal strife at the minimum.
So how would he feel assured without having someone reliable accompanying the Crown Prince? He immediately made the decision to include Gong Xiaohua into the traveling party.
When Madam Qin found out her son and daughter-in-law would be traveling together, she did not complain about Gong Xiaohua as usual. Instead, she was exceptionally enthusiastic.
She personally prepared all the essentials required for traveling. Afterall, her son’s safety on the trip would depend entirely on Gong Xiaohua. Her double standards were shown blatantly.
On the day of departure, only Madam Qin and Qin Chuqin were at the front gate of Qin’s residence to see them off.
“Xiaohua, A’yuan, you’ll be out traveling together. Take good care of each other and be careful of everything.” Qin Chuqin exhorted them.
“Alright.”
“Xiaohua, if you encounter very dangerous situations that others couldn’t protect A’yuan, then just let it be. But you must keep A’yuan safe.” Madam Qin held onto Gong Xiaohua’s hand and repeatedly reminded her.
Qin, who was standing at the side, quickly interrupted upon hearing such disrespectful words, “Mother, mind your words. It’s getting late. We should be on our way.”
“What’s there to be afraid of? Everyone here is one of us. Who dares to gossip behind our backs? I will skin them alive.”
After she finished talking, the servants and maids behind her lowered their heads so much that their chests touched their chins.
After bidding farewell, Qin Chuqin watched the pair walking side by side into the distance. She smiled and said, “I’m actually very happy. Ever since getting married, both of them were busy with their own matters and did not have a chance to spend time together. Hopefully this trip will allow them to nurture their relationship and consummate their marriage sooner.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Without going outstation, aren’t they seeing each other daily?” Madam Qin said.
Qin Chuqin just smiled without rebutting her. She knew that despite her younger brother and Gong Xiaohua’s marriage, they had merely been probing each other if observed carefully.
Her mother was too occupied battling with the principal wife to notice the interaction between the pair. To her, her son was the most exceptional man in the world. Which woman would not like her precious son?
“Mother, let me assist you back.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua met up with the Crown Prince’s party at the city gate. Together with the carriage drivers, there were ten people in their group disguising as merchants going to Liang Country for business.
For this trip, there were two horse carriages. The Crown Prince and the Ministry of Rites Attendant shared one carriage. The Crown Prince sat inside while the Attendant and driver sat outside.
As for the other carriage, Qin Chuyuan was the sole occupant at the moment. The Ministry of Rites Attendant was originally assigned to accompany him but was driven off to the Crown Prince’s carriage by Qin arrogantly.
He shamelessly claimed, "The carriage is too small for the three of us. My wife and I will share one. No extra space for a third person.”
The Attendant's mouth twitched when looking at the spacious carriage that could easily fit four to five people. This man really told a blatant lie to get a couples’ time. Why not just say it outright?
During the day, Gong Xiaohua would mainly be riding a horse to escort them in her bodyguard role. Occasionally, she would be summoned into the carriage by Qin Chuyuan to rest under various excuses. Everyone had grown accustomed to the couple’s interaction by now.
Ye Dynasty and Liang Dynasty were separated by thousands of miles. It would take them over a month traveling by carriage to reach Liang’s capital. They traveled by day and mostly stayed overnight at inns by night.
Sometimes when they could not make it in time, they would ask villagers from the nearest village to provide accommodation. Some nights were spent at dilapidated temples or even camping outdoors.
As winter approached, traveling conditions worsened the deeper they went.
Fortunately, no one compromised on meals throughout the journey. Whenever they stopped to rest, someone would take the initiative to hunt prey.
That first night they camped outdoors, Gong Xiaohua made grilled meat. It was an unprecedented gastronomic delight that overwhelmed their senses. They had never tasted such addictive food before.
Later, they discovered that Gong the General could turn random tree leaves she plucked into delicious pancakes.
If Gong Xiaohua knew what was going through their minds, she would retort, “What tree leaves? That was Fragrant Ash!”
Gong Xiaohua had grown accustomed to their keen fixation on food whenever she went out on assignments. The entourages were always groups of gluttons.
Qin Chuyuan felt distressed seeing Gong Xiaohua not only serving as their escort during the day but also busy preparing meals to satisfy their appetite at night.
Thus, whenever someone longed to eat something, he would toss them seasoning and ask them to prepare the food themselves. The Crown Prince harbored deep resentment as he nearly sold out all his dignity for the sake of food.
After crossing thousands of miles over the course of a month, they were nearing Liang’s capital. During an evening in the wilderness right before arriving in Liang’s capital,
The Crown Prince, Qin Chuyuan, the Ministry of Rites Attendant and Gong Xiaohua gathered around the fire while the other escorts patrolled the perimeter.
The Crown Prince was the first to speak. “The assassins Gong General encountered when sending the Prince of Wei back were most likely sent from Liang Country based on my guess. Over these years, Liang Country had been secretly scheming to make Wei and Ye fight and weaken each other. When both countries were exhausted from battle, Liang intended to reap the rewards and rise in power. Regardless, we must accomplish our mission to persuade Liang to form an alliance, no matter the sacrifice.”
Everyone nodded. They understood the importance of this trip clearly.
“We’re nearing Liang’s capital. Do you have any thoughts regarding our mission?”
“The Art of War said: Know yourself and know your opponent, and you will never be defeated. We should gather intelligence on Liang’s circumstances before deciding our response.” Gong Xiaohua suggested.
“Good point. I heard this King of Liang is extremely suspicious. It might be more effective to persuade his trusted aides and people he favors instead of directly negotiating with the King.” Qin Chuyuan said.
The Crown Prince contemplated and agreed it made sense, “Alright. When we enter Liang, let’s find a place to stay first. Then we’ll separately scout Liang’s situation in private.”
“Yes.”
After the meeting ended, the Ministry of Rites Attendant watched Gong Xiaohua walking together with Qin Chuyuan. Previously, he only heard rumors of how exceptionally wise she was. After working together for this period, he now knew the rumors were not unfounded.
“Feel that she is more outstanding than your imagination?” The Crown Prince walked up behind the Ministry Attendant, following his gaze as he sighed emotionally.
Upon hearing the Crown Prince’s voice, the Attendant quickly pulled back his stare and turned to bow at the Crown Prince. He replied, “Yes, but women are fragile. I hope Master Qin does not fail her.”
