After Spending a Passionate Night with the Eldest Princess - Chapter 4

After Qiuyue heard her orders, her expression immediately turned tense. “Master…”

“I am unharmed for the time being. Go.” Miss Qin cut her off and lightly waved her hand.

Seeing this, Qiuyue did not dare delay any longer. That very night, she rode swiftly toward the capital.

Inside the room, Miss Qin looked at the candlelight on the table and gradually calmed down.

These dreams, one after another, were definitely not a coincidence. She must have been schemed against by that demonic Daoist, the State Preceptor.

She just did not know why this scheme had been set in motion, nor how much it had to do with Xin Yuan.

For one instant, she even felt that perhaps Xin Yuan, this so-called person who had descended from the heavens, had also been arranged by the State Preceptor.

Thinking of that possibility, Miss Qin closed her eyes heavily. No matter who it was, anyone who dared scheme against her was unforgivable.

This night was destined to be sleepless.

The next day, just as the sky had begun to brighten and Xin Yuan had only just woken up, the person delivering her meal arrived.

By the time she finished breakfast, Miss Qin’s people had already packed everything up. Not only had the number of guards increased to more than a hundred, but each of them was also equipped with a horse. With the inn at the center, they stood neatly on both sides of the building.

At the entrance of the inn were three carriages. The one at the very back had no canopy and was stacked full of wooden boxes. At a glance, it was clearly used for luggage.

At that moment, a man whose clothing was clearly different from the others, seemingly the leader of the guards, walked over.

“Miss Xin, I am Tang Er. Master has instructed that you ride in this carriage.”

He was referring to the middle carriage. There was no need to think about it. The one in front was most likely occupied by Miss Qin and her maidservant.

“Thank you.” Xin Yuan calmly responded and got into the carriage.

Tang Er withdrew his gaze, a trace of strangeness flashing across his face. Had this Miss Xin and Master both not slept last night? Neither of them looked very well. The dark circles under their eyes were worse than the other’s.

He muttered inwardly for a moment, then quickly returned to himself and shouted in a full, resounding voice, “Set off!”

The procession of more than a hundred people immediately began moving.

Inside the carriage.

Xin Yuan’s eyes revealed deep thought. With so many guards, each carrying a saber, this woman was probably not some ordinary young lady from a wealthy family…

After leaving the city, there were more and more refugees on the road. In just one morning, Xin Yuan saw no fewer than a dozen groups of refugees pass by.

At noon, the procession stopped by the roadside.

Xin Yuan thought they were going to rest, but as soon as she got out of the carriage, a young guard walked over.

“Miss Xin, these are your dry rations.”

The young guard handed over a food box. Without saying anything more, he turned and left.

Xin Yuan thought for a moment and understood. This meant they did not plan to stay for long.

She opened the food box, took out the rolled flatbread and pastries inside, and leaned against the carriage as she began eating.

As she ate, she looked at the carriage in front. Miss Qin and her maidservant had not come out.

Just then, more than a dozen fast horses approached from afar and gradually came to a stop.

The one leading them was a young gentleman, roughly eighteen or nineteen years old, with a handsome appearance.

By this time, Xin Yuan was nearly full. Her gaze swept over that young gentleman and paused slightly.

The young gentleman had already dismounted and was studying their side.

Xin Yuan instinctively glanced at the carriage in front and saw Miss Qin lift the curtain halfway. Tang Er lowered his voice and said something to her, then pointed in the direction of the young gentleman.

Miss Qin looked toward the young gentleman in the direction Tang Er indicated.

As soon as the young gentleman saw Miss Qin, his eyes lit up, and he walked straight toward her.

Before he could reach the carriage, Tang Er quickly turned around, stepped forward, and blocked him.

“This young master, please stop.”

The young gentleman coughed lightly and halted.

He ignored Tang Er and only looked in Miss Qin’s direction, cupping his hands. “Refugees are everywhere these days. Since you are traveling alone, young lady, why not travel with us? That way, we can look after one another.”

As soon as Xin Yuan heard this, she immediately realized this young gentleman had come for Miss Qin.

She just did not know how many buckets of water this person had inside his head to be able to say such self-deceiving words.

Did he not see how many guards Miss Qin had? In what way was she traveling alone?

Miss Qin watched the young gentleman and said calmly, “Thank you for your kindness, Young Master, but there is no need.”

After saying this, she glanced at the guards on her side, then looked at the dozen or so riders behind the young gentleman.

The meaning was clear: she did not need help.

The young gentleman seemed not to understand. Seeing that Miss Qin had responded, he smiled with raised brows. “My surname is Guo. May I ask the young lady’s name?”

Miss Qin’s expression turned slightly cold. Her gaze sank as she looked at Young Master Guo and icily spat out one word: “Leave.”

With that, she lowered the carriage curtain.

Young Master Guo’s expression grew anxious, and he raised his leg as if wanting to move closer.

With a sharp shing, Tang Er directly drew his saber and held it horizontally before him. A faint murderous aura seemed to emanate from his entire body.

Young Master Guo’s face turned pale, and for a moment, he was intimidated into freezing in place.

Tang Er swept a cold glance over him and called loudly, “Set off. If anyone dares block the road, kill without mercy.”

Xin Yuan clicked her tongue and quickly climbed back into the carriage. This young man was no good. Just in terms of presence alone, he was far inferior.

The procession continued forward in an orderly manner and gradually moved into the distance.

Young Master Guo stood in place for a while, then gritted his teeth and returned to his horse.

“Uncle Niu, what should we do next?”

The old man he called Uncle Niu hesitated for a moment, then said, “Young Master, we should head straight for the capital.”

Young Master Guo glanced at him unhappily. “If I am not mistaken, the person in that carriage just now should be Her Highness, the Eldest Princess. Since we were lucky enough to meet her here, how can we let such a good opportunity slip away?”

If he could cater to her preferences, then the matter he was going to the capital to seek would be almost certain to succeed.

Hearing this, Uncle Niu sighed inwardly. “Has Young Master already come up with an idea?”

Young Master Guo stared at the departing procession and gritted his teeth. “Go.”

Uncle Niu knew his temper and did not try to persuade him further. He merely ordered the others to follow as quickly as possible.

As the sky gradually darkened, the procession stopped outside a dilapidated temple when night fell.

After Miss Qin got out of the carriage, she glanced at the refugees inside the ruined temple and said calmly, “Rest here. We depart at dawn.”

Tang Er cupped his fists. “Master, those people are still following behind.”

“No need to bother with them.”

“Yes.”

The hundred-plus people then began lighting fires, setting up tents, and busily working in an orderly fashion.

Xin Yuan glanced in Miss Qin’s direction. Their gazes met for a moment, and Miss Qin gave her a slight nod.

Xin Yuan hesitated, then walked over. “Miss Qin?”

That look from this woman meant she wanted her to come over, right?

“There are limited tents. If Miss Xin does not mind, you may sleep with me tonight.” Miss Qin looked at Xin Yuan, the corners of her lips lifting slightly in a gentle smile.

The flickering firelight fell across her face, giving her a somewhat soft and graceful appearance.

By some strange impulse, Xin Yuan thought of the kiss in last night’s dream. Ah, bah. What nonsense was that?

She hurriedly looked away and surveyed their surroundings. This place was close to the forest, and the ground was not very spacious. The guards clearly intended to set up only one tent.

Xin Yuan immediately agreed. “Thank you.”

If she could lie down properly and sleep in a tent, only a fool would refuse. She did not mind at all.

Seeing her agree, Miss Qin could not help thinking of that dream from the previous night. For a moment, her gaze remained on Xin Yuan and did not move away.

Could the young woman before her have been arranged by the State Preceptor?

Xin Yuan noticed that the other woman kept staring at her. The kiss from the dream flashed through her mind again, and she immediately felt a little uncomfortable. She was just thinking of finding some topic to ease the awkwardness when she saw Young Master Guo approaching with his people.

Perhaps because he was wary of Tang Er, who drew his saber at the slightest disagreement, he did not come too close. Stopping several dozen meters away, he called out, “The night is deep and the dew is heavy. Why don’t you two young ladies rest inside the temple?”

Xin Yuan unconsciously glanced at Miss Qin. The young man was charging forward despite the difficulty. Would this woman continue to ignore him, or would she be moved?

The feeling of watching gossip unfold live was truly not bad.

Miss Qin looked at the ruined temple. It was packed with more than a hundred refugees, all crowded together in the dark. At this moment, they were all looking this way, clearly having heard Young Master Guo’s words and worrying that their place of shelter would be taken.

She frowned unconsciously, her voice even colder than it had been during the day. “No need.”

Young Master Guo’s goodwill was rejected once again, and his expression turned somewhat ugly. He gave two dry laughs.

His eyes shifted around. He glanced at Miss Qin, then glanced at the refugees inside the ruined temple, and beckoned to Uncle Niu.

Uncle Niu immediately saw through his plan. This time, he could not hold back and advised in a low voice, “Young Master, the Eldest Princess has always loved the people as her own children. These people are citizens of our dynasty, after all. This action would be inappropriate.”

With the slightest mistake, not only would he fail to gain any favor, he might even make the Eldest Princess despise him.