Taking into account the harsh environment of the desert, Zhao Mian brought with him, in addition to Zhou Huairang, other experts with outstanding martial arts skills, including Shen Buci, An Yuanhou and others.
Bai Yu couldn't leave because she had to make the antidote, so Zhao Mian ordered her to stay in Kyoto. Rong Tang, on the other hand, couldn't stand the scorching sun in the desert, and the cold winter in Kyoto was not suitable for him. Zhao Mian wanted to invite him to recuperate in the southern Xinjiang where it was spring all year round, but he insisted on returning to Shangjing.
Rong Tang said: "Since I have come to the capital on the orders of Your Majesty, I should return to the capital and report to Your Majesty in person after the mission is completed."
Zhao Mian didn't force it: "Teacher, take care on your journey."
On the other hand, Wei Zhenfeng was also preparing for the journey to the west. Before leaving, he unexpectedly received a secret order from Shengjing.
He had previously written his strategy for Nanjing in a memorial and sent it back to Shengjing, and specifically asked the newly married young man who had had too much sex to make this trip. He had not expected to receive his father's reply in red in Kyoto, but he did not expect that the young man would rush back before he left.
Wei Zhenfeng couldn't help but be curious about what kind of spirit supported the young man, allowing him to successfully make a round trip between Kyoto and Shengjing in just ten days.
Wei Zhenfeng carefully looked at the minor official named Ji Chong. Although the tip of his nose was no longer black, his eyes were bloodshot and his face was red, which was a sign of excessive internal heat.
Ji Chong was so frightened by the young prince's gaze that he swallowed his saliva and asked, "Does your prince have any other instructions? If not, I will take my leave first."
"What's the hurry?" Wei Zhenfeng smiled, but there was something sinister brewing in his eyes. "You're back just in time. I plan to return to the desert and bring a lot of people with me."
Ji Chong's expression suddenly froze, as if he had been struck by lightning.
"I see that you have a unique constitution, which makes you the most suitable for surviving in the desert. It would be a waste of your talent to stay in the Beiyuan Embassy." Wei Zhenfeng said half-truthfully, "How about you go back and pack up, and travel west with me tomorrow?"
Ji Chong wanted to cry but had no tears. He asked with a tragic face: "May I ask, young prince, have I violated the law of heaven? Why are you punishing me like this..."
Wei Zhenfeng thought to himself, I haven’t violated any heavenly law, so am I not even worse off than you
Wei Zhenfeng just said it casually, but who would have thought that Ji Chong would actually come to report with a bag the next day. It is said that Madam Ji learned that the prince wanted to "reuse" her husband, so she forced him to come over and told him to seize this hard-won opportunity to serve the prince, and stop thinking about the pleasures of the boudoir, and do more serious work.
Beiyuan's group traveled light, each with a fast horse, and ate dry food with cold water for three meals a day. On the other hand, in Nanjing, the carriage that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must travel with was renovated, and heavy curtains were hung in the windows to block the scorching sun. Due to the great temperature difference between day and night in the desert, cool mats and quilts were prepared in the carriage. Shen Buci also got a lot of ice cubes, which could better store food and cool down His Royal Highness.
The closer you get to the desert, the more extreme the climate becomes.
In the cold winter of November in the Central Plains, the daytime in the desert was as hot as summer. There was no shade along the road, nor were there any flowers, plants or trees that could absorb the heat. The scorching sun shone directly on every rider. Within two days, everyone in Beiyuan was tanned, and many even lost a layer of skin.
On the seventh day after the departure, Huo Kangsheng, who was imprisoned in the prison car, gradually realized that they were heading towards the desert, which made him extremely uneasy. When the team stopped for lunch, he stopped Zhao Mian who was passing by and asked in a rough voice: "Where are you taking me?"
After being exposed to the scorching sun for several days, Huo Kangsheng looked like a dehydrated squid. His mouth was as dry and cracked as the loess after a drought, and his beard was as dry as a bunch of dead grass.
And Zhao Mian in front of him still had the look of being pampered. He was wearing luxurious silk which made him look neat and clean. From head to toe, even a single hair revealed the word "exquisite".
Behind him, Zhou Huairang held an umbrella for him, ensuring that the annoying sun would not harm the Crown Prince's delicate skin.
Zhao Mian said: "Of course, we are going to look for the relics of Xixia."
Huo Kangsheng's facial features were visibly tense.
Zhao Mian raised his lips slightly: "From your reaction, it seems that we are in the right place."
"Who!" Huo Kangsheng rushed to the edge of the prison van, grabbed the iron fence with his shackled hands, and asked with bloodshot eyes, "Who told you?!"
"I advise you to stop asking questions that won't get answers," said Wei Zhenfeng, who was passing by, taking the umbrella from Zhou Huairang and standing behind Zhao Mian. "In the desert, talking too much will make you die of thirst."
Huo Kangsheng stared at him, then suddenly grinned, revealing two rows of big teeth: "Even if you know about the desert, so what? The desert is so big, you will never find it even if you die!"
Wei Zhenfeng laughed with an ambiguous tone: "I will find a way to deal with this matter. You don't have to worry about us."
At this time, Shen Buci found Zhao Mian and said, "Sir, it's time to eat."
Zhao Mian walked towards his carriage. Just as Wei Zhenfeng was about to follow him, Zhou Huairang stopped him with his hand: "Hey, hey, hey, where are you going, young prince? Your lunch is over there."
Wei Zhenfeng looked towards his own camp and saw Ji Chong taking out two large pancakes from his bag: "Your Majesty, it's time to eat!"
Wei Zhenfeng: “…”
Zhou Huairang took the opportunity to snatch the umbrella back and ran after the Crown Prince: "Goodbye, Your Majesty!"
In the hot winter, Shen Buci made snacks to relieve the heat. Most of the vegetarian dishes were cold salads, sweet and sour, and appetizing; the staple food was cooled rice porridge and cold noodles, accompanied by bacon and ham that had been pickled in Kyoto.
In contrast, the people of Beiyuan were like refugees fleeing famine.
Hua Ju ate the tasteless pancake and couldn't help asking, "Your Majesty, is Nanjing really much richer than Beiyuan?"
"It's true." Ji Chong said dryly, "Just take the granaries in the national treasury as an example. The granaries in Beiyuan and Dongling combined are probably less than half of Nanjing."
Yun Yong, who usually doesn't talk much, also joined the discussion: "Last time I heard Sister Bai say that her monthly salary is this amount, and she can take two days off every seven days."
Hua Ju said: "Guard Shen was instrumental in capturing Huo Kangsheng last time, so his salary has been doubled this month."
Wei Zhenfeng: "... I've almost got you guys."
Working for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the East Palace of Nanjing was indeed a good job. Needless to say, when they were in the East Palace, their food, clothing and daily expenses were the best in the palace. Even when they followed His Royal Highness on a long journey, His Royal Highness never treated them badly. They ate whatever His Royal Highness ate, and the inn they stayed in must have been the best room in the city. If they were sick occasionally, the highly skilled Doctor Bai would see them for free.
What more could I ask for
Not only that, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also very concerned about their appearance. If he sees that they are tanned, he will find ways to protect them from the sun.
So, when Wei Zhenfeng came to find Zhao Mian, he saw Zhao Mian taking out a box of ointment and giving it to Shen Buci.
"This is a special ointment made by Bai Yu for me. It has a sunscreen effect when applied to the skin." Zhao Mian said, "Apply a layer on the exposed parts of your body before sunrise every day to prevent yourself from getting dark skin."
"It must be used." Zhao Mian said forcefully, "Dark skin is not allowed in the East Palace."
Shen Buci: “…Yes.”
Zhao Mian added: "You can use some on other people as well, including the old marquis." Whether or not the old man gets tanned is secondary. The old man should not get any skin disease from the sun.
Wei Zhenfeng, who had been watching for a long time, suddenly asked, "What about me?"
Zhao Mian looked at the boy: "You? What's wrong with you?"
"Why don't you give me sunscreen? Aren't you afraid that I'll get tanned?"
Zhao Mian said: "Don't be afraid."
Wei Zhenfeng laughed: "Strange, you didn't say that before. Zhao Mian, what am I to you, a close friend?"
I'm afraid she can't even be considered a close friend.
Even An Yuanhou has sunscreen, but he doesn’t. That’s too much.
Zhao Mian was puzzled: "You can't get tanned."
Wei Zhenfeng has a special physique. When he is exposed to the scorching sun for a day, his face will turn red at most. After a good night's sleep, his face will turn white again the next day. No wonder the young prince can be a fair and fresh boy after traveling all year round.
Wei Zhenfeng was slightly startled: "How do you know?"
Zhao Mian explained: "Because I observed you the earliest."
Wei Zhenfeng was silent for a moment, then returned to normal: "Oh, it's okay, let's continue on our way."
As the sun set, the scorching heat faded, replaced by a sudden and severe cold. Everyone put on their cloaks, but they still couldn't stop the howling north wind. The cold wind blew up the yellow sand, which hurt their faces. Even the little prince who was used to suffering didn't want to endure this torture, so he set his sights on the prince's luxurious carriage.
The carriage was tightly covered by curtains, and the whistling sound of the wind was almost blocked out. Zhao Mian lay in the warm quilt, reading the ancient books about the Yi tribe that Zhou Huairang had found by candlelight. Suddenly, the door was opened from the outside.
The only one who dared to get into his car without asking him was the young prince.
Zhao Mian asked without raising his eyes, "What's wrong?"
"It's windy outside, I'll come inside to take shelter." Wei Zhenfeng said as he brushed off the dust on his body.
Zhao Mian said sarcastically: "Is your palace so poor that you can't even afford a carriage? Stop taking pictures, and don't dirty my carriage."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a haughty and aggressive look in his eyes and his words were so unpleasant to the ear, but his face was extremely handsome.
It really makes people love and hate it.
Wei Zhenfeng sat down next to Zhao Mian: "Isn't it a little late for you to dislike me now? What are you looking at?"
Zhao Mian turned a page of the book and said calmly, "You wouldn't be interested even if I told you."
Wei Zhenfeng was indeed not interested. He was too close to Zhao Mian now, so close that he could smell the faint scent of tea on him.
Spending the night in the wilderness, Zhao Mian was not able to change into pajamas, so he just took off the jade crown. At this time, the Crown Prince's long hair hung down in front of his chest, and a strand of it was playfully curled on his collarbone.
Wei Zhenfeng was so jealous that he couldn't help but lean forward.
Zhao Mian felt the boy approaching and finally raised his head from the book. The first thing he saw was the pair of familiar teardrop moles.
Zhao Mian was in a trance.
Wei Zhenfeng...what do you want to do
Just as their noses were about to touch, Zhao Mian suddenly came to his senses, raised his hand, and pressed his fingertips against the boy's lips: "Prince?"
Wei Zhenfeng did not move forward, but maintained his original posture and asked him in a low voice: "Zhao Mian, have you ever thought that you don't have to choose a day to go to bed?"
Zhao Mian raised his eyebrows and said, "Of course I know. No doubt, I know more than you."
Wei Zhenfeng's Adam's apple rolled up and down: "Then do you want to...?"
Zhao Mian looked at him: "What do you think?"
Wei Zhenfeng said sincerely: "You and I are the same age, there is no reason why I am the only one who wants it, you don't want it, right?"
Zhao Mian answered Wei Zhenfeng's question with silence.
But Wei Zhenfeng didn't believe it.
"You are eighteen, not thirty-eight. Why wouldn't you want to?" Wei Zhenfeng couldn't understand. "I didn't hurt you last time, and I even cleaned it for you."
Zhao Mian said slowly: "The last time was indeed not as painful as the first time, but I didn't feel very comfortable either."
Wei Zhenfeng's expression suddenly froze, as if struck by lightning.
"So in my opinion, Your Majesty and I should..." Zhao Mian paused and changed to a more official way of speaking, "Don't go to bed unless it's necessary."
(End of this chapter)