The next day, just like usual, as soon as daybreak appeared in the east, everyone in the camp got up, and the whole camp woke up. Everyone began to busy themselves with their own tasks, preparing to set off. Some packed their things, some made breakfast, some checked the carriages and horses, and the camp was bustling with activity.
Today, Yan Liqiang got up, changed his clothes, and washed up by the stream. He had just inspected the carriages and horses in the camp when a young eunuch ran up to him and said, "Master Yan, the queen wants you to come over for something!"
Hearing that Concubine Rong wanted to see him for something, Yan Liqiang's heart skipped a beat when he thought of the latest event, but his face remained calm, "Do you know what the queen wants?"
"Well, maybe I want to ask you about today's itinerary..."
Yan Liqiang touched his nose. Although he felt a little embarrassed, he still went there.
Concubine Rong's tent had been packed up and was being loaded into a carriage. Concubine Rong was waiting for Yan Liqiang by the stream near the bushes next to the camp. No one around could hear what the two were saying. They could only see their backs and figures. Under the watchful eyes of the public, everyone was busy and was not afraid of gossip from others. Anyway, everyone who saw them would only think that the two were discussing something.
"Ahem..." Yan Liqiang came behind Concubine Rong and coughed twice. He couldn't help but look at Concubine Rong's graceful back before walking away and saying, "Your Majesty, do you have something to talk to me about?"
Imperial Concubine Rong turned her head and looked at Yan Liqiang with an indescribable look, then calmly asked knowingly, "What's the matter, Master Yan, did you catch a cold last night and didn't get enough rest? Why is he coughing too?"
"That's not the case. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!" Yan Liqiang also replied seriously, "I guess I was a little anxious these two days, but it's nothing serious!"
The words "anxious and angry" made Concubine Rong look a bit embarrassed, and her face turned slightly red, but her expression remained unchanged, "I didn't expect that Lord Yan, who has such a high level of cultivation, would also get anxious and angry!"
"I am just a mortal. If some things are not resolved after a long time, I will inevitably get anxious and angry. This has nothing to do with cultivation. Your Majesty has lived in the deep palace for a long time and is extremely intelligent. You should be able to understand this!"
Concubine Rong's face turned even redder, but her expression and tone remained unchanged. "It seems that Lord Yan has been very busy these past few days. He should pay more attention to rest!"
"Well, for the sake of the Majesty's affairs, this little bit of trouble is nothing!" Yan Liqiang smiled, "I see that the Majesty's face is rosy today, and her complexion is good. It seems that the Majesty had a good rest last night!"
Concubine Rong glared at Yan Liqiang and said, "I came here to ask you something, Lord Yan. Why don't we talk while we walk?" As Concubine Rong said this, she walked along the stream towards the back of the small hill next to it.
"Your Majesty, please..." Yan Liqiang followed slowly.
Just after walking over the hillside, as soon as the people in the camp could no longer see her, Concubine Rong stopped suddenly and turned around. Yan Liqiang almost bumped into her and quickly stopped. However, Concubine Rong took another step towards Yan Liqiang, and her towering chest almost pressed against Yan Liqiang, frightening him so much that he quickly took a small step back.
"My queen, what are you doing..." Yan Liqiang said a little embarrassedly.
"You saw my innocent body enough last night, and molested me enough. How do you want me to live my life in the future?" Concubine Rong's voice suddenly became softer, and her pair of peach-like eyes were suddenly filled with tears. The expression on her face became aggrieved, and she looked at Yan Liqiang with a look of shame and resentment.
Yan Liqiang explained helplessly, "Your Highness, what happened last night was not my intention. When I went to the pond, the ladies hadn't arrived yet. I was meditating in the pond at the time. When I found out that you had arrived, it was too late for me to leave. I could only hide. I didn't expect that Your Highness and Concubine Duan would come at the same time. I had no choice but to run into Your Highness... inevitably. This, this is not my fault..."
"So what you mean is that I should be blamed!" Concubine Rong said, stretching out her hand and twisting the wound on Yan Liqiang's waist, "You have no conscience!"
Yan Liqiang was confused. Even if he was dumb, he could feel that Concubine Rong's tone and actions at this moment were not blaming at all. Instead, they sounded a bit like flirting.
"My lady, you are..."
"You still call me your majesty?" Concubine Rong looked at Yan Liqiang with red eyes, "You have looked at and touched my body. Which majesty would allow you to be so presumptuous?"
"Well, what should I call my queen?" Yan Liqiang scratched his head.
"What do you think?"
For some reason, Yan Liqiang suddenly thought of Madam Niu and the classic line in A Chinese Odyssey. Without giving it much thought, he half-jokingly blurted out, "Could it be that I should call you Empress Xiao Tiantian from now on?"
This was originally a joke, but what Yan Liqiang didn't expect was that when Concubine Rong heard Yan Liqiang's address, she actually looked at him shyly, bit her lip, then nodded and said softly, "If there is no one around, it's up to you!"
Yan Liqiang's head buzzed. This... this... I just said it casually. Imperial Concubine Rong was so proactive. Was she... trying to seduce me in return
"Thank you for your hard work last night. It's rare that you could endure it for so long. To be honest, I was almost worried that you couldn't help making noises and were discovered by Concubine Duan and the others..." Concubine Rong said, and then she gently leaned into Yan Liqiang's arms, holding Yan Liqiang's waist with both hands, and sniffed Yan Liqiang's scent intoxicatedly, muttering, "You are really my enemy. To be honest with you, I didn't sleep all night last night. Your shadow was all in my mind. Even His Majesty didn't make me so upset back then!"
For a moment, looking at Concubine Rong in his arms, Yan Liqiang didn't know where to put his hands. He wanted to put them on Concubine Rong's body, but he felt a little uncomfortable. He felt a little awkward just holding them like that. Even though Yan Liqiang had lived two lives, he had never experienced this kind of emotional experience before, and he had no experience at all. It felt too challenging. For a moment, Yan Liqiang was really a little overwhelmed.
Fortunately, this state did not last long. Just a few seconds later, there was a sound of running footsteps and King Min's voice from outside the hillside, "Master, Master, look at what I found in the stream over there..."
Hearing Prince Min's voice, Concubine Rong quickly stood up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and her expression returned to her usual calmness. She turned around and walked back the way she came. She did not forget to ask Yan Liqiang one last question, "Who do you think has the best figure, me, Concubine Duan, Concubine Rui, or Concubine Yi?"
"Of course it's the queen's!"
"Still calling her empress?"
"Of course my little sweetie has the best figure!"
Concubine Rong then nodded with satisfaction and smiled sweetly at Yan Liqiang.
By the time Prince Min saw the two of them, they had already come out from behind the hillside. Concubine Rong became the princess again and asked Yan Liqiang seriously about his schedule for the day. Yan Liqiang also spoke seriously.
"Your Highness, we have already walked most of the way through Luyuan County. If everything goes well, we will be able to pass through Luquan County, pass Luming Pass, and then enter Gaoyi County. After Gaoyi County, we will reach the border of Jinzhou, and Your Highness will be able to return home..."
"Well, then I'll trouble you, Lord Yan!" Concubine Rong glanced at Yan Liqiang. Although her expression was the same as before, her eyes were full of charm.
"You're welcome, Madam!"
"Master, look what I caught in the stream over there. This thing has a huge head and a tail like a fish. It has no scales on its body, but it has two legs. I have never seen anything like this in the palace!" King Min held something in his hand, ran over excitedly, and handed it to Yan Liqiang to see. "Master, what do you think this is?"
"This is a tadpole, the young of a frog. In a few months, the tadpole's tail will gradually disappear, and two legs will grow on its belly, slowly turning into the appearance of a frog..." Yan Liqiang said calmly.
"Wow, there are such magical things in this world!" Ordinary things suddenly became magical things in the mouth of King Min. King Min looked at Yan Liqiang with admiration, "Master, you really know everything!"
"Wasn't there such a thing in the ponds in the palace before?" Yan Liqiang asked curiously.
"In the past, people in the palace were afraid that the croaking of frogs would disturb people, so there were no frogs in any of the ponds!" Concubine Rong said from the side.
"You stay and observe. There are still many strange things in this world..." Yan Liqiang gently patted King Min on the shoulder, "This tadpole is also a life. Put this tadpole back to its original place and don't harm it. It's almost time to get in the car. If you don't understand anything in the future, you can come and ask me!"
"Okay, Master!" King Min nodded happily, then ran away with the tadpole in his hands, and two palace guards followed behind him.
Yan Liqiang and Concubine Rong naturally separated here...
Just after leaving here, Yan Liqiang felt something in his heart. He turned his head and saw Concubine Rui standing in front of the four-wheeled carriage looking at this side. When she found Yan Liqiang looking at her, Concubine Rui turned her head away embarrassedly but pretended to be natural.
Yan Liqiang smiled bitterly and rubbed his face. There were some things he really didn't know how to say.
Less than 20 minutes later, the first rays of the sun had already shone on the earth. The team was ready at this time. Yan Liqiang boarded the Caiyun Zhuiyue, waved his hand, and led the team to continue forward...
(End of this chapter)