Zhou Shuren and his wife took their youngest son with them and their grandson Mingjing with them, but did not take Mingrui with them. Mingrui stayed to take care of Lin Qing and the child.
The old couple has no shortage of people to take care of them. With Jinyan and Qingxue, they don't have to worry about anything.
After the convoy left the capital, Shen Xing and his men went ahead to Pinggang to rent a boat.
The carriage was stopped not long after leaving the capital. Just as Zhou Shuren pulled the curtain of the carriage, he saw an acquaintance, the personal guard of the retired emperor.
Zhou Shuren, "..."
He just wanted to spend some simple time with his wife, so why did the emperor come along
After the guards left and the carriage started moving again, Zhou Shuren was still very depressed, "It's not good to have no secrets at home."
Zhulan, "Think positively, safety is guaranteed."
Zhou Shuren pulled the corner of his mouth, pulled the cushion over and lay down, "I'll rest for a while."
Zhulan is old and her eyesight is not very good, so she didn’t bring any books with her. She ate some fruit and watched the people passing by outside.
When the carriage arrived at Pinggang, Zhulan's eyes were full of sight. She hadn't been to Pinggang for many years. There was no trace of Pinggang in her memory now. It was filled with all kinds of caravans and merchants.
The group arrived at the inn booked by Shenxing. The boat had already been rented, so Shenxing took people to buy some and they could go out to sea at noon the next day.
The retired emperor also sent people to follow Shen Xing. For the safety of the retired emperor, they had to check carefully before they could feel at ease.
Zhulan thought that only the emperor and the queen mother were there, but she didn't expect Linxi to come along. Zhulan was pleasantly surprised, "Why didn't I see you during the lunch break?"
Linxi, "I want to give my grandparents a surprise."
She endured it all the way, it was so hard.
Zhulan tapped her granddaughter's forehead. The girl became more and more naughty as she grew older.
The emperor and Zhou Shuren stared at each other. The emperor felt that he was not being honest and his eyes were weak. "I am not young anymore. I should come out and have a look while I am still able to walk."
Zhou Shuren, "Then you don't have to follow me."
They claimed to be "me" outside, but even so, they still attracted a lot of attention because there were too many guards.
The Emperor, "We are friends."
Zhou Shuren, "Hehe."
The emperor didn't want to bother with Zhou Shuren anymore. He snorted, turned around and went upstairs back to his bedroom.
Zhou Shuren clicked his tongue twice and pulled his wife back to the room.
Changzhong and Mingjing were young, so they didn't feel tired after sitting in the carriage for a whole day. They went to a restaurant, which was filled with all kinds of merchants, including many foreigners.
There were also dancers dancing in the restaurant's hall.
Ming Jing had never seen anything like this before. "Uncle, it's so lively here."
Chang Zhong thought to himself that it was more than just lively. People came to the restaurant to drink and relax. Fortunately, they only made friends and nothing improper happened.
When Linxi came over, Mingjing didn't want to leave yet, so Changzhong asked, "Have you eaten?"
Lin Xi, "I ate with my grandparents."
Changzhong saw that it was getting late and said, "Let's go back."
Lin Xi rolled her eyes, "It's rare for my uncle to come here. I've heard that this place is especially lively at night. Let's go for a walk!"
She had finally convinced her father that she was just doing it for fun.
Chang Zhong was moved but quickly suppressed his anger, "It's too messy here."
Mingjing's ears drooped. He also wanted to go. It was much more fun here than in Beijing.
Lin Xi, "I brought a lot of people with me."
Her father is worried about the guards she has given her, as well as the guards provided by the emperor, so her safety is not a problem.
Changzhong called the servant and asked him to ask his father.
Soon the servant came back and brought "Jin Yan" and "Shen Xing". Changzhong understood without the servant's reply that this meant he agreed.
Chang Zhong made three rules, "I can take you there, but you have to agree to three conditions. First, you are not allowed to leave my sight. Second, you are not allowed to be curious about everything. Third, think twice before you act."
The two younger ones nodded repeatedly, agreeing to all five conditions, not to mention three.
A few people left the restaurant and walked towards the busy neighborhood. There was a large square in the middle of the neighborhood, and Pinggang was also the most lively place.
The few of them arrived at the square. There were many performers, various stalls, and merchants from all over the world. It was very lively.
Linxi and the others were staring at the beautiful things, so they soon came to the stall selling raw gemstones.
There are no scammers at the stalls. The stalls are set up to attract customers. If there is something you like, they will have a large amount of goods.
Lin Xi bought a few rough stones. "My father always chooses the gifts he brings back from here."
Changzhong, "This place is really nice. Let's go to the front and take a look at the knife."
Mingjing had a lot of food in his arms, his cheeks were bulging. He was not interested in the knife, but was looking for something delicious.
Lin Xi moved her ears, "Uncle, did you hear someone shouting for help?"
Changzhong looked at Jinyan in confusion, and Jinyan shook his head, "There was no sound."
Linxi listened carefully and it seemed that there really wasn't anything like that. Maybe she really heard it wrong.
When they were almost done shopping, Chang Zhong saw that it was getting late and said, "Let's go back."
Lin Xi: "Okay."
As they walked back, Lin Xi suddenly heard the footsteps and heard someone shouting for help.
This time Changzhong also heard it. He took Mingjing's hand and was about to pull Linxi, but Linxi had already been surrounded by the guards.
At this time, a little girl was running towards a crowded place while shouting for help, followed by two sturdy old women.
When the little girl saw Changzhong and his men, she turned around and ran over. At this time, the guard had already pulled out his knife. The little girl had a bruised face and was obviously very scared, but she still rushed over, "Help, save my young lady."
The two old women who rushed over were stopped by the guards. Hope burst out in the little girl's eyes, "Please, your uncle, my young lady."
Changzhong and his friends grew up listening to Zhulan's story, so they can still tell whether the call for help is genuine or not.
Changzhong was the elder, so he said to the guards, "Send it to the patrolling yamen runners."
He didn't want to care. Linxi's guards had a token, and the yamen runners would take it seriously when they saw the token.
The little girl had a depressed look on her face, thinking that it was all over. Even after Changzhong and his companions left, they could still hear the little girl crying.
Lin Xi turned around and asked, "Is it okay to hand it over to the bailiff?"
Changzhong, "With the token, nothing will happen."
When they returned to the inn, Zhou Shuren and Zhulan had already rested. Changzhong first sent his niece back to her room before taking Mingjing back to rest.
The next morning, Zhulan and the others went downstairs for breakfast and saw Linxi's excited look. She smiled and asked, "Did you have a good dream last night?"
Lin Xi told what happened last night, "I sent someone to inquire early in the morning. It wasn't a scam last night. It was indeed a young lady from an official family crying for help."
Zhulan became interested, "Why did the official lady cry for help?"
Lin Xi, "I didn't find out the details. I only know that this lady took the earliest boat south today."
The Queen Mother spoke up, "It's nothing more than the calculations of the harem."
Lin Xi said quietly, "I heard that this young lady is only twelve years old, so she is not very old."
Zhulan once again marveled at the simplicity of her own backyard.
Soon it was noon, and the group boarded the boat. The emperor was a little disgusted, "Can't we rent a bigger boat?"
Zhou Shuren, "... ...you spend money?"
"It's enough. I'll go check out the room."
Zhou Shuren, "..."
It makes me angry. He spends a lot of money but still can't live in the best room. He is even picked on!