The last layer of sealing mud on the dam has dried, and the stone slabs on Jiangnan Street have returned to their former cleanliness.
Even the number of people coming and going on the street increased significantly.
People are always positive. No matter what the circumstances, they always have aspirations for the future.
Wandering aimlessly on the street with Fu Yuheng, the vendors coming and going on the street all knew these two people, and occasionally vendors would greet them politely, "Madam, please come in and have a cup of tea before leaving?"
Shen Qingwan just waved her hand and said, "No, I'm just going out for a walk."
After being in Jiangnan for so long, the people here all know that this virtuous concubine is truly kind to them.
When the natural disaster first struck, Concubine Xian came like Guanyin and helped Magistrate Li save so many people. It’s impossible that now that they are better, they don’t know how to repay the kindness.
As Shen Qingwan walked along, people stuffed things into her arms. "My queen, these are some eggs my chickens laid. Please don't despise them. Take them back to replenish your body."
"My lady, these are the onions that I grew myself. Take some home and try them. They are very tender."
"Your Majesty, this is the cured meat I made at home. My mother asked me to give it to you. You can eat it on the way back to Beijing. It will be delicious with some chili!" The villagers were very enthusiastic. Shen Qingwan couldn't refuse, so she took a handful of it.
At lunch time, Li Chaoyang looked at the table of delicious rural dishes and was a little confused. "What is this?"
Lianyun rushed to speak, quite proudly, "The queen went out this morning, and these are gifts from the villagers to the queen and adults. We made them all at noon today when everyone was together. They are all little gifts from the villagers."
Li Chaoyang nodded and smiled, "This humble servant is somewhat touched. Seeing that the Majesty is about to return, this humble servant still has some finishing work to do, and I am afraid that I will not have the time to perform for the Majesty."
At this point, Li Chaoyang picked up the wine glass. The pure white rice wine in the glass was intoxicatingly fragrant. He saluted Shen Qingwan from a distance and said, "I wish your Majesty a smooth journey home. The next time I go to Beijing to report on my work, I will definitely have a drink with you."
Shen Qingwan nodded slightly, covered her face with her sleeve and drank it all.
But, is the time of return really approaching
She was a little absent-minded. Fu Yuheng cleared his throat and said, "My beloved concubine, I plan to return to the palace in the next two days. There is nothing wrong with Jiangnan now. You can prepare and pack your things to return to Beijing."
Shen Qingwan stood up and bowed as if she was accepting the order, but she still looked a little absent-minded.
Lianyun was packing things in the room, searching here and there, muttering to herself about things to pay attention to when returning to the capital, "Madam, we have been outside for so long, and suddenly we have to return to the capital. I am really a little uncomfortable. Do you think Cui'er will play better with Liu'er after we return to the capital?"
Shen Qingwan held her chin with one hand, looking out the window, not knowing what she was thinking, her brows slightly furrowed, making people feel distressed.
Lianyun continued to pack her bag, mumbling, "But it doesn't matter. We have been in Jiangnan for too long, and I am not used to it. The scenery of small bridges and flowing water is nowhere near as magnificent as the desert smoke in the suburbs of Kyoto. I still like it the most..."
She talked for a long time, but Shen Qingwan didn't respond to her. When she turned around, she saw her queen looking out the window in a daze, and she didn't seem very happy
"My lady? What are you thinking about? Tell me what's on your mind, don't keep it to yourself and make yourself sick."
Shen Qingwan finally came back to her senses and brushed off the dust on her skirt. "Lianyun, who do you think would harm us? I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I can't think of it."
Lian Yun was a little stunned when she heard this. It turned out to be about this matter. She immediately went over and pinched her shoulders, "Your Majesty, don't take it to heart. Anyway, everything is safe now, and we will be back to the palace soon."
Shen Qingwan nodded and stopped thinking about it.
After lunch, when the sun was shining brightly, Fu Yuheng practiced calligraphy in the study for a while. Hearing someone coming towards him, he put down his brush and turned to look at his pen and ink towards the light.
"Your Majesty, your servant greets you." A faint voice sounded.
"Hmm? Have you finished cleaning up your side?" He looked up at her with a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
She was dressed in green and nodded. "I have packed everything. I want to send some people to Jiangnan to buy some local specialties. I hope the emperor will agree."
He put down the rice paper and smiled, "Go if you like, it's not a big deal."
Shen Qingwan still felt warm in her heart. After all, this was what Lianyun had been talking about for several days. She said that she wanted to bring some local specialties from Jiangnan back to eat with Liu'er and the others in Zhongcui Palace. She felt that she had relieved Lianyun's worries.
When she came, Shen Qingwan was in a hurry and didn't bother to bring anything with her. When she left, she had to clean up, sweep, and hand over people. It took her three days in total. Lianyun, Sun Ning and others understood everything three days ago, so they must have arrived by now.
Li Chaoyang was still too busy to spare any time, and he led a group of servants to see her off at the gate of the courtyard, feeling very regretful. "This time, Jiangnan is really in a state of revival, and I am too busy to spare any time. Next time I arrive in Kyoto, I will definitely have a good reunion with the queen."
After waving goodbye to everyone, she heard the sound of carriage wheels. She didn't know how long it lasted. She opened the curtains and saw rolling hills outside. She had left the familiar green plants behind. Shen Qingwan seemed to realize belatedly that she had already left Jiangnan.
"Why, you don't want to leave Jiangnan?" Fu Yuheng put his arm around her waist and leaned close to her ear.
His breath made her feel a little itchy, and she couldn't help but dodge. "Not really, I'm just a little worried about the people."
"It's okay. At the end of the year, I will summon Li Chaoyang to Beijing to report on his work. He will tell me what's going on in Jiangnan then." He smiled faintly and looked outside.
"But Your Majesty, there are only a few guards, and it seems..." Shen Qingwan couldn't help feeling a little guilty when she thought that it was because she had asked people to buy local products that led to a sudden decrease in the number of guards accompanying the emperor.
Fu Yuheng patted the back of her hand gently, signaling her to be at ease.
"What's that sound?" A low voice of a guard suddenly came from outside, and the two people in the car were stunned.
When he listened carefully, he heard the sound of fighting getting louder and louder. The curtain of the sedan chair was lifted by someone, and a guard with a sword stretched out his hand to the two people, "Your Majesty, please get off the carriage! I will lead you to run! There are a large number of bandits ambushing ahead, and the other guards can't hold on!"
Sure enough, when he looked up, he saw the bandits and guards fighting each other, scarlet blood was flowing, and the sound of fighting was endless.
Fu Yuheng got off the carriage in two steps and ran in the opposite direction pulling Shen Qingwan.
One of the bandits shouted, "Over there, their heads are over there. Kill them both and we brothers will be rich!"
The bandits were not interested in fighting, and a few of them bypassed the guards and chased after them. Shen Qingwan and the other person were only followed by three guards. When they saw them catching up, they only left one to protect them, and the rest went to stop the bandits.
The bushes in front of them were densely packed, but it seemed that the only way to escape temporarily was to hide inside them. Fu Yuheng pulled Shen Qingwan inside without hesitation. After turning a corner, the guards behind them found that the two had disappeared!
The guard immediately drew his sword and looked around, but suddenly his feet felt empty. He subconsciously took a step back and looked at the cliff that suddenly appeared in front of him in disbelief. The cliff was a hundred feet high. If the Emperor and Concubine Xian were to... It would be bad!
But in the blink of an eye, he was stabbed in the chest by a sword.
At this moment, the two of them held each other's hands and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
This time, maybe we will become a pair of star-crossed lovers...