Zhen Xu, flattered by the compliments, beamed with joy. Being inside the carriage, he shamelessly planted a kiss on Yun Yueyin’s tender cheek.
Yun Yueyin, caught off guard, became flustered and repeatedly dodged, feigning shyness. “Husband, there are people outside the carriage, don’t let them overhear!”
“What are you afraid of?” Zhen Xu couldn’t care less about the people outside.
Let them hear. Especially Zhen Lin. That sickly young man had always been devoid of female companionship. Seeing him marry a beauty like Zhen Zhen, Zhen Xu wondered how envious Zhen Lin must be now!
“I’m not afraid of them, it’s just that the carriage is about to depart, and it’s best to avoid gossip,” Yun Yueyin whispered, coaxing Zhen Xu.
She was hardly in the mood to indulge Zhen Xu in the carriage right now.
If they were accidentally seen, everything she had painstakingly built would be lost.
Zhen Xu was most susceptible to Yun Yueyin’s charms. Unable to bear hurting her feelings, he smiled and agreed. “Alright! Once we reach our destination and settle down, you mustn’t make me wait any longer. Zhen Zhen, you are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen! I never imagined I could love a woman this much!”
“Husband is also the one I love and cherish the most. In this life, no, in the next life, I will still love my husband the most!”
The two of them confessed their love for each other inside the carriage.
Both were filled with emotion, believing their voices were too soft for anyone outside to hear.
And indeed, the people outside could not hear them.
However, Yun Shu, possessing profound inner strength and keen hearing, caught snippets of their intimate conversation.
After listening, her lips twitched violently.
As expected of Yun Yueyin, her methods were indeed masterful. Zhen Xu, having encountered Yun Yueyin, had indeed fallen into a deep pit from which he could never climb out.
Yun Shu shared a carriage with Princess Ningde.
Princess Ningde had also been watching Zhen Xu and Yun Yueyin earlier. After a cold laugh, she averted her gaze from them. She would deal with this pair eventually.
There were more important matters at hand.
Once inside the carriage,
Princess Ningde offered Yun Shu a waterskin.
“The journey might take some time. If Miss Ning feels unwell during the journey, please let me know, and we can take a short rest before continuing,” Princess Ningde reminded her gently.
After much deliberation, she felt Ning Ruan was a suitable candidate to become her sister-in-law.
Why not try to matchmake Ning Ruan with her elder brother?
Ning Ruan’s background was simple. Her brother did not need a wife with powerful family ties; such connections often brought ulterior motives.
She wished for her brother to find a pure love.
Yun Shu detected Princess Ningde’s deliberate kindness, finding it a little peculiar, but she still accepted the waterskin and thanked her.
Then, she lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.
Coincidentally, the carriage was passing by her residence.
Jing Heng happened to be walking out of the gate.
Sensing Yun Shu’s gaze, Jing Heng looked towards her.
Their eyes met. Yun Shu curved her lips into a smile and subtly nodded.
Seeing Yun Shu safe and sound, Jing Heng’s heart, which had been heavy for days, finally settled. A Cha had been right; her master could handle any situation.
Looking at the residence, she felt as if she saw Xiao Li and the other two.
Yun Shu’s face was filled with a tender glow.
Princess Ningde’s voice, probing, reached her ears. “Miss Ning mentioned before that you have a fiancé. Has the wedding date been set?”
Yun Shu withdrew her gaze and turned to Princess Ningde. “The wedding date has not been set yet; some things have happened in between.”
“Oh? Is Miss Ning’s fiancé in the Western Xia Kingdom?” Princess Ningde continued to inquire, her mind already forming some ideas.
The wedding date was not set.
That meant it was uncertain when the marriage would take place.
In that case… excellent!
Yun Shu’s heart stirred, and she met Princess Ningde’s gaze, smiling. “He is indeed in the Western Xia Kingdom.”
“May I know who Miss Ning’s fiancé is?” Princess Ningde’s heart sank. He was actually in the Western Xia Kingdom? No wonder Miss Ning came to Western Xia. Was she here to find her fiancé?
Then, the fiancé must hold a very important place in Miss Ning’s heart?
Upon careful reflection, Ning Ruan had shown no signs of a woman being attracted to a man during her interactions with her brother.
She pursed her lips, feeling a pang of discomfort. She did not want her brother to be the one with unrequited love.
“My fiancé is a martial artist and does not belong to any family,” Yun Shu replied casually.
A martial artist?
Princess Ningde mused that Ning Ruan was also a martial artist, and her fiancé was also a martial artist. They were of the same ilk.
This matter was proving more difficult than she had initially thought.
“So, he is also a martial artist, just like Miss Ning,” Princess Ningde replied with a faint smile.
She then ceased her questioning.
She knew that asking too much would make Ning Ruan annoyed and guarded.
With the twenty-day deadline fast approaching, she had to make Ning Ruan fall for her brother within this period.
Yun Shu knew Princess Ningde was testing her, possibly suspecting her identity. She had absolutely no idea that Princess Ningde harbored intentions of matchmaking her with Zhen Lin.
Both harbored their own secrets.
After a while, Princess Ningde spoke again.
“Regarding my brother’s condition, can he truly recover completely within twenty days?”
Yun Shu, who had already half-closed her eyes, preparing to sleep, replied to Princess Ningde’s inquiry. “Completely possible within twenty days. Isn’t he already able to ride a horse now?”
This rhetorical question startled Princess Ningde for a moment, then she smiled. “Miss Ning is correct. Before this, my brother could not ride a horse at all; he even felt weak mounting one. In just a few days, the changes in my brother have been truly remarkable.”
She hadn’t thought about it in detail before, but now, comparing the present to the past, it was as if they were two different people.
“In a while longer, the changes will be even more significant,” Yun Shu stated with confidence, not out of arrogance, but out of self-assurance.
If Princess Ningde had heard Yun Shu’s words at the beginning, she would have surely questioned them, perhaps even thinking the person was merely boasting.
However, now she felt that Yun Shu was stating a fact.
Unknowingly, they had arrived at the city gates.
The guards at the city gate were inspecting each carriage one by one.
The pace had slowed considerably.
Yun Shu disliked traveling in a carriage for extended periods; it easily led to drowsiness.
She closed her eyes, drifting in a hazy state, unsure of how much time had passed.
When she awoke, the carriage had stopped. Fortunately, Princess Ningde had not disturbed her further, allowing her to sleep in the carriage.
Princess Ningde, seeing Yun Shu open her eyes, said, “We’ve arrived.”
Then, Princess Ningde lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.
A familiar place, yet she hadn’t been here for three years.
People began to arrive one after another.
“Alright,” Yun Shu responded. Just as she was preparing to alight, she heard gasps from some people.
“Look, the Prince of Jin has arrived!”