The leader was a tall and imposing man, holding a horsewhip and wildly swinging it...
His subordinates were also travel-worn, with dark circles around their eyes, indicating they hadn't slept well.
This group was none other than the imperial guards led by Gu Zhenshan and Steward Cao.
After galloping a bit further, Gu Zhenshan reined in his horse, "Stop!"
Everyone halted, some sooner than others...
"Young General, we've been running for a day and a night and haven't even seen a shadow of His Majesty. Could we have missed them?" Steward Cao asked in a low voice, picking a speck of eye-gunk from his eye.
Gu Zhenshan glared at him, "Stop your ill-omened talk!"
It was clearly this direction, how could they have gone wrong?
Steward Cao shook his head helplessly, "Young General, this wilderness spans hundreds of miles. Finding one person here is like finding a needle in a haystack. We should turn back..."
"Turn back where?" Gu Zhenshan frowned, staring intently at Steward Cao.
Steward Cao mumbled, "Young General, aren't you going to Dashui Village?"
"What Dashui Village? His Majesty is still missing, how dare I abandon my post?" Gu Zhenshan retorted sternly.
Steward Cao: "..."
You've already abandoned your post.
For years, you've spent how many days away from the barracks searching for the Eldest Young Lady?
Steward Cao didn't dare say this, fearing the Young General would flay him.
"Keep searching!" Gu Zhenshan commanded.
If anything happened to the Emperor, let alone finding his sister, he might not even keep his position as a general...
"Yes!" everyone responded.
Soon, all the men and horses disappeared into the vast night.
At dawn, Xiao Xitian looked at Emperor Cheng's ankle.
"It's already less swollen, recovering very well!" Xiao Xitian said crisply.
Emperor Cheng looked at her adorable, soft little face and was filled with affection. "Do you want to ride in Uncle's carriage?"
The carriage had everything to eat and drink. They were still far from Dashui Village, and he didn't want to see the little girl suffer from the cold and hunger...
The Emperor's carriage was naturally the finest. Although it looked dirty and unkempt from the outside, the interior was arranged like a royal chamber, with everything one could wish for and plenty of space.
"No thank you, Uncle!" Xiao Xitian's eyes curved into crescents. She re-wrapped the gauze for him. "We have our own carriage!"
She felt the brat's father was quite amiable, and his eyes held an aura of dignified authority. The brat resembled him a lot...
But no matter how she looked at it, the old gentleman before her didn't look like a merchant.
More precisely, he looked like a high-ranking official.
Just then, Shangguan Fang'er ran over with a giggle, pulling Xiao Xitian's hand. "I need to pee..."
Xiao Xitian helped her comb her hair and wash her face, finally making Shangguan Fang'er less disheveled.
Emperor Cheng glanced at Shangguan Fang'er and almost jumped out of the carriage.
Good heavens, it seemed Eunuch Zhao was right, it really was her!
In fact, Emperor Cheng didn't need to guess; he knew this woman had come here fleeing famine. But she used to be so intelligent, gentle, and elegant; how had she become like this now...
Xiao Xitian gave Emperor Cheng a few more instructions, telling him not to move around casually and to call her if his foot hurt, before taking Shangguan Fang'er to relieve herself.
It was quite a worry, Shangguan Fang'er only knew how to untie her waistband but not how to tie it. Every time, she would cry in distress.
Yun Sanman couldn't help with this, so she always had to trouble her younger sister...
Eunuch Zhao boiled a few eggs, cooked some rice porridge, and steamed a batch of flower rolls. He sent some of each to Sanman's group.
After breakfast, the group continued their journey.
Yesterday, Xiao Jinheng had talked too much with his father and suddenly found himself without topics, so he chose to sit in the same carriage as the little village girl...
Yun Sanman drove the carriage, while Kong Xingzhuo, along with Xiao Ying and Xiao Jun, walked at the front.
"Here, take your medicine!" Xiao Xitian handed another white pill to Xiao Jinheng.
Xiao Jinheng raised an eyebrow, "This young master is already better..."
This pill was even more bitter than the decoction, truly difficult to swallow.
Xiao Xitian rolled her eyes, "Even if you're better, you should still take precautions. Haven't you seen the wind blowing outside?"
The weather was getting colder, she felt it was even colder than when they first came.
After Frost Descent comes the Beginning of Winter. The sky was overcast, looking like it was about to snow...
Xiao Jinheng tucked his hands into his sleeves and suddenly smiled, "Little village girl, feed me the medicine!"
Saying that, he opened his mouth with an 'ah' and leaned towards Xiao Xitian.
"Hmph, you brat!" Xiao Xitian slapped the pill onto the table and put her hands on her hips, "You keep saying you're not a child anymore, why are you still doing such childish things? Even taking medicine requires someone to feed you, how embarrassing!"
Xiao Jinheng: "..."
Can't you speak so directly!
He just wanted a little more attention, what was wrong with that?
Xiao Jinheng dejectedly reached for the pill, "If you don't want to feed me, fine. You're so fierce!"
Seeing this, Xiao Xitian chuckled, "You brat, you and your father are truly birds of a feather. He sprained his ankle, and you caught a cold. How is it that both father and son fell ill after going out..."
"My father is old, his legs and feet aren't nimble, that's why he sprained it!" Xiao Jinheng retorted.
Xiao Xitian saw through his excuse but didn't expose him. She curled up in a corner of the carriage and closed her eyes, "I'm sleepy, I'll take a nap!"
Last night, Shangguan Fang'er suddenly discovered that it was fun when Xiao Xitian tied her waistband for her, so she kept making noise and fussing, preventing her from sleeping well...
The carriage moved at a steady pace towards Dashui Village. The wind outside was chilly, but the inside of the carriage was warm, making it the perfect place to sleep.
Unknowingly, Xiao Xitian's consciousness drifted into her space.
The plum and apple trees had fully matured. The harvested fruits could fill several sacks. If these weren't taken out, they would just rot in the space...
Moreover, the dairy cows she raised were mooing all over the hillside, and it was time to milk them.
Xiao Xitian decided that after returning to the village, she would take out the fruits and milk for her family to enjoy to their heart's content.
No one in Dashui Village raised dairy cows. In Heyang County, a few could occasionally be seen. Therefore, her family needed to be careful when drinking milk, lest they attract the attention of those with ulterior motives...
Some of the crops in the carriage had already been harvested, such as eggplants, beans, and cucumbers, while others were still green and not yet ripe.
Since her family had common vegetables, Xiao Xitian rarely took them out, and they ended up rotting.
After this batch of vegetables was harvested, she wouldn't plant them anymore. She would focus on raising livestock and tending to the fruit trees, such as cherry, pear, apple, and orange trees. She would have to put more effort into them from now on...
Just as Xiao Xitian was about to scoop some milk for the brat, the carriage suddenly lurched and stopped.
Xiao Xitian rolled off her seat, covering her forehead. Oh no, what happened again?