"Take this medicinal bottle, about the size of a wine jar," she said, handing it to Li Su. "It's a tonic they like. Give them one when they get restless, and they'll be docile."
She then passed a small vial to Li Su as well. "This contains medicine to help the golden eagles molt their claws and beaks. Use it whenever you see them sharpening their claws."
...
With the unexpected arrival of guests, Lu Qingwan's time to pack was drastically cut short.
She rushed, barely managing to leave the prince's mansion within the two-hour timeframe.
A white bird and two golden ones, along with three other raptors, circled above her. As she rode towards the city gates, she found them tightly shut, with a large crowd gathered.
It was evident the gates had just been closed.
Lu Qingwan called out to Li Su, "Go and see what's happening."
Li Su rode her horse forward. The guards spotted her and shouted gruffly, "Who are you?
Can't you see the city gates are closed? Go back, go back..."
Li Su directly produced the token of the Regent Prince's mansion. The guards immediately bowed their heads. "So it's Guard Li Su. I was blind to your status. Please forgive my offense."
Li Su calmly retrieved the token. "The funeral rites for the late Emperor are over. Why are the gates closed in broad daylight?"
The guards mumbled, trying to placate her. "Guard Li Su, please calm your anger. We are merely following orders. We were instructed to close the gates, and we don't know what exactly happened!"
Li Su didn't press further. "Then please, do us a favor and open the gates. The Regent Princess needs to go out on urgent business. Kindly show some consideration."
The guards hesitated, neither refusing nor opening the gates.
Li Su's voice turned cold. "What? The Regent Prince has only gone to the battlefield, and you dare to disrespect the Princess?"
As the guards mumbled again, a familiar figure approached.
"The Regent Princess needs to leave. Hurry and let her pass! If you offend her, be careful that the Prince and Marquis Lu don't have your heads when they return!"
Chi Jingchuan walked over, his hand on the sword at his waist. He acted as if he didn't see Li Su, merely kicking the guard.
"But General, the commander has ordered..."
Before he could finish, Chi Jingchuan kicked him again. "Just open it! Why so many questions?!"
He then ambled towards Lu Qingwan, his demeanor swaggering and roguish, a stark contrast to the noble young master Lu Qingwan remembered.
He didn't bow upon reaching Lu Qingwan, idly kicking the ground with his foot. Yet, his words were remarkably serious.
"The new Emperor intends to harm the Prince. My grandfather and Prime Minister Wen have asked me to tell the Prince that no matter what conditions the new Emperor offers, he must not relinquish his military authority."
Lu Qingwan nodded in agreement. "Will you be punished for letting me pass?"
"He wouldn't dare."
Chi Jingchuan scoffed. "That fool even wants to take Yao Yao as his consort. She's behind us. Please take good care of Yao Yao for us. The entire Chi family is in your hands, Princess!"
Lu Qingwan was startled and wanted to turn back. Chi Jingchuan quickly grabbed the reins of her horse. "Don't look back. That silly girl still doesn't know I've found her. She thinks she ran away from home. Don't tell her..."
In just a few words, Lu Qingwan felt Chi Jingchuan's brotherly love for Chi Yao Yao even more deeply than Chi Yao Yao herself.
At a loss for words, Chi Jingchuan continued, "Yao Yao admires the Military Advisor. If it works out, neither my grandfather nor my parents will object.
If it doesn't, please advise Yao Yao to let go of her feelings while she still can. We will find her a good family, and she won't be wronged."
Lu Qingwan nodded repeatedly. Meanwhile, Li Su approached. "Princess, you can leave the city now."
Chi Jingchuan quickly handed Lu Qingwan a token. "Use this along the way. It's safer than yours."
Taking the Imperial Guard token, Lu Qingwan spurred her horse and galloped out of the city.
The common folk who wished to leave were stopped by the Imperial Guards. After Lu Qingwan and her entourage had traveled a considerable distance, the city gates were closed again.
Turning to look, she saw a petite and delicate figure had joined her retinue. Lu Qingwan smiled and shook her head, flicking her whip and urging her horse onto the official road.
They traveled non-stop until dark. Li Su approached and asked, "Mistress, Xinzhou is just ahead. Shall we find a place to rest before continuing?"
"No," Lu Qingwan refused decisively. Before she could say more, a wail sounded, "Why not?
Don't you get tired? I'm about to die of exhaustion!"
Chi Yao Yao swayed precariously on her horse.
Li Su and the others couldn't help but chuckle. Lu Qingwan also smiled and feigned ignorance. "People from the Black Armored Army, how can they easily complain of fatigue?
If you're so delicate, do you want the male soldiers to say that women are inferior to men and send you home to get married and have children?"
The figure on the horse stiffened. "But, but the Black Armored Army are also humans, aren't they? They need to rest.
It's been a whole day. If people don't rest, the horses get tired too. Let the horses rest, we can eat something and then continue. Sharpening the axe doesn't delay woodcutting!"
Lu Qingwan burst into laughter. Li Su and Ru Yue also joined in.
Chi Yao Yao belatedly realized, "So you all knew it was me? You're toying with me?"
Saying this, she spurred her horse to catch up with Lu Qingwan, reaching out as if to hit her.
As soon as her hand extended, Lu Qingwan's horse reared, whinnying and bucking wildly. Chi Yao Yao shrieked in fear, almost falling off her horse.
Lu Qingwan leaped from her horse onto Chi Yao Yao's, and after a flurry of activity, managed to steady the animal.
Lu Qingwan landed with Chi Yao Yao in her arms. The latter clung to Lu Qingwan like an octopus, refusing to let go.
Lu Qingwan, both amused and exasperated, said, "With such little courage, you dare to run away from home?"
"It wasn't my choice to run away! Prince Chen, no, that Feng Qingheng is crazy, you know?
The funeral rites for the late Emperor are barely over, and he wants to take many concubines, and he wants me to be one of them! The nerve!
Is it just because my grandfather is the Minister of Personnel and my father is a Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion?
'One family, two scholars' sounds good, but when faced with a shameless master, it's completely useless.
If I don't run away quickly, am I supposed to wait to be captured and taken into the palace?"
Chi Yao Yao complained furiously about Feng Qingheng. "Let me tell you, I'm not the only one who ran away from home recently.
In just a few days, countless young ladies in the capital have hastily gotten engaged, and many who were already engaged have been forced by their families to break off their engagements. It's all Feng Qingheng's doing!
I really don't understand how someone like him became emperor..."
"My dear aunt, please be quieter!
No matter how bad he is, he's still the Emperor. If someone overhears you, your grandfather and father, with their 'one family, two scholars' status, will surely be accused of being inept instructors!"
Lu Qingwan inwardly detested Feng Qingheng as well, but she couldn't indulge Chi Yao Yao's venting and get her into trouble.
Chi Yao Yao was also sharp. Hearing this, she finally let go of Lu Qingwan and stuck out her tongue. "There's no one else here. It's the wilderness, so I dared to speak.
If it were in the capital, even if I cursed him like a dog in my heart, I would still have to shout 'Long live His Majesty!'"