A raincoat wind and snow to the small garden

Chapter 37: Liangzhou Ghost Soldiers (VIII)

Xiang Xiaoyuan was stronger than Xie Yunxue had imagined. Even when scolded in person by her superior, she didn't shed a single tear.

Xiang Xiaoyuan jumped off the carriage without hesitation, braving the wind and rain, and ran all the way to the carriage occupied by Yan Yun.

"Stop! The carriage has been attacked and the horses are still revolting. Young lady, don't run around!"

On the way, the guards holding swords and guns ordered them to stop in the small garden and wait for the crown prince to give orders.

Today's assassination attempt has caused panic among the people. All the powerful and influential people are guarded in their cars by the imperial guards and are not allowed to move around freely.

But Xiang Xiaoyuan turned a deaf ear to it. These people couldn't possibly shoot her to death anyway, so why should she listen to them?

He ran towards Xiaoyuan faster.

The depressed mood gradually calmed down after Xiang Xiaoyuan got away from Xie Yunxue's luxurious imperial carriage.

Yan Yun was worried when she heard that the prince's carriage was attacked. She looked into the distance from time to time and was ecstatic when she saw Xiang Xiaoyuan running towards her.

"Xiaoyuan! Come up quickly!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan couldn't wait for the coachman to put down the footstool, so he climbed onto the carriage using his hands and feet.

The moment she stood up, two hands appeared in front of her, one on each side. They were Lin Qiyu and Yan Yun.

Xiang Xiaoyuan's originally dull heart felt a vivid pain at this moment. Her nose felt sore and some of the boredom in her heart was dispelled by the warmth of her friends' palms.

At least she wasn't alone.

After Xiang Xiaoyuan got into the carriage, Yan Yun took out a handkerchief from the box and helped her wipe her hair. Lin Qiyu took out a sheepskin water bag filled with hot water and handed it to her: "Drink a sip to warm your body."

He smiled at Xiaoyuan and took a big sip.

Seeing her drunken stupor, Yan Yun said distressedly, "Are you scared? I've long advised you not to bother His Highness. He's the central figure on this trip. If we encounter bandits, assassins, or anyone in danger, the Crown Prince will definitely bear the brunt. Be a good boy and stay in our car from now on."

Lin Qiyu nodded repeatedly: "That's right! Ayun and I went to ask the fireman for some dried eggplant and cured chicken wings. We'll soak them in water later and ask the chef to add more dishes for you."

Xiang Xiaoyuan had said before that stewed eggplant with meat sauce was her favorite. But when she was young, her aunt was only thinking about Qiao Jie'er, so even when she occasionally showed her favor to Xiang Xiaoyuan, who came home late from work, she would always remove all the diced meat from the pot, leaving only a few pieces of meat and a little bit of lard sauce.

For a long time, Xiang Xiaoyuan's wish was to eat a bite of dried eggplant mixed with minced meat.

The wish she casually expressed was unexpectedly remembered so clearly by her friends.

Xiang Xiaoyuan's uncomfortable mood gradually dissipated. Her eyes were hot and she nodded heavily to Lin Qiyu: "Brother Lin, I want a lot of minced mutton, a big bowl full."

Xiang Xiaoyuan finally showed some life and even remembered to make requests to his friends.

Lin Qiyu smiled and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry! I will make sure you eat as much meat as you want!"

However, Xiang Xiaoyuan was caught in the rain and was frightened, so he developed a high fever that night.

Fortunately, there was an imperial physician accompanying the marching team. After taking Xiaoyuanhao's pulse, he prescribed her some cold-relieving and fever-reducing prescriptions and then left.

Xiang Xiaoyuan felt dizzy and lay in the carriage in a daze for more than ten days before he finally had the strength to get up.

The good news was that by the time she recovered, they were already very close to Liangzhou, which meant that the non-stop journey westward day and night had finally ended; the bad news was that because she was seriously ill, she was unable to eat meat and could only drink some thin porridge that was easy to digest, and take a few bites of the honey fruit that Xie Yunxue had sent her. She lost two or three pounds.

After being warned by Xie Yunxue, Xiang Xiaoyuan no longer regarded him as the close young man she used to be when she was young.

Every time she was about to get on the imperial carriage, she would ask Fusheng to pass on the message and she would stay away.

Fusheng noticed that Xiang Xiaoyuan and the Crown Prince had become more distant, and that they might actually break up, so he became anxious and angry.

First, she felt bad that her path to higher status was now lost. Second, she was concerned for Xiang Xiaoyuan. She had already been with the Crown Prince, and Xie Yunxue had already clung to her. She was a royal relative, so even if she didn't want something, she had to keep it to herself, not letting anyone else get their hands on it. Could Xie Yunxue tolerate Xiang Xiaoyuan remarrying? Absolutely not.

Therefore, Xiang Xiaoyuan was relying on his pride to distance himself from Xie Yunxue, which was a losing deal in Fusheng's eyes.

Thinking of this, Fusheng found an opportunity to personally deliver medicine to Xiang Xiaoyuan to test her attitude.

The journey west passed through desolate wilderness, and the closer to the border the towns became, the poorer they became. All along the way, there was only endless yellow sand and boundless desert, with oases rare. Xiang Xiaoyuan lay awake, unable to sleep, and the scenery outside the carriage was unappealing. After much thought, she turned over and poured herself a cup of tea. Before she could pick up the teacup, a finger suddenly appeared from behind the carriage curtain.

Xiang Xiaoyuan: “…” Are ghosts so sexy these days?
Soon, the curtain was completely lifted, and Fusheng's elderly, smiling face peeked in: "Hey, is Coroner Xiang still awake?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "My father-in-law came to see me late at night. Is there something wrong?"

Whenever she saw Fusheng, she would think of Xie Yunxue, and selfishly didn't want to get too close to him.

So Xiang Xiaoyuan said again, "It's already past midnight. Why don't you go to the tent and rest? Come to my car... It's not good for us, a man and a woman, to be alone in the same room at this time of night, right?"

It was the first time that Fusheng had been confronted like this. He raised his pinky finger unhappily and said, "I am not a man, so how can you say that we are alone? Don't make fun of me, Mr. Coroner."

"Then why did you come here, sir?"

Fusheng handed the medicine to Xiang Xiaoyuan: "I, the old servant, take pity on your health and bring you the medicine."

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "Isn't it too early for you to bring the medicine over now, as it's only going to take three hours?"

"Not too early, not too early. It's a good time to chat with the coroner Xiang!" Fusheng said shamelessly, "Coroner Xiang has been in Beijing for two months. Does he miss his family?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan gave him a strange look: "Father-in-law."

"Hey, the old slave is here!"

"My whole family is dead."

“…” Fusheng sighed. He had actually forgotten about this matter.

Seeing that she was unmoved, Fusheng could only speak directly: "Well, the truth is, I came to look for Coroner Xiang because I was really worried that Coroner Xiang and His Highness would become estranged in the future."

Xiang Xiaoyuan smiled and said, "We've become estranged. Your Highness told me to stop bothering him in the future, saying that I was wishful thinking about the position of Crown Princess."

She originally wanted to drive Fusheng away, so she deliberately fabricated faults against Xie Yunxue in order to achieve her goal of driving him away.

But Fusheng wasn't surprised at all. Instead, he said excitedly, "The position of Crown Princess is great! It's a good thing that the young lady is ambitious. Even to be crowned Crown Princess, His Majesty still needs his approval. Let me put it bluntly, our Highness is still the Crown Prince, and everything is under pressure from above. You can't be angry with him! You must know that His Highness has never been so close to other young ladies, let alone staying with others overnight. This shows that His Highness is definitely concerned about the young lady. I was quick-witted and offended the young lady, so please bear with me. You are forgiving me now, but it is all for your future success... His Highness will remember your company during the low period of my life, and he will always remember your kindness."

Fusheng was thrilled. He wasn't afraid of Xiang Xiaoyuan offending Xie Yunxue, but he was afraid she would just accept everything and refuse to fight for anything. If Xiang Xiaoyuan could climb the ladder, Fusheng could follow her and enjoy the good life.

Thinking of this, Fusheng became even more eager to say a few good words for Xie Yunxue.

Instead, Xiang Xiaoyuan was confused by Fusheng. Those words of hers should be criticizing Xie Yunxue, right?
Why does Fusheng feel that her relationship with Xie Yunxue has become closer?

Xiang Xiaoyuan's head ached. "His Highness is irritating me. Does he know you came to see me? I advise you to stay away from me, lest you be implicated by me and suffer His Highness's wrath."

Fusheng recalled that day, right after Xie Yunxue and Xiang Xiaoyuan had a quarrel, he ordered Fusheng to send sweet fruits, which were what little girls ate. Fusheng saw through it at a glance.

Isn't this just scolding Xiang Xiaoyuan, but being too embarrassed to bow to her? Beating around the bush and trying to curry favor with others is something only a prince who prides himself on his status can do!

Fusheng winked and said, "Oh, His Highness just doesn't know how to coax the young lady. His words are a bit harsh, but his heart is still good."

After saying this, he racked his brains to think of Xie Yunxue's good qualities. "When His Highness is angry, he won't punish people by beating them to death! He often lets them live by keeping them alive!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "..." Is there a possibility that your prince is a smiling tiger with sinister means, making people's lives worse than death, and still expecting others to be grateful to him.

After hearing this, Xiang Xiaoyuan was finally sure that Fusheng was really seriously ill.

She didn't even bother to say anything in rebuttal. She just pulled open the car curtain and winked at Yan Yun who was eating mutton pancakes with a group of people outside the car.

Yan Yun understood what he meant. She got into the car with a gun, stabbed the gun tip into Fusheng's collar, and held it high.

In this way, the eunuch was lifted off the car.

Fusheng was about to get angry, but then he thought of the moody Crown Prince and held himself back.

Forget it. After all, Xiang Xiaoyuan was the first woman who had quarreled with the prince and had not been killed. He had to respect this lady, be patient for a while and everything would be fine. If he took a step back, the sky would be wide open!
Since he was a child, an old fortune teller said that his hands are very tight, and the wealth that falls into his hands will never be lost!

(End of this chapter)