The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

The sound of the clappers at dawn had just died down, and the night dew was still condensing on the bluestone slabs outside Chongwenmen.

A large carriage rolled across the wet official road. A corner of the curtain was blown up by the morning breeze, revealing half of the hem of the dress embroidered with lotus flowers.

Shen Yunfei rode a maroon horse and followed the carriage, rubbing his sore eyes. God knows how long it had been since he had gotten up so early.

"Ha—" He yawned loudly, pulled out a steaming oil-paper bag from his saddlebag, and knocked on the carriage wall. "Cousin, try some freshly baked sesame sauce pancakes? They're from Zhang's. I made a special detour to buy them. They're delicious!"

The aroma of hot sesame mixed with the sweetness of puff pastry drifted into the car window.

Liu Zhu lifted the carriage curtain and was about to take it when the carriage suddenly ran over a piece of gravel, causing the body of the carriage to jolt violently, and the oil-paper bag was about to fall out of her hand.

Shen Yunfei flipped his wrist, and the oil-paper bag fell steadily into his palm again.

"How is it?" He raised his eyebrows proudly, but saw that An Lingrong was not looking in this direction, but staring blankly at the front.

"parking--"

The driver was the same one who had taken An Lingrong out of the palace. Upon hearing the call, he hurriedly tightened the reins.

As soon as the carriage stopped, An Lingrong jumped off the shaft, holding up the hem of her skirt, and ran to the bridge railing in two steps.

In the distance, a crack suddenly appeared in the clouds in the east, and a red sun burst out, dyeing the entire stone bridge into gilded gold. The 481 stone lions on Lugou Bridge woke up one after another in the morning sun.

The morning mist on the surface of the Jinshui River was broken up by the breeze, turning into thousands of tiny pieces of gold foil, swaying gently with the waves.

An Lingrong closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The morning breeze carries the unique moist scent of the river, mixed with the fragrance of wild flowers on the shore and the smell of curling smoke from farmhouses in the distance.

The long-lost smell of fireworks made her nose slightly sore, and her arms stretched out unconsciously.

The morning sun gently caressed her face, coating her porcelain-white skin with a thin layer of golden halo. The tiny hairs were clearly visible in the light, just like the most delicate hairs on peach leaves in early spring.

A drop of morning dew slid down the stone lion's mane and happened to fall on the back of her hand, making her let out a soft "ah" because of the coolness.

The soft cry startled the egret under the bridge, which flapped its wings and flew up, leaving a silver trail on the surface of the river.

An Lingrong looked at the white shadow going away, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.

This was the first time in all these years that she truly felt the breath of freedom.

Shen Yunfei pulled the reins and stared blankly at the figure beside the bridge railing.

There was something in the way she embraced the rising sun that he had never seen before.

The slightly trembling eyelashes, the dancing golden light at the ends of the hair, and the sleeves puffed up by the morning breeze all reveal an indescribable sense of free and easy.

He had seen many women - pretty, gentle, and fierce, but he had never seen one like this.

The chestnut horse snorted impatiently, and he realized that he had been staring so intently that he turned his head away hastily.

After an unknown amount of time, the sun slowly rose higher.

"Let's go!"

As An Lingrong spoke, she turned around, took Liu Zhu's hand and jumped onto the carriage. The driver flicked the whip and continued to move forward.

Shen Yunfei hurried to follow.

After walking along the official road for more than an hour, the outline of Tongzhou Canal Wharf finally appeared.

From afar, a thousand sails and masts stood like a forest, completely obscuring the entire river surface. Canal boats, merchant ships, and passenger ships were densely packed at the dock, their sails rustling in the wind, creating a scene that looked like a rolling sea of ​​clouds.

"We're here." Shen Yunfei pulled the reins and stopped steadily in front of the pier archway.

An Lingrong helped Liu Zhu get out of the car, and the scene before her made her hold her breath.

The hustle and bustle of the dock hit me in the face - the shouts of vendors, the calls of boatmen, the heavy footsteps of trackers, and the clatter of abacus beads.

"Cousin, please come this way." Shen Yunfei came to An Lingrong's side unnoticed, blocking the sight of others and leading them through the bustling crowd.

After passing several piles of cargo, a double-decker passenger ship was parked at the berth. The hull was painted indigo, the bow was carved with a lifelike giant turtle, and the windows on both sides of the ship were covered with brand new marigold.

"Because time is a bit tight, I couldn't hire a good boat, so you'll have to make do with this one." Shen Yunfei said, his eyes sweeping over An Lingrong's cheeks, which were slightly red from the sun. "There's tea in the cabin. Go and rest first. The boat will leave promptly at 12:30."

An Lingrong has never been a picky person. She nodded and walked into the cabin with Liu Zhu.

The ship looked plain and simple, but there was something else inside. The walls were inlaid with agarwood, the floor was covered with thick Persian carpets, and on the small table by the window stood an incense burner, emitting the smoke of agarwood.

Two little maids with buns on their hair stood on either side of the cabin door with their heads bowed. When they saw them come in, they immediately knelt down to salute.

"Madam, please have some tea." A boat girl, about fifty years old, came in carrying a lacquer tray. She kept her brows lowered and her clothes did not even move.

An Lingrong stroked the smooth, polished lines on the corner of the table with her fingertips, and understood.

This style must be due to the fact that they often entertained the low-key families of the capital's wealthy families. Even the window screens were made of opaque cloud-patterned gauze, which allowed light to pass through but prevented outsiders from prying.

Shen Yunfei coughed lightly outside the cabin. "Are you satisfied, cousin? This boat is specially built for the water transport of officials' families. The captain's ancestors once worked at the Longjiang Shipyard."

"Thank you for taking the trouble."

Shen Yunfei touched his nose and pointed to a gilded screen in the cabin. "There's hot water in the back. You're tired from the journey, so you should shower and change clothes first. I'll go put away the luggage. If you need anything, just call me."

An Lingrong couldn't help but look at Shen Yunfei again - this seemingly carefree young man actually considered even such details.

A qualified travel companion.