Accidentally dressed as an empress

It took two days for the people from the Ministry of Rites and the garrison commander Wu Han to communicate about the candidates for the envoy. Gu Zezhi was responsible for dispatching the ships, and everyone set out from Linjiang County by water.

Linjiang has been upgraded from a town to a county, and the Linjiang Wharf and shipyard have been taken over by the Shaofu and managed by Gu Zezhi.

Early the next morning, in the white mist, Yunxiu and his party set out on a boat trip to the State of Chu.

Yunxiu changed her name to Xiuyun and dressed up as an ordinary businessman. Zhong Yi also changed into a long robe, as it was more convenient to wear when going out.

Gu Zezhi also followed in the team. But Su Qing was not here, she had already gone to Xiling. Gu Zezhi and Su Qing missed each other perfectly, what a pity.

The boat sailed across the shimmering lake, the sunlight filtering through the clouds onto the surface, casting a golden glow. Yunxiu stood at the bow, gazing into the distance. The banks were covered in vibrant red maple leaves, reflecting the green hills and clear waters. She didn't hear any monkey calls, however.

There are only a few villages with pointed roofs and gray-black tiles on the river bank. This is the tribe of the Dongyi people.

The boat sailed smoothly for a few days, and Zhong Yi became seasick and could not leave the cabin.

The ship's doctor prescribed some medicine for him. Yunxiu sat beside Zhong Yi's bed and helped him up. "Ayi... take the medicine."

"Your Highness... am I causing you any trouble?"

Yunxiu held the medicine and said, "It's normal for you to feel uncomfortable. Half of the secret guards are seasick."

"Your Highness..." Zhong Yi took a sip of the black medicine and said coquettishly, "It's bitter..."

"Here, this is preserves."

Zhong Yi frowned and held the candied fruit in his mouth. His mouth felt bitter and he couldn't eat anything.

A small boat appeared beside the larger vessel, a boatwoman rowing. Inside lay a person, a piece of dogtail grass dangling from the corner of her mouth, her hair disheveled, her clothes dusty. She raised a hand and asked in a drawn-out voice, "Hello—is this a merchant ship from the Yun Kingdom?"

Su Da appeared in the cabin and reported to her, "Master, someone wants to board the ship."

"Who is it?" Yunxiu put down the candied fruit and asked.

"I don't know her identity. She said she wanted to board the ship."

The system said, congratulations to the host for meeting SSR Gu Yun.

Yunxiu thought to herself, I finally met Gu Yun, the elusive dragon. It turns out she has been drifting on this river all this time.

The system said that Gu Yun was a cheerful, optimistic girl, a traveler like Xu Xiake. She would write a travelogue and draw a feng shui map of the world in the future. The accuracy was only slightly lower than that of the world map of this system.

Talent, then how should she recruit it?

The system said, recalling the green years of the past.

Yunxiu looked at the people getting on the boat and went straight up to them, saying, "Gu Er! It's you!"

"bookworm!"

Yunxiu smiled and held Gu Yun's arm. "Long time no see. I haven't seen you since you transferred to another school."

"You still have the nerve to say that!"

"It was my fault."

Gu Yun smiled and asked, "Do you still like to complain to the Master?"

Yunxiu replied, "You still mention it? That was all in the past. But you, why are you here now?"

"I want to go to the end of Lingjiang River and take a look." Gu Yun stood at the bow of the boat, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, pointing forward, his eyes gleaming with a blazing light. "I want to measure all the mountains and rivers of Yun Country with my own feet."

What a lofty ambition! Yun Xiu smiled and asked, "Have you been to Nanling? Yun Lang..."

Gu Yun smiled lightly, "This beautiful landscape is more important than the person in front of me."

"Okay, then let's not talk about him. Do you want to go to Chu with me?"

"So His Highness is going to the State of Chu. Of course I want to go!"

Gu Zezhi walked out of the cabin, "Gu Yun!"

Gu Yun was like a mouse seeing a cat. Why was her uncle here? Could he have been sent by her mother to take her back for a marriage proposal?

"Your Highness, goodbye." Gu Yun bowed and said goodbye. Before Gu Zezhi could step forward, Gu Yun had already retreated to the side of the boat, holding onto the railing and jumped off the side.

Flipping into the water, Yunxiu rushed to the railing to see Gu Yun swimming in the river and climbing onto the boat.

Is Gu Zezhi some kind of monster? As soon as Gu Yun saw him, he immediately jumped off the boat and fled.

Gu Zezhi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. That little mud monkey! When he caught her, he would definitely send her back to Gu's house.

The boat swayed all the way and finally arrived at Xiangcheng of Chu State.

Yunxiu and his companions disembarked and entered Xiangcheng. The streets and alleys were bustling with activity, the cries of vendors echoing one after another. A constant stream of pedestrians weaved through the streets, swords drawn and eager to engage in combat at the slightest disagreement.

From Xiangcheng, turning into the branch river and going upstream, it is still three days' journey by water to Jiangling, the capital of Chu.

After some twists and turns, Yunxiu and his group finally arrived at the port of Jiangling, the capital of Chu State.

...............................

For three whole days, Her Majesty the Queen and Xiao Yi stayed in the back hall of Yunji Palace, staying indoors. Her Majesty no longer returned to Juanshu Palace to rest.

Recently, Yunse rarely summoned Cui Ti, which made Cui Ti feel uneasy.

It was time for the five-day court session again. In the evening, Cui Ti stood outside the rear hall of Yunji Palace and asked, "Your Majesty, is your injury feeling better? Will the court session proceed as usual tomorrow morning?"

Yun Se said weakly, "Cui Ti, I need to recuperate for half a month and will not attend court."

"Your Majesty, what should we do with the backlog of memorials?"

Yun Se was silent for a moment, then said, "Take this memorial to the Emperor for approval."

Cui Ti accepted the order and withdrew.

"Your Majesty's thigh wound, why hasn't it healed?" Yi Lan changed Yun Se's dressing and said, "I'll go find the imperial physician."

Yi Lan frowned and went out worriedly.

Yun Se quickly lifted the gauze and wiped off the medicine. This was part of the plan. If she didn't take the risk, how could she find out the real person behind the scenes?

That night, Yun Se developed a high fever due to an infected wound. Yun Se allowed the wound on his thigh to fester.

Doctor Zhou came over to check on Yun Se, removed the infected flesh, and applied medicine again.

Yi Yuan wrung out the towel and wiped Yun Se's hot forehead, arms and thighs.

Cui Ti and Lin Hong control the government, and the eldest princess has left Yun Kingdom.

However, rumors spread in the palace that His Majesty was vaguely intending to make the Seventh Princess the heir.