Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 77: Farewell

Ji Meiqing changed the subject, saying, "It's alright, we still have places to go."

When Lu Yu saw her smiling, he immediately understood.

He said nothing and simply followed Ji Meiqing to the post station. He had no money on him, and this was his fate.

Lu Yu stared at the small door in front of him, momentarily distracted, but quickly regained his composure. He watched as she walked over and knocked on the door, continuing to knock until no one answered.

After a long wait, someone came to open the door for her. Ji Meiqing tidied herself up and, as soon as the door opened, immediately smiled and said, "Excuse me, has the princess rested yet?"

"The princess is already resting," the man said with a dark face. He didn't know Ji Meiqing at all, and then he tried to close the door.

Ji Meiqing quickly blocked the door, and at the same time chuckled shamelessly, "Don't be in such a hurry. We're here to see the princess. Since the princess is resting, just arrange a room for us. Two beds will do."

The servant's lips twitched slightly, his expressionless face blank, and he moved his hands slightly, but the door remained open.

“The princess has already retired for the night, and besides, this is an inn. Without an official order or the princess’s permission, no outsiders may stay overnight.”

“We are the princess’s friends,” she continued with a smile. “So, the princess won’t say anything if we rest here.”

"You're the princess's friends?" she retorted, then scoffed twice. "The princess is the prince's darling; how could you lowly people possibly be her friends? Stop trying to claim kinship and get out of here!"

The servant tried to push her out with disdain, but was blocked. Lu Yu walked over and gently pushed him back with one hand.

The force of the impact sent him tumbling into the puddle on the ground. He had to watch the two of them walk towards him, and for a moment he forgot what he was doing.

"Ah! Help! There's an assassin!" In his panic, he shouted this out. If it were anything else, probably not many people would come. But with just this one sentence, everyone in the inn had to get up.

Ji Meiqing chuckled twice, standing beside Lu Yu and looking at the people surrounding her. They were all holding swords and knives, glaring at the two of them with fierce expressions.

Before long, the location was directly changed.

Xunhua rubbed her temples, her gaze not even falling on the two people kneeling on the ground. She had already heard the servants recount what had happened, but now, seeing that they showed no sign of apologizing or fear whatsoever.

"You caused such a scene at the inn just to rest here for one night?" Xunhua was quite incredulous. She had a headache and ordered rooms prepared for them. "Next time... use the main entrance!"

"We were just afraid of disturbing you," Ji Meiqing continued to argue, but Xun Hua was about to explode. She was about to slam her fist on the table, but when she thought about how her hand wasn't fully healed and she couldn't do anything big, she had to give up.

Lu Yu lowered his head and said meekly, "I'm truly sorry for tonight, the curfew at the city gates was brought forward. The inn is also closed..."

"Alright, alright, you all rest here for now. We can talk about anything else tomorrow. If you need anything, just tell the servants." She stood up, and several people came over to help her.

After seeing the princess off, Ji Meiqing smiled mischievously. Maids led them to their respective rooms, one for Ji Meiqing and one for Lu Yu.

Bathwater was brought over, and clothes were prepared as well. She took a bath and then lay down on the bed to rest.

This magnificent and luxurious inn is truly... comfortable.

Outside, there was the sound of dripping water, and the windows were closed. Apart from the slightly pungent fragrance emanating from the incense burner, everything else was fine. After turning it over and over several times, she finally got up and extinguished the incense in the burner.

She rolled over into bed to rest and quickly fell asleep. Ji Meiqing didn't wake up until the next day. The bed was very soft, and she didn't want to move anymore.

I got up slightly, then washed up. I put on the clothes I had prepared before going out to have breakfast and then left.

She entered the hall, which was nearly empty. She looked around, then grabbed one of the people and asked, "Where's Lu Yu? Where did he go?"

"You mean the young master who came with you last night? The princess summoned him."

"The princess summoned me?" Ji Meiqing frowned, unable to figure out why the princess wanted to see him.

She walked back, and while she was still there, she took the opportunity to look around the place carefully.

In the end, all that remained was a deep sense of emotion. Although she knew she could never become a princess, owning such a house was perhaps still a possibility.

The flowers and plants in the yard aren't particularly valuable, but there are a lot of them, piled up in heaps, making them look quite lush.

Several maids who were coming towards her stopped right in front of her.

"Miss Ji, the princess has sent someone to the front hall."

"Oh." She nodded, then turned and walked towards the front hall. When she got there, she saw Lu Yu and walked straight towards him.

Xunhua sipped his tea carefully, putting on a grand show, but in the end he simply blew on it, flicked the tea leaves with the lid, and placed it on the table.

"The county lord."

Xunhua nodded. "I'm about to return to the palace. If there's anything, just send someone to deliver the letter to Prince Gong's residence."

"You're going back to the palace?" Ji Meiqing was a little puzzled, but she was overjoyed.

Xunhua glanced at her. "I'll give you a token. You can use it if you need to. But if you dare to do anything bad, you'll be in for the tortures in jail."

“I know,” she said with a smile.

"The Mongols have come, saying they want to arrange a marriage. I'm afraid I won't be able to come back this time. Take care of yourself," she said softly, a hint of worry between her brows. Ji Meiqing was taken aback, then fell silent.

Xunhua took a sip of tea, then said, "Among the royal family members, only a few princesses and noblewomen are left who haven't married. Although it's uncertain when they will leave, they probably won't be leaving this year. If I haven't married, I will come back."

"Then... the money you earn..." Ji Meiqing looked at him with great anticipation.

Xunhua glanced at her once, then put down what she was holding and looked at her seriously. "If you lose money, you compensate me. If you make a profit, you give me whatever you earn."

She pouted, clearly unwilling to accept it. Even after they left, she was still competing with ordinary people for business, let alone a princess like herself—a single item she carried could provide them with enough to live comfortably for a year. Yet, she still longed for her share of the profits.

Lu Yu stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and bowed his head, saying, "I really troubled the princess yesterday. I'll take my leave today."

"Get out of here, get out of here." She turned her head away, not looking at him.