Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

As night fell, the inn was brightly lit with candles. Shen Yanchu sat quietly at the table, a book in his hand, studying intently. His gaze was focused and deep, as if he were completely immersed in the world of the book.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and Shi Wanxia walked in with the Li Qinglan sisters. Their footsteps were exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Shen Yanchu looked up and saw them enter, a slight smile appearing on his face. He put down the book in his hand and stood up to greet them.

"You've arrived." Shen Yanchu's voice was gentle and deep.

Shi Wanxia smiled and nodded, saying, "We came to see you."

The Li Qinglan sisters also greeted Shen Yanchu, their eyes filled with curiosity and admiration.

Shen Yanchu invited them to sit down and poured them a cup of tea. They all sat around the table and began to chat.

A warm atmosphere filled the room, the candlelight flickering gently in the breeze, illuminating everyone's faces. Li Qinglan handed him the finished moon-white cotton dress, her face flushed with shyness, unable to look him in the eye. A blush crept onto her sallow face. These gentlemen were as easy to get along with as she had imagined; they hadn't looked down on her because she and her sister were lowly women. They took extra care of them because of Sister Shi.

"Thank you very much, Miss Li. You two have gone to so much trouble," Shen Yanchu said, accepting the gifts with both hands and nodding in gratitude. Her eyes were full of smiles and gentleness as she looked at Shi Wanxia: "By the way, we're leaving early tomorrow morning, and it's getting late. Leave their clothes here with me, and I'll take them over to them later. Entering a man's room in the middle of the night would damage your reputations."

Although Shi Wanxia didn't particularly like his words, the time rules were indeed in place, so she handed over the other two people's clothes to him, thinking that they still had to travel tomorrow and that it was indeed getting late.

"Alright, Brother Shen, it's so late, you shouldn't read anymore. Let's go back and rest first. You should rest early too, Brother Shen. Good night!"

Shi Wanxia led the two sisters out of the room. The inn was quite busy. Although Qingyun Town was close to the Cangyan Mountains, it also had many rare treasures, so there were quite a few people here.

As dawn broke, the coachman parked the carriage in front of the inn. He skillfully began to help us carry our luggage, carefully placing our belongings, supplies, clothes, bedding, and other items into the large carriage.

The carriage was spacious, with a simple yet practical interior. One side of the carriage was neatly arranged with luggage, while the other side offered ample space for us to sit. The coachman worked nimbly, arranging each piece of luggage meticulously to ensure it wouldn't wobble during the journey.

With the luggage loaded, we boarded the carriage one after another. The carriage was filled with a faint scent of leather and wood, making us feel warm and comfortable. We sat on soft seats, which also had cushions and a small wooden table with replicas of teapots and teacups, all of which Shen Yanchu had asked us to buy.

The three men shared one carriage, while the four of us girls shared another. The coachman gently patted the horses' backs, and the carriage slowly started moving. The sound of the wheels rolling was particularly clear in the quiet morning. As the carriage moved forward, the inn gradually disappeared from our sight, replaced by beautiful scenery along the way.

Sunlight streamed through the carriage windows, warm and gentle on us. We admired the scenery outside and felt the pleasant breeze on our faces. The bumpy ride of the carriage made us feel as if we were in a secluded world, far away from the hustle and bustle of the town.

The carriage moved smoothly under the coachman's guidance. We chatted and laughed inside, enjoying this rare moment of peace. Shi Wanxia lay comfortably in the carriage, watching the two girls who didn't rest for a moment. They started making clothes soon after getting on the carriage. She wanted to tell them to take a rest, but the two girls didn't take it seriously, so she had no choice but to give up.

The carriage swayed and lurched for a long time before Shi Wanxia drifted off to sleep, her head still resting on her pillow. Li Qinglan put down her work, took a cloak from her bundle and covered Shi Wanxia with it, then turned back to continue sewing.

Li Shuying had been thinking a lot these past few days. She didn't know the girl's identity, and the three of them had been following her. Although Young Master Shen had said he would take them to Cangling Kingdom, the farthest place she had ever been since childhood was this town. But now, going to such a distant place filled Li Shuying with uncertainty, anxiety, and unease.

"Sister Qingqing, what is the relationship between Miss Shi and Young Master Shen? I've never traveled far from home since I was little. Is this trip to such a far place to go back to Sister Shi's house? Sister Shi's circumstances are clearly not simple. Will her family accept three of us village women who have been kicked out of their homes?"

Li Qinglan paused for a moment, then continued threading the needle with practiced ease. Her expression was unreadable. Li Shuying was worried that she might have said something wrong and upset Qingqing.

"Don't worry. Since you promised Sister Shi that night that you would stay with her for life and never leave her, and Sister Shi also promised to protect us for life, you shouldn't worry too much. Hurry up and make the clothes. Look, Sister Shi is still wearing tattered coarse clothes."

Li Qinglan gently comforted Shuying. This younger sister was two years younger than her and had suffered a lot since childhood; it was normal for her to feel uneasy. She believed that her sister Shi was a woman of her word. Even if Shi's family couldn't accept them, she still had some embroidery skills and could support them. Shi was right; life was inherently difficult for women. But no matter how bitter or difficult, couldn't they still live on?

Li Shuying nodded, calming her troubled emotions. Qingqing was right. There was no way out anyway. Now that her sister was willing to not look down on their past and had taken good care of them these past few days, things couldn't get any worse.

Although Qinghuan was young, she understood what her second and third sisters meant. She also liked Sister Shi and Young Master Shen.

"Second sister, third sister, don't be sad. I think Sister Shi is a beautiful and kind sister. Huanhuan is very happy to live with her." Qinghuan's sweet tone made the two of them laugh, and they patted her head.

"Sister Qingqing, don't worry, I've always considered you all my own sisters. Huanhuan is right, I was overthinking it." Li Shuying lowered her head in shame. She hadn't trusted her sister, and Huanhuan hadn't seen things as clearly as she did. Li Qinglan gently placed her hand on her shoulder: "Alright, don't worry, I'll take good care of you both, don't worry!" She knew Shuying had suffered a lot since childhood, and these past few days had felt unreal—she was eating meat and white flour every meal. Even she herself had never experienced such good days before.

Shi Wanxia sat in the bumpy carriage, the scorching sun shining through the window onto her face, making her feel hot. She shielded her eyes with her hand, trying to block the blinding light, but to no avail. The carriage sped along the dirt road, the dust it kicked up filling the air, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

The road was rough and uneven, and the carriage shook violently, causing Shi Wanxia's body to rise and fall with it. She felt a churning in her stomach, and a feeling of nausea welled up inside her. She tried to take deep breaths to alleviate the discomfort, but each breath only made her feel worse.

"Stop! I want to get off!" Shi Wanxia finally couldn't help but shout.

Hearing her cries, the coachman quickly tightened the reins, bringing the carriage to a slow stop. Shi Wanxia pushed open the carriage door, staggered down, and squatted by the roadside, retching. Her face was pale, her forehead was covered in sweat, and she looked extremely weak.

Li Qinglan carefully poured water from the kettle into Shi Wanxia's mouth so she could rinse it. Shuying gently patted her back to help her catch her breath. Shen Yanchu sat quietly in the carriage, reading a book, seemingly indifferent to everything around him.

Suddenly, the convoy stopped without warning. Shen Yanchu frowned slightly, put down the book in his hand, and looked out the window. He saw a pale-faced woman standing by the roadside; it was Shi Wanxia.

Shi Wanxia swayed precariously, as if she might collapse at any moment. Her eyes were vacant and lifeless, and her lips trembled slightly, as if she were trying to say something. Seeing this, Li Qinglan and Shuying quickly got out of the car and helped Shi Wanxia into the carriage.

Shen Yanchu looked at Shi Wanxia, ​​a strange emotion welling up inside him. He got up and walked towards their carriage.