Chapter 49: Gender Defense

Xie Yunzhao was blissfully unaware of what Qian Mama’s presence signified as they happily set off.

Inside the carriage, Shen Shurong felt a headache coming on; she hadn’t expected her mother to pull this.

Qian Mama was someone who had come out of the palace with her grandmother, and she was responsible for etiquette. All of her manners had been taught by Qian Mama, and seeing her made Shen Shurong want to flee.

The maids from both households had been instructed by her and avoided her like a viper.

Jinzhi squeezed in next to Suihan as they boarded the carriage.

“Hello, Qian Mama.” Yinzhi sat rigidly, not daring to move or say much.

“Hmm.” Qian Mama adjusted Shen Shurong’s skirt that was scattered over her feet, her eyelids drooping with age, “The Junzhu must pay attention to propriety when going out.”

Shen Shurong nodded helplessly, “I understand, Qian Mama.”

With six carriages and nearly a hundred people, the procession moved slowly forward.

After half an hour of travel, they had long since left the city gate’s line of sight when Xie Yunzhao called for the convoy to stop.

He cheerfully approached, lifting the curtain of Shen Shurong’s carriage, “Rongrong, I…”

“Second Cousin!” A stern voice interrupted.

Shen Shurong closed her eyes, thinking, Brother Yunzhao, good luck.

“Greetings, Mama.” Xie Yunzhao turned to see Qian Mama’s disapproving gaze. He still maintained politeness, especially since he needed to hurry Shen Shurong and Yinzhi along.

“Firstly, although you have the decree of marriage with the Junzhu, as long as the marriage hasn’t been performed, you must observe the rules of gender defense. The Junzhu’s carriage is akin to her boudoir; you shouldn’t lift the curtain without permission.”

Xie Yunzhao was taken aback. Wasn’t he allowed to lift the curtain? Couldn’t he even board the carriage?

“Secondly, you should greet the Junzhu and address her respectfully. When you’re out in public, etiquette cannot be disregarded.”

Xie Yunzhao glanced at Shen Shurong, wondering how many rules there were.

Shen Shurong didn’t dare look at him, hiding her face behind her fan.

Yinzhi’s hands began to tremble; although she hadn’t been scolded, she felt extremely nervous.

“Thirdly, judging by your words, it seems you want to board the Junzhu’s carriage, which is absolutely not allowed. If anyone sees this, the royal rules of the Grand Princess’ residence will be laughed at.”

Xie Yunzhao released the curtain, feeling the royal rules being thrown at him, “Mama has misunderstood. I was just going to ask the Junzhu if she wanted to rest for a bit. Since she doesn’t need to, we can continue on our way.”

After saying this, he moved to sit in the back carriage, reclining with his legs crossed, feeling anxious and irritable.

So this old woman was such a formidable figure; the Commandery Princess had sent a powerful character, and even the Junzhu didn’t dare to refute her.

As long as she was around, all his fantasies would be dashed. Forget about kissing; he couldn’t even touch her hand.

An hour later, the convoy rested in a shaded area, with some seeking privacy in the woods to address personal matters.

Shen Shurong got down to stretch her legs; sitting in the carriage for too long was uncomfortable.

Not far away, Xie Yunzhao watched Qian Mama move away and quickly approached Shen Shurong, blocking others’ view as he took her hand, “Rongrong.”

Shen Shurong wanted to see him too but feared Qian Mama would notice, pulling her hand away and turning her back, “Stay further away.”

Xie Yunzhao felt frustrated. Was this how it would be all the way?

Just as he was about to secretly grab her again, he caught sight of a figure moving in the direction Qian Mama had gone and quickly retreated.

After only a brief moment of holding hands, Xie Yunzhao’s dissatisfaction grew immensely, like the height of the sky and the depth of the sea.

At noon, when they reached a town, luckily, he could have lunch at the same table as Shen Shurong, and the old woman didn’t intervene.

Xie Yunzhao first greeted her respectfully, addressing her as Junzhu, then picked up his chopsticks to serve Shen Shurong, glancing at Qian Mama’s expression.

Seeing she had no reaction, he felt reassured and continued to serve.

He knew Shen Shurong loved fish, but on his fifth attempt to reach for the fish, Qian Mama suddenly spoke, “No!”

Shen Shurong frowned slightly, “Qian Mama, when out and about, conditions are limited; there’s no need to be so strict about everything, is there?”

“Junzhu, the old servant has relaxed the rules,” Qian Mama said, her tone slightly less strict.

Shen Shurong closed her mouth, shaking her head slightly. She reached for the public chopsticks to serve food to Xie Yunzhao, but was stopped.

“Junzhu, you cannot. There are distinctions in rank and propriety.”

Shen Shurong, irritated, served herself instead, “I understand.”

During the entire meal, neither of them ate much.

Xie Yunzhao wanted to send this old woman away. As he thought about how he could make Rongrong unhappy, he decided it was not possible.

“We’ve eaten; you all should go down and have a meal as well. We need to hurry along,” Xie Yunzhao dismissed the servants, finally able to spend some time alone with Shen Shurong.

Suihan, Yinzhi, Qingzhu, and Qingying all stepped out, but Qian Mama remained.

Shen Shurong frowned, “Qian Mama, you must be tired too; go rest and have your meal.”

Qian Mama slightly bowed, her tone calm yet firm, “Junzhu, the old servant is not tired. The Commandery Princess ordered me to stay close to the Junzhu, and we can manage with some dry rations on the road.”

Xie Yunzhao felt a surge of frustration. Was this how life would be in the future?

Suppressing his emotions, Xie Yunzhao stood up, “Qian Mama can stay here; I’ll check on the convoy.”

Qian Mama smiled as she sent him off, “Thank you for your hard work, Young Master.”

As Qingzhu and Qingying were eating in the hall, they saw Xie Yunzhao come out with a dark expression. “Young Master, why are you out here?”

Xie Yunzhao leaned close to Qingzhu and whispered.

Qingzhu’s eyes widened in surprise, “Yes, Young Master.”

Half an hour later, the convoy was about to set off when Shen Shurong suddenly noticed that a new group of people was approaching, led by none other than Gu Kaizhi.

What was he doing here?

Gu Kaizhi didn’t dare to greet anyone and hurried into the restaurant.

If it weren’t for his subordinates being hungry, he wouldn’t have rushed this quickly. He didn’t know if he had disturbed Xie Yunzhao; he hoped he wouldn’t be sent back.

They planned to stay overnight at the inn, avoiding further encounters.

Qian Mama shook her head; nowadays, even young masters were overly polite, not even coming to greet the Junzhu.

If they weren’t on the road, she would definitely reprimand him for his disrespect.

Shen Shurong stepped in front of the carriage, pouting as she shot Xie Yunzhao a couple of glances, while Qian Mama even regulated her reclining position.

She wanted to nestle into Xie Yunzhao’s embrace; it had been two days since she had seen him.

Xie Yunzhao felt a pang of heartache. The bitterness of being caught between the rules felt overwhelming, but Rongrong, don’t worry; soon we’ll escape this torment.

Xie Yunzhao left Qingying behind and summoned the convoy to depart.

They reached the relay station before nightfall.

When the food was served, Qingzhu signaled to Xie Yunzhao, “Young Master, the relay station has prepared some game today to treat you and the Junzhu.”

Xie Yunzhao waved his hand, “I understand, but I wonder if the game is safe to eat. I’ll taste the dishes for the Junzhu.”

“You all go ahead; I’ll take care of the Junzhu with Qian Mama.”

Qian Mama nodded with a smile. She was pleased to see Xie Yunzhao serving the Junzhu. It was as it should be; the Junzhu held such a high status, and he wasn’t like Heir Xie.

“Today’s game is quite plentiful, with wild rabbits and wild vegetables. Junzhu, let me taste it first.”

“Go ahead.”

“This rabbit meat is not bad, but it’s a bit salty. The wild vegetables are also subpar; they are somewhat bitter. Junzhu, let me serve you something else.” Xie Yunzhao sampled each dish.

Shen Shurong nodded, and Qian Mama’s eyes brightened upon hearing the words “game,” “wild,” and “vegetables.”

As Shen Shurong finished eating, Yinzhi and Suihan also finished, ready to assist her in bathing in her room.