He cleared his throat, turning sideways, “I also wish that you may have peace and happiness in the capital, and everything goes smoothly.”

The night wind was strong, he tightened his fur robe, but still felt a bit of chill. The girl had already walked away, his gaze returned to the distant river, his thoughts surged for a moment, only the howling river wind could be heard.

The next morning, Lin Wanji woke up from her sleep, her spirits much better. After washing up, seeing the sun shining outside, she stood at the bow of the ship to enjoy the scenery. After half a day, she finally saw the ship slowly stopping at the ferry. The Lin family’s servants unloaded their luggage and took turns getting off the ship, arriving at Jingkou.

“Miss, let’s go down too.” Ying Shi saw Lin Wanji was dazed, and gently tugged on her sleeve.

“Okay.” Lin Wanji came back to her senses, saw Lin Yanqing and Lu Shi already waiting at the ferry, so she lifted her skirt and hurried down the ship’s gangplank, running to them, “I kept Father and Mother waiting.”

“Slow down, watch your step.” Lu Shi looked at her daughter lovingly, “It’s not as casual in the capital as in Yangzhou, you must be careful in everything. Now that we’ve arrived at Jingkou, it’s still some distance from the city, we won’t rush into the city, let’s rest here first, you’re tired from the long boat journey, let’s stroll around here.”

After the servants packed up their luggage, Lu Shi and her daughter got into the carriage, Father Lin and Zhu Xiuming rode in another carriage, two carriages one after the other, and soon arrived at the city gate. After showing their documents to the guards, they finally reached the capital.

Outside the carriage was bustling, the cries of street vendors could be heard. Lin Wanji had been on the boat for many days, and now seeing such a lively scene, she couldn’t help but lift the curtain slightly, carefully glancing at the scene outside. Suddenly, she saw a group of people gathered by the street, with cheers and applause from time to time, she became interested, lifted the curtain higher, and carefully looked at the place where the crowd was gathered. It turned out that there was a troupe of acrobats performing.

“Mother, look, they’re amazing, someone is even breathing fire!”

Lu Shi saw her daughter’s excited look, her eyes lit up, and she could only helplessly smile, “It’s interesting, but you have to be careful, it’s not as unrestrained here as in Yangzhou. Put down the curtain quickly, another day, you can wear a veil and come out to watch the acrobats.”

Although the current Daqian Dynasty had an open social atmosphere, and did not impose many restrictions on women, but after all, they were passing through the bustling streets in a carriage, and lifting the curtain to look around was quite eye-catching. Lu Shi was afraid that her daughter would be seen by someone with ulterior motives, leading to unnecessary trouble, so she was naturally cautious.

At this moment, by the window of a private room on the second floor of a teahouse, stood a tall man in brocade clothes, with a handsome face, looking like a noble young master from a prominent family. But there was a bit of coldness in his brows and eyes, making people feel a bit intimidated; his dark-colored crane-cloak made his figure straight, his eyes were as deep as a hawk’s, adding a bit of murderous aura.

The man glanced down the street and saw the girl in the carriage lifting the curtain and jumping with joy. A section of her fair arm was exposed, with a circle of light green bracelets on her wrist, making her skin look even whiter.

When he saw her beautiful and bright face, the man’s breath hitched, constantly rubbing the jade finger ring in his hand. After a while, he turned and whispered something to the guard beside him, and the guard quickly disappeared into the private room.

The carriage suddenly stopped, Lin Wanji nervously lowered the curtain and asked Ying Shi, who was attending to the carriage, “Ying Shi, what happened outside?”

Ying Shi saw a man in a dark-colored crane-cloak walking out of the teahouse, tall and imposing, with a cold aura that made people dare not approach easily, so she cautiously asked the steward attending to the front carriage.

After a whispered conversation, Ying Shi returned to the carriage of the two women and said hesitantly, “Madam, Miss, the steward said… the Crown Prince of the Zhen Guo Gong Mansion, Xiao Shiyan, happened to meet Master returning to the capital and specially came to pay his respects.”

“Crown Prince Xiao?” Lu Yanyong frowned, “Is he the young General Xiao who recently repelled the Northern Di and was rewarded by the Emperor?”

Lin Wanji said in puzzlement, “Did the Zhen Guo Gong Xiao family have dealings with Father in the past? I’ve never heard of it.”

“We don’t know each other.” Mrs. Lu frowned even more, “Even the Anping Marquis Lin family has not had much contact with the Zhen Guo Gong Mansion.”

Although Lu Shi was in Yangzhou, the Lu family’s business extended to the capital, and she still knew something about the capital. The old Zhen Guo Gong had once served as a first-rank General, conquering the Western Rong and Yi Zhou, with illustrious military achievements; but seven years ago, he was seriously injured in a battle, and since then he resigned from his post and retired to his manor in the capital to recuperate, the entire Xiao family had little contact with many prominent families.

“What about Crown Prince Xiao?” Lin Wanji hurriedly asked, “I’ve heard of him in Yangzhou, I heard that he inherited his father’s mantle, and at a young age, he went to battle and made many contributions, a young general who is famous throughout the court. Why did he return to the capital, and how did he get to know Father?”

Lu Shi shook her head and comforted her, “I don’t know either, but the Zhen Guo Gong Mansion is not a difficult family to deal with, and has no connection with the court’s power struggles, so today’s encounter is not likely to be anything bad.”

Outside the carriage, Lin Yanqing saw Xiao Shiyan, tall and imposing in a crane-cloak, and was a little puzzled.

Xiao Shiyan quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, “Junior greets Uncle Lin. I heard that Uncle Lin has been transferred to the capital, I didn’t expect to meet you today, I was in a hurry when I came, and I didn’t follow the proper etiquette, I will definitely visit your house another day.”

Lin Yanqing was stunned on the spot, he had no dealings with the Xiao family, why did Crown Prince Xiao call himself a junior? Xiao Shiyan was a fourth-rank Mingwei General at a young age, he was only a fifth-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy, if it were about rank, he couldn’t accept such a greeting.

Seeing the awkward scene, Zhu Xiuming, who was standing behind, coughed lightly to remind him, Lin Yanqing came back to his senses and hurriedly said, “General Xiao is too polite.”

Xiao Shiyan straightened up, pursed his lips, “Etiquette cannot be abandoned. Uncle Lin, do you still remember He Ziyong, the son of the Yangzhou prefect, He’s family? He studied and took the imperial examination at Qingya Academy when he was young, Junior and he are close friends, I often heard him talk about the days he spent listening to Uncle Lin’s lectures in Yangzhou, and I felt a longing for it. Junior naturally respects the teacher whom Ziyong admires.”

“It’s that child Ziyong.” Lin Yanqing said, suddenly realizing, and happily said, “Ziyong is diligent and studious, a good young man with strong character, he even got the second rank in the last imperial examination. I heard that he is now serving as an official in Jizhou?”

“Yes, he is now serving as a county magistrate in the border region of Jizhou. Junior often guards the border in Jizhou, so I often have contact with Ziyong, and we have a deep friendship.”

Lin Yanqing talked about his former student, his face also showed a lot of smiles, constantly clapping his hands, “Scholars should be like this. Crown Prince Xiao is loyal to the emperor and the country, resisting the Northern Di, protecting the peace of the people, with the spirit of the old General Xiao, it is indeed a blessing for our Daqian Dynasty.”

Xiao Shiyan said, only bowing his head and thanking him, “Uncle Lin is too complimentary.”

Just as they were chatting, the atmosphere relaxed a bit. A guard suddenly carried several packages of oil-paper-wrapped snacks and said to Xiao Shiyan, “Crown Prince, the lotus cakes you ordered, I have bought them.”

Xiao Shiyan took the snacks, glanced at the carriage behind him, the curtain was already lowered, the girl’s face was hidden, but the previous glimpse appeared in his mind again, looking at the extremely familiar face again, his heart surged with infinite relief.

Xiao Shiyan handed the snacks to the attendant beside the carriage, the smile on his face softened the cold air around him, “Uncle Lin, these are famous pastries from Qianji in the capital, I thought that your family traveled north by boat, the journey was bumpy, and now you have just arrived in the capital, you must have many inconveniences. These lotus cakes are famous pastries from Yangzhou, if you can eat the taste of Yangzhou, it can also relieve some homesickness.”

“Great, how did he know I love lotus cakes the most!” Lin Wanji’s eyes lit up, she whispered excitedly to Lu Shi. Lu Yanyong glared at her helplessly, she could only lower her head and shrink back into the corner, no longer speaking, but her face was full of unstoppable smiles.

After more than a month on the boat, the cook on the boat didn’t know how to make Huaiyang pastries, she was already craving them, now Crown Prince Xiao had a deep friendship with her father’s student, and sent her favorite lotus cakes, she was naturally overjoyed.

However, Lu Yanyong frowned when she heard this, if it was because of the He family’s son at Qingya Academy, it would make sense, but after all, the Lin family had just arrived in the capital, their foundation was shallow, how could they have any dealings with the Zhen Guo Gong Mansion—I’m afraid Crown Prince Xiao has ulterior motives and has other requests.

But what does the Lin family have that the Xiao family wants? First, Lin Yanqing is just a civilian official in the Hanlin Academy, and his status is not that of a biological brother of the Anping Marquis; second, the Zhen Guo Gong Mansion is already very noble, and Crown Prince Xiao also has military power, there is really no need to seek power.

Perhaps Crown Prince Xiao is indeed a person of integrity and has a deep friendship with the He family’s child, so he took the initiative to contact the Lin family. Lu Shi thought this way, feeling a little relieved, they were now powerless and had no reason for the Crown Prince of the Zhen Guo Gong Mansion to remember them.

At this time, Lin Yanqing outside the carriage was completely dumbfounded, and could only let the steward beside him take the snacks and repeatedly thanked him.

“It’s just some food, it’s not something precious, Uncle Lin, please don’t be polite. Ziyong hasn’t seen Uncle for several years, he has been thinking about you, hearing that Uncle has entered the capital, he repeatedly asked me to visit Uncle. I’m really in a hurry today, after Uncle settles down, I will bring gifts to visit the Marquis Mansion.”

Lin Yanqing sighed again, Xiao Shiyan saw that the steward had already handed the snacks to the maid attending the carriage behind, then bowed, “I have disturbed Uncle today, there are still some matters to deal with in the suburban hunting ground, I will take my leave first.”

“Of course, of course, official business is important.” Lin Yanqing laughed and waved goodbye, then went to the carriage behind, gesturing for Ying Shi to hand the snacks to the two people in the carriage, then whispered, “This Crown Prince Xiao is really a good person, polite and loyal and kind. And that child Ziyong, he will definitely have a great future.”

“Alright,” Lu Shi scolded him, “A few pieces of snacks have bought you, I think you should buy a pastry shop to run.”