Chapter 63

After making her decision, Lu Minghua had no intention of looking back. She bid Lu Chengwen and Madam Yuan farewell, entered the carriage, and left.

“Why didn’t you stop her?” Madam Yuan asked, worried. After all, she was a young woman, and although she had enough guards and had hired people from the security bureau, it was still concerning to let her go out like this.

“Minghua is a stubborn child,” Lu Chengwen sighed.

This child had her own ideas. Once she made up her mind, they couldn’t stop her unless she was forcibly kept. However, perhaps this was a good thing.

“Mysterious,” Madam Yuan didn’t understand his deeper meaning, but seeing his thoughtful expression, which didn’t seem worried, reassured her somewhat.

In the palace, Yan Yuanhua wanted to leave after a while, as he was planning to find Minghua.

However, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t let him go.

“Mother?” He looked at the Empress Dowager in confusion, suddenly feeling uneasy. He stood up and strode towards the hall’s exit, ignoring her words.

The Empress Dowager didn’t bother to stop him and took a sip of tea.

Outside, Yan Yuanhua saw the Imperial Guards blocking his way out of Shoukang Palace and had no choice but to return.

“Mother, what are you doing? Did you send someone to find Minghua?” he asked, feeling uneasy.

The Empress Dowager didn’t hide anything and truthfully told him what had happened.

Yan Yuanhua’s face changed dramatically, and he hurried to leave.

“Three days,” the Empress Dowager initially planned to say five days but changed her mind after seeing his reaction.

Yan Yuanhua didn’t stop, his face cold as ice and his demeanor exceptionally fierce. No matter what, he was determined to leave the hall today.

“Three days. If Lu Minghua doesn’t hesitate and shows no intention of turning back, I will let you go. Then, I will personally ask your brother to grant her a marriage and treat her as my own daughter.”

The Empress Dowager’s voice echoed clearly in the grand and luxurious hall.

Yan Yuanhua finally stopped, standing there, hesitating. He knew very well what Minghua cared about. But matters of the heart couldn’t be forced. He hadn’t expected to hear such words from the Empress Dowager today.

“Mother, are you serious?” Yan Yuanhua turned back and looked at the Empress Dowager for confirmation.

“Serious,” the Empress Dowager’s words were firm and resolute.

Yan Yuanhua fell silent.

After a while, he sat back down, closed his eyes to suppress all his anxiety and impatience, and said in a hoarse voice, “Alright, three days it is.”

How far could one travel in three days? With the carriage moving non-stop, starting early and resting late, it was enough for Lu Minghua to leave Zhongzhou, reach Zhuozhou in the southwest, and after another day’s journey, reach Jihe. From there, she could transfer to a boat and, after five more days, arrive in Xianzhou, a place praised by countless scholars and poets.

That was the place Lu Minghua had chosen for herself.

Far from the capital and Jingzhou, it was a bustling area, making it easier to hide her tracks.

The night was cold, and although a brazier warmed the carriage, it couldn’t keep out the pervasive chill.

Lu Minghua, wrapped in a blanket, listened to the reports. This time, she had left behind Mama Li, who was too old to travel, and the guards she had previously acquired from Yan Yuanhua to avoid revealing her whereabouts. They all stayed at the marquis’ residence. Only a few maids, including Xiaochun, and the guards sent by Lu Chengwen from the marquis’ residence accompanied her. Additionally, a team hired from the best security bureau in the capital was present.

The person speaking outside was the leader of the security bureau team.

“Miss Lu, it’s getting colder outside. It looks like it will snow tonight. It’s not safe to rest in the wild. I suggest we keep moving and rest in the county town ahead.”

It was already dark, and they should have set up camp, but if it snowed, being caught between villages with no shelter could be dangerous. Although traveling at night was also unsafe, they preferred to take the risk.

“Let’s do as the leader suggests. The weather is bad, and it’s really hard on you all. I’ll add twenty percent to your payment for this trip,” Lu Minghua said warmly.

“Thank you, Miss Lu. I thank you on behalf of my brothers,” the leader said happily. They were used to long and arduous journeys, but earning more money was always welcome.

The carriage moved slowly again. As the night deepened, it became so dark that they could barely see the road.

The security team lit torches to guide the way, and after two more hours of travel, they finally reached the small county town at the end of the Hai hour. The city gates were already closed, but Lu Minghua generously offered silver, and after some persuasion, they were let in.

They found an inn to rest at. Although the place was simple, Lu Minghua, exhausted from the journey, didn’t care. Once she sat down on a stool inside the room, she couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Xiao Chun and a few other maids helped her wash up, replaced the bedding with their own, and added some incense. Despite the faint fragrance, Lu Minghua, though tired, couldn’t fall asleep.

Three days had passed. How were her old friends in the capital?

From now on…

Lu Minghua thought, fearing she might never see them again. Her heart ached, but she realized she still wanted to see them. But she could only think about it. Having made her preparations, she had no intention of looking back.

A light rustling sound arose, and she vaguely heard someone say it was snowing.

Closing her eyes, Lu Minghua didn’t know how long it took but finally drifted off to sleep.

Yan Yuanhua stayed in the palace for three whole days, fighting the urge to leave. By the afternoon of the third day, when he stood before the Empress Dowager again, he barely knew how he had managed.

“Mother, I need to find her,” he said directly, not even needing to ask if Lu Minghua had turned back.

He knew Lu Minghua too well. She hated others, but she hated herself even more. She wouldn’t turn back.

That afternoon, the people following Lu Minghua hadn’t sent any messages back yet, but seeing her son, who had become haggard in just a few days, the Empress Dowager said nothing and let him go.

However—

“It’s about to snow. Wait until it stops before you leave,” she said worriedly.

Yan Yuanhua shook his head, said nothing, and took his leave, striding away.

“Wait,” the Empress Dowager called after him.

Yan Yuanhua, anxious, looked at her with urgency. His mind was focused on finding Lu Minghua, and he did not want to say a word more than necessary.

“Minghua went south. Here’s the route. Go,” the Empress Dowager handed him a piece of paper.

His eyes widened, and Yan Yuanhua, delighted, took it, carefully read it, and couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, Mother.”

“Go on, go on,” seeing his happiness, the Empress Dowager’s last bit of reluctance faded.

Oh well, he was her son, after all. Just three days without seeing her had left him in such a state. If he really missed her, who knew what would happen? Oh well, after all, she was just a woman.

Yan Yuanhua’s smile quickly faded; it wasn’t time to be happy yet, as he hadn’t found her. He bowed and left, striding away.

“This child, he probably still resents me a bit,” the Empress Dowager sighed.

“You’re overthinking it, Your Majesty. The Prince has always been like this since he was young. Just wait. He’ll be fine in a few days,” her long-time maid comforted her with a smile.

The Empress Dowager’s expression softened slightly, and after a moment, she sighed again, “It seems I should start preparing for a wedding.”

She sounded somewhat reluctant, but upon closer inspection, she was clearly smiling.

Yan Yuanhua returned to the Prince’s residence without delay, gathered his men, and left the city immediately.

“Your Highness, which direction should we go?”

“Southwest. Look, this is the route. Who among you knows the way?” Yan Yuanhua took out a piece of paper and showed it to them.

Over a hundred personal guards looked at it, each recognizing parts of the route.

“Then you will guide us. Let’s go.” Yan Yuanhua tugged on the reins, and his black steed almost blended into the night.

They traveled through the night without stopping, but the darkness made the journey difficult. A route that would normally take an hour took them two. No one complained; they all followed Yan Yuanhua.

A few riders scouted ahead, taking turns. By midnight, the wind and snow arrived. Large snowflakes fell thickly, and soon, everything was covered in a blanket of white.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Shiyi wanted to advise against continuing, as the heavy snow obscured the path, making it dangerous to proceed.

“Don’t stop, keep going,” Yan Yuanhua raised his hand to stop him. Snow covered the black fox fur on his cloak, falling off with his movement. His palm was stained with blood; the unhealed wound had reopened during the hurried journey, and the flesh overturned. He was determined, and no one dared to persuade him otherwise.

In the midst of the heavy snowfall, the scouts became increasingly cautious, and the journey was tense. Before they knew it, dawn had arrived. At this point, they had only covered half the distance.

The snowy road was difficult to traverse. According to the route map in Yan Yuanhua’s hand, they would need to ride swiftly for most of the day to reach their destination.

They quickly ate something, though Yan Yuanhua was reluctant to waste time. However, for the sake of the journey ahead, he ate a little before continuing.

In the small county town, Lu Minghua woke early to see a blanket of white snow covering everything. The snow on the streets was deep enough to reach her ankles; it was indeed a heavy snowfall. After breakfast, as the maids began packing, Xiao Chun informed her that the security team leader had requested to see her.

Outside, the leader had assumed that the young lady would decide to stay put in such bad weather. However, seeing the maids packing, he realized they intended to leave and came to speak with her.

“Miss Lu, the snowy road is difficult to navigate, and we can’t see the path clearly. It’s manageable on horseback, but your carriage could easily get stuck. Shouldn’t we wait until the snow stops before continuing?” he suggested, feeling a bit anxious. Although Lu Minghua had been easy to talk to these past two days, he wasn’t sure if she would listen this time.

Lu Minghua was taken aback; she hadn’t expected this. She was eager to get as far away from the capital as possible, but now, the snow was stopping her. She looked outside, lost in thought for a moment.

A faint sense of joy arose in her heart but was quickly suppressed. She closed her eyes and then opened them again as if nothing had happened. Forcing herself to stay calm, she said, “Very well, then.”

Her voice was soft, and a barely audible sigh lingered in the air before dissipating.

Seeing that she had listened, the leader was pleased and immediately left.

Soon, the guards from the Earl’s residence arrived. Learning of Lu Minghua’s decision, they also felt relieved and said, “Miss, this is the right decision. The heavy snow covers the road, and we can’t see the conditions. If the carriage gets stuck, it could be damaged, causing even more delays.”

“I understand,” Lu Minghua replied.

Noticing that she seemed distracted, the guards didn’t disturb her further and left.

The snow continued to fall intermittently, sometimes as tiny silver flakes, sometimes as large goose feathers.

Lu Minghua stayed in her room, distracted, reading a book and watching the snow. Before she knew it, half the day had passed. Xiao Chun brought her lunch, and after eating, she decided to take a nap.

The horses stopped, panting heavily. Yan Yuanhua sat in the carriage, listening to the scout’s report.

“Your Highness, I inquired and confirmed that Miss Lu’s carriage passed through here yesterday, then left the city heading that way. Based on our calculations, they should have camped in the wild, but with this heavy snow, the guards likely headed to the next town, which should be here.”

A few days ago, while Yan Yuanhua was confined to the palace, the people following Lu Minghua discovered her departure. Zhao Shiyi initially planned to send someone to pursue her, but the Empress Dowager’s people stopped them. However, he didn’t remain idle and gathered detailed information about Lu Minghua’s carriage and companions. As soon as Yan Yuanhua returned, he reported everything to him.

Now, the personal guards spread out, following the carriage’s trail and asking people along the way.

“Let’s go,” Yan Yuanhua said after hearing the report. Seeing everyone was ready, they set off immediately.

The horses’ hooves broke through the snow, kicking up a flurry of white.

Over a hundred personal guards surrounded Yan Yuanhua as they swiftly moved away. Once they were gone, the nearby people dared to whisper and speculate about what had happened.

Two hours later, Yan Yuanhua arrived outside the county town. The personal guards questioned the local officials and returned with a smile, saying, “Your Highness, we were right. Miss Lu did come here.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Finding the right place was crucial. Yan Yuanhua ordered his men to investigate Lu Minghua’s whereabouts, and they waited without making any rash moves.

Zhao Shiyi was worried, saying, “It’s been half a day. I wonder if Miss Lu has already set off.”

“She won’t,” Yan Yuanhua said confidently, almost talking to himself. “She’s thorough in her thinking. She would know that traveling in this weather is unwise.”

She had planned to leave and even remembered to have the Empress Dowager stop him. That was thorough.

Finally finding her trail, Yan Yuanhua allowed himself to think about these things. He felt frustrated and helpless, but the joy of soon seeing her outweighed everything.

“Truly heartless,” he said.

Zhao Shiyi chuckled inwardly but said nothing. His master could say such things, but he would surely be reprimanded if it were him. He had learned this lesson many times.

The county town wasn’t large, making it easy to find someone, especially with experienced guards. They quickly located a local informant. The snow-covered streets muffled the usual crisp sound of hooves. The security bureau personnel were surprised to see them and wondered why they were there. They stopped outside the inn, spreading out and effectively surrounding it.

The people inside were startled and quickly prepared themselves.

Yan Yuanhua didn’t hesitate, dismounting and striding into the inn. Zhao Shiyi and a few personal guards followed, immediately meeting the wary gazes of the security bureau members.

“Where is the woman who checked in yesterday?” Yan Yuanhua asked the innkeeper.

The innkeeper’s heart raced, and just as he was about to speak, the security bureau members stopped him.

“What do you want?” They had taken the job and were responsible for their employer’s safety. Even if the other party was powerful, they couldn’t just give in.

Zhao Shiyi and the others admired their courage but…

Just as they were about to speak, they heard a voice from upstairs. Everyone looked up to see the Earl’s guards hurrying down, kneeling immediately, and addressing him as “Your Highness.”

“Your Highness?” Everyone in the inn was shocked. After a moment of stunned silence, they all knelt.

“Where is Minghua?” Yan Yuanhua asked.

The guard hesitated, not expecting that this person was here to find their young lady. He didn’t dare hide the truth, but he knew it was inappropriate to speak, so he couldn’t find the words.

Yan Yuanhua, growing impatient, bypassed him and went upstairs directly.

The guard stood up to stop him but was held back by the personal guards.

“Don’t worry, the Prince is familiar with Miss Lu. There won’t be any trouble,” Zhao Shiyi reassured.

Familiar?

Everyone’s thoughts turned subtle. Could Miss Lu be in such a hurry to travel to avoid this Prince?

As they speculated, Yan Yuanhua went upstairs and saw several familiar maids standing outside a door.

Seeing him, the maids were clearly surprised and were about to salute.

Yan Yuanhua raised his hand to stop them and asked, “Where is Minghua?”

“Miss is taking a nap and hasn’t woken up yet.” They had just been wondering whether to wake her when Yan Yuanhua arrived.

This grand entrance was indeed startling. Xiao Chun hesitated, seeing Yan Yuanhua’s cold expression; even his usual smile was faint. She was scared but bravely said, “Miss hasn’t been sleeping well these days, barely getting three hours of sleep each night. We didn’t dare to wake her.”

Yan Yuanhua frowned, not letting them speak further. He gently pushed the door open and went in, seeing Lu Minghua sleeping on a simple bed, her brows slightly furrowed, troubled even in her dreams. All his anger and sadness suddenly dissipated.

She had left him heartlessly, but she wasn’t at ease either. Thinking this, he felt a slight joy.

Outside, the maids were anxious, not daring to let Yan Yuanhua stay in their young lady’s room but unable to stop him. They could only listen carefully.

After a while, hearing no noise from inside, they peeked in and saw Yan Yuanhua sitting quietly on a stool, watching their young lady, and finally felt relieved.

Lu Minghua slept deeply. She vaguely heard some noise and was about to wake up but somehow fell into an even deeper sleep.

When she opened her eyes, she felt lazy, almost not wanting to get up. But as soon as she looked up, she saw a figure in the room that shouldn’t be there. Startled, she sat up and stared, unable to react.

Yan Yuanhua looked at her intensely. He had a lot to say, but seeing her stunned, full of disbelief and uncontrollable joy, he suddenly couldn’t say anything.

“You will come back to the capital with me,” he said, swallowing his words, his tone somewhat stiff.

He had endured countless hardships to find her, looking haggard and disheveled, his cloak still dripping wet. Yet his first words were these, with no trace of blame or resentment.

Lu Minghua wanted to smile, but tears fell instead.

“Don’t cry,” Yan Yuanhua frowned, feeling helpless. He wanted to comfort her but remembered he was still angry and held back.

Lu Minghua said nothing, just cried.

“Minghua,” seeing her continue to cry, Yan Yuanhua grew restless and finally couldn’t bear it, calling her name.

“Stop crying,” he said.

Tears kept flowing. Lu Minghua raised her sleeve to cover her face, choking out, “Why did you come after me?”

She couldn’t help but feel joy, yet also felt very wronged. She couldn’t afford to provoke him and had already tried to avoid him, but he wouldn’t let go. Her heart was in turmoil, and she didn’t know what to do.

“I told you I would marry you,” seeing her cry, Yan Yuanhua lost all his temper. He should have been the one feeling righteous, but now he couldn’t help but speak gently.

“My future wife ran away, so of course, I had to come after her.”

“There are so many good women in the capital—”

“But none of them are you.” Yan Yuanhua didn’t like her saying such things. His voice was deep, filled with sincerity, “I’ve said it before, I only want to marry you. My future wife will only be you.”

“But Minghua, you never believed me,” his voice carried a hint of grievance.

“I believe you,” Lu Minghua lowered her sleeve, revealing tear-filled eyes. She looked at him, trying to smile but only managing a slight curve of her lips, “I never doubted you.”

But marrying him was too difficult, so difficult that it made her hesitate.

“Then come back with me,” Yan Yuanhua seized the opportunity, adding, “I endured three days. Mother said if I stayed in the palace for three days, she would personally ask my brother to grant us a marriage. She said she would treat you like her own daughter.”

Lu Minghua stared at him in disbelief, unable to believe these words came from the Empress Dowager.

Wait, three days?

Did that mean he only set off yesterday? He had traveled here in just a night and half a day? Her eyes widened.

“Minghua, Mother likes you very much,” Yan Yuanhua stood up, walked to the bedside, and bent down to gently coax her, “So, don’t worry, okay?”

“Take off your cloak first.” She looked at him, seeing the many signs of his journey. His damp hair and still-dripping cloak made her heart ache, and she spoke softly.

Yan Yuanhua obediently raised his hand and immediately took off his cloak. Just as he was about to throw it aside, he heard a faint sigh of “okay.”

He was stunned and instinctively looked at Lu Minghua, asking, “Minghua, what did you say?”

“I said okay,” Lu Minghua replied.

All her hesitation and uncertainty vanished when she saw him come after her, enduring his own sadness and gently coaxing her.

Why think so much? She suddenly found the courage to try again.

Yan Yuanhua was still in a daze. He had thought countless times about how to persuade her, but he never expected it to be this straightforward. He looked at Lu Minghua intently and couldn’t help but smile.

A bit silly. Lu Minghua thought as she sat up and gently leaned into his embrace.

This embrace was as warm and broad as last time, and the heartbeat in her ear was both rapid and deep. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Minghua, you agreed, right? I didn’t hear wrong, did I?”

“No, you agreed. You can’t go back on your word.” He spoke incoherently at first, but then his tone became firm as if afraid Lu Minghua would change her mind. Yan Yuanhua reached out and pulled her closer. He felt a bit delighted; this was the first time Minghua had hugged him, and he had already forgotten his previous displeasure.

“I won’t go back on my word,” Lu Minghua said with a light laugh.

“Then when we return, I’ll ask my brother to grant us a marriage.”

“Okay.”

“What kind of residence do you like? I’ll have it built immediately.”

“Okay.”

“Shall we set the wedding date for next year?”

“…Okay.” Lu Minghua’s agreement came with some difficulty, and she felt her cheeks heat up.

“Let’s set it for March, when the grass is green and the birds are singing. No, no, let’s make it January.”

Faced with his relentless enthusiasm, Lu Minghua didn’t want to speak anymore.

“When the time comes, I’ll take you to the lantern festival. When spring arrives, we’ll go on outings. If you like, we can stay at the villa.”

It didn’t matter if she didn’t respond; Yan Yuanhua, excited by her agreement, continued to talk non-stop.

Listening to him, Lu Minghua couldn’t help but imagine it. Before she knew it, she was smiling.

“Okay,” she replied softly.

“I’ll fly kites with you. If you like swings, we’ll make one. Wherever you want to go, we’ll go.”

After talking for a long time, Yan Yuanhua’s excitement finally began to calm down.

“Minghua, don’t be afraid. I’m telling the truth. Mother really likes you, and nothing will happen,” he said softly, trying to convey his certainty.

“I believe you,” Lu Minghua didn’t trust the Empress Dowager, but she was willing to believe Yan Yuanhua. She sat up straight and smiled at him.

Yan Yuanhua’s expression relaxed, and he looked at her with a slightly silly smile.

Lu Minghua chuckled and was about to get up when she noticed his bloodied palm. Startled, she quickly reached out to take his hand.

“What happened? How did it get like this?” she asked, then regained her composure and frowned, “How did you get here?”

“Riding a horse,” Yan Yuanhua replied honestly, seizing the opportunity to make her feel concerned.

“You,” Lu Minghua looked up, wanting to scold him but lacking the resolve.

After all, if she hadn’t left the capital, he wouldn’t be in this state. Her frustration had no clear target, so she got up, put on her embroidered shoes, and opened the door to ask the maids to prepare hot water and medicine.

Xiao Chun immediately arranged for someone to fetch them. Seeing the two of them sitting together, with her young lady holding Prince Rui’s hand and frowning slightly, she felt relieved. Everything seemed fine, and that was good. Before they left, they had prepared everything, including medicine, but it was all left in the carriage. When the maid went downstairs, she was startled by the crowd in the hall.

“What happened?” Zhao Shiyi immediately asked.

The maid, who had seen him often, wasn’t afraid and explained the situation.

“This will do,” Zhao Shiyi had prepared everything before leaving, but Yan Yuanhua had been in a hurry and only applied some medicine before leaving. He quickly handed the medicine to the maid.

The maid took it, listened to his instructions on how to use it, and hurried upstairs.

Downstairs, the personal guards breathed a sigh of relief. If they were thinking about applying medicine, it seemed everything was fine. They exchanged a glance and both smiled.

After boiling the hot water, Lu Minghua carefully wiped Yan Yuanhua’s wounds with a cloth, being very gentle to avoid causing him pain.

Yan Yuanhua wanted to say it wasn’t necessary to be so careful, but seeing her focused and concerned expression, he found it endearing and said nothing.

After a while, the wound was mostly cleaned, and Lu Minghua applied some medicine.

The medicine was effective but painful when applied. Yan Yuanhua couldn’t help but frown, but he endured it without making a sound.

Lu Minghua didn’t notice and wrapped his hand with a cloth, carefully bandaging it before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

“Alright, you can’t do this again,” she admonished, looking at Yan Yuanhua disapprovingly.

The wound wasn’t large initially, but his actions had made it worse, and it looked painful. Yet he showed no sign of discomfort.

“I was careless. I need Minghua to watch over me,” Yan Yuanhua couldn’t help but smile.

Lu Minghua’s eyelashes fluttered as she lowered her head to tidy up the medicine. “Did you eat on the way?” she asked.

“No, I was busy looking for you and didn’t feel like eating.”

“That’s not acceptable!” Lu Minghua immediately became anxious and got up to arrange for food, turning back to see him smiling at her.

“Still smiling? Don’t you care about your health at all?” Her frustration grew, remembering his old injuries and his traveling through the snow all night.

“After you eat, you need to take a medicinal bath. I’ll have someone prepare the water,” she said, going out to give instructions.

As she busied herself, Yan Yuanhua’s smile grew brighter.

As long as she was there, everything was good.

After eating and sending him to take a medicinal bath, she noticed the sky outside had already darkened. Someone outside was setting off firecrackers, and amidst the crackling sounds, Lu Minghua realized that today was the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year.

In five days, it would be New Year’s Eve.

A new year was approaching. Last year at this time, Lu Minghua had been alone in a mountain retreat. This year—

The door creaked open, and Yan Yuanhua entered, wearing a red outfit with embroidered floral patterns. The clothes were somewhat rough but were the best available in this county town. He had come in such a hurry that he hadn’t brought any luggage. This outfit had been bought just now.

The bright red color was striking. While it might overwhelm an ordinary person, on Yan Yuanhua, it appeared bold and vibrant. Lu Minghua suddenly felt that no black, dark green or blue could compare to this red outfit. It was simply the color that suited him best.

She stared at him, momentarily lost in thought. Yan Yuanhua glanced down, seemingly deep in thought.

When Lu Minghua returned to her senses and saw him, she raised an eyebrow and instinctively said, “You look good in black or other colors, too. You don’t have to wear red all the time.”

She was very familiar with this look. She still vividly remembered Yan Yuanhua wearing black for half a month.

“Minghua misunderstood,” although he had thought about it, Yan Yuanhua was thinking more about—

“I was just wondering, when I wear the red wedding robe on our wedding day, will Minghua look at me like this too?”