The carriage traveled along the official road for some time, until Qinghe County's gray-black city walls behind them were completely swallowed by rolling hills and leafless woods.
Not a trace of them remained in sight.
"Hyah!"
The driver suddenly raised his whip and cracked it sharply through the air. The horses pulling the carriage picked up their pace slightly.
He lifted a hand to adjust the broad-brimmed bamboo hat shielding him from the wind and snow, turning his head slightly to reveal half his face—it was Uncle Qin.
After another half li or so, the carriage slowly stopped at a relatively spacious fork beside the official road, where the snow had been trampled hard.
The carriage curtain stirred, and Fang Yuan was the first to jump down. His feet landed steadily on the frozen ground, kicking up a little powdery snow.
He turned and cupped his fists toward the carriage, whose curtain still hung closed.
"Thank you, Uncle Qin, for seeing me off. And more importantly... thank you, Miss Wang."
He had merely asked Senior Brother Wang to arrange a reliable carriage to quietly take him out of the city. He had not expected the carriage to be that of Wang Yushuang, Third Miss of the Baimao Merchant Guild.
Even Miss Wang Yushuang had come in person. This favor weighed far more heavily than he had anticipated.
Inside the carriage, the brazier burned brightly, its charcoal giving off faint crackling sounds. Wisps of warmth drifted through the gaps in the heavy cotton curtain.
The curtain swayed slightly, revealing the vague outline of a woman in warm-colored robes seated within.
Through the curtain, she lightly nodded in Fang Yuan's direction, seeming to answer with a smile. She neither showed herself nor spoke.
Fang Yuan understood. He said no more and wasted