The Prince of Jin came over and put his arm around her shoulder, also straining to look out into the distance.
Bathed in the glow of the snow, he also saw a lone figure walking slowly through the thick snow.
Judging from his figure, he looked like a man, hunched over, carrying a bundle on his back, walking with great difficulty step by step.
The man was outside the inn, heading towards it.
Tang Zhuyun said, "He must be here to stay."
However, they've booked all the inns...
Moreover, they booked out not only this inn, but almost all the large inns in Yangqu.
After all, there were more than a thousand people. Fortunately, this was an important town. When they went to smaller places, many guards had to set up tents.
The Prince of Jin said, "Not necessarily."
"Um?"
"The inn we're staying at is the best in Yangqu; he can't afford it."
Tang Zhuyun: "... How do you know they can't afford it? Maybe they just don't flaunt their wealth!"
"Yangqu is different from other places; the people here have gradually become more fierce," the Prince of Jin explained. "To put it more bluntly, there are more bandits here."
Tang Zhuyun: "Huh?"
"Chang Zhi also came from here."
"Ah!"
Now I understand, it's a bandit's den!
"Which is more important, money or life?"
"Of course it's fate," Tang Zhuyun said. "Oh, unless that person is from Huaishang; he's different."
The Prince of Jin laughed and scolded, "You little rascal! What are you doing bringing the Huaishang for no reason?"
"I was just mentioning him, but the prince keeps pushing him into the line of fire."
Poor Huaishang, Amen.
Prince of Jin smiled and patted Tang Zhuyun's head, "Life is of utmost importance, so anyone with a little money will always find someone to travel with when they go on a journey."
"Then, aren't there any people who are highly skilled yet daring?"
"Yes, there are always people like that, and there are also ignorant and fearless fools, but they are a minority after all."
After thinking for a moment, Tang Zhuyun said, "So you mean, this person doesn't seem like a good person?"
"Perhaps," the Prince of Jin said cautiously, "But they could also be outsiders unfamiliar with the area."
As they were talking, Tang Zhuyun saw the man start knocking on the door, and then a waiter from the courtyard went to open it.
Tang Zhuyun couldn't quite make out the waiter's voice.
The Prince of Jin said, "The waiter told him to find lodging somewhere else, to tell him that all the inns were full and to find a family to stay with."
Tang Zhuyun: "Oh."
With sharp hearing and keen eyesight, I, Your Highness, am truly remarkable!
In the future, when the two of them are old and frail, with her failing eyesight and hearing while Prince of Jin is still sharp of hearing and sight, will they be noticed by other old ladies as they walk down the street?
The Prince of Jin said, "That man said he couldn't walk any further and asked the waiter to let him stay the night."
Tang Zhuyun immediately became alert. "Could it be that they deliberately approached us?"
But what could one person possibly do, when there were nearly several hundred people in the inn?
Poisoning the well water?
However, if she could think of it, how could the Prince of Jin and his guards not have thought of it?
The Prince of Jin said, "Let's wait and see."
"So what do we do now?"
The Prince of Jin said, "I will give the order to have someone find him a place to rest, and he can find lodging tomorrow."
Searching everywhere through such thick snow, if anything were to happen, the person could be killed.
Tang Zhuyun breathed a sigh of relief.
Prince of Jin: "Hmm?"
"I actually wanted to say it just now," Tang Zhuyun stuck out her tongue, "But I was afraid of being too soft-hearted."
The Prince of Jin laughed and said, "Am I really heartless? Isn't this just human nature?"
"Yes, yes, yes, my Brother Qi is the best!"
Prince of Jin: "Shout it again."
During their lovemaking, he coaxed her into calling him that; it was the first time she had uttered it without intimacy.
The Prince of Jin felt as if his body had developed a kind of conditioned reflex, he...
"Wait," the Prince of Jin gritted his teeth, "I'll be right back!"
Tang Zhuyun suppressed a laugh.
This man is so easy to flirt with!
The Prince of Jin went out and gave an order, and Tang Zhuyun soon saw the person being led to the gatehouse by the waiter.
It looks like it's for people to rest there for the night.
"I ordered the guards to keep an eye out for any movement, and to send him back as soon as he comes out," said the Prince of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun: "If I were him, I definitely wouldn't go out. Hearing you're there would scare me half to death!"
Do you have one? Let me see.
Tang Zhuyun: "... Stop fooling around."
The Prince of Jin's voice was hoarse, his eyes like those of a hungry wolf, yet his chin rested on her shoulder, like that of a docile dog.
He said, "A-Yun, you love me."
Oh my god, Tang Zhuyun was completely powerless against those words, and her heart instantly softened like water.
How can it not hurt?
There was only one man.
Judging by appearances, this will likely be the only one in my lifetime!
Pain!
The candlelight flickered, the heat surged, and the long-lost intimacy was both cautious and passionate...
Although the disturbance didn't last as long as before, Tang Zhuyun still slept soundly until nearly noon the next day before waking up.
She heard Yanran and Jiaojiao playing happily in the snow outside.
She opened her eyes to find the Prince of Jin sitting by the bedside, smiling at her.
Tang Zhuyun: "What time is it?"
It's almost noon.
Tang Zhuyun: "I can't believe I slept for so long. No wonder I had so many dreams."
"What dream?" The Prince of Jin smiled and handed her the clothes that were warming by the brazier.
Tang Zhuyun said, "It's all a mess, I've forgotten everything. I only vaguely remember that I went to the northernmost, coldest place, and all I could see was white ice and snow. Then there was a polar bear, a big white bear, and I was so scared that I ran into an igloo..."
What about me?
"I don't know, I didn't dream about it."
Prince of Jin: "..."
"How is that person from yesterday? Has he left?" Tang Zhuyun asked as she put on her clothes.
"Not yet," said the Prince of Jin. "That man seems a bit off; we need to take another look."
"Huh? Something's not right? What's wrong?"
"He wanted to get close to the guard and find out if you lived here."
Tang Zhuyun: "Huh? Why are you asking about me? Do you want to kidnap me and extort money from me?"
That can't be right, the Prince of Jin is inseparable from her...
Could the newcomer be a top-tier expert?
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard the Prince of Jin say, "Let's wait and see; a fox will eventually show its tail."
"Then why did you let Yanran go out to play? No way..."
"That man didn't know martial arts; he looked like a peasant."
He was just a young and strong farmer, speaking with a slight Northern Commandery accent. He didn't seem like a shrewd or sophisticated person; instead, he appeared somewhat simple-minded.
The Prince of Jin believed that it wouldn't be long before the guards could trick this man into revealing his secrets.
Tang Zhuyun was also shocked.
Now that everything's rolled up like this, even a spy would need rural life experience and an accent?
After breakfast—no, lunch—the guards who had gone to approach the man indeed arrived.
"Your Highness, that man keeps asking when you're going out. I suspect... I suspect him..."
"Speak plainly!" the Prince of Jin said coldly.
"This subordinate feels that he seems to want to see Your Majesty alone, and is somewhat wary of you..."