EWRN - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Hand in Hand to Jiangnan (I)

The night passed without a dream, and soon it was the next day. Yan Xi had packed her bags early the previous evening and left Jinxiang Palace first thing in the morning.

Huo Jinyu had arranged for carriages and horses, calling upon the guards from the last assassination attempt on the Second Prince and having them dress as ordinary guards to follow the procession. The entourage did not look particularly large, numbering only about eighty people, but the guards were all highly skilled martial artists, each one worth five ordinary men.

Once again, Huo Jinyu had abandoned her court ministers to set off with her Beloved Consort. It had all the airs of newlyweds on their honeymoon.

Back in the Northern Kingdom, Yan Xi had heard of the fame of Great Yuan's Jiangnan region. It was said that the people there were warm and hospitable, the women gentle and lovely, the land pleasant, the scenery beautiful, and the mountains and rivers magnificent. Yan Xi was quite looking forward to this trip. She had never expected that after marrying into the deep palace, this emperor would have the leisure to take a member of the harem out for sightseeing. It was likely unheard of.

The carriage ride was bumpy. Yan Xi sat alone, and after more than two hours, she was growing bored. She gently lifted the side curtain of the carriage. Both sides of the road were lined with lush green woods, and small wildflowers of various colors were scattered along the roadside. Yan Xi leaned against the window, resting her head on the sill as a cool breeze brushed against her face.

Huo Jinyu was originally riding at the very front of the procession. Glancing back, she saw Yan Xi sticking her head out of the carriage. On reflection, she realized her Beloved Consort must want some fresh air. After all, it had been over two hours, and the small carriage must have been scorching hot after baking in the sun for so long.

Huo Jinyu raised her right hand and pulled tightly on the reins with her left. The horse's front hooves lifted, and it stopped in its tracks. The coachmen and guards behind received the order and immediately pulled their reins, bringing the entire procession to a halt. Yan Xi was still inside the carriage, wondering why they had stopped, when Huo Jinyu lifted the front curtain.

"Is my Beloved Consort feeling stuffy? Ride with me for a while," Huo Jinyu invited, extending her right hand. Yan Xi took Huo Jinyu's hand and jumped down from the carriage.

Huo Jinyu ordered one guard to share a horse with another, giving the now-vacant horse to Yan Xi.

Yan Xi was, after all, from a grassland clan. She loved riding and the thrill of galloping freely. Although the Great Yuan Kingdom had no grasslands, speeding along the wide official road was still a kind of enjoyment.

Yan Xi swung herself onto the horse, flicked the reins, and shot forward. Huo Jinyu quickly mounted her own horse and gave chase, leaving the guards staring at each other in bewilderment. The captain slapped his head and shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry and follow them! Go, go, go! Li Yuangen, you two stay behind with the carriage." With that, he flicked his reins and led the guards in pursuit. That was the Emperor! They didn't care what happened to the consort, but if something happened to the Emperor, who would give them such generous salaries and rewards? If Huo Jinyu knew what they were thinking, she would probably remark that money truly is omnipotent.

Li Yuangen rode with another guard seated in front of him, following the carriage. Every time the horse jolted, his comrade-in-arms bumped into him. "Can't you just hug the horse's neck? Stop bumping into me!" "I don't want to bump into you! You try hugging this horse's neck!"

It had been a long time since Yan Xi had ridden so exhilaratingly! The clatter of hooves on the ground was like a drumbeat against her heart. Huo Jinyu caught up from behind, riding alongside her. Huo Jinyu looked at Yan Xi and saw her beautiful face alight with unrestrained joy. It was clear she was in high spirits. Huo Jinyu had never seen her so happy and, for a moment, was completely captivated.

Yan Xi felt a gaze fixed upon her, upon her face. She turned her head and saw Huo Jinyu staring straight at her. Their eyes met, and both were startled. They both turned their heads away. A blush crept up from Yan Xi's neck to her ears.

They galloped for a long time, long enough to miss the nearest city. As the sky gradually darkened, the two slowed their pace, and the guards followed at a distance behind them.

Huo Jinyu found a wide, open piece of land and had the guards set up tents, then let Yan Xi rest. Huo Jinyu and the guards lit several bonfires and gathered around them for warmth. Half the guards stood watch for the first half of the night, the other half for the second. Huo Jinyu went into the carriage, leaned against the inner wall, and fell asleep.

The sky quickly brightened.

Today, Yan Xi did not ride in the carriage again but rode a horse alongside Huo Jinyu. The two guards were still miserably sharing one horse.

After a day of hard riding, they arrived at Yuan'an City before dark. They passed the inspection of the city gate guards like ordinary merchants and entered the city.

The large group headed for the Emerald Fragrance House. Yan Xi felt a little strange. Was it a custom in the Great Yuan Kingdom for the emperor to take his consort and subordinates to stay in a brothel?

To Yan Xi's surprise, it was somewhat different from the brothel she had imagined. The last time, she had been injured and left in a hurry, so she didn't have much of an impression of the Emerald Fragrance House. Looking closely now, the first-floor hall was mostly for drinking. Although some tables had girls for company, no one was doing anything indecent in public. It wasn't as debauched as she had imagined.

The madam took Huo Jinyu's token, led Huo Jinyu and Yan Xi to the top floor, and arranged a spacious heaven-grade room for them. The guards were placed in a large room in the back courtyard of the Emerald Fragrance House.

It was already very late, and the journey had been tiring. Now, the two of them were assigned to the same room. If Huo Jinyu had wanted a separate room, she only needed to tell the madam, but she didn't. Firstly, her identity didn't allow it. She was the dignified emperor; under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for her to stay separately from her consort while traveling. Doing so rashly would only arouse Yan Xi's suspicion—after all, she wasn't a fool. Secondly, for some unknown reason, she, Huo Jinyu, just wanted to stay by Yan Xi's side. So, she "shamelessly" and logically cohabited with her Beloved Consort, Yan Xi.

Over there, Yan Xi had already started taking off her outer robe. Although Huo Jinyu was also a woman, she had never spent time with girls her own age growing up, let alone undressing and sharing a room with one. She was now at a bit of a loss.

It wasn't as if Huo Jinyu had never seen Yan Xi in her undergarments. On their wedding night, she had even removed Yan Xi's outer robe herself. But now, Yan Xi wasn't unconscious. A living person was undressing right there, and in her undergarments, her figure was even more graceful. Huo Jinyu felt her neck grow hot as she watched.

Only when Yan Xi got into bed did Huo Jinyu snap back to her senses. Yan Xi scooted toward the inside of the bed, leaving space for Huo Jinyu. "Jinyu, why aren't you changing?" Yan Xi asked proactively. The day of galloping on horseback had made them much more familiar with each other.

"I'm not tired yet. I'll read this booklet for a while. Xi'er, you should sleep first," Huo Jinyu said quickly, a little flustered. She took a book out of her bundle, looking as if she intended to read it all night.

Although Yan Xi was a little puzzled, she didn't ask. She went to sleep first.

The night was deep. Huo Jinyu took off her outer robe, blew out the last remaining candle, and walked quietly to the bedside. She clenched her fists as if she had made some great resolution, then lifted a corner of the quilt and carefully lay down. Huo Jinyu lay rigidly on the large bed of the heaven-grade room. Fortunately, the bed was quite large, and Yan Xi had left a lot of space, allowing Huo Jinyu to fit.

For the first half of the night, Huo Jinyu lay stiffly without moving. In the latter half, she finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.

The sky gradually brightened. Huo Jinyu felt a weight on her body and her eyes shot open, ready to fling off whatever was pressing on her. Only when her hand touched the soft object did she fully wake up.

She felt a woman's hand resting on her abdomen, and the woman sharing the bed with her was, of course, Yan Xi.

Huo Jinyu froze for a moment, then carefully lifted the hand, turned over, got out of bed, and went to change her clothes.

Yan Xi had woken up the moment Huo Jinyu touched her hand. Huo Jinyu's back was to her, so she didn't see that her eyes were open. Yan Xi was annoyed with her sleeping posture. How did her restless hand and foot end up on Huo Jinyu's stomach? After Huo Jinyu left, Yan Xi opened her eyes again and raised her left hand. It seemed to still hold the residual warmth of Huo Jinyu and the hot touch of her hard abdominal muscles. A blush secretly crept up to her ears.

A quarter of an hour later, Yan Xi also got up. The emperor was already up; there was no reason for a mere consort to stay in bed.

After washing up and changing with the help of the Emerald Fragrance House's maids, Yan Xi sat at the round table and began reading a Great Yuan storybook she had brought with her.

After a while, someone pushed open the door to the heaven-grade room. Yan Xi looked up and saw it was Huo Jinyu. Huo Jinyu sat down opposite Yan Xi, and behind her, several servants brought in some dishes and placed them on the round table. It was breakfast.

The two finished their breakfast with elegant grace. Huo Jinyu asked, "Would Xi'er like to go out for a walk and experience the local customs of Jiangnan?"

"Excellent," Yan Xi replied faintly. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled slightly, perhaps because she hadn't yet recovered from her morning's embarrassment.

The two tidied up a bit, took some silver, and went out, followed by twenty guards who had changed into plain clothes.

Yuan'an City truly lived up to its reputation as one of Jiangnan's most prosperous cities. The main streets were bustling with traffic and people. But there were perhaps too many people. The two of them navigated the crowd with some difficulty, and the guards struggled to keep up. Several times, Yan Xi was nearly bumped and separated from Huo Jinyu. It was only thanks to her martial arts skills that she wasn't pushed to the ground.

Suddenly, a slightly calloused hand took her left hand. Yan Xi was startled and was about to pull her hand away. "Don't be difficult. Be careful not to get lost. Hold my hand tightly," a low, elegant voice sounded in Yan Xi's ear. Yan Xi stopped struggling and let Huo Jinyu hold her hand. In Huo Jinyu's view, they were both women, so holding hands was nothing. Besides, the place was crowded and chaotic; it would be hard to find her if she got lost. In Yan Xi's view, they were already husband and wife, and having consummated the marriage, Huo Jinyu was her husband. It was no big deal for a husband to hold her hand. If anyone else had dared to touch her like this, she would have likely struck out long ago.

Yuan'an City was exceptionally prosperous. Both sides of the streets were lined with food stalls and vendors selling rouge, powder, and small trinkets. Both of them were of noble status and had never strolled through the streets before, so they found these small stalls very novel. In her past life, Huo Jinyu had worked diligently and tirelessly, spending most of her years in the palace. The few times she left, she always passed through major cities in a hurry and never got to experience the local customs of Great Yuan's various regions. This trip was truly to Huo Jinyu's liking.

Yan Xi had grown up in the Northern Kingdom. Before its founding, it was a nomadic society. Only after its establishment were a few cities reluctantly built, so naturally, they couldn't compare to the centuries-old prosperity of Great Yuan's cities. Strolling through the bustling streets and alleys, the two of them were completely captivated and forgot to return.

After more than an hour, both of them were carrying a lot of food. Yan Xi had also bought many small trinkets. Although the items from the street stalls weren't valuable, they served as mementos.

After walking through the busiest street, both were a little tired. Huo Jinyu suggested going for a boat ride, as Jiangnan's pleasure boats were another major feature of the Great Yuan Kingdom.

So, the two of them headed towards the riverbank, with the guards following closely behind.

Get instant access to all the chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next