“I wonder what the easiest way to die is. If I slam my head against a wall, it’ll probably be very painful, and there’ll be a lot of blood. Maybe even my brain will spurt out. If I hang myself, my tongue will be hanging down on my chin, which sounds horrible. Drowning myself in a river should be better, but my corpse will swell if soak in water for too long. As for slitting my throat, I don’t have the guts to do that…”
Ye Xiaoxian recalled those faithful wives she’d seen in TV dramas, who would rather die than put their husbands in danger. It struck her that she could take her cue from them.
Having lived for two incarnations, experienced different lives, and had won Xiao Baoshan’s affections, she believed she could die a regretless death.
Jin Xiaoyu, amused by Little Ye, could barely keep from laughing. “It surprises me you’ve thought so much about that. Since you’re so afraid of death, why not stay alive?”
“My death is certain, but before death, I should eat well and sleep well, because at least I’ve earned it, haven’t I?”
Jin Xiaoyu found herself unable to contradict her.
She sighed before saying, “Alas, now I can see why so many people like you. It seems nothing can ever get you down. Although you have no martial art skills and are unable to protect others, I can never be angry with you when you’re around.”
Little Ye smiled again.
Jin Xiaoyu then picked up her chopsticks and said, “Well, I’ll stop being picky and eat whatever it is they offer me. Like you said, only by filling my belly will I have a good mood. I’ve earned it.”
……
After they passed the courier station, Ye Xiaoxian and Jin Xiaoyu were put into a carriage bound for the capital city.
Most of the areas that the national road went through were mountainous, but the view was not very enjoyable. Still, Ye Xiaoxian was enoying it with obvious relish, occasionally lifting the carriage curtain to look at the trees and flowers outside.
After a bumpy ride of about half a month, they finally reached the capital city.
Beihui City was the most prosperous place Little Ye had seen since her transmigration, but it turned out that the capital city was several times more prosperous than Beihui City.
Before they got to the city gates, they caught sight of a scene of hustle and bustle. There were vendors selling all kinds of stuff at the gateway, and cries of hawkers were coming from all directions. The local accent was a little different from that of the two of them, but they could understand them just fine.
After entering the city, the carriage went through another busy street where the traffic was quite heavy. Ye Xiaoxian lifted the curtain to look at the pedestrains, who looked back at her.
Jin Xiaoyu reminded Little Ye, “Hey, I suggest you stop poking your head out. Ladies tend to stay indoors here, and even if when they have to go out, they always avoid being seen by others whenever they could, and yet you’re doing quite the opposite.”
Little Ye asked Jin Xiaoyu, “Am I a lady?”
“Well, about that…” Jin Xiaoyu was unable to answer that question.
“I’m just a countrywoman. What’s wrong with letting them see me?” Ye Xiaoxian added, “I should see all these right now, because I’ll be dead soon.”
“But you don’t look like you’ll die soon. You seem to be starting a new life,” Jin Xiaoyu chuckled with mixed amusement and annoyance.
Little Ye also smiled, and then she began to ask questions, “What’s that thing he’s selling there? And what’s that? And that?”
Jin Xiaoyu could answer some of her questions, but not all of them.
When Jin Xiaoyu couldn’t answer her question, Ye Xiaoxian would said to her, “You used to be so rich and own a large inn, but you willingly let yourself cooped up in that desert when you could go out to see the world.”
“I…” Annoyed, Jin Xiaoyu giggled again, “These things hold no appeal to me.”
“How do you know they hold no appeal to you when you don’t even know what they are? Maybe you’ll take a liking to them after tasting them and using them, who knows?”
Jin Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at Little Ye, “I can’t stand you anymore. I would have mistaken you for a tourist were it not for the chains.”
“Well, when my death is imminent, I find that there’re so many things in the capital. I need to see them.”
Jin Xiaoyu added, “Well, suit yourself. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
But Little Ye pointed to a stall and asked, “What’s that guy selling there?”
Instead of answering the question, Jin Xiaoyu asked, “Little Ye, I suspect that after you stay in the capital for a while and get used to the prosperity here, you will lose interest in your husband. Will you transfer your affections to someone else?”
“It depends!” Little Ye said.
Jin Xiaoyu rolled her eyes again and pretended to sleep, ignoring her.
Wan Shijie and his subordinate, who were driving the carriage, had been listening to the chatter of the two women all along.
These two women did not sound like captives at all.
Any other woman would have wept, but these two had been talking and laughing all the way here. They were so carefree that Wan Shijie suspected that Ye Xiaoxian was not Xiao Baoshan’s wife at all.
But when he listened carefully, he heard them mention Xiao Baoshan from time to time, so he was sure he got the right person.
……
The carriage went through another couple of streets. The road was getting increasingly broader, but the pedestrains were getting fewer. There were hardly any commoners in sight. All they could see was palanquins and carriages. The houses were getting larger too, with household guards and stone lions at the front gates, which suggested that this was the area where the court officials dwelled.
Ye Xiaoxian was still watching in fascination.
It struck her that this place was similiar to the ancient towns she had traveled to in her last incarnation, but since she was now in ancient times, this city seemed more solemn than those ancient towns.
Before long, the carriage drove into the State Preceptor’s residence.
They entered through the back door. After gaining entry, the carriage took a couple of turns and then Wan Shijie instructed them to get out of the carriage.
Little Ye got out of the carriage and saw that around them were some rear yards, in which servants were bustling around. There were so many servants here. Those sweeping the floor alone numbered over a dozen, and they were only responsible for cleaning this yard alone.
The State Preceptor was so extravagant. In the normal course of events, only corrupt officials lived like this.
Wan Shijie went inside to report. Shortly afterward, the two of them were brought to the ante-room.
The closer to the ante-room, the more pavilions they could see, and the more precious the plants became, the more premium the servants’ liveries were.
The further Ye Xiaoxian walked down the path, the more amazed she was. Given the luxury of this residence, the owner was definitely a corrupt official.
However, she yearned for this place.
Had she had a mansion like this and so many servants serving her, she would wake up from laughing in her dream.
It was a pity that her husband was no longer a general, otherwise the court might assign a residence like this to him, along with some servants, and the mansion would be at least half the size of this one.
Thinking about this, Ye Xiaoxian kept walking forward and soon reached the ante-room.
“Mrs. Xiao, please come in!” Surprisingly, after they got here, Wan Shijie began to address her as Mrs. Xiao, and his attitude was pretty respectful.
Ye Xiaoxian thought to herself, “What a hypocrite. He was cold to us throughout the journey, but now he’s pretending to be respectful.”
In the middle of the ante-room sat an old man, whose face was rudy, and who was quite robust. Actually he did not constitute an old man. He was just a man who had passed his prime.
At the sight of him, Ye Xiaoxian could not help but recall a famous character of a court official in a costume drama she had once watched.
After entering, Wan Shijie dropped to his knees and said, “Your Lordship, I’ve brought Mrs. Xiao and her friend here. This is Mrs. Xiao, and the other one is the proprietress of the inn. She was the one who rescued the grandson of the former Prime Minister.”
“Oh, is that so?” The State Preceptor looked at Ye Xiaoxian first. Ye Xiaoxian was not afraid of him. Seeing that he was sizing her up, she looked back at him appraisingly without any fear in her eyes.
Jin Xiaoyu was even bolder. She rolled her eyes when State Preceptor glared at her.
Surprisingly, the State Preceptor laughed, “Ha ha, do you have any misunderstanding against me? Why are you rolling eyes at me at our first meeting? Did my subordinate offend you?”
Then he said to Wan Shijie, “Shijie, how could you put women in chains? That’s for animals.”
Wan Shijie hurriedly said, “My apologies, Your Lordship. I’ll untie them right now.”
This was the State Preceptor’s residence. There were people everywhere and this whole place was heavily guarded. Even if there were no chains, the two of them would not be able to escape.
Having been rid of the chains, Ye Xiaoxian felt much more relaxed.
“You’re Mrs. Xiao, right? Take it easy. My subordinate brought you here not to make things difficult for you. I just invited you here to have a talk. By the way, have you been to this city before?”
Ye Xiaoxian said, “Never.”
“Well, I expect more from General Xiao. You two have been married for so long, but he hasn’t even brought you to the capital city to see what it’s like. Instead, he had you flee to Baoning City like a refugee. You didn’t deserve any of that. Why do you think men work so hard to pursue their careers? Is it not to give their wives and children a better life? But what did he do? At first he concealed his true identity, and then faked his death, which caused you to suffer a lot. But it’s okay now. Since you’re in the capital city, you should stay in my residence for some time. When General Xiao comes, you’ll be able to see him.”
Ye Xiaoxian smiled faintly, “Thank you, Your Lordship.”
State Preceptor was stunned. He had not bargained on Ye Xiaoxian being so poised, neither angry nor frightened. He said, “You’re young and of humble birth, but I could tell that you’re no less elegant than a highborn lady. No wonder General Xiao cares so much about you.”
State Preceptor shifted his gaze to Jin Xiaoyu and asked, “I heard that you saved the grandson of the former Prime Minister? Why did you flee to Baoning City after that? You even escaped to a tribe. Did someone tell you to go there?”
Jin Xiaoyu wasn’t stupid. She naturally knew that the Sixth King and the Seventh King were both in the capital city. She said, “No one told me anything. I found that place by chance and met Little Ye. They kindly took us in.”
“Oh?” Did Li Chengru promise you anything?” the State Preceptor’s then asked.
Jin Xiaoyu played dumb. “Li Chengru? You mean the Seventh King? I remember when he was in our tribe during the festival. I wanted to strike up a relationship with him, but he couldn’t be bothered to even talk to me. You can’t expect a prince to develop feelings for a woman living in a tribe, can you?”
The State Preceptor stroked his beard, his face thoughtful.
Though he was skeptical, it seemed that questioning this was pointless now.
Currently, Xiao Baoshan was the one he wanted to rope in the most. Once he got Xiao Baoshan, he would have nothing to fear from Yan Ziyan.
The State Preceptor then ordered, “These two ladies have traveled a long way and must be tired. Make sure they’re settled in the best wing-rooms and have everything they need. Nobody should trifle with them.”
Not long after, a middle-aged maidservant arrived and took them out of the ante-room.
A winding path led them to a secluded courtyard house, which was very quiet, and the rooms had been tidied up. It should be a very comfortable place to live.