C144 lethargy
C144 lethargy
Although the journey was slow, the carriage was still a bit sluggish after more than ten days. Even the lively Chu Feng and the two days before had become a bit unmoving. His whole body was listless, but Duke Xian's heart was in pain.
His daughter had been so happy before, but now she seemed to be listless and unable to lift her spirits. Looking at her would cause people's hearts to ache, especially when she didn't cry or make a fuss. Even if she didn't feel good, she would only stay in her parents' embrace all day.
Shen Qi also felt her heart ache. This child was always able to grasp onto the softest part of a person's heart. She really wanted to not see her like this even with her own body.
As parents, they had put in all of their effort into being her parents. In the past, they would always be happy when they saw her and would smile whenever they saw her. Now that they saw her uncomfortable, they felt that something big had happened.
Shen Qi hugged sher to make her feel better, and every time he rested, he would carry her out of the car to walk around, trying her best to make her happy. It was as if she knew her parents were worried for her, and when others were teasing her, she would teasingly laugh along.
However, she still didn't seem to be in high spirits when she got on the carriage, causing Shen Qi's eyes to fill with tears. It was only after she had children that she realized how developed her tear ducts were.
Seeing that his wife and daughter were also at a loss for what to do, Duke Xian walked forward to hug them and kiss them on the top of Shen Qi's head, "Let's stop to rest and rest for a few days in the next town before leaving."
Shen Qi's eyes did not leave her daughter, but after hearing her words, she only nodded her head listlessly. Even if she wanted to rest and recuperate, she still had to go on the road, when she thought about the long road ahead, she felt especially sorry for her daughter, and she was exceptionally worried, so she stayed in her embrace for the past few days, and did not hide anything from others.
He had even let his wife and daughter suffer alongside him. At this time, everything he said was unnecessary, so he carried them from the back and allowed Shen Qi to lean on him to ease the shaking as much as possible.
Shen Qi's emotions followed the beginning, although she knew that the prince's heart was not feeling well, she did not know what to say, so she could only quietly stay in his embrace, while she hugged Chu.
During the past few days, King Duan did not care about anything else, and it was all because of Situ Ye's arrangements outside. Yan Yi had also worked hard to run back and forth, while Wang Ma and Zi Zhu were in another carriage.
When they reached Ningzhou Prefecture on their thirteenth day of travel, they had already traveled one third of the way. The rest of the journey was not a short one, but they would be able to walk on the water path after passing the Ningzhou Prefecture.
The Ningzhou Prefecture was a city that was relatively close to the Guanbei. Although the climate here wasn't the same as the Guanbei, it wasn't by much.
The Ningzhou Prefecture was a small county city, and because it was dry and sparse rain all year round, the people here did not live a comfortable life, you could even say that they were poor. And when Shen Qi and her group arrived at the inn that the Ningzhou Prefecture was staying at, it actually started to rain for the first time ever.
Although it wasn't too big, it was enough to make people happy. The citizens on the street all cheered.
In Ningzhou Prefecture, this kind of water-lacking area, one of the special characteristics of the place was that once it started to rain, it would turn cool. Even if it rained down on them, they could still feel a slight chill, not to mention the fact that it had only just entered the summer.
It was a bit cold, but not too cold. Furthermore, the climate here was dry, and even after rain, it did not give people a moist feeling, in truth, this kind of climate was very comfortable. This was why, after a brief sleep, they immediately recovered their vitality.
It would be right to stop and rest for a few days.
Originally, they had no intention of alerting the local officials, but the large number of people gathered here had attracted their attention.
Fortunately, the Ningzhou Prefecture's parents did not know who King Duanren was, so they did not have any obvious mark on him. Instead, people thought that he was just a child from a wealthy family walking around, and did not have any connection with him at all.
Because they had to live in a low-key inn, they had no idea that they would return as officials of the imperial government. In the past, they had always wished that everyone would go welcome them and receive them.
Suddenly encountering someone like King Duanren left them in a state of indecision. The Prefecture Magistrate had only restricted his subordinates for the past few days to be cautious and not provoke nobles. However, he had no intention of fawning over them.
The Ningzhou Prefecture was barren and life was difficult, the officials that could come here were mostly people who did not go into business, such people were either truly talented, good officials who only cared about the people, or pedantic and uncivilized people.
His name was Zhou Ji, and he was the son of Sheng Qian for three years. Because he was not good at handling businesses, he did not flatter people, so he was sent to this place. He did not complain, but instead devoted his heart to the people.
Of course, the reason why King Xian decided to come here was to investigate everything. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to rest easy with his wife and daughter by his side.
Entering into the city, they found out that although the people here weren't living well, their mental states were quite good and their governance was quite strict.
They planned to stay here for two days, so they were rather satisfied with the environment here. They wanted to talk to their royal brother about this when they return, and give the Ningzhou Prefecture some lopsided policies.
Since he was naturally unable to change his harsh conditions, he could only make up for it from other sources. As for Zhou Ji of the Ningzhou Prefecture, it was better to leave him here.
On one hand, he wasn't good at management. Once he was in the capital or in a more complicated area, he would be the first one to be sacrificed. No matter what, this kind of person wasn't suitable for the government.
The other aspect was that it was fortunate for the people of Ningzhou Prefecture that he stayed. He was willing to do the work for the people, and had the authority to speak, so he was able to play his role.
Shen Qi did not know what he was thinking, but now that his daughter had regained her vigor, she had become a good person. After becoming a parent, she was able to understand how worried she was about her children.
Shen Jiahui was her first child, so it was normal for her to prefer others. The more she loved and cared for him, the more she would not let him go, thus, she was unwilling to see her suffer even a little.
Especially since there was an adult in Shen Jiahui's body, who knew how to ingratiate herself with the Lady Xu.
But understanding clearly did not mean that he understood. Even the eldest daughter, who was partial to pain, did not trample her little daughter to death. She was not a family member, she was simply an enemy.
And they were all their own children. Was it really normal for them to be so biased? She felt that no matter how many children there were in the future, she would treat them like treasures. She definitely wouldn't want to see them suffer, let alone adding to their grievances.
After staying for two days, King Duan had already arranged everything to continue on his way. This time, not only was the carriage equipped with shock-proof equipment, the boat was also prepared. As long as it didn't waver, it would try its best to create a good environment for their daughter.
The next trip was much better than the previous one, and they soon arrived at the ferry. They changed ships, and the speed at which they travelled was much faster. The first time they saw the sea, they were very curious about what was happening, and stared at it with wide eyes.
Even her favorite father coming over didn't manage to divert her gaze. Seeing that her daughter completely disregarded his existence, King Duan curled his lips into a line and went back to snatch a toy from Situ Ye to make her happy.
Only then did Chu Yu finally shift his gaze to her father's face. Seeing this, Duke Xian tried even harder to tease her. Chu Yu laughed and extended his hand for him to hug her. Only then did he reveal a bit of a smile.
Shen Qi found it funny watching from the side.
The large ship kept moving, stopping only at a port to replenish its supplies. They travelled day and night, finally arriving at Ji City, which was not far from the capital. It was already summer by then.
After walking for such a long time, she decided to stay here for two days to rest. Shen Qi had already changed the first part of her clothes into summer, and sometimes she would only wear her undergarment if she was afraid of the heat.
Ever since he could fall on all fours, he had fallen in love with this sport. Sometimes, he would just climb on the ground by himself, afraid that he would get tired and sit for a while. Then, he would continue to climb.
Therefore, she was now covered with a thick blanket wherever she was, and didn't dare to leave anything around, lest it knocked against her.
They had originally planned to have a good time in Ji City, but as soon as they arrived, they were met with an unexpected guest. When Duke Xiang saw him, he was quite surprised, "Why are you here?"
Xiao Mo smiled slightly, "I came to see my younger sister, whom I have never met before." Even though he was around the same age as Situ Ye, Situ Ye could have been his godfather at the beginning, but he was only a big brother.
King Xian glanced at him unhappily as he heard his words. "You came out of hiding again, right?" A certain tone.
Xiao Mo rubbed his nose, feeling a little awkward about being seen through, but he recovered very quickly, "Not really, I'm still here to welcome all of you."
"How did you know we would stop here?" Shen Qi was more curious as to how he found out their whereabouts. She didn't have a phone to contact them on right now either.
Xiao Mo had a face full of pride, "Good day, Imperial Aunt." He first greeted her, then replied, "I naturally have my way."
"Could it be that your senior brother told you?" Shen Qi looked at him and laughed as she asked, there was no reason for them to be caught red-handed.
Before Xiao Mo could answer, a dissatisfied voice came from the other side, "I don't have the heart to tell him." When he left, he almost tortured the person until they were mad, only then would he be notified.
When Xiao Mo saw Situ Ye, he immediately showed a look of grievance, causing Situ Ye's stomach to ache. How did he offend such a clan head?
Shen Qi wanted to laugh from the side, but Duke Xian ignored them and directly asked Shen Qi, "Where's the beginning?"
"I'm tired now and sleeping." It was time to get tired after crawling for so long.
Since his daughter was sleeping, he didn't want to disturb her. Since he had matters to ask Xiao Mo, he dragged her away.
When Situ Ye saw this, he also laughed happily and followed along to watch the liveliness. Shen Qi was speechless as he watched from behind.
But since Xiao Mo was already here, they wouldn't stay for long. Since they were not far away anyways, they decided to return home quickly.
After walking for so long, he no longer had any thoughts. He just wanted to calm down and stop running around. Even if he stayed on the boat and in the carriage all the time, he would still feel tired.
She was looking forward to return as soon as possible, and the capital was filled with desire for them. Ever since she received the news from King Duanren that they would return to the capital, the empress dowager, the emperor, and the people from the Shang clan were all looking forward to their arrival.