"Is there a problem?" the Prince of Pingyang looked at Ling Yu.
Ling Yu hesitated for a moment. "Your Highness, who will stay by your side to serve you?"
"Isn't Yun Xiao still here? Let him follow me."
"You and Ling Feng are both my personal guards. Only if you lead the way will the people lying in ambush believe it."
Xiao Yi rarely offered explanations, but he did so for Ling Yu this time.
"You will travel by land all the way to the capital and then rendezvous with us."
"Yes," Ling Yu replied, full of worry.
He would have to go and give Yun Xiao some strict instructions in a bit.
"Alright, tell everyone to get a good rest today. We will set off at the end of the hour of the Rat."
"Yes." Ling Yu bowed and withdrew.
Xiao Yi arranged to depart at the hour of the Rat to prevent being ambushed by others.
Based on his past experience in marching and fighting, this was the time when people slept the soundest.
This was the best time to make a move.
In the dead of night, the two groups would split up. Even if someone was tracking them, it would be easy to lose the trail.
As long as they left Xianyang and shook off the tails behind them, they would be safe.
Because the departure time was so early, everyone in the prince's estate had an early dinner and went to rest.
In the dead of night, only the insects in the grass chirped from time to time.
At the hour of the Rat, people began to move about in the estate.
The guards orderly loaded the luggage onto the carriages.
Because Xiao Yi had ordered them to pack as light as possible, and the weather would only get hotter as they traveled, there wasn't much luggage.
Three carriages were just enough to hold the luggage for Xiao Yi's family and Li Jin's family.
Duoduo was carried onto the carriage by Muxiang, and Yingniang was also carried up.
Xu Jinxin placed the two children together so they could continue sleeping, while she sat beside the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"Oh my, it's been a long time since I've had to leave the house this early. It really is hard to get up."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang propped her head up with her hand and managed a weak smile at Xu Jinxin.
"Jinxin, you're here?"
Xu Jinxin looked at the Princess Consort of Pingyang's state and immediately smiled.
"Sleepy?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded. "How are you so energetic? You don't look sleepy at all."
Xu Jinxin blinked. "Me?"
"In the past, even if I stayed up all night, I would still be full of energy."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang widened her eyes. "Stay up all night? What do you do?"
Xu Jinxin rested her chin in her hand. "There are plenty of things to do!"
"Like reading, playing, eating, or just chatting, like we are doing right now."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang waved her hand.
"Can't you do those things during the day? Why must you do them at night? I'm so sleepy I can't even keep my eyes open."
"The ancients used to share a bed and talk all night. What I did was nothing compared to that," Xu Jinxin said, letting out a yawn.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang covered her mouth and laughed. "And you say you're not sleepy. That was quite a big yawn."
Xu Jinxin smiled and simply lay down as well.
"No, I need to sleep. We'll talk when I wake up."
"You should lie down too. I have to say, this carriage is really well-made!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was indeed sleepy, and since there was no one else in the carriage, she took the opportunity to lie down.
The carriage swayed as it left the estate. In the silent night, only the sound of horse hooves could be heard.
The women in their carriage had all fallen asleep, but in the lead carriage, people were speaking in low voices.
"I didn't expect the princess to actually come up with a solution and earn enough to cover Shitou's expenses."
Li Jin's face was full of admiration.
Xiao Yi twirled a chess piece in his fingers. "A person always needs to be pushed a little to stimulate their potential."
"I originally thought that if the princess couldn't solve it, I would give her some pointers."
"In the end, she didn't need my help at all. For a mere child to achieve such a level, it's quite impressive."
Xiao Yi lifted his eyelids and glanced at Li Jin.
"What are you trying to say? Just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."
Li Jin rubbed the tip of his nose. Was he being that obvious?
"That boy Shitou is quite a good kid. If Your Highness gives him a helping hand, he might become a great asset to the princess in the future."
Xiao Yi rubbed the chess piece in his hand, his expression nonchalant.
"He can't help Duoduo."
Xiao Yi gave a direct conclusion, dismissing the possibility Li Jin mentioned.
"However, he can serve as a tool to motivate Duoduo," Xiao Yi changed the subject.
Li Jin finally understood why Xiao Yi made a betting agreement with Duoduo.
Xiao Yi was merely using Duoduo's desire to protect Shitou to stimulate her potential.
"Your Highness, you are truly brilliant!" Li Jin had to admire Xiao Yi's methods.
Xiao Yi lowered his eyes and continued studying the chessboard.
"Duoduo is too smart, just like you."
"But people who are too smart will end up wasting their talents if they don't have a goal."
"I don't want Duoduo to become like you!"
Xiao Yi placed the chess piece onto the board.
Li Jin froze. He stared intently at the expressionless Xiao Yi, his eyes full of probing curiosity.
Xiao Yi continued playing chess against himself, seemingly completely unaware of Li Jin's gaze.
Li Jin had to admit that Xiao Yi was right!
He simply had no goals!
No matter what he did, he could do it faster and better than anyone else.
Heights that others could never reach no matter how hard they tried, he could achieve with ease.
Because things came to him too easily, he lost interest.
"And what about you, Your Highness?" Li Jin looked at Xiao Yi and suddenly asked boldly.
After Li Jin arrived, he discovered that Xiao Yi was actually the same kind of person as him.
Xiao Yi continued playing chess, as if he hadn't heard Li Jin's words.
But Li Jin was absolutely certain that Xiao Yi had heard him.
After a long time, Xiao Yi's voice echoed in the carriage.
"In the past, I was just like you. Until one day, I realized there was something I couldn't have just because I wanted it. That was when I woke up."
Li Jin understood perfectly well what Xiao Yi was talking about.
He couldn't help but wonder: if it were him, could he just take what he wanted?
It seemed that he really couldn't!
Li Jin stroked his chin. A goal suddenly formed in his heart.
"Why don't we join forces? Two heads are better than one."
"The two of us, plus the princess—the three of us can definitely achieve one person's goal!"
Xiao Yi finally lifted his gaze from the chessboard.
He stared right into Li Jin's eyes. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, sending a chill down Li Jin's spine.
Li Jin braced himself and didn't look away.
After a while, a cold smile curled on Xiao Yi's lips.
"If you want to join forces with me, you need to show your sincerity."
Li Jin heard the teasing tone in Xiao Yi's voice and smiled.
"What more sincerity does Your Highness need? I am the princess's teacher!"
"The princess is my star pupil, the pride of my life!"
A smile touched his lips. "Duoduo is my daughter!"
"I'm not trying to steal your daughter. I have one too," Li Jin retorted, unconvinced.
"A firefly compared to the bright moon."
Li Jin choked on his words. Unconvinced, he muttered something under his breath.
Xiao Yi's cold gaze instantly slanted over to him.
