Prince Ying's Manor.
"What! Gong Linjue expects this prince to accompany him for a stroll through the streets?" Xiao Rongyan frowned in disbelief.
"Imperial Father was merely exchanging pleasantries, yet he actually took it seriously!"
A servant hesitated before asking in a low voice, "Then, will you still go?"
Xiao Rongyan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said fiercely, "I will. Since he is a guest, this prince will entertain him."
By the time he arrived at the Huitong Guesthouse, Gong Linjue was already in the front hall, drinking tea as he waited.
Seeing Xiao Rongyan walk in, he stood up and said with a smile, "After resting for two days, this prince has recovered his spirits. Today, I wish to purchase some specialty items of the Dongzhao Kingdom in the capital to take back with me. I will have to trouble Your Highness to give me a proper introduction."
Are you blind or mute? Can't you look and ask around yourself?
Xiao Rongyan nodded with a fake smile. "The markets of our Dongzhao Kingdom are bustling and filled with a dazzling array of goods. I suppose Prince Wei will have quite a lot to explore."
A glint of coldness flashed in Gong Linjue's eyes.
If it weren't for you sending people to tail this prince, I wouldn't have resorted to such a poor plan. The people of Dongzhao Kingdom are truly an eyesore.
They had already discovered the location of the imperial estate. This time, when they headed out of the city to scout the area, they could not afford to be followed.
As they walked to the door and prepared to board the carriage, Gong Linjue turned back to look at the soldiers standing under the eaves and said:
"Have them all follow along, lest there be no one to carry the things we buy."
The soldiers standing guard under the eaves were stunned.
They were not servants of the Shuobei Kingdom. How could they be ordered around by the other party time and time again?
For a moment, all the imperial guards disguised as ordinary soldiers shifted their gazes toward Xiao Rongyan.
Here, Prince Ying held the most noble status, so they had to listen to him.
Seeing that they did not obey his orders, Gong Linjue looked at Xiao Rongyan meaningfully.
"The servants sent by your esteemed Emperor to serve this prince are not obedient in the slightest. Such servants would have died eight hundred times over in our Shuobei Kingdom."
Xiao Rongyan's face stiffened, too lazy to argue with this domineering foreign prince.
"Imperial Father governs the world with benevolence and filial piety. He does not casually call for beatings and killings. Naturally, we are not like the Shuobei Kingdom, which advocates violence."
Saying that, he turned his head and deliberately raised his voice toward the soldiers, his tone rising and falling in an utterly strange manner.
"The delegation has come from afar, so you must serve them well. Especially regarding the safety of Prince Wei, you must protect him without leaving his side. Everyone, follow along."
The soldiers cupped their hands and responded in unison, "We will strictly follow the orders of His Highness Prince Ying."
After speaking, they raised their heads and cast a glance at Gong Linjue.
We listen to the orders of our own prince, not yours.
Just as everyone stepped away, the deputy envoy, dressed in the attire of a servant, quietly slipped out through the back door.
Inside the County Princess's Manor, Song Jinzhao had just sent off the eunuch who delivered the rewards.
Looking at the silks, satins, hairpins, and jewelry in the servants' hands, she waved her hand and instructed, "Register everything and place them into the storehouse."
It was always these same things every time. The Emperor was becoming increasingly stingy.
"Sister, I will head to the estate now." Song Shixue walked up to Song Jinzhao carrying a medicine box.
Song Jinzhao said, "Come back early. Take the carriage; it might rain in the afternoon."
Song Shixue nodded obediently and voiced her agreement.
In the small woods outside the imperial estate, the delegation's deputy envoy, who had climbed up a tree, gazed ahead with a solemn expression.
He hadn't expected the Dongzhao Kingdom to be on guard so early. Not only had they built wooden platforms around the imperial estate to keep a constant watch, but there were also numerous soldiers patrolling the grounds. The only way to get in and steal the potatoes would be to fight their way through.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and the sky gradually darkened.
Even though it wasn't even noon yet, it looked as though evening had already fallen.
A sudden, earth-shattering clap of thunder roared in the sky not far away, sending a terrified shiver down the deputy envoy's spine.
This thunder was far too loud. It was about to rain, and he needed to head back quickly.
He looked down below him, grabbed onto the branches, and slowly climbed down.
Seeing that the height was about right, he pushed off with his legs and jumped.
A blinding white light suddenly flashed around him. The piercing flash struck right on the deputy envoy's head, immediately followed by the roar of thunder.
The man who fell to the ground had his hair standing straight up, with faint sparks of fire flickering at the ends.
His body felt as if it had taken a heavy punch, and his limbs twitched, trembling continuously.
"Second Miss, it looks like someone got struck by lightning!"
The maid driving the carriage looked in horror at the man who was slowly approaching her step by step.
"Ah?"
Song Shixue curiously lifted the carriage curtain, only to see a monster whose hair was half standing on end and half burnt to a crisp, with a face as black as coal.
"Old sir, are you alright?" As a physician, Song Shixue subconsciously asked out of concern.
The deputy envoy reached up, wiped a hand across his face, and looked at her with dull, wooden eyes.
"I'm not old. I'm only forty."
Looking at the man whose facial features were now slightly visible, Song Shixue reined in her expression, a flicker of vigilance passing through her eyes.
He was someone from the Shuobei Kingdom delegation. The day they entered the city, he had been following right behind that prince.
Why would he appear here all alone?
And to be struck by lightning, no less.
Changing her tone, Song Shixue feigned a relaxed manner and said, "It seems you're fine. Heye, let's go. It's about to rain."
The maid nodded, grabbed the reins, and continued driving.
Seeing them leave, the deputy envoy continued his slow, sluggish walk toward the city gates, his lightning-struck brain feeling somewhat dazed.
The sky slowly began to drizzle. Just as Song Shixue arrived at the estate, the rain started pouring heavily, as if the heavens were dumping out bathwater.
Lan Xi walked over, bowed, and said, "The roads are difficult to travel in the rain. Second Miss should wait for the rain to lighten up before heading to the Qu family's place."
Song Shixue untied her rain-dampened cloak and handed it to Hehua.
She then turned to ask Lan Xi, "Has the estate been very busy lately?"
Lan Xi nodded. "We need to set up greenhouses for the flower fields. It determines whether the perfume shop can maintain a continuous supply later on, so it has been a bit busy. Does Second Miss have any tasks to assign to this lowly one?"
He was calling himself a lowly one again.
Song Shixue replied, "No, I was just asking casually."
He looked perfectly fine. Even if something had been bothering him, it seemed to have passed.
Chen Fu, the manager of the Daohua Estate, came in carrying hot tea.
"This is the newly made rose tea from this year. Please have a taste, Second Miss."
Song Shixue picked up the teacup and took a sip. The faint floral fragrance was refreshing and uplifting, and the added honey made the sweetness just right.
"It's delicious. Pack some up for me to take back so my sister can try it. Perhaps we could sell it in our tea shops."
"Yes." Chen Fu nodded and quickly hurried out to prepare it.
Remembering the envoy who had been struck by lightning, Song Shixue turned to Lan Xi and said, "Tell the people on the estate not to run around outside on rainy days. It's easy to get struck by lightning."
"Especially tell them not to stand under large trees to seek shelter from the rain, nor to hold sharp objects above their heads. Sister mentioned before that doing so makes it even easier to get struck."
Hearing this, Lan Xi looked up and down at Song Shixue with a nervous expression.
"Why bring this up so suddenly? Was Second Miss struck by lightning?"
Song Shixue set down her teacup and spread her arms. "Do I look like I've been struck by lightning?"
Lan Xi closed his mouth. Indeed, she did not.
"On the way to the estate, Hehua and I saw a man who had been struck by lightning. He was even a member of the Shuobei Kingdom delegation."
"His hair was blown out and half burnt off, and his face was as black as if it had been smeared with pot ash. He looked quite badly injured."
As if an alarm had been triggered, Lan Xi instantly raised his head, the skin all over his body pulling taut.
"Someone from the Shuobei Kingdom delegation?"
Song Shixue nodded and said, "Yes, and it seems he holds a rather significant official position."
