ebookland Chapter 531 Entering the City
Chapter 531 Entering the City
The carriage moved slowly along the official road, and the wheels made a slight rustling sound as they rolled over the new spring grass.
An Lingrong leaned against the car window, letting the spring breeze brush across her cheeks.
Outside the window, willow catkins were flying, peach blossoms were blooming, and the warm spring sunshine finally made her homesickness fade a little.
Liu Zhu was wearing a lilac dress and a jade hairpin in her hair, but it couldn't hide the liveliness in her eyes.
She held a package tightly in her arms.
An Lingrong tilted her head and looked at her. "What's in this package? Is it worth being so nervous?"
Liu Zhu looked around before lowering her voice and saying, "This is the money the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine prepared for you."
An Lingrong's eyes lit up with a smile: "Oh? How many?"
Liu Zhu extended two fingers mysteriously.
"Two thousand taels, right? That's enough!"
"wrong!"
"Twenty thousand?"
"Still not right!"
"It can't be two hundred taels, right?"
Liu Zhu smiled mischievously: "It's two hundred thousand taels of silver!"
An Lingrong gasped: "So many?"
"Yes, all the savings of the Queen Mother and the Imperial Concubine are here!"
"Then we'll be rich in the future!" An Lingrong laughed out loud: "Liu Zhu, let's live a different life together!"
Liu Zhu's eyes lit up and he nodded heavily: "Yes!"
She suddenly remembered something and asked, "Madam, where are we going now?"
An Lingrong extended her index finger and gently tapped her forehead. "Sister has already made all the arrangements. Let's go to the Shen Mansion in the capital to get our identity and household registration first."
He winked mischievously, "Then - the sea is wide enough for fish to leap, the sky is high enough for birds to fly!"
"That's great!" Liu Zhu clapped her hands excitedly, "My Queen, we..."
"Shh..." An Lingrong raised her index finger to her lips, a sly glint in her eyes, "From now on, don't call me Empress anymore."
Seeing Liu Zhu's bewildered face, she smiled and pinched the little girl's cheek, "Call me Sister Rong!"
Liu Zhu's face flushed immediately: "This is against the rules..."
"Rules?" An Lingrong chuckled as she tilted her head back. The sunlight filtering through the curtains cast dappled shadows on her face. "From now on, no rules will bind me! It's a happy decision."
Liu Zhu looked at the woman in front of her who had taken off her gorgeous clothes and whose brows and eyes were relaxed. She finally smiled sweetly and called out crisply, "Sister Rong!"
An Lingrong nodded with satisfaction, then knocked on the car door and said, "Go around to Chongwenmen."
A deep voice came from outside: "Yes, sir."
An hour later.
The driver tightened the reins and stopped steadily under a weeping willow by the roadside.
An Lingrong and Liu Zhu got off the carriage, looked at the driver and said gently, "Thank you for your hard work."
The driver's hawk-like eyes quickly scanned the surroundings - the peddlers carrying loads at the city gate, the travelers resting in the tea stalls, and even the crows perched on the treetops in the distance, all were examined one by one by his sharp gaze.
After confirming that everything was safe, he took a half step back. When he saluted, half of the pure gold token was faintly revealed on his waist, and the words "Da Nei" could be faintly seen on it.
Liu Zhu stepped forward and straightened An Lingrong's clothes that were messed up by the wind.
The two smiled at each other and walked towards the city gate.
The crowds of people entering the city were so huge that they soon drowned out their figures.
An indigo figure immediately followed from the tea stall at the city gate.
The capital is prosperous and wealthy. Shops are lined up on both sides of the bluestone-paved streets, and the constant shouting of merchants interweaves into a symphony of the market.
"Tanghulu——"
"Freshly picked magnolia flowers—"
"Sharpening scissors and kitchen knives——"
The sound reaches my ears.
Looking at this lively scene, An Lingrong's eyes and eyebrows were filled with excitement.
Liu Zhu held the bag tightly in her arms, her eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
"Liu Zhu," An Lingrong tugged at her sleeve and lowered her voice, "You look like you've got money written all over your face."
"Sister Rong," Liu Zhu said with a sad face, hugging the bundle tighter, "I don't want to be like this, but my hand won't obey me!"
She swallowed nervously, "There are so many people here, what if..."
An Lingrong tapped Liu Zhu's nose and said, "Silly girl, do you think Sister and Sister Zhen will just let us out like this?"
Liu Zhu was startled: "You mean..."
An Lingrong's eyes moved, and she glanced around inconspicuously.
She first pointed to a man in an indigo robe not far away, and then pointed to a gray figure sitting by the window on the second floor of the teahouse in front.
"And the driver just now," she leaned close to Liu Zhu's ear, "they were all sent by my sister to protect us."
Liu Zhu's eyes widened: "How did you recognize it?"
"Feel."
Liu Zhu was half-believing and half-doubting.
An Lingrong smiled mischievously: "I'll try!"
She walked to the sugar-roasted chestnut stall nearby, bought a large bag, and then walked towards the man in the indigo robe.
The man was looking at the vegetables on the roadside. He saw her coming out of the corner of his eye and reacted very quickly, disappearing into the crowd in a flash.
"Stop!" An Lingrong shouted softly.
The man's body stiffened, and he actually turned back and stood there with his head lowered.
"Please send it back for me." An Lingrong handed over the chestnuts.
"Yes." The man took it with both hands, looking respectful.
An Lingrong lowered her voice: "How many of you are there?"
"Eight people, divided into two groups to take turns."
"understood."
An Lingrong waved her hand and returned to Liu Zhu.
Liu Zhu stood there in a daze, watching the "passerby" walk away quickly with the chestnuts in his hands. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared at the corner of the alley, his movements so agile that he didn't seem like an ordinary person.
"Are you relieved now?" An Lingrong took Liu Zhu's arm. "With these secret guards here, we can just scatter the silver for fun."
Liu Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, and the burden in his arms finally loosened.
The two of them were like two fish that finally swam into the river, greedily breathing the air of freedom in this worldly world.
Sometimes he buys a string of candied haws, sometimes a bag of pine nut candy, and sometimes a strange wood carving.
The first-class guard of the Imperial Palace became her exclusive "errand boy".
In the Old Summer Palace, Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan stared at the table full of things in amazement, and most of their sadness and sorrow disappeared.
An Lingrong walked slowly forward, her eyes scanning both sides of the street.
Now that I have left the palace, the first thing I must do is visit my mother.
Finally, a silk and satin shop with a spacious storefront came into view - five storefronts were lined up in a row, and a red gold plaque hung on the vermilion lacquered and carved lintel. The five large gold-plated characters "Zhou's Silk and Satin Shop" shone brightly in the morning light.
My mother once said that Mrs. Shen's maiden name was Zhou, and this silk and satin shop on Chongwenmen Street was where my mother taught her embroidery skills.
But why does this place look familiar?
An Lingrong suddenly remembered that when she first came to the capital to participate in the election, she didn't have much money on her, so she picked out a few handkerchiefs to sell, and it was here.
It's quite a coincidence.