Chapter 294: Slow Simmer

Xiao Yang would ride a horse whenever she had the energy, but Xu Xingchen insisted on pulling her into the carriage, clearly up to no good.

“Your Majesty, don’t you want to know what I just said to her?”

Xu Xingchen possessively wrapped his arms around Xiao Yang. His restless hand roamed her waist, inching its way up, patiently scaling the peaks.

SLAP!

Xiao Yang slapped his wandering hand. “Behave yourself and talk.”

Xu Xingchen didn’t think he could behave himself. Unafraid of being hit, he hugged her tighter, greedily inhaling her scent.

“I told her I was already taken, and that the one standing behind me was my wife.”

His breath was hot and quick, the corners of his eyes flushed with a rapturous red. “Your Majesty is my wife.”

Xiao Yang found his excitement strange. “We’ve been husband and wife for years. Are you only just realizing that now?”

Xu Xingchen shook his head. “It’s not that. This is the first time… the very first time I’ve told someone that Your Majesty is my wife.”

Before, back in the Capital City, no one would ever say Your Majesty was their wife. They would only say they were Her Majesty’s Imperial Consorts.

He was one of Her Majesty’s Imperial Consorts, but not the only one. But for Your Majesty to be *his* wife… that was unique.

It was as if saying it made Her Majesty his, and his alone.

Xiao Yang couldn’t understand his logic, but she knew her little deviant had found his thrill.

At this point, Xu Xingchen wasn’t listening to a word anyone said. She grabbed him by the collar and kissed him forcefully.

‘A little deviant in this state is the most delicious.’

The only downside to the carriage was the utter lack of privacy.

Especially when surrounded by martial arts experts, the slightest sound could be heard with perfect clarity.

And yet, the tension and shame also brought an inexplicable excitement. Like a slow-cooked stew, it was all the more flavorful.

* * *

DRUM! DRUM! DRUM!

A torrential downpour began, drumming against the eaves like a cascade of pebbles.

A curtain of rain descended, obscuring the entire landscape from view.

Xiao Yang and her entourage were taking shelter in a small mountain cabin. The place wasn’t large, but with a main house and two smaller side buildings, it was more than enough to accommodate the twenty-odd people in their group.

The rain was so loud it was difficult to hear anyone speak.

Xiao Yang had been curled up in a chair, eating a toasted flatbread and listening to the rain, which was making her drowsy.

Xu Xingchen stared at her intently. Just as the flatbread was about to slip from her grasp, he caught it. On her other side, Li Wei shifted to offer his shoulder, and her head lolled sideways to rest perfectly upon it.

“THUMP, THUMP, THUMP…”

The urgent sound pierced the curtain of rain. Someone on horseback was approaching at high speed. Soon, two figures emerged from the downpour and stumbled under the eaves—a young man and a young woman.

Though they both wore cloaks, the rain was so heavy they were soaked to the bone.

Wiping the water from their faces, they saw that the place was occupied. Two guards standing by the door were watching them warily, weapons in hand.

The pair immediately grew guarded.

“Brother, there are people here.”

The young woman shrank back in fear.

The young man had seen them, of course. The eaves were five feet wide, but the rain was so heavy that water was constantly splashing in.

They were already soaked through, and a gust of wind made them feel even colder and damper. Inside the house, a charcoal fire crackled, burning brightly.

They needed to get to that fire.

The young man stepped forward and cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute. “Friends, forgive the intrusion. My sister and I are soaked through. Might we come inside to warm ourselves by the fire? We would be most grateful.”

The guards at the door didn’t answer.

Instead, Xiao Hong’s voice came from inside. “The Master has agreed. Let them in.”

Only then did the guards let them pass.

A large basin of charcoal burned fiercely in the middle of the room, driving away the damp chill.

Xiao Ziling took an iron basin, filled it halfway with coals, and placed it in a corner. She also gave the two of them a small bench.

As the pair entered, they saw a woman lying on a chair, her face half-hidden by the tall man beside her. They assumed she must be unwell.

The “master” the guard had mentioned, they figured, must be that tall, imposing man.

The young man cupped his hands again in thanks. “Many thanks, Your Excellency.”

Li Wei looked up, his calm yet piercing gaze sweeping over them for a moment before he looked away again.

The two of them shivered in unison, whether from the cold or from fear, they couldn’t tell.

Because Her Majesty was asleep in the main house, no one was talking. From the side buildings, however, they could hear the faint sounds of card games and laughter.

Before long, however, more people arrived. This time it was a much larger group—a merchant caravan.

The guards stepped forward to block them before they could even get close.

The place was already occupied, and a merchant caravan was a large, motley group. They couldn’t just be allowed inside.

The people from the caravan pleaded from outside. Seeing the well-trained guards, they knew there had to be a noble master inside.

“My lord inside, could you spare us a moment? We are a passing merchant caravan and mean no harm. This rain is just too much. Please, just let us shelter under the eaves. We’ll leave as soon as it lets up a bit.”

Wrapped in a blanket, Xiao Yang lifted her head slightly. Xiao Ziling drew near to report, “Master, there are thirteen of them in total, escorting three carts of goods. They’re trained fighters, but their martial arts aren’t very advanced.”

Xiao Yang nodded. Xiao Ziling understood and glanced at Xiao Hong, who immediately went out to make arrangements.

He gave a specific warning to their leader: “My master has agreed to let you shelter under the eaves. But remember: no shouting or causing a disturbance, and absolutely do not enter the house. Otherwise, don’t blame our blades for being merciless.”

The leader was a worldly man of nearly fifty, a veteran of the road. He was perceptive; one look told him that the master of this group wasn’t merely wealthy, but a powerful noble.

He was immediately grateful. “Your master is benevolent. We are endlessly thankful and will certainly abide by your rules.”

After saying this, he turned to warn his own men. “Keep your voices down. No noise.”

Those men were all carrying real weapons, not toys for fooling children.

Their goods were already wrapped in waterproof coverings. They led their horses to a shed up ahead, left one man to stand guard, and the rest went to shelter under the eaves, sitting close to the wall.

“Boss.”

The man who had taken the horses returned, wiping rain from his face, his eyes shining. “Boss, the horses… the horses in that shed are magnificent! Sleek and powerful, and their legs…”

He gestured from his own chest up to his neck.

“They come up to here.”

“So glossy and fine… I’ve never seen such beautiful horses in my entire life.”

The leader, however, was not surprised. “Those are rare, fine steeds. They eat better and more expensively than people. We couldn’t afford a single one of those horses even if we sold everything we own. It’s fine to look, but don’t even think about touching them.”

Otherwise, all of us put together couldn’t afford to pay for it.

The man sat down and sighed. “A man’s life is worth less than a horse’s.”

This wasn’t just a heavy rain; it was frighteningly intense.

It rained continuously for four hours, with no sign of letting up.

Inside, they began to cook. The aroma of chicken stew with mountain mushrooms, trapped by the curtain of rain, circulated within the house, fragrant enough to make one’s mouth water.

Xiao Yang was not a stingy person. Since they had enough ingredients, she had her people cook two large pots. In addition to her own retinue, she gave a bowl to each person in the two groups sheltering from the rain.

It was a stew with both broth and meat, and for the people outside who had been gnawing on dry rations, it was enough to move them to tears.