After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 218 Convergence
Cui Jingcheng paused for a moment, then said, "In the next two days."

Bai Wanqing said "Oh," and pushed all the dishes brought by the waiter in front of Cui Jingcheng, "Then you must try them today."

"Among the Northwest cuisine, Baiweilou is truly exceptional."

Cui Jingcheng forced a smile, looking at the table full of dishes in front of him with great reluctance.

"Wanqing, why don't you ask me why Father wanted me to return to the capital?"

Bai Wanqing smiled faintly, "What would you be doing back in the capital?"

"Isn't that your home?"

When Cui Jingcheng heard the word "home," his eyes darkened slightly. Wanqing was right; Kyoto was his home.

This is not the northern region.

Seeing Cui Jingcheng's dejected expression, Bai Wanqing quickly asked, "Did something happen at home? Is that why the Marquis is so eager for you to come home?"

Bai Wanqing looked at him with concern, and Cui Jingcheng burst out laughing.

"I thought you wanted me to leave as soon as possible! Seeing how nonchalant you seemed just now, I thought..."

Bai Wanqing found it ridiculous. "What do you think? Do you think I don't care about you?"

Cui Jingcheng nodded, "Yes! I was afraid you wouldn't care about me."

Bai Wanqing shook her head slightly, "It's not that I don't care. In my eyes, you are the same as Furong. I'm watching."

Hibiscus? The same? Cui Jingcheng's mood suddenly brightened!
"Really?"

"What place do Furong and I hold in your heart?" Cui Jingcheng asked like a child.

Bai Wanqing smiled and said, "Same!"

Cui Jingcheng smiled again, but his face fell again when he thought about returning to Kyoto.

“My father sent me back to Kyoto to arrange a marriage for me.”

Bai Wanqing was taken aback, "A marriage proposal?"

Seeing the complex emotions in Bai Wanqing's eyes, Cui Jingcheng felt a little better.

"Yes! We're discussing marriage, but I don't intend to agree."

“I returned to Kyoto to tell my mother that I would not arrange any marriage.”

Cui Jingcheng spoke to Bai Wanqing as if seeking credit.

Bai Wanqing said, "Young Master Cui is indeed not young anymore, it's time for him to discuss marriage."

Hearing Bai Wanqing say this, Cui Jingcheng felt distressed. "You want me to arrange a marriage?"

"You want to see me marry another woman?"

"Don't you feel even a little bit reluctant or sad?"

Cui Jingcheng's three excited questions left Bai Wanqing speechless. Bai Wanqing had not expected Cui Jingcheng to be so excited.

Cui Jingcheng realized his rudeness and said, "I'm sorry, I apologize for what I just said."

Bai Wanqing did not respond further, and the two tacitly refrained from bringing up marriage again during the meal.

"Is it good?" Bai Wanqing asked, watching Cui Jingcheng wolf down his food.

"Delicious, really delicious." Cui Jingcheng lowered his head, his mouth full of food, and his eyes unconsciously reddened. He didn't let Bai Wanqing notice, and only for a moment before he returned to normal.

Cui Jingcheng left quickly, on the third day after he had dinner with Bai Wanqing.

Bai Wanqing and Lord Cui were standing at the city gate seeing them off.

"Father, if anything happens to you, please tell me, and I will come back immediately," Cui Jingcheng said to Lord Cui.

Lord Cui naturally knew what Cui Jingcheng was thinking.

“Jingcheng, you’re going back now to get engaged, so you should probably settle down and focus on your career.”

Lord Cui did not forget to offer his teachings.

Knowing he couldn't go against his father's wishes, Cui Jingcheng could only smile awkwardly and then turn to Bai Wanqing, saying, "Wanqing, you too."

"If anything happens, be sure to tell me."

Bai Wanqing smiled and nodded, "Yes, don't worry."

Cui Jingcheng left in his carriage, turning back every few steps. After seeing him leave, Lord Cui went home first. Bai Wanqing only left after watching Cui Jingcheng's carriage disappear from sight.

"Madam, you seem to treat Young Master Cui differently!" Ruixin noticed that her young mistress was somewhat sad.

Bai Wanqing did not deny it, "Whether you're sad or not, there's nothing you can do about it."

"Even parents and children, husbands and wives, have times of separation, let alone friends."

Ruixin agreed and nodded in agreement.

The Lin family home is now even quieter without Cui Jingcheng.

Cui and Lin Feiyun hid in a corner of the courtyard, watching Wanqing sit there dejectedly, and felt a pang of sadness in their hearts.

"Old man, do you think I'm a bad mother-in-law?" Cui asked.

Lin Feiyun shook his head, "Yao'er, what are you saying! How did you become a bad mother-in-law?"

"Are we overthinking this? Actually, there's nothing between our daughter-in-law and that Cui boy."

“Our son isn’t with Wanqing, and I’ve chased away her friends too.”

"What else could I be but a bad mother-in-law!"

Lin Feiyun sighed helplessly, "I think you're overthinking it."

"Look for yourself."

Lin Feiyun cupped Cui's face, urging her to take a closer look at Bai Wanqing. Just then, Bai Wanqing received a bowl of soup from Ruixin and was happily drinking it.

"It seems I was overthinking things." The guilt in Cui's heart vanished at that moment.
-
In a cave on a snow-capped mountain, Lin Yunche and his group rested for the night and had recovered most of their strength.

"It's time to set off," Lin Yunche said to the people behind him.

Pan Hu and Xu Long began waking up those who were still asleep. Cao Zhe had barely slept the night before and was now listless.

But Ma Yu had rested well, and he immediately began packing up to set off with everyone.

"Ma Yu, could you help me carry these things? I'm really exhausted." Cao Zhe handed his bundle to Ma Yu.

Ma Yu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, pretending not to have heard anything.

"Ma Yu!" Cao Zhe called out again, but Ma Yu still ignored him.

Cao Zhe finally noticed that something was wrong with Ma Yu. "What's wrong with you?"

"Why didn't you answer when I called you?" This time, Cao Zhe grabbed Ma Yu and stood in front of him, asking the question directly, leaving him no choice but to pretend he didn't hear him.

Ma Yu glared angrily, "What's there to say?"

"We're no longer the Prince of Huai's advisors, so why distinguish between you and me? We're all prisoners of the Lin family."

Cao Zhe was stunned. "What did you say?!"

"We will always be the Prince of Huai's people."

"This is merely a temporary measure."

Ma Yu snorted coldly, "An expedient measure? You've already revealed the Prince of Huai's secrets to Lin Yunche, and you call that an expedient measure!"

"I'm not a three-year-old, you can't fool me."

After Ma Yu finished speaking, he picked up his bag and walked away first, while Cao Zhe slapped his forehead behind him.

"Oh dear! Your Highness! Why did you insist on having Ma Yu in the first place?"

"This donkey-headed guy is really stubborn this time."

But Cao Zhe had no choice but to take it one step at a time. He reluctantly put his bundle back on his back and jogged to catch up with the group.

The path down from the mountaintop was much easier than the path up.

"Look!" Pan Hu said, pointing to a caravan not far away from the foot of the mountain.

Everyone else looked over as well, exclaiming, "It's a caravan! There's a caravan in such a remote place!"

Lin Yunche smiled and said, "This is our caravan."

"They're here already, let's hurry down the mountain."

Lin Yunche led everyone to change into the clothing of the Northern Dynasty on the mountain, and then immediately went down the mountain to meet up with Yang Cong.

"Lord Lin." Yang Cong had been waiting here for two days, and he was very happy to see Lin Yunche now.

However, the others didn't seem so natural when they saw Yang Cong's expression.

Because of Yang Cong's face
Since the incident involving the Northern Dynasty spy, Yang Cong's face has been disfigured. Although he often wears a mask now, the unsightly scars on his neck, which the mask cannot conceal, are still visible.

Fortunately, the people Lin Yunche brought were all used to living on the edge, so they were not surprised at all and were only slightly taken aback.

"You've worked hard; this mission is probably not going to be easy." These were the first words Lin Yunche said to Yang Cong.

Although Yang Cong was wearing a mask, Lin Yunche could clearly see the smile in his eyes.

"You flatter me, sir. My life was given to me by you and your wife."

"At worst, I can just return this life to the master."

Yang Cong spoke calmly, a stark contrast to his demeanor when he was in prison.

Lin Yunche smiled faintly, Bai Wanqing's face appearing in his mind, and his smile deepened.

After the two teams joined forces, Lin Yunche was relieved of a lot of trouble.

Because Yang Cong had made all the arrangements for him, they were now staying in a secluded inn.

"It must have been tough for you to find an inn in a place like this," Lin Yunche said, looking around at the surroundings.

"Lord Lin, since I returned to the Northern Dynasty, my business has grown bigger and bigger."

"This inn was opened to facilitate business, and it's all our own people."

Yang Cong felt that this was because he had truly let go of himself. He used to be hesitant and timid about many things, but now he dared to try anything.

Unexpectedly, he was able to make a name for himself again in the Northern Dynasty.

Of course, it was also thanks to the fact that he ruined his face, because now Yang Cong is unrecognizable to both Luan Heng and Ming Wei.

Everyone treated him as a native of the Northern Dynasty, which made things easier for him.

Yang Cong runs a horse business in the Northern Dynasty and is now a well-known horse merchant in the area. Lin Yunche and his group won't have to worry about not having horses to ride.

Pan Hu and Xu Long had just noticed a lot of horses. These horses were all very strong, and the martial arts enthusiasts' eyes lit up when they saw them. They didn't even bother to rest and followed Yang Cong's caravan to ride horses.

Besides them, Ma Yu, who also liked horses, went along as well. Cao Zhe, in order to keep an eye on Ma Yu, also had to go along. At this moment, only Yang Cong and Lin Yunche remained in the inn.

While sipping his tea, Lin Yunche asked, "How's your investigation into Lin Sishu going?"

Yang Cong frowned slightly. "It's not easy to investigate."

"Ever since I received your letter, I have arranged for people to be stationed in the capital of the Northern Dynasty, Huadu."

"It's just that a long time has passed, and the Lin family is a taboo subject in the Northern Dynasty, so we haven't been able to find out their exact whereabouts for the time being."

Lin Yunche was mentally prepared before he came. It was precisely because it was difficult to investigate that he had to come in person.

The Prince of Huai has laid the bait; how could he not bite?
(End of this chapter)