The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 104 What, is she planning to take him in as a son-in-law?

The night wind carried away Zhiwan's voice, and the small boat was already quite far from the large ship, so Lu Zhan didn't hear it. He stood by the railing for a while, then walked away.

Be careful.

Zhiwan thought to herself.

"Wanwan, come inside quickly, don't get cold." At this moment, Ouyang Zhenzhu said, and thoughtfully unfolded the quilt and covered Zhiwan with it.

When Zhiwan came to her senses and saw the blanket covering her, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.

It's already early summer, but the nights are still a bit chilly, especially on the river.

The two stood close together.

"If it weren't for the bandits earlier, I would find it quite pleasant to sit in this small boat," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, looking at the starry night sky.

“Hmm.” Zhiwan nodded, also gazing at the starry sky above. “But my cousin said the rest of the journey will be peaceful, and there won’t be any bandits.”

"Then I'm relieved." Ouyang Zhenzhu felt relieved, yawned, rested her head on Zhiwan's shoulder, and slowly fell asleep.

Seeing that she had fallen asleep so quickly, Zhiwan couldn't help but chuckle.

She had been having trouble sleeping, but listening to Ouyang Zhenzhu's soft snoring, she found herself drifting off to sleep.

"Jiang Shi, thank you for your hard work." Before falling asleep, Zhi Wan said softly to Jiang Shi, who was rowing.

Jiang Shiyi remained silent as always and did not respond.

Zhiwan didn't take it to heart. Seeing that Granny Fang and the other two were also asleep under the covers, she snuggled up to Ouyang Zhenzhu and gradually fell asleep.

That night, Zhiwan slept surprisingly soundly, only to be awakened by a burst of noise.

When she opened her eyes, she realized it was already broad daylight. They had arrived at a dock, where small boats were moored. Many cargo ships were unloading goods, and the workers carrying the bags were already working hard.

"Jiang Shi, have you arrived in Yangzhou?" Zhiwan asked.

"Hmm," Jiang Shi, sitting at the stern of the boat, responded.

Ouyang Zhenzhu and the others also woke up at this time.

Jiang Shi glanced at the group and said calmly, "You can go ashore now." After saying that, he went ashore first, then used his oars to pull the others ashore one by one. He then returned to the boat and carried their luggage ashore.

"Let's go." After saying that, Jiang Shi hoisted the two heavy boxes onto his shoulders and walked ahead.

The remaining few light bundles were carried by Shuang'er and Xi'er respectively.

“This Jiang Shi, I’ve never seen him before? He’s incredibly strong,” Ouyang Zhenzhu whispered in Zhiwan’s ear.

“He is also my cousin’s personal bodyguard, but he is often sent out on assignments.” Zhi Wan glanced at Jiang Shi thoughtfully and explained.

“No wonder.” Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded.

After leaving the dock, Jiang Shi hired a carriage to take them to a villa. Jiang Shi exchanged a few words with the villa's manager and then left on his own.

"Jiang Shi really has no sense of being a servant," Ouyang Zhenzhu whispered.

“He’s my cousin’s bodyguard, always working for him. It’s a bit of a waste of his talents to send him here to take care of us,” Zhiwan said.

Ouyang Zhenzhu stared at Jiang Shi's departing figure, then suddenly leaned close to Zhiwan's ear and said with a grin, "You seem to have a good impression of him. What, are you planning to marry him off?"

Zhiwan was taken aback, then began to consider it seriously. "If he's willing, I'd like to."

"Huh?" Ouyang Zhenzhu exclaimed in surprise, "You really have such thoughts? But he's just a servant."

"As long as a person is down-to-earth and reliable, their social status isn't that important," Zhiwan said nonchalantly. Besides, who would want to marry into a good family?

Ouyang Zhenzhu was about to say something more when the steward came up and respectfully bowed to Zhiwan, "This old servant, Tian Zhong, greets Miss Biao."

Zhiwan glanced at him.

The man was a middle-aged man around fifty years old with a kind face. He was a servant of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and had been sent to this villa to live out his days and look after the house when he reached retirement age. Zhiwan nodded, "Uncle Tian, ​​there's no need for such formalities. I'll be troubling you during my stay in Yangzhou."

"No, no, it's my duty to receive you all," Tian Zhong said politely. "Jiang Shi has already told me that the young master will be arriving soon. Let's arrange accommodations for Miss and the others first. Miss, this way please."

Zhiwan and the others then followed him to a courtyard.

The yard was spacious and tidy, showing that it was regularly maintained.

Everyone was very satisfied.

Tian Zhong gave a few instructions and then withdrew.

Although Zhiwan and the others slept well last night, they were still very tired after such a long boat ride, so they didn't go out that day and rested in the courtyard.

The next day, just as Zhiwan was about to leave with Ouyang Zhenzhu and the others, Jiang Shi appeared.

“Miss, the young master instructed that he will accompany you to sweep the tomb after he returns.”

Zhiwan paused for a moment, then frowned slightly. "Do you know when my cousin will be back?"

Her parents' graves are in a county under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou, not here.

If her cousin didn't come back so soon, she planned to go first.

"At the latest, three days; at the earliest, two days," Jiang Shi said.

"I understand. I'll wait for my cousin to come back before I go," Zhiwan said. Seeing him standing there with a serious expression, she couldn't help but ask, "A few of us want to go out for a walk, but cousin... doesn't allow it?"

Jiang Shi said, "It wasn't said that it was forbidden, but when Miss Biao goes out, I must accompany her."

Zhiwan breathed a sigh of relief. "If you don't mind the trouble, then let's go together."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was away from home most of the year and rarely stayed at home, so he didn't know much about this cousin.

But this time, when I came to Yangzhou with the prince, I discovered that he valued this cousin very much.

He assumed that his cousin was like other young ladies from wealthy families—spoiled, willful, and difficult to please—and wouldn't allow him to follow her.

The group left happily.

When Ouyang Zhenzhu first came to Yangzhou, she felt that the city was just as prosperous as the capital, and everything she saw was new and exciting.

"Why is Yangzhou so lively?" Ouyang Zhenzhu was quite surprised.

"Because Yangzhou is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, the grain transported from Jiangnan to the capital was sent via the Grand Canal. Yangzhou was a necessary stop for the grain transport ships, and many other merchant ships also had to pass through here," Zhiwan explained.

“No wonder this place is so prosperous.” Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded.

"Let's go, I'll take you to try some Yangzhou cuisine today," Zhiwan said with a smile, pointing to a restaurant ahead.

Upon hearing that there was food, Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn't help but swallow hard and said impatiently, "Then let's go quickly."

Upon arriving at the restaurant that Zhiwan had mentioned, a waiter immediately came out to greet them.

"Gentlemen, would you like to sit in a private room or in the main hall?"

"Let's have a private room," Zhiwan suggested.

The waiter smiled and said, "You've come at the perfect time. We happen to have a private room left. Please come with me."

Just as Zhiwan and the others were about to agree, a girl dressed as a maid walked over and said in a firm tone, "Waiter, we need a private room!"

The waiter was immediately in a dilemma. "I'm sorry, there's only one private room left. These guests will have to take it."

Upon hearing this, the maid's expression changed. She glanced sideways at Zhiwan and the others, and said arrogantly, "Who do they think they are, daring to compete with our young lady from the Tongpan Prefecture?"

(End of this chapter)