Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

They boarded a carriage prepared by the county magistrate and others and checked into the Kunyu Pavilion inn in the city.

After settling Princess Zhaoyang in, Jia Lian summoned the garrison commander and the county magistrate for a private interrogation.

The two guards initially thought Jia Lian was going to interrogate them, and entered the house with trepidation. However, they found that Jia Lian seemed to have no memory of what happened at the city gate, and only asked them about the situation of the imperial court and Gan Ning Pass.

As the garrison commander and county magistrate, they naturally knew more information than ordinary merchants.

They weren't as surprised as the others that Jia Lian and his companion were there. Half a month ago, the garrison commander had received orders to dispatch a team into the desert to assist in the search and rescue of the princess and Jia Lian, and they hadn't returned yet.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang arrived at his territory without a word.

This is one of the reasons why he hadn't been too suspicious of Jia Lian and his companion's identities before.

At this moment, Jia Lian's biggest concern was actually the safety of his maid, Aqin. However, Aqin was just a lowly female guard, insignificant in the eyes of others, so Jia Lian naturally couldn't find out anything about her.

There was nothing else to do but learn about the general situation of the imperial court and Ganning Pass from the two guards. He then waved for them to leave and instructed them to remove any irrelevant people from the inn and not to come and disturb them unless necessary.

The two guards readily agreed, but did not leave immediately. Instead, while Jia Lian was drinking tea, the magistrate stepped forward, took out a box from his pocket, and presented it to Jia Lian with a smirk.

"Your Excellency, you must be weary from your journey and new to this humble land. This is a small token of our respect; we hope you will accept it with your kind words..."

Jia Lian frowned and glanced at the two people in front of him.

Upon seeing this, the magistrate's face grew even more uneasy, and he felt his palms sweating.

"You two are too kind. Please put it down."

Jia Lian knew perfectly well what these two men were thinking, and he knew that if he didn't accept the gift, they would be unable to rest easy.

The two county magistrates were delighted and were about to seize the opportunity to flatter him further when they looked up and saw that Jia Lian's expression was indifferent and that he had picked up his teacup again. Helpless, they could only retreat respectfully.

After the two men left, Jia Lian opened the box and found that it contained silver notes.

He casually flipped through them and found that these silver notes all came from several well-known money shops in the Central Plains, obviously for his convenience when he returned.

All of them were of medium to large denominations, and the total amount added up to a full two thousand taels!

"It's clear he's a corrupt official."

Jia Lian shook his head and sighed.

He had witnessed the poverty and hardship of the border regions firsthand, but who could have imagined that these border officials, taking advantage of the trade, were probably all rolling in money!

Jia Lian instructed Aqi to accept the silver notes and then ordered the innkeeper to prepare writing materials.

Nearly two months have passed since the incident on the Zhanghe Beach, and his dangerous adventures have been compiled into a book and widely circulated. His family must have known about it long ago.

Putting aside his previous exile, now that he's back on his own people's land, he naturally wants to let his family know he's safe and sound, so that those women won't worry or shed tears for no reason.

First, I need to send a letter to Wang Xifeng and her ilk. Second, I need to send a letter to all the maternal uncles and elders in the Linzi Earl's mansion who care about me.

I wonder if Daiyu cried when she found out about my accident...

I considered sending a letter to that crybaby as well, but then I thought it would be impolite and would only arouse suspicion, so I gave up on that idea.

In any case, once Wang Xifeng received the letter, it was as if everyone in the family knew about it.

Just as she was pondering what else she should do, she suddenly felt a cool sensation on the tip of her nose. She looked up and saw that the person who had been grinding ink for her had changed from Aqi to Princess Zhaoyang.

At this moment, Princess Zhaoyang had taken off her Hu robe and put on a bright and beautiful dress. She was holding a small writing brush and looking at him with a sly smile.

"What, still thinking about that little sister from the Xue family?"

Jia Lian ignored it, touched the tip of his nose, and sure enough, there was a stain of ink, which made him even more annoyed.

"You're so big, yet you're still so naughty."

Jia Lian pretended to reach out to grab her, but Princess Zhaoyang, with a series of clear, bell-like laughs, dodged Jia Lian's clutches.

Jia Lian looked at Princess Zhaoyang.

Princess Zhaoyang, who was dressed in Hu clothing, had a certain innocence, but those coarse clothes ultimately obscured too much of her brilliance as a princess and the goddess pursued by countless young talents in the capital.

Now transformed back into the appearance of a princess from a superior state, she smiles and talks amiably in front of him, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

Princess Zhaoyang originally brought snacks for Jia Lian, but seeing his serious expression, she couldn't resist picking up her pen to tease him.

When she saw Jia Lian staring at her, she thought there was something wrong with her.

"These clothes were sent by the magistrate of this area through his maid. They're fine in general, but they feel a bit too loose, and I don't really like wearing them."

After making a complaint, Princess Zhaoyang continued, "When we entered the city just now, I saw that it was very lively. Since this is a border market, there must be many merchants from other countries here to trade. Maybe there are some interesting things. I want to go and have a look. Will you come with me?"

As she spoke, Princess Zhaoyang returned, looking hopeful, clearly eager to go shopping.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian sighed inwardly once more.

Looking back on the past month, from initially evading pursuit to later disguising themselves and wandering, the conditions along the way were incredibly harsh. Yet, as a princess of noble birth, who had been pampered since childhood, Princess Zhaoyang never complained or grumbled, nor did she hold him and Aqi back.

He even disregarded his status and the consequences, like a moth drawn to a flame, giving himself to her completely.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Nodding, seeing her happy expression, he took her hand and pulled her to sit on his lap, saying, "Let's rest here for the night and set off tomorrow to return to Ganning Pass."

"Going back now..." Princess Zhaoyang's expression softened considerably.

She had long known that once they emerged from the desert, the days she and Jia Lian would have together would be numbered one by one.

Therefore, she intentionally lingered longer in the desert. For example, when they encountered particularly beautiful scenery, she would always pull Jia Lian along to appreciate the beauty of the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon.

She knew that Jia Lian could see through her little schemes and was intentionally indulging her.

"Alright, before it gets dark, Erlang, come with me to the market later."

She didn't say anything more because she knew Jia Lian wanted to go back as soon as possible.

"Um."

Faced with such an understanding and beautiful woman, Jia Lian put his arm around her waist, lowered his head, and kissed her luscious red lips.

Princess Zhaoyang then casually placed her hands on Jia Lian's waist and back, responding to him warmly.

Aqi, who was inside the room, was already used to this and silently left the room.

After a while, she opened the door and came in again. Looking at Princess Zhaoyang, who was half-undressed and straddling Jia Lian's arms, revealing her fair and delicate shoulders, even though Aqi had been tormented for the past half month and had developed some willpower, she couldn't help but blush slightly and her heart beat a little faster.

She felt that the two of them were being a little too enthusiastic.

Without giving it much thought, Aqi stopped and explained in a deep voice, "Second Master, Master Xue requests an audience."

Princess Zhaoyang looked displeased, but her arms were still wrapped around Jia Lian's neck, and she was unwilling to let go.

Jia Lian patted her shapely buttocks and said with a smile, "After all, she is an elder, and she is still ill. She must have come for a reason, so we cannot be negligent."

After he finished speaking, he saw that she was still pouting, and Jia Lian inexplicably found Princess Zhaoyang somewhat cute, so he leaned down and pecked her fragrant lips.

Princess Zhaoyang seemed a little satisfied. She gathered her clothes that had slipped off her shoulder with one hand, took out an embroidered handkerchief to wipe the ink stains off Jia Lian's nose, and then got off the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower now. Remember to come find me later, Erlang."

"it is good."

Watching Princess Zhaoyang leave the room without any hesitation, Jia Lian shook his head and said to Aqi, "Go and keep an eye on the princess, and don't let any unrelated people get close to her."

"Yes."

……

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