The weather in the capital city, Chendu, had gradually turned cold, even though it was still the midst of autumn. People wrapped themselves in warm clothes, and in the past, there would be heaters placed in the rooms of the palace. Now, we couldn't enjoy that luxury outside. But this didn't dampen my good mood. Ever since I got rid of Qiao Zhengming, the annoying follower, I had planned my future journey. First, I would go to the central Qi Cheng Kingdom. It should be a pleasant place with a spring-like climate throughout the year. Well, why waste the rare opportunity to leave the palace without exploring?

So, the two of us, along with our little dog, embarked on our journey once again. Of course, Qinglian protested slightly, and Little Snowball's barks seemed like a mix of agreement and disagreement.

The scorching sun shone brightly in the Northern Plains, casting a golden hue everywhere. The sand and wind were blowing, but the nights were unusually cold.

I took a deep breath, feeling the stifling heat all over my body. Even Qinglian wore an expression of "you deserve it." In fact, she had also been roasted by the sun. Little Snowball, with its tongue sticking out, regretted not being able to shed its fur like a sheep. It was just too hot!

"Young man, it's your first time traveling, right? Just endure for three more days, and you'll find it worthwhile when you reach Qi Cheng," the leader of the group said with a smiling face.

There was no other choice; this was the route to Qi Cheng. I remembered that half a month ago, after sending off Qiao Zhengming, I had considered whether there was a caravan heading to Qi Cheng. Now, we had no choice but to endure. Looking at Qinglian and Little Snowball's pitiful expressions, I didn't drown myself.

Just when we felt like we couldn't bear it any longer, we finally arrived at the border city of Qi Cheng, called "Qi City." Hehe~ I bid farewell to the caravan and quickly pulled Qinglian and Little Snowball into an elegant-looking inn. However, our current appearance could only be described as disheveled. Just think about it—more than half a month without bathing or changing clothes. We smelled so bad~!

"Guests, are you here to stay or...?" A young man struggled to breathe as he faced the smell emanating from us, but he still maintained his professional politeness.

But at this moment, I wasn't in the mood for elegance. I quickly interrupted him and urgently stated what I needed the most, "Give me a room and bring several buckets of water."

"Alright, please follow me upstairs, sir," the young man cleverly led us upstairs and into a nice room. Before leaving, he said, "Guest, the water you requested will be brought to you soon."

I lowered my head with disgust and sniffed the smell emanating from my clothes. My brows furrowed as if I could tie a few knots on them. Then I looked at Qinglian, who had the same appearance as me, and found it quite amusing. If Xiao saw us like this, he would probably be speechless and reprimand us.

Qinglian thought to herself, as the most distinguished female official in the Northern Star Palace, when has she ever been in such a sorry state? With such a master like the Empress, she feared there would be even more embarrassing moments in the future. Qinglian had a premonition.

"Guest, here is the water you requested." The voice of the young man came from outside the door, and the door was opened from the outside. Several sturdy men carried in two large wooden buckets and poured water from smaller buckets into them. When the water reached about seven or eight-tenths full, the young man and others left the room. Qinglian approached and closed the door, locked it, and walked back to my side. She wanted to help me change clothes, but I dodged her.

"Enough, no need to be so formal outside. By the time I finish bathing, your bucket of water won't be cold anymore. Let's bathe together!" I said as I undressed myself, feeling disgusted by the clothes that made me feel nauseous. Once I was completely undressed, I quickly jumped into the water barrel. "Ah~" I let out a comfortable sigh, a satisfied smile on my face.

Seeing me like this, Qinglian no longer insisted on following palace regulations and climbed into another water barrel herself. We began to cleanse our bodies that hadn't been bathed for over half a month, and all we could hear was the sound of water in the room.

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We stayed in the water until it turned cold, reluctantly leaving the barrels. Qinglian opened her bag and took out a set of crescent-white male robes and handed them to me, intending to help me change. I looked at Qinglian standing there completely naked, knowing full well how alluring her figure was even when she was dressed as a woman. But today, she stood before me with nothing on, and I stared at her absentmindedly. Her full bosom proudly stood, and what about mine? I looked down and could only consider it decent, somewhat beautiful! Then I looked at her slim waist and compared it to mine. Mine was not as slender as hers, and when I looked further down... Qinglian's displeased voice interrupted me, "Master, don't you think this is inappropriate?"

"Hehe~ Is that so? Let me do it myself, and you should change clothes quickly too." I quickly accompanied her with a smile, wondering to myself, "Apart from this nagging habit, Qinglian is quite a beautiful woman. When she puts on a stern face, she's even scarier than Emperor Xiao!"

"Alright, Qinglian, let's go downstairs and eat something. Then we can have a good rest. The innkeeper said Qi City is bustling at night." I said with a smile, feeling my stomach growl.

"Woof woof~" Little Snowball shook off the water on its body, as if agreeing with my suggestion. It let out a few symbolic barks.

"Mistress, remember that we're not in the Northern Star Kingdom anymore. You can't be reckless here," Qinglian said as she tidied her hair, reminding me while also preoccupied with her own thoughts.

"I understand," I muttered to myself, "Besides this nagging habit, Qinglian is indeed a beautiful woman. When she puts on a serious face, she's scarier than Emperor Xiao!"

"Let's go, let's go. I'm hungry." I put on a pitiful expression, urging Qinglian towards the door. Qinglian wore a troubled expression but opened the unlocked door and said politely, "Guests, whether you want to stay in the inn..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm very tired from the long journey. For now, I'll go upstairs and rest. I hope you understand," I interrupted her hastily, expressing my gratitude to the innkeeper.

We bid farewell to the innkeeper, and Qinglian, supporting me, left the bustling hall and went upstairs into our room. Little did we know that numerous eyes were closely following us

The wooden barrels in the room had already been cleaned, and Qinglian supported me as we entered the room. She turned back and locked the door, shutting out all the eager gazes from outside.

"Mistress, please get some rest," Qinglian said as she helped me change clothes, observing my expression.

"Alright, you should rest too. You haven't had much rest on the journey either," I replied, not knowing why, but after hearing the old man's words, a sense of exhaustion lingered, and a voice inside me seemed to be screaming desperately, "Leave quickly, leave quickly."

The first day in Qi City quietly came to an end. What awaited Jing'er (Breaker of Armies) in the future? Would it be good or bad? Or...

Qi City

The night arrived silently, and the night view of Qi City reflected the unchanged scenery from ancient times to the present. The flower towers opened their doors, attracting officials, wealthy merchants, heroes, peddlers, and many others. How much gold and silver, how many laughter from women, how many heart-wrenching tales. This industry was inevitable in every era, and Qi City was the bustling city that never slept. Who visiting here wouldn't want to linger among the flowers? Many people even sold their wives and daughters here. It was the most prosperous place with its own dark side!

After a peaceful nap in the afternoon, I stood refreshed on the streets of Qi City once again. Of course, Qinglian and Little Snowball were always by my side. I was curious about the ambiguous words spoken by the caravan owner on our journey. I wondered if the night view of Qi City was really as beautiful as he described.

After asking many passersby, we finally arrived at the famous ancient town street, known throughout the world for its vibrancy and liveliness. Even before entering, we could hear the teasing and shouting of men and women.

Qinglian frowned unhappily, wondering if this was the place that had been rumored in the palace. Looking at the excited expression on my face, she couldn't help but feel uneasy—genuinely uneasy.

While Qinglian and I were standing at the street corner in a daze, several men walked past us. They murmured, "This prince is truly infatuated. He only accompanies the princess, never coming here. He's the first in our dynasty."

After the man in the green robe finished speaking, another man in dark red clothes interjected, "What do you know, kid? Do you know that the princess is the most beautiful woman in Qi Cheng? With such a beauty by his side, why would he be interested in these vulgar and ordinary women here?" Others who were with them nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, that's right."

Prince? Infatuation? Princess? Beauty? The people of Qi Cheng were quite interesting, discussing such matters openly.

"Qinglian, let's go." I didn't pay much attention to what I heard, quickly forgetting it. I grabbed Qinglian, who was unwilling, and stepped into the Flower Street. Qinglian kept saying, "Master, let's not go in." After hearing the conversation just now, Qinglian understood very well that the place the Empress wanted to go was there. If the Emperor found out, her life would be in danger. Unfortunately, her strength was no match for mine, and I forcefully dragged her into the place of gossip and intrigue.