Chapter 43: A Journey to the Southern Border
After spending several days preparing everything they would need, Prince Rui’s entourage finally departed from the manor.
The carriage slowly rolled through the capital before joining the long road leading toward the southern border.
The inside of the carriage was neat and comfortable, with thick cushions, folded blankets, and several small boxes filled with medicine, dried food, and other necessities.
Even so, Lin Xueyi couldn’t help but frown. [It’s so small.]
She stretched her legs as much as she could, only to realize there was barely enough room.
"I thought a prince’s carriage would be much bigger," she murmured to herself.
Rong Shuyan looked up from the military map in his hands. "It normally is," he replied suddenly. "But the roads near the southern border are rough. A larger carriage would have trouble getting through the mountain paths."
Lin Xueyi immediately lowered her head and said awkwardly, "Ah... This Consort didn’t mean to complain."
Rong Shuyan lowered his gaze back to the military map and quietly murmured, "It’s understandable." After a brief pause, he added, "Even I don’t like this carriage."
A moment later, the carriage lurched violently as one of its wheels rolled over a large rock.
Thump!
Lin Xueyi was thrown sideways before quickly grabbing the edge of her seat to steady herself.
"..."
She sat there in silence for a few seconds before rubbing her lower back with a pained expression.
"My waist..."
Another bump followed almost immediately.
Thump!
Lin Xueyi shut her eyes, shouting in her mind. [I think my bones just shifted!]
She leaned weakly against the carriage wall and let out a long sigh. After being tossed around by the rough road over and over again, a wave of nausea suddenly rose in her stomach.
She quickly covered her mouth. "Y-Your Highness... I think I’m going to throw up."
Rong Shuyan immediately knocked on the partition separating him from the coachman. "Stop the carriage."
The carriage came to a halt at once. Lin Xueyi hurried out of the carriage and immediately threw up by the side of the road.
Mei Lu, who had been riding on horseback with Deng Kai, quickly jumped down and rushed over.
"Princess Consort!" She gently rubbed Lin Xueyi’s back, her face filled with worry. "Does your stomach hurt that badly? Should we stop for a while so Physician Liu can examine you?"
Lin Xueyi raised her hand and weakly shook her head. "I’m fine. I just feel sick because the road is so bumpy."
Unfortunately, the guards and servants nearby completely ignored the words ’because the road is so bumpy.’
Instead, they focused on only one thing: the Princess Consort felt nauseous.
"Didn’t Prince Rui and the Princess Consort share a room before?"
"They did. They also stayed in the same room at the Imperial Palace."
"Oh, that’s right!"
The speaker suddenly gasped. "Could the Princess Consort... be pregnant?!"
The guards and servants tried their best to whisper, but they were still loud enough for Lin Xueyi to hear every single word.
She immediately lifted her head. "I’m not—"
Before she could finish her sentence, another wave of nausea hit her.
"Ugh..." she bent over once more and threw up again.
That only made everyone even more certain that the Princess Consort was pregnant. At this rate, the rumor would probably reach the southern border before they did.
For the rest of the journey, Lin Xueyi forced herself to sleep after rubbing herbal medicinal oil onto her temples and behind her ears to ease the dizziness and nausea. It wasn’t a perfect cure, but it made the long, bumpy ride a little more bearable.
After several days of travel, they finally arrived at the southern border.
The moment Lin Xueyi stepped out of the carriage, a freezing wind brushed against her face. She instinctively pulled her cloak tighter around herself and looked around.
This place was nothing like the capital.
There were no elegant mansions, crowded markets, or beautifully decorated streets. Everywhere she looked, there were only rows of sturdy military tents, wooden watchtowers, and rough fences built to keep enemies out. The ground was uneven and covered in dirt, with deep wagon tracks cutting across it. Soldiers hurried from one place to another, carrying weapons, sacks of grain, or bundles of firewood.
The air smelled of smoke, leather, horses, and steel.
She watched a group of soldiers sparring with wooden spears while another group stood in formation, following shouted commands from their commander. Not far away, blacksmiths hammered glowing iron into shape, the ringing of metal echoing across the camp.
This was a real military camp, a place where someone like a Princess Consort seemed completely out of place.
"What is she doing here?" one soldier whispered to the man beside him.
"Did she get lost?"
"Hey, that’s Prince Rui’s wife."
"What? He got married?"
"Are you an idiot? How do you not know that?"
"I wasn’t invited!"
More and more soldiers joined the conversation, and before long, almost everyone nearby was secretly glancing at Lin Xueyi.
[Stop staring at me!] Lin Xueyi groaned inwardly. [This is so awkward!]
In the end, being stared at by a group of men felt creepy to her.
She silently moved behind Rong Shuyan’s wheelchair, trying to hide behind him. But since he was sitting down, everyone could still see Lin Xueyi’s face clearly.
"What are all of you looking at?" Rong Shuyan asked coldly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the soldiers. "She came here with me. If any of you have a problem with her, then you’ll have to go through me first."
His voice turned even colder. "So, does anyone have a problem with that?"
The soldiers immediately straightened their backs. "N-No, Your Highness!"
"We wouldn’t dare!"
"Our apologies, Your Highness!"
They quickly lowered their heads, not daring to meet Rong Shuyan’s cold gaze again.
Even though Rong Shuyan was no longer the feared General he had once been, his reputation still lingered throughout the army.
After all, he was the man who had defeated the Southern Wolf Tribe six years ago and killed their former leader with his own hands.
Many of the older soldiers standing there had fought under his command.
To them, Prince Rui was still the general they had once admired.
Seeing the soldiers back down so quickly, Lin Xueyi blinked in surprise. [Interesting...]
[How can complete strangers respect him more than his own family?]