Chapter 857: Chapter 514: The Female Chancellor Marches with the Army (Part 2)
Centered around her, hissing steam rose, the moisture in the surrounding ground swiftly drawn dry by her, becoming arid. Ji Yue cradled a ball of condensed water, momentarily unsure of where to discard it. She surreptitiously glanced at Lang Shiba, who was in the woods, and with a push of her hand, the ball of water vanished with a splash, and the open wine gourd by the carriage pole shook violently, sinking a solid half-pound at the spot.
Ji Yue quickly pulled her hand back, hugged her knees, letting her long hair cover her face. Her pale eyes cautiously peered outside through the strands of hair.
"..." Zhao Douan pretended not to see it, witnessing the attendants boiling water for tea, directing his gaze toward the second carriage in the convoy.
The deep blue curtain of the carriage was lifted by a wooden ruyi, revealing three people within the spacious cabin.
Daoist Yu Xiu sat cross-legged on the left side, fingers interlaced, palms towards her abdomen, thumbs upturned, her delicate brows and eyes as if drawn, gradually becoming lively and animated.
Her face was veiled, only revealing her eyes. Her black hair was styled into a Daoist bun, a loose golden rope around her waist, her plain Daoist robe immaculate, the cuffs pure white. Complementing this was a jade short sword at her waist that was extremely attractive.
She was completely out of place with the expedition army or the "Vanguard" team.
She should be sitting by the stream on a large rock at Qinggeng Peak, surrounded by white deer and cranes. Yu Xiu was a Daoist with a celestial aura.
Correspondingly, on Yu Xiu’s left, deep in the carriage, lay a young girl sleeping sprawled out.
Jin Jian had also changed into a plain Daoist robe, due to her petite and delicate figure, resembling a halfway matured Daoist girl, her small face crookedly wearing glasses, sleeping in a daze, extremely soundly asleep, so even if a battle broke out instantly, with the Divine Mechanism Camp’s artillery roaring, she might not wake up.
"Um..." Feeling the sunlight streaming through the curtain, the Young Priestess wrinkled her nose, discontentedly mumbling "don’t make noise," then turned over, raising her backside with a leg kicking slightly.
Zhao Douan: "..."
His gaze moved, looking at the last person directly facing Yu Xiu, his eyes somewhat helpless: "What did I say? The road outside is not as smooth as the Capital’s, it’s very bumpy, you mere mortal can’t handle it, but you insist on coming along."
Wearing plain Confucian robes, Mo Chou’s hair was densely tied up under a hat, her attire skewing towards androgynous, her expression listless, face pale, clutching a wooden ruyi, biting her lip hard, ignoring Zhao’s words, she was the first to rise and stepped down the carriage.
One step, two steps, three steps...
She suddenly twisted her head, one hand supporting the carriage, the other covering her mouth, bending her waist ninety degrees towards the grass: "Vomiting..."
The renowned "female chancellor" of the Capital, managing the Six Palaces of the Imperial Palace, the first female official in charge of the harem, had motion sickness!
Zhao Douan disdainfully curled his lips, using a branch to stir the fire on a temporarily set-up stone stove, shaking his head and sighing.
If the inclusion of Yu Xiu and Jin Jian was understandable, then Mo Chou’s sudden joining and following the army south was purely accidental.
According to Mo Chou’s own explanation:
Even though the Empress had proposed marriage to the Zhao family, after all, it hadn’t yet culminated in marriage, the Imperial Consort status only existed on paper, and the news transmitted slowly. Coupled with the persistent "smearing" at Kuangfu Society, outside the Capital, Zhao Douan was still remembered as a terribly "traitor."
Therefore, to ensure Zhao Douan could represent the Empress’ will, a double protection was necessary, and "Miss Mo" was more representative of the Empress on the local government stage than Zhao Douan.
Moreover, previously Mo Chou led the "Sealing Team" northwards, having contacts with local officials everywhere, thus understanding the situation more.
Therefore, she volunteered to come along.
And the Empress agreed!
"Mo Zhaorong, I must remind you, now that we’ve entered Taicang Prefecture, we’re within the frontline range. Further ahead, at any moment, we might encounter the rebel army, engaging in combat. The danger you’ll face won’t be just a minor inconvenience like motion sickness anymore. It’s still timely for you to return to the palace."
Beside the fire, Zhao Douan looked at the female official who had just finished vomiting, her legs trembling, yet determinedly walking over with Yu Xiu’s support, offering sincere advice.
Mo Chou, face pale, sat on a small round stool and glared at him fiercely, saying weakly: "Do you think I’m a weak woman who can’t endure hardships and is afraid of death?!"
Her journey from Luo Mountain back to the Capital relied not on luck.
Zhao Douan curled his lips again, looking at Yu Xiu sitting by the fire: "Priestess, you heard her. Bear witness for me later; I’ve tried to dissuade her. If she dies, it’s not my fault."
"Infinite Heavenly Venerate." The Daoist uttered, watching her nose, focused inwardly, her mind as calm as still water, she closed her eyes: "I am merely accompanying. The life and death of you two are not related to me."
Truly indifferent... If you two talk like this, you’ll never get married... oh, and the one sleeping in the carriage will struggle too... Zhao Douan took out a new handkerchief from his sleeve, handing it to Mo Chou, who was rubbing her forehead: "Wipe it off."
She looked at him unexpectedly, had a slightly altered impression of him, accepted the handkerchief, and with a stern expression said: "Commander Zhao’s intentions are noted."
Zhao Douan used a branch to stir the fire, disdainfully: "Don’t mention it, just wipe it off quickly, there’s still a bit on the corner of your mouth, it disgusts me to look at it."
Mo Chou: "..."
Zhao Douan paid no further attention to the two women, called over an attendant to bring the map, spread it on the ground, calculating the journey in his mind, his hand covered with black charcoal, he circled a spot on the map, lifted his head, his face serious as he looked toward the official road ahead: "According to the latest intelligence, up ahead is where the court and rebel army are confronting. Ha, I didn’t expect when I returned to Taicang Prefecture, it’d be under such circumstances."