The Darker the Night, The Brighter the Stars

Fu Yanqing left Zhao Country immediately with Si Yao and Si Chong, along with a few shadow guards who were hidden. Court Lady Choi and Jae Ha were also with them, the only two females allowed to travel with them.

Jae Ha was one of Fu Yanqing's very few female shadow guards. Among his shadow guards, gender wasn't a problem as long as the other party was competent. Male and females were treated in the same manner. There were no exemptions.

They traveled in secret for obvious reasons and they chose the route less traveled by many.

Fu Yanqing was worried about his little woman's condition; the half a month of travel was reduced to one week because he had ordered to travel with haste without stopping.

The servants and guards didn't dare voice out their protests and grievances when they saw Fu Yanqing's fierce glare.

The Prince Jing they know values competence. If they show even the tiniest hesitation, they would get kicked out or worse, punished severely by His Highness himself.

They could only swallow their words of protests and do their best to hasten the trip until finally, they arrived at their destination.

And even then, Fu Yanqing didn't rest and immediately ordered to drive towards his little woman's residence.

Court Lady Choi wondered why His Highness, Prince Jing was so desperate that they didn't even stop to rest. It was the Empress Dowager who had ordered her to watch his Royal Highness attentively during the trip because his actions have been strangely suspicious lately.

Court Lady Choi wanted to tell the Empress Dowager that she was indeed right. His Highness Prince Jing did not normally act so desperate and agitated like this. Court Lady Choi lowered her head and took note of every subtle changes and reactions that His Highness was making.

They arrived at a small courtyard to the west of the town.

Fu Yanqing, in his green and black brocade looked at the small but decent courtyard in front of him.

The courtyard has a few plum blossom trees surrounding it, giving the area a simple yet homely appearance. There was a well inside that was shut tight by a wooden circular lid. There were a few wooden benches outside, just under the trees.

The rosewood material indicated how expensive it was despite how minimal the designs were. It was kept simple to a few leaves carved at the legs while the surface of the seat was flat. There were even two small flowering gardens that was 60 by 80 centimeters in width.

Because of the cold weather, the flowers did not look good as they once were before when it was still summer.

According to Si Chong, there was a waiting room near the main hall which was at the center, the dining hall to the left, a small kitchen to the side of the hall then the servants' quarters adjacent to that. The right is where the master's quarters were and a small study room.

Fu Yanqing rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This place was too lame and small for his little woman. It was a good thing that he has already made arrangements in his Bamboo Courtyard. That place was three times bigger than the courtyard in front of him.

Did his little woman prefer a much simple style, which is why she was living in this kind of place? He had arranged for the Bamboo Courtyard to have the best, high quality furniture and decorations.

He even arranged a dozen maids to maintain its elegance when he usually kept female employees to a minimum.

Compared to this small courtyard, his Bamboo Courtyard was much grander.

This place was simply too unfitting for her to live in. Not to mention that winter is approaching and the weather is growing colder day by day.

Was she eating enough? Was she wearing enough clothes to keep her warm? Fu Yanqing mulled over this matters repeatedly. Was she struggling for money? Is that why she was living in this small place?

The guards at the gate who saw the simple yet extravagant looking carriage as well as the tall imposing man immediately realized that this was some big shot. But what was said big shot doing in this backwater town?

The two guards shared a look, that was until the group following behind the tall and imposing noble man approached them and they were forced to talk.

The two nervously gulped upon seeing the man's cold gaze. They subconsciously lowered their eyes to avoid his stare.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yan was happily munching on some dumplings that Mama Yang made. It was filled with vegetable stuffing instead of meat. Zhao Yan likes the taste so much that she ate until her tummy was full.

She wasn't worried about eating a lot since she was now eating for two. Anyway, she was already three and a half months in her pregnancy. Her baby bump was growing bigger every day, too.

Zhao Yan was in a good mood after eating good food. She was wiping her lips and washing her hands with warm water when Chun Lan came.

"My lady! There are people at the gate looking for you!" Chun Lan said with urgency while heaving as though she had run very fast to meet her.

Zhao Yan was curious. Was it a patient...? But she had stopped accepting patients because she wanted to focus on her pregnancy. She unconsciously rubbed her belly.

"Did they said their names?" She asked.

Chun Lan shook her head. "They were very secretive but they look like rich people from a prominent family. My lady, you should have seen the carriage! It was very extravagant and pulled by two horses! The people who came forward was a very tall man, an older woman and a girl my age. They are all wearing expensive brocade clothes!"

Zhao Yan furrowed her brows. A rich patient...? Was it really a patient? Or were they here for her tonics...

Zhao Yan couldn't find anything that had attracted these wealthy people's attention. She had always been careful of revealing her identity and always left Shopkeeper Liang to handle the customers who came to inquire.

Anyway, she has guards who were great at martial arts so she wasn't worried. However, Zhao Yan can't help but feel as if she shouldn't let these people inside her home.

What if they were from Prince Li's mansion...? Zhao Yan felt horrified at the idea before she quickly shook it off. There was simply no way that they would care to find someone like her. For the past nineteen years of her life, none of them ever gave a care.

Zhao Yan lowered her eyelashes and closed her eyed, contemplating.

What were the possibility that people from Prince Li's mansion would come to look for her? It was rubbish just thinking about it.

Like the leaves in the background, they didn't care about her existence. Almost seven months have passed since she became independent from her family.

Zhao Yan did not believe that with Prince Li's connections, they would be unable to find her. It was simply because they didn't care and didn't put any effort into the search.

Just like how they halfheartedly searched for her grandfather.

"Chun Lan, does the carriage have a tiger emblem?" She calmly asked.

Chun Lan immediately answered.

"No, my lady. The carriage does not have an emblem."

An extravagant carriage without a family emblem? That was not how people of Prince Li's mansion would act. They always flaunted their status and made sure everyone and anyone knew they came from Prince Li's mansion...

This meant the people wanting to see her were people she wasn't acquainted with. Or atleast that's what Zhao Yan can conclude since she never really made any reliable connections due to the fact that she was kept inside the mansion and was forbidden from participating in banquets or parties.

"It's cold outside. I'll be in the waiting room. Escort them inside and tell the kitchen to prepare some tea and snacks." She told Chun Lan.

"Yes, my lady. I'll do it right away!"

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