aying that I will arrive on time for our appointment."When Chunliu heard her giving him orders, he was overjoyed. It seemed that today he had done well in front of the mistress by reporting to her tha...From Beijing to Huizhou Prefecture, one travels by water along the Grand Canal. Leaving from Chaoyang Gate, you take a carriage overland for forty li to reach the dock in Tongxian County. After boarding a ship, you can sail southward along the river and arrive directly at Huizhou Prefecture.

Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao were on a merchant ship, carrying goods and passengers. There were only six people in their party: Gu Jingxi and his wife, his two attendants, Zhou Yun and Yu Chuan, and Meng Jinyao's maidservant, Qingqiu and Chan'er.

They booked three rooms, one for each of the two attendants, another for the two maids, and a final one for themselves.

Although they wanted an upper room, the rooms in the upper part of the building were small. However, there was a table, chairs and dressing table, although the space was limited. The table and dressing table were much smaller than those found in a typical household. A few steps behind the table was the bed, which was also quite small. Two people could sleep on it, but they would bump into each other if they even turned over.

Meng Jinyao was stunned when she opened the door. She hadn't expected the superior room to be so small. They were on a rather large merchant ship, after all.

Qing Qiu was also stunned for a moment. This room was even smaller than the one a maid lived in. However, Chan'er didn't show any expression. Chan'er had experience going out on boats and had lived in worse rooms.

Soon, Meng Jingyao accepted reality. Being able to stay in such a guest room when traveling meant having money. Those poorer than them would travel by boat and live in even worse conditions, perhaps without even a private room. She stepped into the room and took a look around, smiling softly: "The room is a bit small, but it's cozy. It has everything you need, and there's a window so it won't feel stuffy."

Qīngqiū came in and put down the luggage of Meng Jinyáo and her husband.

Gu Jingxi said: "You don't need to wait on us here. Go back to your rooms first and put away your luggage."

Several people responded and withdrew, their three rooms being next to each other. Chan'er, Zhou Yun, and Yu Chuan were all skilled in martial arts, and they were quite good at it. Therefore, when the three of them left the cabin, one of them would always stay behind to guard it, after all, there were more than just them on board.

After they left, Meng Jin Yao curiously asked, "Husband, weren't you going to investigate the case Two attendants are enough, right"

Gu Jingxi pulled her down and said softly, "There are many people and large goals. I usually rely on them to be informants when investigating cases. If it is really necessary, Chan'er can also be of use."

Meng Jinyáo was stunned and puzzled, "Before it was in Beijing, now it's going out on a trip. Didn't the storybooks say that when high-ranking officials go out, they have many masters to protect them"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi couldn't help but chuckle: "Who wrote this playbook It's utter nonsense, filled with unrealistic scenarios. This isn't a royal procession; why such a grand spectacle Not only me, but other officials traveling for work wouldn't bring so many highly skilled martial artists. They'd just bring a few guards who know how to fight and servants to attend them."

Meng Jinyao hesitated and said, "Then it's probably because they don't have capable people under them Why doesn't my husband use so many people"

Gu Jingxi was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that A Yao actually thought he had many outstanding martial artists under his command. He usually didn't have many masters around him. He used the local constables to apprehend criminals, so there was no need for his own people. What gave A Yao this wrong impression

Seeing that he remained silent, Meng Jin Yao asked again: "Husband, why are you looking at me like this"

Gu Jingxi smiled and said, "Your husband only has so many people under him. Don't read too many novels, they mislead people."

Seeing that his little wife still had doubts, he explained: “Your husband is just a scholar. He doesn't need to fight and kill, nor does he plan to rebel. There's no need to train so many martial arts experts. There are indeed servants in the house who know martial arts, but they are for guarding the estate. It's not easy to cultivate people like Chan’er who are both skilled in martial arts and loyal and trustworthy. Over the years, I have only trained six of them. Besides the three you see now, one was seriously injured and unable to fight. After marrying and having children, he became a manager on a property under my name. The other two left for Huizhou Prefecture earlier.”

Meng Jin Yao, after hearing this, nodded in understanding and then asked: "If we encounter bandits or pirates on our journey, what should we do A Ning's mother-in-law, Madam Shen, is from a family of merchants. I heard from A Ning that every time a merchant caravan travels, they bring guards to prevent being robbed and murdered by bandits. Bandits will rob merchants of their goods, and if they encounter well-dressed people, they should also rob them. Are we bringing too few people"

Gu Jingxi explained calmly: "Ayao's worry is not unreasonable. We have Zhou Yun and the others, Zhou Yun alone can handle dozens of guards. Even Chan'er, even if she's not as good as Zhou Yun, she won't be much worse. Besides, on this merchant ship, there are actually guards from the merchants. Those who were seen moving cargo when boarding the ship were all skilled in martial arts."

Meng Jin Yao was stunned after hearing this. So, although they only brought three people who knew martial arts, they were masters, equivalent to bringing hundreds of martial arts guards

Gu Jingxi continued, "Actually, even under a peaceful and prosperous era, they wouldn't dare to rob officials on the official road. Those who dare to rob are usually during times of chaos or in extremely lawless places. Under a prosperous era, if bandits, whether land or water, become too rampant, the imperial court will definitely send people to suppress them. Therefore, the official road is relatively safe and there's no need to worry about encountering these

"That's all," Gu Jingxi lowered his eyes to look at her, and said softly, "The imperial city is the safest place. Outside the imperial city, it's not as safe as the imperial city. But under a prosperous reign, dangers are reduced by a lot. However, you, a little girl trapped in the backyard, don't know the situation outside, which is normal. When we have the opportunity, let's go out and explore."

Meng Jinyao broke into a smile: "Okay"

By this time, the boat had set sail, moving steadily and smoothly along the canal.

Gu Jingxi came prepared with seasickness medicine, but none of them in the group got seasick and they were all feeling fine.

Later that evening, Meng Jin Yao felt somewhat uncomfortable on the bed. It was too hard and small. While she was fine sleeping alone, it felt cramped for two people. There wasn't much room to stretch out, and with every turn, she'd end up in Gu Jing Xi's arms. The sound of water outside made it difficult for her to sleep, and she tossed and turned for a long time before falling asleep.

Gu Jingxi also knew she wasn't used to it, so she couldn't sleep. She asked, "Ayao, the story last night wasn't finished yet. Shall I continue telling you"

Meng Jin Yao nodded. "Then, husband, continue."

Gu Jingxi's voice rang out, it was a pleasant sound, but the story was truly boring. She felt like she was listening to a monk chanting scriptures; before long, she yawned repeatedly and soon fell asleep.

The next morning.

Meng Jinyao woke up. Although she hadn't slept well last night, due to this being her first time traveling far away, she was still filled with excitement and the sense of freshness lingered, so she felt pretty good now.

After having a rather ordinary breakfast, she took Gu Jingxi to the deck outside for some fresh air.

They were a handsome couple, attracting envious glances from passersby. People could tell from their attire that they were either wealthy or of high status, and basically no one dared to approach them.

But, there are exceptions, and right now one is appearing.on a young woman not far away. His eyes lit up and he called out loudly, "Third Aunt!"Meng Jin Yao had already seen the two brothers, and upon hearing the sound, she nodded slightly towards Gu Xiu Wen...