Chapter 465: The Price of a Carriage

The third morning of their journey began with a sky covered in pale grey clouds.

The road stretched endlessly before them, winding between fields that had long been harvested and villages that appeared only occasionally in the distance. A cold breeze swept across the open land, carrying dust from the road and rustling the leaves of the trees.

For most travelers, it was an ordinary morning.

For the Emperor’s family, however, it was becoming a test of endurance.

They had been walking for three days.

Three entire days.

They rested briefly whenever they found a suitable place, ate simple meals, and slept at night wherever they could find shelter. Sometimes they stayed in inexpensive inns. On other occasions, they rented rooms in farmers’ houses or rested beneath the roofs of abandoned roadside shelters.

Their situation was not truly desperate. They still had enough money for food and accommodation, and they were far from starving.

But they had to behave like an ordinary merchant family that had lost most of its wealth after falling into debt.

They could not travel with a grand procession.

They could not summon imperial carriages.

They could not reveal their identities.

And most importantly, they could not allow anyone to discover that the tired man walking among them was the Emperor himself.

Unfortunately, the Emperor had begun to discover something about ordinary travel.

It was exhausting.

Particularly when one was traveling with a large family, several stubborn relatives, and a mother who considered every unnecessary expense a personal insult.

And today, his greatest concern was his wife.

Lian An was walking beside him, her expression unusually quiet.

She had been quiet for most of the morning.

Usually, she would find something to comment on. She might tease Prince Liang, exchange jokes with Princess Zhi, or complain about the dust settling on her clothes.

Today, she barely spoke.

Her steps had become slower, and every so often, she shifted her weight as though her feet hurt.

The Emperor noticed everything.

He had been noticing for the past two days.

At first, he had assumed that she was merely tired. After all, she had never been accustomed to walking such long distances.

But when he saw her discreetly press her palm against her lower back, his expression darkened.

"Stop for a moment."

Lian An turned toward him.

"Why?"

"Because we’re stopping."

"Your Majesty—"

She caught herself.

They were not in the palace. She could not address him by his imperial title in front of strangers.

The Emperor gave her a pointed look.

Lian An corrected herself with a sigh.

"Husband, we have already stopped twice this morning."

"And you have barely eaten."

"I ate two steamed buns."

"One and a half."

She blinked.

"You were counting?"

"I was watching."

"That is even more embarrassing."

Despite her complaint, the Emperor gently guided her toward the shade of a roadside tree.

The others noticed them stopping and gradually gathered nearby.

The Empress Dowager, who had been walking with Lady Chen, turned around with a frown.

"Why have we stopped again?"

The Emperor ignored the question for a moment and looked at Lian An.

"Sit down."

"I’m fine."

"An’er."

His voice softened, but there was a firmness in it that made her finally give in.

She sat on a flat stone beneath the tree.

The Emperor crouched in front of her.

"Does your foot hurt?"

"A little."

"Your ankle?"

"No."

"Then why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because everyone is tired. It isn’t as though I’m the only one walking."

His gaze traveled briefly over her face.

She looked pale beneath the dust that had settled on her skin. Her usual liveliness was missing, replaced by the quiet exhaustion she had been trying to hide.

The Emperor’s chest tightened.

He could endure the journey.

So could his sons, his sons’ wives, and the other men in their group.

But watching Lian An force herself forward when she was clearly exhausted was another matter entirely.

He stood and turned toward the others.

"When we reach the next town, we will buy a carriage."

The words fell into the quiet morning.

For a moment, nobody responded.

Then Prince Liang raised his head.

"A carriage?"

"Yes."

The Emperor spoke as though the decision had already been made.

"We have enough money for one. There is no reason to continue walking when we can travel more comfortably."

Princess Zhi immediately looked toward Lian An.

Her sister-in-law was still sitting beneath the tree, rubbing her feet discreetly.

Princess Zhi understood the Emperor’s intention at once.

He was worried about his wife.

And honestly, she could not blame him.

Her own feet hurt.

Lady Chen had been trying to hide her exhaustion for the past hour, and even the Empress Dowager had begun walking more slowly.

Three days of traveling on foot had exhausted nearly everyone.

The Emperor continued, "When we reach the town, we will purchase a carriage large enough to accommodate the women and the children."

He glanced toward the twins and the younger members of their group.

"Mother, you may travel in the carriage with Lady Chen, Princess Zhi, Yao Qing, and the twins. The rest of us can walk alongside it."

He paused.

Then he looked at Lian An.

"She will ride as well."

Lian An lifted her head.

"I can walk—"

"No."

"But—"

"No."

She stared at him.

He stared back.

After a moment, she muttered, "You’re becoming very unreasonable."

"And you are becoming very stubborn."

Prince Liang immediately turned his face away to conceal his smile.

His wife elbowed him.

"Don’t laugh."

"I’m not laughing."

"Your shoulders are shaking."

"I’m cold."

"The sun is shining."

"Perhaps I have caught a chill."

Princess Zhi rolled her eyes.

"Both of you are ridiculous."

For a brief moment, the group relaxed.

Then the Empress Dowager spoke.

"Buy a carriage?"

Her voice was louder this time.

Several travelers walking along the road turned their heads.

The Emperor looked at his mother.

"Yes."

The Empress Dowager’s expression changed.

She glanced around at the other people resting nearby, then lowered her voice just enough to sound as though she was imparting an important lesson.

"Have you forgotten our circumstances?"

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"No."

"Then why are you talking about buying a carriage so casually?"

She gestured toward the road.

"Look around you. Everyone is walking. Merchants are walking, farmers are walking, and even families carrying their belongings are walking. Have you seen anyone else purchasing a carriage simply because the road is tiring?"

The Emperor remained silent.

The Empress Dowager mistook his silence for agreement and continued.

"We have already lost much of our wealth. We cannot behave as though we still possess the fortune we once had."

Lady Chen lowered her eyes.

Princess Zhi’s expression became uncomfortable.

Yao Qing exchanged a brief glance with Lian An.

They all understood what was happening.

The Empress Dowager was not merely worried about money.

She was worried about appearances.

They were supposed to be a merchant family that had suffered financial losses. Their story was that debt had forced them to abandon their comfortable lifestyle and travel north to seek new opportunities.

If they suddenly purchased an expensive carriage, the people around them might begin asking questions.

Why would a family supposedly struggling with debt spend so much money on transportation?

How much wealth did they truly possess?

And where had that wealth come from?

Those questions could become dangerous.

The Empress Dowager understood that much.

Unfortunately, she had chosen the worst possible way to make her point.

She had made it sound as though her daughters-in-law were extravagant women who expected to be carried everywhere while ordinary people suffered.

The Emperor’s expression grew colder.

"Mother, I am not suggesting that we purchase a luxurious carriage decorated with gold. I am suggesting that we buy an ordinary one."

"An ordinary carriage still costs money!"

"Walking costs us time, strength, and the ability to travel efficiently."

"Then we should endure it!"

The Empress Dowager raised her voice.

"Everyone else is enduring it. Why must our family be different?"

A few travelers glanced in their direction.

One elderly woman standing near a roadside stall whispered something to her companion.

The Empress Dowager noticed.

Her back straightened.

She immediately adopted an expression of stern concern.

"Look at the children. Look at the people around us. They are all managing perfectly well. We should learn to live within our means instead of spending money whenever we feel uncomfortable."

Lian An slowly lifted her eyes.

She looked at the Empress Dowager.

Then she looked at the people nearby.

Then she looked at the Emperor.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

She could see the entire situation clearly.

The Empress Dowager was trying to protect their disguise, but she was also concerned about what strangers might think of their spending.

Unfortunately, her words were beginning to hurt the very people she claimed to be protecting.

Lian An’s gaze shifted toward Princess Zhi.

Princess Zhi’s lips pressed together.

Lady Chen looked embarrassed.

Yao Qing had lowered her head, but her fingers were curled tightly around the edge of her sleeve.

None of them wanted to argue with the Empress Dowager in public.

And none of them wanted to be accused of being wasteful.

But Lian An could see the exhaustion in their faces.

She had no desire to spend the journey fighting over a carriage.

She simply wanted everyone to arrive safely.

The Emperor, meanwhile, had reached the limit of his patience.

"Mother, the matter is settled."

The Empress Dowager stared at him.

"What did you say?"

"We will purchase a carriage when we reach the town."

"Are you refusing to listen to me?"

"I have listened to you."

"Then why—"

"Because I have made my decision."

His voice was quiet.

That made it more intimidating than if he had shouted.

The Empress Dowager’s face stiffened.