Chapter 420: No Chance in This Lifetime

The Dark Guard Leader’s ear-to-ear grin vanished.

"We have to go after Fifth Miss Ji now. We have important business to attend to."

Hearing this, Wei Ting realized something was wrong. He frowned. "You couldn’t even keep an eye on a girl who can’t even truss a chicken? You chased her all the way from Lin’an to here?"

The Dark Guard Leader adjusted his mask. "Ahem, it’s a complicated matter. We’ll talk about it when we get back to Lin’an!"

Wei Ting sighed. He had experienced Ji Qingwu’s skills firsthand. It wasn’t surprising that she could shake off the Hidden Guards.

He raised his voice. "Protect her well!"

The group of Hidden Guards vanished before his eyes.

Wei Ting stood amidst the dark green pine forest, gazing west at the vast, open mountains and the winding path.

His gaze stretched to the horizon, but his heart was heavy with melancholy.

Wei Ting suddenly had a feeling he had missed something important again.

Perhaps this had been his last chance to be alone with Ji Qingwu. There were things he would now never have the chance to say in this lifetime.

*

Ji Qingwu had indeed swapped identities with Chunhua.

Unlike last time, she hadn’t tried to hide her trail. Instead, she had informed Si Hai the previous night to stop erasing their tracks as they had been doing.

On the contrary, she wanted him to leave as many signs as possible so the Hidden Guards could find them.

Now, with Lan Ling gone and the people from Xijin still in this den of bandits, the situation had changed drastically.

Only Emperor Wu Su’s men were worthy of her trust.

And only he could make her worry so endlessly.

Ji Qingwu leaned against the carriage window, feigning sleep as she replayed the events of the past two days in her mind.

The fact that Wei Ting was able to leave the Northern Border meant the war wasn’t critical, which put her mind at ease somewhat.

She didn’t know what would become of the three Hu Family brothers, nor where the pregnant Qi Peiyao had run off to. But everyone has their own fate.

Thanks to the soldiers Li Chengxun had left behind, the caravan reached Longzhou without a hitch.

Upon entering Longzhou’s territory, the first thing she saw was desolate yellow sand. This was a city built, handful by handful, from the earth and sand.

After escorting Chunhua to a settlement in the countryside on the outskirts of Longzhou, Si Hai rushed back before the caravan entered the city, hiding in a cargo wagon in the middle of the procession.

Si Hai breathed a sigh of relief. ’He much preferred staying in the shadows; pretending to be Miss Ji’s husband had been a real ordeal for him.’

The main city of Longzhou lacked the prosperity and opulence of Lin’an. There were few vendors on the streets, making it look exceptionally desolate.

The caravan entered the large residence Princess Qingyun had acquired in Longzhou. The plaque did not read "Princess Mansion" but "Li Mansion."

Once the caravan came to a halt, Ji Qingwu got out of the carriage, holding the two children.

Chunhua had informed Jiao Zhengfeng in advance after she returned the previous night.

He knew the person before him was not his wife, but in front of everyone, he couldn’t act too distant from "Chunhua."

Jiao Zhengfeng’s dark face flushed red with suppressed awkwardness.

Ji Qingwu lifted the curtain, intending to hand the children over, but saw him standing several steps away.

"Aren’t you going to take the children? What are you doing just standing there like an idiot? Are you waiting for me to jump out of the carriage while holding them?"

It was "Chunhua’s" face and her usual tone of voice. Jiao Zhengfeng was a bit dazed, finding it hard to tell the difference for a moment.

The children’s father took them, and Ji Qingwu let out a breath of relief. ’Such tiny babies are not easy to handle.’

After everyone entered, they busied themselves with unloading cargo and moving items to the warehouse and front courtyard. The residence instantly filled with bustling activity.

Just as Ji Qingwu was about to follow the others inside, a voice called out from behind her.

"You, in the peach-red clothes! Come here!"

In the entire caravan, only "Chunhua" loved to wear brightly colored clothes. Ji Qingwu glanced down; sure enough, the outfit she had changed into was peach-red.

"Hurry up! I’m talking to you!"

Ji Qingwu’s back stiffened. She turned to see that the person calling her was the caravan leader, Huang Er.

Before she left, Chunhua had instructed Jiao Zhengfeng to take good care of this great benefactress.

So, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Steward Huang, this is Chunhua. Don’t you remember her?"

Huang Er glared at him. "Of course I know she’s your wife."

Jiao Zhengfeng said, "Why are you calling for her? Is there somewhere dirty or messy that needs cleaning? I can do it. It’s the same if I go."

Huang Er said, "You can’t do this job!"

With her head lowered, Ji Qingwu listened to their conversation. She furrowed her brow. ’What does he want me for?’

Huang Er said, "Princess Qingyun’s maid just came over. She said they need to pick someone to serve in the front courtyard."

Jiao Zhengfeng hurriedly said, "Steward Huang, Chunhua is a married woman, and she just gave birth. How can she serve the Princess?"

Let alone a princess, even for the wife of an ordinary wealthy family, the maids serving in the inner courtyard must be unmarried. Married ones have to work in the outer courtyard.

Huang Er squinted. "Look at your wife. From the back, she doesn’t look like she’s given birth at all. I’d say she’s got a better figure than the maids the Princess brought from the Imperial City."

Jiao Zhengfeng said, "Steward Huang, but I have two babies at home waiting to be fed..."

"Alright, alright!"

Huang Er pulled out a string of coins and said impatiently, "Take this and don’t be ungrateful. It’s your wife’s good fortune to be able to serve by the Princess’s side."

If Princess Qingyun wasn’t so demanding, insisting on someone with a good appearance and disposition, it wouldn’t have been Chunhua’s turn.

Huang Er was also puzzled. ’Why didn’t I notice before that this Chunhua was so eye-catching?’

He then asked, "That little wife of Jiang Hai, have you seen..."

After taking the string of coins, Jiao Zhengfeng gripped Huang Er’s hand tightly and said gratefully, "Thank you, Steward! Thank you, Steward! Thank you, Steward..."

He was clumsy with words and didn’t know what else to say, so he just kept repeating this phrase until he made Huang Er forget what he was about to ask.

And so, Ji Qingwu followed Huang Er to the front courtyard.

She lowered her gaze. ’I was planning to slip away in the chaos, but I didn’t expect to be picked out by Huang Er and sent to Qingyun’s side. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’

They walked to the courtyard gate, where Huang Er waited respectfully for the maids to go inside and announce them.

After a short while, a maid came out and invited them in.

Huang Er instructed, "Chunhua, when you’re before the Princess, you must be polite and proper. You must not offend the Princess, and don’t talk too much."

The room was filled with steam, the air so humid it didn’t feel like the Desert North. A bathtub from the cleansing room had been moved to the center of the room, with water being heated over a low flame beneath it.

As the beaded curtains were pulled aside, one by one, Princess Qingyun was revealed, leaning listlessly against the bed. Her face was slathered with a thick, transparent cream, and she was muttering discontentedly.

"What a godforsaken place with its godforsaken climate. I’m so dry, I feel like a fish out of water."

The maid led them to a stop beside her.

"Your Highness, the servant has been chosen for you. Please take a look."

Before Qingyun even looked up, she sneezed.

She covered her mouth and nose and said peevishly, "What kind of person did you find? She smells of sand."

Because of that, Qingyun got the sticky Jade Beauty Cream on her hand. She said in annoyance, "This one is no good. She’s made me unhappy the moment she walked in."

Huang Er, his face a mask of misery, said, "Princess, among the new arrivals, she is the only one who meets your requirements. She’ll be serviceable enough once she changes into clean clothes."

Just by standing there, Ji Qingwu had already been scorned several times.

’In the past, if Qingyun wanted to see me, she would have had to wait in line.’