IDWBE -Chapter 20 Heading South

Of course he knew who that little bastard was!

And he really was a bastard!

He wished he could slap himself right now. Back then, he should have just chatted normally—why did he make such random promises?

He had thought that, as a child, he had been naive and carefree, speaking casually just to comfort the other party. Who could have imagined that the other person would take it seriously?

“What?”

Consort Wen raised an eyebrow. “You want to go back on your word?”

“Grandmother, that’s not what I mean,”

Lin Yi said with an embarrassed smile. “Your grandson is traveling thousands of miles this time. The roads are rough, and I’m afraid you’ll suffer hardships.”

This Consort Wen had been a concubine of the late Retired Emperor. In truth, she had not a drop of blood relation with him!

He couldn’t even take his own mother out of the palace, let alone this “great-grandmother.”

If he secretly took her out and word got out, his emperor father, in order to uphold so-called “ethics and propriety” and silence public opinion, wouldn’t necessarily execute him—but he would certainly depose him!

This was no joking matter.

“You said it yourself—there’s such a vast world out there, and you want to see it. It just so happens that I also want to take a look. Don’t worry,”

Consort Wen popped a grape into her mouth and said with a smile, “Your grandmother is in good health. I’m not so old that I can’t walk. I’m skilled with bow and horse—not like you.”

“Sigh, Grandmother, age is still age after all,”

Lin Yi said stiffly, “Why go through all this trouble? It’ll be hard for your grandson to explain later.”

“Explain?”

Consort Wen looked at him. “To whom do you need to explain?”

“Well…”

Lin Yi was speechless. This absolutely couldn’t be let known to anyone!

“Hmph.”

Consort Wen snorted, took a golden booklet from her sleeve, and tossed it onto the table. With a look of disdain she said, “With such little courage, how will you accomplish great things in the future?”

“I never planned to accomplish great things,” Lin Yi said as he opened the booklet. “Living an easy, carefree life is good enough.”

Inside the booklet was a vermilion endorsement written by He Jin, the brush-holding eunuch at the emperor’s side.

It meant that Consort Wen had officially left the palace with full authorization.

But Lin Yi was not happy.

The State of Liang had two major intelligence agencies: one was Jiang Zhong’s Shadow Guards, and the other was the Court Guard. The commander of the Court Guard was He Jin. Besides supervising officials and commoners, they could even monitor the Shadow Guards.

The extent of their authority was astonishing.

With the old lady leaving the palace, He Jin would surely, by reason or by courtesy, send people to follow her, wouldn’t he?

What if they discovered she had come to him?

And then reported it to his emperor father… Just thinking about it made his scalp go numb.

“What?”

After sipping tea, Consort Wen asked, “Are you afraid?”

“How could I not be?” Lin Yi said bitterly. “If He Jin finds out you came to me, not only would he stop you from following me—he wouldn’t even let me leave the city.”

“He Jin…” Consort Wen gave a mocking laugh. “He doesn’t have the nerve to follow me.”

“But what if…” Lin Yi said helplessly, “Your grandson’s entire future could be ruined in your hands.”

“You,”

Consort Wen said, lightly patting his belly, “just put your mind at ease. He’s a smart man—he wouldn’t be so tactless.”

“Sigh, my dear grandmother, the key point is your status. Even if he doesn’t dare to follow you deliberately, what if he happens to see you by accident? That would still be troublesome.”

And not just ordinary trouble!

Lin Yi looked utterly despondent.

“You rascal.” Consort Wen smiled. “Then I’ll make some concessions and put on a disguise later.”

After saying this, she picked up a bamboo hat and once again stepped into the wind and rain.

Her steps were small and quick, yet in the blink of an eye she had disappeared from sight.

“They’re all like ghosts—no sound when they walk,”

Lin Yi muttered softly.

Before dawn, Song Cheng was already shouting at the top of his lungs throughout the residence.

As the overall commander of this southern journey, he was extremely busy and had hardly slept all night.

“Your Highness, everything has been arranged.”

“Ask everyone once more. Make sure not a single person has second thoughts. This journey is long, and coming back won’t be easy. Especially those with parents, wives, and children—they must think carefully.”

Lin Yi glanced at the endless line of carriages on the street, stepped onto a stool, and boarded his carriage.

Suddenly someone shouted, “Your Highness, take care!”

“May Your Highness have a smooth journey!”

“Your Highness—!”

The neighbors and street vendors who had come out to watch all called out loudly toward his carriage.

Lin Yi lifted the curtain, waved to them, and shouted, “Everyone, until we meet again.”

Leaning back in the carriage, he was so sleepy that after only a few bumps, he fell asleep.

He had only been dozing for a short while when Hong Ying woke him.

Standing below the carriage, Hong Ying said through the window, “Your Highness, Princess Huaiyang has come to see you off.”

Lin Yi got down and saw Princess Huaiyang standing on the official road, with two maids behind her.

“Brother—”

“You came out in the rain without even an umbrella. What if you catch a chill?” Lin Yi said with a smile.

“Brother, I practice martial arts—I won’t catch cold so easily. I wish you a safe journey,” Lin Ning said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

There was none of the sorrow or grief Lin Yi had expected, yet that made him feel even worse. Forcing a smile, he said, “Alright, I won’t say much more. In the future, take good care of Mother on my behalf.”

Lin Ning said softly, “Rest assured, Brother. I will listen to Mother.”

“I told you to care for her, not to obey her in everything. Listen to what should be listened to; ignore what shouldn’t—just like your brother, let it go in one ear and out the other.”

Lin Ning burst out laughing and nodded. “I’ll listen to you, Brother.”

“Goodbye, little sister. When I have time, I’ll come back to see you all.”

In the end, Lin Yi boarded the carriage without looking back.

Watching the long convoy gradually disappear into the gray curtain of slanting wind and drizzle, Lin Ning finally began to cry.

“Alone, facing a solitary scene… sorrow tearing liver and lungs…”

Her voice grew lower and lower until she could no longer speak.

“Princess, please take care of your health,”

One maid held an umbrella over her while the other took out a handkerchief to wipe her face.

“Brother has left…”

Lin Ning seemed to be speaking to the maids, yet also to herself. “Brother endured humiliation and compromise only to seek a little peace. Couldn’t they even grant him such a small wish?”

“Princess,” said a round-faced maid cautiously, “let’s go back. Don’t really catch a chill.”

“Mother always says I’m just a daughter. So what if I am? Brother said there was once someone called Wu Zetian—did she ever lose to men? Heh…”

The rain fell endlessly, sealing off heaven and earth.

Lin Yi had already been traveling south for three days with his guards, attendants, and caravan escorts.

Even on the official road, years of disrepair made travel slow and difficult.

At one point, a wheel of Lin Yi’s carriage was jolted loose. If the driver Sun Yi hadn’t reined in the horses in time, and Song Cheng hadn’t quickly braced one corner of the carriage on his shoulder, Lin Yi would have smashed his head open.