Chapter 461 - 463: Arriving at Beiyu City
Bai Ruozhu was sure that these people were not targeting Jiang Yichun, since their level of proficiency posed no harm to him, failing to perform effective assassination. She had seen attempts on Jiang Yichun’s life before, and those were far more lethal than a mere handful of dark arrows.
However, if Jiang Yichun weren’t present, these small dark arrows would’ve likely hit the horse carriage. Even if they didn’t injure anyone inside, they would’ve horrified the women in the carriage.
Moreover, all arrows were aimed at her carriage, clearly indicating the target. Her sister-in-law and Guizhi rarely made enemies, not enough for someone to put so much effort to assassinate them. As for Yu Hongxiu and Mr. Xie, who previously resided in Anyuan Town, if anybody sought to kill Yu Hongxiu, they would’ve tried long ago.
Hence, the target was undoubtedly her.
The assassins even waited until they had eaten before confirming which carriage she was riding. Unfortunately for them, due to Jiang Yichun’s protection, they were unable to strike.
"We’re safe now, let’s continue on our journey. Try not to stop along the way." Jiang Yichun’s voice came from outside the carriage. Bai Ruozhu lifted the curtain and nodded slightly at him.
"I don’t have the luxury to pursue them now, I can only help you find out later who was behind this." Jiang Yichun spoke gravely, seeming somewhat ashamed.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t say much, but flashed him a sweet smile.
What woman wouldn’t want the man she loves to protect her like a golden-armored samurai? How fortunate was she, Bai Ruozhu, to have transmigrated into this unknown time and space, encountering him, who would use his broad shoulders to shield her from wind and rain and ward off all dangers.
Jiang Yichun could not help but smile, dissolving the previous tension. The two gave each other a laughing glance, not caring about who might see them.
"How can there still be random archers? Are local mountain bandits considering a robbery seeing our carriages?" Yu Hongxiu patted her chest, saying, "We were lucky you saved us."
She intentionally stressed the words "you save" and there was a teasing look on her face.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at her and said, "Regardless of who it is, we must be careful."
Although there are many people with grudges against her that could hire a killer, she squinted slightly. Did they really think she was so easy to bully?
The moment Jiang Yichun remounted his horse, he was quickly enveloped by the cold. Someone had dared to harm his woman. How could he be in good spirits? He longed to find the ringleader behind all this, but his current capabilities were limited, leaving protection of Bai Ruozhu to Lord Meng.
On the journey, no one dared to delay, even those wanting to urinate held it in all the way. It wasn’t until they saw the gate of Beiyu City that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
When they arrived, and the carriage stopped in front of the mansion, they were barely able to contain their jubilation, but seeing the steward and several servants standing at the door, they immediately reined in their excitement, guessing what was planned next.
Seeing Meng Qiu, Bai Ruozhu hurried over to greet him, "Why are you waiting here in such cold weather, steward Meng?"
Meng Qiu smiled and said, "Old Lady said you would definitely arrive today, so she asked me to bring some people to help you move things. To avoid you from getting tired after a long journey."
Bai Ruozhu warmed to his words. Though Old Lady Meng is impatient, she is passionate and sincere. Bai Ruozhu made a mental note of her kindness.
Before Bai Ruozhu could reply, Meng Qiu gave orders to the servants to move the things, specifically instructing them to be gentle and not damage anything.
Bai Ruozhu could only thank him, then lead the family into the mansion. According to previous arrangements with her second brother, they distributed the living quarters among them.
After Bai Ruozhu checked Yu Hongxiu’s pulse and found nothing wrong, she took a look at the yard, then got into the horse carriage with Mr. Xie to head back to their home in Beiyucity.
Jiang Yichun also found it inappropriate to linger. He cast a lingering glance at Bai Ruozhu, bid farewell to the Bai family, and left first.
By the time everything was moved into the yard, it was already nightfall. Bai Ruozhu tipped Meng Qiu a few ounces of silver, asking him to treat the servants to a good meal.
She planned to take the family to a nearby restaurant for a quick meal, as it was inconvenient to cook late into the night.
Just then, they heard a knocking on the door. Meng Qiu cheerfully said, "It must be the restaurant delivering the banquet. Old Lady was worried you would arrive without a good meal and specially had me order two tables of dishes."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu felt even more grateful. "Thank you, steward Meng, and please extend my gratitude to Old Lady. I will personally thank her tomorrow morning."
The door opened, and the restaurant’s staff brought in large food boxes. After asking for instructions, they set the food boxes on the dining table in the flower hall, then respectfully said, "Madam, we will come to collect the dishes tomorrow. Please enjoy."
Meng Qiu decided to leave as things were nearly settled, reminding Bai Ruozhu and her family that if they needed anything, they could just send a message to him, and not to worry about formalities.
The Bai family escorted Meng Qiu to the gate. Once he was far away, Bai Yihong said somewhat emotionally, "Lady Meng is really good to us. Ruozhu, you’ll have to treat their toothaches properly. We must return a favor when we have the chance."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t hold back her laughter. Her father may lack formal education, but after being "influenced" by the old man in recent days, he had learned a lot about idioms, and was using them appropriately now.
"Father is right, but let’s not waste time talking. Let’s eat quickly before the food gets cold." After saying this, Bai Ruozhu hurriedly entered the flower hall with Dengdeng. All the delay had made her very hungry.
Fang Guizhi and Wan Caiyue quickly came over to help open the food boxes and set the dishes on the table. The banquet provided by Old Lady was enough for two tables, leaving plenty of food for the family. Everyone let go of their manners and started eating voraciously.
With the first bite, Bai Ruozhu could taste the broth powder she had provided in her dish. Shen Lu was indeed fast! From Old Lady Meng’s choice of the restaurant, it was apparent that the restaurant had already gained quite a reputation in just two days.
It turned out that it was not a coincidence that Old Lady Meng chose this place. It seems the restaurant had already started to make a name for itself.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest without having to clean dishes. Bai Ruolan wanted to share a room with Bai Ruozhu, but was eventually persuaded otherwise. Having Dengdeng with her, Bai Ruozhu didn’t want Ruolan in the room, nor did she want surprise visits from Jiang Yichun.
Exhausted, Bai Ruozhu fell asleep shortly after lying down, without even having the chance to speculate who was trying to harm her behind the scenes. When Jiang Yichun visited, Bai Ruozhu was sleeping deeply. Unwilling to wake her, he sat at the bedside, silently watching her.
The moonlight spilled over them like water. One lay asleep with a serene expression, while the other silently gazed at her. His eyes were even softer than moonlight, adding a touch of affectionate and warm ambience to the tranquility hanging between them.