Chapter 706: Chapter 257: Going to the Western Regions

Xu Su Ying returned to the estate and went straight to Wangyue Inn. She found Zhao Jing and, in front of Chen Wanqing, handed him a waist token.

"This is a token from the Yuxing Trading Company of the Western Regions. With this waist token, you can command everyone in their company. Keep it with you for emergencies," she said. She then glanced at the bundles inside the room. Five or six bundles were already scattered on the daybed. The maids and nannies were still busy packing. Clearly, Qing’er had recovered her senses and started packing for Jing. Seeing this, Xu Su Ying felt a wave of relief. She patted her daughter’s shoulder and left the room.

Chen Wanqing looked at the waist token in Zhao Jing’s hand and said softly, "Mother probably gave back all the Silver Coin she earned from the Western Regions merchants earlier. She might have even added an extra sum..."

Zhao Jing looked at her fair cheeks. Her skin was pale, and because she had cried so hard last night, her eyelids were swollen when she woke up this morning. He had someone boil an egg, peel it, and roll it over her eyelids to slightly reduce the swelling. But if one looked closely, the difference was still visible. He pulled her into his arms. "Mother treats me as her own. Wanqing, I won’t let Mother down, and I certainly won’t let you down."

"Even if you do, I’m not afraid. As long as you come back alive, that’s all that matters..."

Zhao Jing’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he hugged her even tighter. "That won’t happen. Rest assured, Wanqing."

The Western Regions envoys were scheduled to depart at the end of May.

By then, the weather was already getting hot. Undoubtedly, Zhao Jing would be spending this summer on the road. As a scholar, even with some foundation in martial arts, he was a novice compared to the envoys who were adept at marching. If they intentionally made things difficult for him, he would likely suffer a great deal this time.

De’an and Yao’an came running back from outside, holding a large wooden box. They couldn’t change the fact that Zhao Jing was traveling far to the Western Regions. The only thing they could do was to give him as many useful items for his protection as possible. The two brothers had scoured the streets and alleys. De’an even utilized his connections at the Imperial College to acquire all these items.

Seeing that the box was filled with medicine bottles, Chen Wanqing assumed De’an had prepared various medicinal pills for Jing. But these were truly unnecessary. "Grandfather pleaded with Your Majesty, and Your Majesty has already bestowed some of every kind of useful pill," she said.

Clearly, Emperor Ruicheng felt guilty toward Zhao Jing and placed great hopes on him. Therefore, after Mr. Xu submitted a memorial requesting medicine, Emperor Ruicheng didn’t hesitate for a moment. He directly ordered his Da Ban to go to the storehouse and fill an entire box. He even gave Zhao Jing two of the legendary elixirs exclusively meant to save an emperor’s life. To guarantee Zhao Jing’s safety, it was even said that Your Majesty had specially arranged imperial guards to escort him.

Recalling this, Chen Wanqing withdrew her thoughts and said to De’an and Yao’an, "The medicines you prepared probably won’t be of any use. Should we just leave them behind?"

De’an chuckled as he looked at her, then glanced around. Seeing that there was no one else nearby, he finally said, "They must be brought along! These are precious treasures that I went to great lengths to get."

Chen Wanqing’s heart skipped a beat; she instinctively felt that something was off. Zhao Jing, who understood De’an’s temperament much better, immediately pointed out the truth. "These aren’t exactly good medicines, are they?"

De’an’s face tightened. "Jing, what are you saying? How are these not good medicines? Do you know how many connections I had to pull just to get someone to make this small batch for me? You’re treating my good intentions like dog shit—ah, ah, ah, it hurts! Wanqing, it hurts, let go!"

Chen Wanqing released De’an’s ear. "I don’t oppose you getting these things, but why didn’t you hide it from Yao’an when you did? Taking Yao’an along for this—if Mother finds out, she’ll beat you to a pulp."

De’an looked at Yao’an, but Yao’an looked up at the sky and down at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes.

Amidst the bustling activity, the time for the Western Regions envoys’ departure quickly arrived.

The Xu family escorted Zhao Jing all the way to the Thirty-mile Pavilion before finally turning back with great reluctance. At this moment, Xu Su Ying felt a pang of regret. "Back in our hometown, even though we were poor, at least the family stayed together. Now that we’ve come to the Capital City, our lives have improved, but our family can no longer be together. What is there to look forward to in such a life?"

"We have to look forward. Don’t wallow in self-pity," Chen Wanqing said, forcing a smile to coax her mother. "Coming out here was a good thing in the end. We’ve eaten things we’ve never eaten before and seen scenery we’ve never seen before. These experiences are things we can show off to our children and grandchildren when we get old..."

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but recall the sight of Zhao Jing turning away resolutely to leave. Her eyes reddened, and the tears she had been fighting so hard to hold back finally fell.

"Jing is traveling west, while my mother-in-law and Xiang’er are traveling east. I wonder if they’ll cross paths on the road. If my mother-in-law finds out that Jing is going to the Western Regions this time with no set return date, I don’t know how hard she will cry... And as for the child in my womb, I don’t know when it will be able to see its father again..."

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