After I traveled through the book, I fought back in the Hou Mansion

Chapter 383

Upon hearing this, the vendors all felt a little panicked, nodding their heads and dispersing. However, their expressions were no longer as relaxed as usual. Even though they were smiling, a hint of fear lingered in their eyes.

Seeing this, Chun Xing calmly withdrew her gaze and asked the stall owner, "How much does this sachet cost?"

To avoid attracting attention, Chun Xing had pretended to be picking out sachets across from the crowd. Right now, she was holding a moon-white sachet embroidered with plum blossoms. The workmanship was exquisite, and the colors were beautiful. She liked it and was ready to buy it. The stall owner, a young woman, glanced at her and smiled, saying, "These sachets were made by my sister and me. While the materials aren't top-notch, the colors are superb. Only five cents."

When Chun Xing heard this, she thought the price was reasonable, so she took out five cents from her purse and put it on the stall, picked up the sachet and was about to leave, but the stall owner grabbed her sleeve.

Chun Xing looked back at her, puzzled. Seeing this, the stall owner moved closer to her and whispered, "Miss, were you listening to what those people were saying just now?"

Her expression was truly gossipy, but Chun Xing didn't feel panicked. Her eyes twinkled, and she nodded and continued, "I've been following my young lady these past few days, and I rarely listen to these rumors. This is the first time I've heard such shocking talk, so I can't help but be a little curious. I hope you won't blame me, sister."

"What's so strange about this? Although the capital is big, it is well-informed and the relationships between families are complicated. Even if the higher-ups wanted to suppress it, how could they suppress such shocking news? This matter has already spread throughout the market, and the whole city is talking about it. Who would blame you alone?" Upon hearing this, the woman patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.

Chun Xing frowned, "But why don't the city guards do anything and just let everyone spread this?"

"How can we manage it?" The woman lowered her brows and whispered, "We've always managed it, but we have to have a mouth. We can't just start calling for violence over such a small matter. You know, the more you suppress rumors, the more they spread."

"But no one will take this rumor seriously, right?" Chun Xing asked again.

The woman sighed, "If it were just a rumor, it would be fine, but look at this situation—everyone in the capital is in a panic, the officials are suppressing it, the guards are watching over it, and yet the higher-ups still haven't clarified the matter. How can anyone not spread it?"

At this point, she looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. Then she added, "Look at this street. How prosperous was it in the past? Fewer people have been going out these past two days, fearing they'll get into trouble. I wonder... when this storm will end."

Seeing this, Chun Xing looked around and said, "I was wondering how crowded this street used to be. Why is there so few people today? So that's why."

Thinking of this, she felt a little nervous and nodded, "Thank you for telling me, sister. My young lady is still waiting for my report. I will take my leave now."

Before leaving, she thought for a moment and reminded the girl, "Sister, please stay at home as much as possible for the next two days. Don't tell anyone about this. If the guards in the city hear about it, it might bring disaster."

The woman nodded quickly, "Of course I know. I'll pack up and go home now. Miss, you should go home quickly too."

After parting with the woman, Chun Xing turned the corner, lifted the curtain, got on the carriage, and urged the driver to go back quickly.

When the carriage arrived at the gate of Luo's house, before it stopped, she jumped off the carriage and waved to the driver to leave. After seeing the driver leave, she grabbed her skirt and walked quickly towards Luo Shuiyao's house.

At this moment, Luo Shuiyao was holding a booklet, sorting out the things she needed to take tomorrow, and after making sure nothing was left out, she asked Chuntao to put it away. Unexpectedly, when she turned around, she heard someone calling her at the door. It was Chunxing.

Luo Shuiyao said: "Come in."

This is the habit they have developed now: Luo Shuiyao never allows anyone to serve her in her room, and always cleans the room by herself. Chun Xing, Chun Tao and others will ask before coming in.

Chun Xing squeezed the purse in her hand, and when she heard the young lady's response, she walked in. She bowed and saluted before saying, "Young lady, I have delivered the letter you gave me to Manager Fang and Sister Du Juan."

Luo Shuiyao nodded. She was always very confident in Chun Xing's work. "You've worked hard. Go down and have a rest."

Chun Xing didn't move after she finished speaking. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, since you left this morning, Aunt Zhang has prepared a lot of food. You won't go hungry."

Luo Shuiyao thought she was thinking about the food they had mentioned that morning. Chun Xing had repeatedly told Aunt Zhang before they left to bring plenty of easy-to-carry, non-perishable dry food. After all, the journey to Qingshui Town was long, and she was worried that it would be difficult to find a home along the way and her young lady would go hungry.

"Miss!" Chun Xing stamped her feet in embarrassment. She had never expected her mistress to think this way. "Although I'm greedy, I also know how to consider the overall situation. How could I just think about my own greed?"

Seeing Chun Xing's tense expression ease, Luo Shuiyao couldn't help but chuckle. She knew Chun Xing was worried about her, but seeing her tense expression, she wanted to lighten the mood with a joke. She simply assumed it was Chun Xing's first time out of the capital, and she was nervous because she was young and had to travel such a long distance. After all, in her previous life, when she first went on a long journey, she wasn't much calmer than Chun Xing.

When Chun Xing saw her young lady laughing, she knew that she was teasing her on purpose, and her cheeks turned red.

Luo Shuiyao put away her smile, but the corners of her mouth were still slightly raised. She carefully looked at Chun Xing's rosy face and said jokingly, "Look at our Chun Xing, she has really grown into a big girl! Look at this little face, so rosy, I wonder which boy she will marry in the future."

Compared to their first meeting, Chun Xing had completely changed—she had grown taller, her figure well-proportioned from martial arts training, and this spring, she had quietly developed a girlish curve. Her shy look at this moment made Luo Shuiyao sigh at the beauty of youth. Her rosy cheeks were so tender that they seemed as if you could squeeze water out of them.

"Miss..." Chun Xing stretched out the last syllable and couldn't help but shielding her hot face with the purse in her palm. She was helpless with her young lady who loved to act like a "lecher".

Chun Tao stood behind Luo Shui Yao, pursing her lips and laughing until her whole body trembled. Chun Xing looked honest, but she was actually very shy. Every time the young lady teased her, her reaction was particularly cute, and because of this, the young lady enjoyed teasing her even more.

The master and servants laughed and joked around, and Luo Shuiyao's originally depressed mood improved a lot.

Chun Xing calmed down, clutching her purse as she remembered what she had heard outside today. She subconsciously glanced outside the door, and seeing no one around, she took two steps closer and whispered to Luo Shuiyao what she had heard at the market today.

Luo Shuiyao exchanged a glance with Chuntao after hearing this, both of them stunned. Then she lowered her head in thought. When it came to Emperor Yuanzhen's health, no one knew it better than she did. Although he had been worn down by years of hard work and the poisoning, with the careful care of the imperial physicians in the capital, he should be fine for a few more days.

Could it be...that something unexpected happened again, causing his health to suddenly deteriorate?

This thought made her feel vaguely uneasy. What had happened in the palace? If this happened, the capital might no longer be safe. What if she brought her aunt and the others here and they were implicated?