The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 149

Chapter 149: Taken Home by the Princess Part 37

“Didn’t we already send the things over?” the young woman said as she unbolted the door, revealing a round face. “What else is missing… Eh?”

Before Tao Ning could speak, the door opened, and she was about to speak again when the fast-talking young woman interrupted her.

Looking at the figures outside, her eyes wide, she asked, “Who are you, Young Master?”

Tao Ning let out an “ah” and explained, “My sister and I encountered bandits on our way home to visit family. We had to flee into the mountains and only just found our way down. Seeing it’s getting late, we were hoping to stay the night at your residence.”

Following Tao Ning’s gaze, the young woman looked towards a slender figure sitting on a rock in the distance, her profile as elegant as a celestial being from a painting.

She asked, “This is your sister?”

Then, realizing something was off, she leaned closer: “You’re a woman?”

Blushing slightly, she said sheepishly, “I apologize, I haven’t seen such elegant dresses in our remote village, and your hair was so neatly tied, I mistook you for a young master.”

“We were fleeing for our lives, so we just wore whatever we had,” Tao Ning said, knowing it was getting dark and it was understandable that the young woman couldn’t see clearly. “Yes, this is my sister, we’re from the Tao family, my name is Fuan, hers is Changyi.”

The princess’s courtesy name was less known than her title, so they weren’t worried about being recognized.

The young woman said cheerfully, “I’m Xin Niang, and everyone in Qiao Family Village has the surname Qiao.”

Her voice was loud, and Qin Yang, hearing her words, turned around.

Xin Niang couldn’t help but glance at her, then quickly turned back to Tao Ning.

Tao Ning nodded, saying sincerely, “Miss Qiao Xin, it’s getting dark, and we’re desperate for a place to rest. We’re willing to offer this pheasant in exchange, and if that’s not enough, we also have some money…”

Qiao Xin said readily, “It’s just for a night, no need for payment, I’ll give the pheasant to my grandmother to nourish her health.”

With that, she took the pheasant, exclaiming softly, “It’s so heavy!”

As Tao Ning brought Qin Yang inside, Qiao Xin was shouting to her grandmother in the main room, “Grandma! We have two sisters staying the night! And they even brought us a pheasant!”

The old woman cupped her hand to her ear: “I can hear you, don’t shout.”

Qiao Xin: “…”

Clearing her throat, she said with a smile, “My grandmother is a bit hard of hearing, you have to speak loudly, otherwise she can’t hear.”

A faint voice came from the main room: “You’re the one who’s hard of hearing.”

Qiao Xin: “…”

To avoid further embarrassment, she led them to another room: “It’s just me and my grandmother at home, my parents are working in town, they just left a few days ago, you can sleep in my room, I’ll sleep in theirs.”

Tao Ning quickly said, “Thank you.”

Qiao Xin waved her hand: “You’re welcome. Your accents aren’t local, where are you from?”

Qin Yang, who had been silent, paused, and Tao Ning said with a forced smile, “We’re from the capital. We left home when we were young, wanting to make our fortune, and now, having saved some money, we wanted to visit our family, but we encountered bandits, and all our savings are gone.”

It wasn’t entirely untrue, with the charge of rebellion, all their efforts would be in vain, and she didn’t know what had become of the princess’s residence.

Qiao Xin, whose parents also worked in town, sympathized with them and didn’t ask further.

She said, “Ah… I’ll go boil some hot water, you must be cold after fleeing through the mountains, and your sister doesn’t look well, a hot bath will help.”

With that, she opened the door and left.

Tao Ning, hearing this, noticed Qin Yang’s pale face and quickly led her to a chair, checking her pulse.

Qin Yang’s eyes lowered, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she said softly, “I’m fine, I just need some sleep.”

Tao Ning said seriously, “Changyi, how often does the remaining poison act up?”

Qin Yang remained silent for a moment, then said, “It’s become more frequent these past few years.”

In previous years, it only happened once a year, but this year, it had already happened twice.

Qin Yang didn’t hide it anymore: “The physicians said the poison is lodged in my heart meridian, impossible to remove completely, and the more it acts up, the deeper it goes, eventually endangering my life.”

She held Tao Ning’s hand tightly, resting her head on her shoulder, and whispered, “But I want to be with you, for a long time.”

Tao Ning kissed her forehead, holding her close: “We will be together, for a long time.”

Qiao Xin’s voice came from the courtyard, the water was ready.

They composed themselves and went out.

Qiao Xin held two sets of clothes: “These are my mother’s old clothes, I hope you don’t mind.”

Tao Ning took them: “We’re grateful for your kindness, Miss Qiao Xin, how could we mind?”

Qiao Xin scratched her face, the light from the main room illuminating Tao Ning’s face, and she felt a strange shyness.

The village teacher also spoke formally, which always annoyed her, but hearing Tao Ning speak this way didn’t bother her at all.

After washing up, Qiao Xin sat beside her grandmother, chatting, the old woman only humming and nodding in response.

Usually, at this time, she would have retired to her room, but she was still here in the main hall, simply sitting and passing the time.

Noticing someone passing by, she turned her head and saw a tired-looking woman being supported by another, occasionally asking something, the other shaking her head in response.

The woman named Changyi looked familiar.

She felt like she had seen her somewhere before, but younger.

Qiao Xin, yawning, nudged her grandmother’s leg: “I’m sleepy, let’s go to bed, Grandma.”

Grandmother: “I can’t remember… then let’s go to bed.”

Qiao Xin, finally hearing the words she had been waiting for, quickly helped her grandmother back to her room, then returned, yawning, seeing that the light in the other room had already been extinguished.

They must be exhausted, asleep so quickly.

As the moon set and the sun rose, the rooster’s crowing awakened Tao Ning.

Opening her eyes, she felt a comforting warmth, then, seeing the room’s furnishings, remembered that she and Qin Yang had stayed the night at a villager’s house.

Qin Yang slept beside her, her cheeks flushed, her long hair spread out on the pillow, her hands clutched to her chest as if she was cold.

Looking closer, however, her hands weren’t just seeking warmth, they were pressed against her heart, and Tao Ning, having slept soundly, hadn’t noticed Qin Yang’s discomfort.

She checked Qin Yang’s forehead, confirming she didn’t have a fever, and gently shook her shoulder: “Changyi? Changyi, wake up, it’s morning.”

But Qin Yang didn’t respond, still fast asleep, her brows slightly furrowed as if in discomfort.

Tao Ning checked her pulse again, realizing the poison, aggravated by their recent travels, was acting up again.

In the courtyard, Qiao Xin was already awake, busy in the kitchen.

Hearing the door open, she came out, holding a ladle: “You’re awake so early? Do you want to eat something before leaving?”

Then she froze, seeing Tao Ning, dressed in simple clothes, casually tying up her long hair with a wooden hairpin, creating a simple yet elegant hairstyle.

Hearing Qiao Xin’s voice, Tao Ning’s sharp eyes looked at her and asked, “Miss Qiao Xin, my sister and I might need to impose on you for a few more days, do you know where we can find a pharmacy nearby?”

Qiao Xin snapped back to attention, pointing in a certain direction: “There’s a town about twenty li from here, with a pharmacy.”

Tao Ning was about to leave when Qiao Xin called out, but she didn’t stop. After a moment of thought, Qiao Xin grabbed a few things from the kitchen and ran after her.

“Wait,” she said as she ran, “it’s quite a distance, take some food with you.”

She didn’t know Tao Ning, like those Jianghu heroes, could travel quickly with a single leap, assuming she would be walking, and it was quite a distance.

But if it weren’t for its remoteness, Tao Ning wouldn’t have dared to stay here.

Tao Ning took the flatbread and water pouch offered by Qiao Xin, saying seriously, “Thank you, Miss, I’ll be back soon, please look after my sister.”

Qiao Xin finally understood: “Is she ill? Then hurry to town and get some medicine, but I heard from my parents that it’s a bit chaotic outside, so be careful and return quickly.”

Tao Ning nodded: “Okay, thank you for the warning.”

After a simple disguise, Tao Ning arrived in town without much difficulty, purchasing the necessary herbs from several pharmacies. It was almost lunchtime.

She left a mark in a hidden spot, then entered a bustling inn.

It was lunchtime, and the main hall was crowded. Tao Ning ordered a simple dish and sat down to wait, soon joined by another customer sharing her table.

A few more people entered, two men and a woman, the woman the wife of a traveling merchant.

Unable to find another table, they approached Tao Ning, assuming she was just an ordinary woman, easy to talk to.

The Yu Dynasty wasn’t as strict about gender segregation, and since the merchant’s wife had initiated the conversation, Tao Ning, seeing they were traveling merchants who probably knew a lot of information, agreed to share the table.

As soon as they sat down, they started chatting.

Ordinary people weren’t as formal as nobles and officials, and eating in silence felt strange.

The merchant in blue started the conversation: “Have you heard? The rumors about Princess Regent’s rebellion are spreading, they’re searching everywhere, even Yongzhou Prefecture has been turned upside down.”

The merchant in gray chuckled: “You’ve got it wrong, it was Prince Yong who rebelled, not the princess, those are just rumors.”

The woman in green also said, “Yes, the Princess Regent wouldn’t rebel.”

The merchant in blue said, “You’re so far away from Yongzhou and the capital, how would you know if she rebelled or not? You’ve lived in Lianghe all your lives, never venturing out.”

The merchant in gray sneered: “We’re locals, we know better than you. Do you know where this is? This is Lianghe Lower County, downstream from Lianghe River, and every year, during the rainy season, we’re flooded.”

The merchant in blue, having arrived last year, didn’t know about Lianghe Lower County’s past struggles: “So what?”

“Now that you mention it, I remember an imperial edict stating that the Princess Regent didn’t rebel, she embezzled funds, and it was your Lianghe Lower County’s funds she embezzled.”

An older woman, leaning closer, holding a teacup, said, “Young man, first you accuse the princess of rebellion, now embezzlement? If she embezzled the funds, would the Lianghe dam be so strong? Last year’s flood didn’t even affect a single village.”

The woman in green added, “A few years ago, before the dam was built, my neighbor’s entire family was killed in the flood, she cried for a month, it was tragic.”

Merchant in blue: “…”

He didn’t understand, he had just mentioned something everyone knew, how did it become his fault?

The merchant in gray said, “You clearly don’t understand, when His Majesty ascended the throne, the Lianghe River flooded, destroying our Lianghe Lower County, many people died, and there was even a plague.”

“That money was used to build the dam, and the Princess Regent even came here in disguise, executing several corrupt officials who refused to open the city gates, and persuading the merchants hoarding grain to lower their prices. My mother said she has a Guanyin mole between her eyebrows, a truly kind-hearted person.”

They all scolded him, “You know nothing, stop spreading rumors, shame on you!”