I've been bullied and humiliated for thirteen years; when I wake up, I'll be bloodthirsty.

Chapter 437 Feeling happy

Lu Yangyang rushed back to the pharmacy without even hearing Wen Qingqing calling her. She rushed into the room to pack her luggage, but after packing, she still felt that she hadn't brought enough herbs and medicine. So she ran to the front of the pharmacy to get the medicine and started to prepare the pills.

When Wen Qingqing returned to the backyard after finishing her work, she saw a pile of medicinal herbs next to her and asked with a puzzled look, "What are you doing?"

Lu Yangyang didn't even look up: "Go and tell everyone that we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Also, tell Old Meng to prepare more common medicines, and also antidotes."

While talking, he busied himself with his work, muttering to himself as if afraid of forgetting something.

Wen Qingqing stared at her curiously for a while, then leaned closer and said, "Lu Yangyang, something's up!"

Lu Yangyang looked up and blinked: "Hmm?"

Wen Qingqing tilted her head, sizing her up, and pointed with her finger: "I've known you for so long, and every time I see you, you seem calmer and more composed than your actual age, as if nothing can bother you. But right now, your face is all over you, you're so happy, you're so excited, you look like... a child who's received candy! Tell me, what's making you so happy? Why are you in such a hurry to go to Yuzhou? Are you going to see your sweetheart?"

Lu Yangyang twitched her nose, then couldn't help but touch her face. She thought about how Lin Wuji had also said something was off about her earlier that day, and everyone was saying the same thing... Could it be...?

She asked Wen Qingqing, "Is it obvious?"

Wen Qingqing nodded vigorously: "Super obvious!"

Lu Yangyang slightly curled the corners of her lips: "Maybe so!"

She didn't really know if her feelings for His Highness were romantic love. She had never seriously thought about it before. The concept of liking someone seemed strange to her. She liked many people: the Eldest Princess, Jiao Jiao, Xiao Li, her eldest brother, and her maternal grandfather. All of those seemed to be just liking.

But it's not the kind of liking that everyone talks about.

She admired His Highness, felt joy upon seeing him, and her heart would flutter wildly at the thought of him.

But it seems I've never felt this much anticipation before. Just thinking about seeing you soon makes my lips involuntarily curl up a little more, and then a little more.

She was even a little nervous. Would His Highness be happy to see her?

So much has happened these past few days, and she could talk to him for days and nights without finishing, but for some reason, what she wanted to know most was whether His Highness would be happy to see her.

I think so, I believe so.

It definitely will.

Lu Yangyang's lips unconsciously curled up again, her eyes sparkling.

Seeing her like this, Wen Qingqing became even more curious. "I knew it! I have to see what kind of person could be so infatuated with you!"

Lu Yangyang had no time to listen to her teasing and continued to busy herself with asking if there was anything she had forgotten to bring, what she needed to bring more of, and what His Highness needed.

Even when she lay down to sleep at night, she was still thinking about when dawn would break, and whether she should ask Lüyao to help her comb her hair nicely since Lüyao wasn't going to Yuzhou.

Early the next morning, Lu Yangyang and his companions boarded the carriage that Lü Yao had prepared in advance, along with the two men who had gone to Yuzhou with them, and headed towards Yuzhou.

Although Yingzhou had experienced pirate incidents, the area under its jurisdiction was relatively peaceful. There were no problems on the way to Yuzhou, but once they entered Yuzhou's territory, things seemed to change suddenly.

If they hadn't been on the official road, Lu Yangyang would have suspected they had entered some deep mountain forest. On both sides of the road were vast stretches of undeveloped land, covered in weeds and trees, stretching to the endless, undulating hills. Without a guide, a slight deviation could easily lead to getting lost in the dense forest, unable to find their way out.

It's hard for anyone to imagine how this desolate official road was ever carved out.

Even more absurdly, they walked along this road for a whole morning without seeing a single post station or even encountering a fellow traveler.

After stopping by the roadside for a quick lunch of dry rations, Lu Yangyang asked the driver, "How much longer until we reach Yuzhou City?"

The man wiped his sweat and looked up at the sky: "It'll probably be another three hours. We should be able to get into the city before dark. Don't worry, young lady. This road is just less traveled. After this section, it will take about two hours to start seeing villages. Yuzhou is sparsely populated. The entire Yuzhou Prefecture doesn't even have 30,000 households. Because the environment is so harsh, most of the people who came here in the early years were refugees. Later, it became a place of exile for criminals. Generation after generation, the population has gradually increased."

Upon hearing this, Wen Qingqing said, "That's quite a pity. Such a large area, and there's not a single person in sight. What a waste!"

The shopkeeper gave a wry smile: "Miss, you don't know this, but my hometown is in the countryside of Yingzhou Prefecture. I know Yuzhou a bit. Yuzhou is a place that even ghosts would hate. Years ago, it was full of bandits who would ambush passersby. Later, when more people were exiled, it became more manageable. But these vast tracts of wasteland are uncultivated and deserted. Even peddlers don't come here. Several counties don't have a proper magistrate. Anyone with connections doesn't come here."

Wen Qingqing asked in surprise, "There are only a few of us. We're not going to run into robbers, are we?"

The shopkeeper smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry, young lady. This road is a bit deserted, but there really aren't many people around. The government cleared out the highway robbers years ago, so you'll be fine."

Wen Qingqing was relieved and urged, "Then let's hurry on our way and get into the city as soon as possible!"

The waiter replied, "What you say is true, young lady. Let's hurry and we'll get there before dark."

However, the weather turned against them. After walking for about two hours and finally crossing that deserted road, a rumble came from the sky and it started to rain.

It was already deep winter, almost the Lunar New Year. In the north, it might have already snowed, but in Yuzhou, the weather was only slightly cool, and a sudden downpour could come at any time.

After it rained, the sky darkened very quickly; in less than 15 minutes, it was completely dark.

The weather was bad, and it would be very dangerous to continue traveling. The man suggested, "Miss, there are villages nearby. Why don't we find a place to rest for the night before continuing? Otherwise, if we take the wrong path or encounter a slippery road, we'll be in trouble."

Although Lu Yangyang was anxious, the safety of the group was the most important thing. "Alright, let's find a place quickly and rest for the night before we leave!"

The man drove the carriage toward the nearest village.

Suddenly, a cluster of torches lit up in the distant rain and mist.

A young woman in a red wedding dress stumbled and fell in front of the carriage.

"Help, help—"