novelSusiti Chapter 196 Spending the Night at an Inn
Chapter 196 Spending the Night at an Inn
The carriage moved slowly along the mountain road as night deepened.
Zhao Qingxue sat upright at the far end of the carriage, her back ramrod straight, her moon-white dress gleaming faintly in the dim light.
She had been sitting like that for two whole hours.
From the moment she left the jungle until now, as the carriage entered this winding mountain road, she maintained this posture.
His back was three inches away from the carriage wall, his hands were folded on his knees, his gaze was fixed on a blank spot in the carriage, and his face was expressionless.
Only she knows how tiring this position is.
After her cultivation was sealed, she was no different from an ordinary woman.
Your lower back will ache, your legs will go numb, and maintaining one posture for a long time will cause your muscles to tremble uncontrollably.
But she would rather grit her teeth than show the slightest sign of fatigue in front of Qin Mu.
Across from him, Qin Mu leaned against the car wall, one hand supporting his chin, his posture as languid as if he were lying on a soft couch in his own backyard.
His eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady; he seemed to be asleep.
The moon-white robe was slightly open, revealing a well-defined collarbone and a small patch of firm chest.
A few strands of dark hair fell across her forehead, swaying gently with the bumps of the carriage.
He slept soundly.
Zhao Qingxue's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before shifting away.
She doesn't understand.
Isn't this man worried at all?
He was the Emperor of Qin, and had been away from the palace for several days.
Although Li Si and Wang Ben were in charge of government affairs, it was inevitable that trouble would arise when the monarch was away from the palace for a long time.
Moreover, he had just taken two concubines, and neither of those two women from the Xu family was easy to deal with.
Isn't he afraid of trouble in the palace?
Wasn't he afraid that someone in the court might take the opportunity to cause trouble?
He wasn't afraid...
Zhao Qingxue paused for a moment.
Isn't he afraid that she'll be chased down by the people from Liyang?
The Imperial Advisor is still at the Nujiang ferry crossing.
With his intelligence, he must have already noticed something amiss.
Li Yang's spies are all over the Nine Provinces. As long as he is still within the territory of Qin, there is always a possibility that he will be found.
But he seemed completely unconcerned.
It was as if none of this was within his consideration.
What exactly does he want to do?
Zhao Qingxue's gaze fell on Qin Mu's face again.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the carriage curtain, casting dappled shadows on his face.
His brows were relaxed, and a faint smile lingered at the corners of his mouth—his usual ambiguous expression.
Even in her sleep, that smile hadn't completely faded.
Zhao Qingxue suddenly felt a little irritated.
She looked away and gazed out the window.
The mountain path was flanked by dense forests, and moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
In the distance, the outlines of rolling mountains are faintly visible, resembling a lurking beast in the night.
She didn't know where she was.
We had no idea where the carriage was headed.
All she knew was that she was getting further and further away from that familiar land and from the sun.
This realization stirred up a complex mix of emotions within her.
There was anger, resentment, a lingering fear of the unknown, and a deep-seated weariness that she was unwilling to acknowledge.
five years.
In the five years since she ascended the throne, she had never felt so powerless as she did tonight.
It wasn't because they were kidnapped.
It wasn't because his cultivation was sealed.
Rather, it's because—
She couldn't understand the man in front of her at all.
Her wisdom, which she was so proud of, was like a child's trick in front of him.
The imperial edict that she regarded as her trump card was casually crushed into dust by him.
The game she meticulously planned was his chessboard from the very beginning.
At this moment, she sat in this carriage heading into the unknown, with him beside her and opposite her, the entire carriage filled with his faint ambergris scent.
She had no idea what would happen next.
She didn't know where he was taking her.
It's unknown what fate awaits her.
This "not knowing" was more painful for her than any sword or blade.
Zhao Qingxue closed her eyes.
Take a deep breath.
When I opened my eyes again, they had regained some clarity.
They come, the security.
She is Empress Li Yang, Zhao Qingxue.
Even in dire straits, I will never...
"What are you thinking about?"
A lazy voice rang out, interrupting her thoughts before she could finish.
Zhao Qingxue looked up and met Qin Mu's deep eyes.
He had woken up at some point, I don't know.
He was still leaning against the car wall, one hand supporting his chin, but his gaze was fixed on her face, scrutinizing her with great interest.
"Are you wondering what I really want to do?"
He asked the question for her, his smile deepening, "Still wondering why I'm not in a hurry at all?"
Zhao Qingxue did not answer.
She just watched him quietly.
His gaze was calm, so calm that it was completely undisturbed.
Qin Mu smiled, not minding at all.
He sat up slightly, stretched his stiff shoulders and neck, and then looked out the window.
"The scenery here is quite nice," he said casually, his tone as relaxed as if he were on a picnic.
Zhao Qingxue followed his gaze.
Outside the window was still that dense forest, the shadows of the trees under the moonlight layered upon each other, just like the section of road we had just passed.
She didn't know what was "good".
Qin Mu seemed to sense her confusion and smiled, "Her Majesty the Empress, having lived in the deep palace for so long, probably rarely has the opportunity to look at the moon like this, right?"
Zhao Qingxue was silent for a moment before saying calmly:
"I am too busy with state affairs to enjoy the pleasures of life."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"That's quite a rare treat tonight," he said. "I've stolen half a day of leisure for Your Majesty, so you can have a good look at the moon."
Zhao Qingxue looked at him without saying a word.
Qin Mu didn't care and leaned back against the car wall, his posture even more languid.
"Your Majesty," he suddenly spoke, "do you know why I'm not in a hurry?"
Zhao Qingxue's gaze sharpened slightly.
Qin Mu continued, his voice as calm as if he were talking about something completely ordinary:
"Because the one who should be worried is never me."
His gaze fell on her face, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"The one who should be worried is Xu Longxiang."
"It's that sword god national advisor from Liyang."
"They are the people who are searching for you all over the world right now."
"And I—"
He paused, his gaze drifting to the bright moon outside the window:
"I only need to sit here and wait for them to walk into my trap."
Zhao Qingxue's pupils contracted slightly.
She got it.
She understood it from the very beginning.
This man did not consider "kidnapping Empress Liyang" as something that needed to be concealed or something that could not be made public.
He was using her as bait.
Fishing for Xu Longxiang.
Fishing away from the sun.
Fish for all the people who would go crazy because of her disappearance.
And she was the fattest bait.
Zhao Qingxue closed her eyes, then opened them again.
The complex emotions in my heart settled down at this moment, turning into a cold calm.
"Aren't you afraid," she spoke slowly, her voice equally calm, "that what you've caught isn't a fish, but a wave powerful enough to capsize your ship?"
Qin Mu looked at her, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
"Afraid?" He laughed. "Your Majesty, have you ever seen anyone in this world who could capsize my ship?"
His tone was very calm, so calm that it was as if he were simply stating a fact.
But beneath that calm exterior lies a confidence powerful enough to crush the heavens.
Zhao Qingxue did not speak again.
Because she knew that saying anything would be useless.
This man has become so powerful that he disregards all rules.
All she could do was wait.
Waiting for an opportunity.
Wait for the flaws.
The day she finally understands him.
The carriage continued on its way.
Moonlight streamed through the car window, casting dappled shadows between the two men.
After an unknown amount of time, Qin Mu suddenly spoke:
"Yunluan".
A clear, cold female voice came from outside the carriage curtain:
"His Majesty."
"Are you tired?" Qin Mu's tone was as casual as if he were chatting. "If there's an inn ahead, you can stop and rest for a while."
There was a moment of silence outside.
Then, the voice rang out again, still cold and clear, but with a hint of softness that was almost imperceptible:
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Zhao Qingxue's gaze shifted slightly.
She looked at Qin Mu.
This man seemed to treat the woman named Yunluan somewhat differently.
This is not how you treat your subordinates.
Rather, it is something more complex and indescribable...
She dismissed the thought.
It has nothing to do with her.
The carriage traveled for about half an hour before finally stopping at the foot of a mountain.
"Your Majesty," Yunluan's voice came from outside the carriage curtain, "there is an inn ahead."
"Okay," Qin Mu replied, standing up.
He looked at Zhao Qingxue and gestured for her to enter.
"Your Majesty, please."
Zhao Qingxue glanced at him, ignored his outstretched hand, got up, and stepped down from the carriage.
The bright moonlight illuminated the scenery at the foot of the mountain, making it clearly visible.
This is an inn.
It's not big, but it looks quite old.
The two-story building has green tiles and white walls, with upturned eaves and a few dim yellow lanterns hanging on it.
A tall flagpole stands at the entrance of the inn, carrying a faded wine flag with the four large characters "Yuelai Inn" written on it.
A mountain breeze blows, and the wine flags flutter in the wind.
The entire inn has a simple and elegant style, which is completely different from ordinary deserted village inns. It is more like a secluded villa for a scholar who lives in seclusion in the mountains.
Zhao Qingxue paused slightly.
This inn...
Her gaze swept around, landing on the half-open wooden door, then passing over the lanterns swaying in the wind on the eaves, and finally settling on the old locust tree by the door.
The old locust tree had gnarled and twisted branches, and its trunk was so thick that it would take two people to hug it.
The tree canopy shaded half of the courtyard, casting a large, heavy shadow under the moonlight.
Everything seemed quite ordinary.
But she always felt that something was wrong.
"What?" Qin Mu's voice came from behind, "Does Her Majesty the Empress also find this inn unusual?"
Zhao Qingxue did not turn around.
She simply said:
"There are so many unusual things that it all seems ordinary."
Qin Mu smiled.
There was a hint of admiration in that laughter.
"As expected of Her Majesty the Empress," he said, "she saw right through it."
He stepped forward and stood beside Zhao Qingxue, his gaze fixed on the half-open wooden door.
"However," he paused, a hint of amusement in his voice, "the more it's like this, the more interesting it becomes, doesn't it?"
Zhao Qingxue glanced at him.
This man always had that enigmatic smile in his eyes.
It was as if everything in this world was just an interesting game to him.
She did not speak.
She simply followed him toward the inn.
Behind her, Xiao Yu followed cautiously.
Yunluan lagged half a step behind, her sharp gaze sweeping across her surroundings, her hand resting on the dark silver slender sword at her waist.
The four of them walked toward the half-open wooden door.
.......