CH 86.2

Chapter 86.2 – Like An Arrow Flying Home

The night was full of stars, and the next day turned out to be a fine day indeed.

There was nothing to miss from Hequ County’s small town, and Lu Qipei had been away for many days. She was deeply missing Qi Yang inside. So she finally withdrew from the Hequ County Magistrate’s hospitality, and brought the two minor officials from the Court of Judicial Review back with her early in the morning, setting off back to the capital.

It was early summer, when the coldness of spring just started receding, and the sun shone warmly on the body. Traveling was much better than it was on other seasons. Plus, Hequ was not too far from the capital.

Other than Lu Qipei being in such a hurry on the way back, this trip could be said to have been a good outstation experience for the two minor officials.

Although Hequ was not far away, it would still take three to four days to get to the capital. The weather was good in the first two days, and it was convenient for Lu Qipei and the others to travel. But on the third day, the weather suddenly changed, and a rainstorm disrupted the trip.

Lu Qipei sat in front of the posthouse’s window, looking melancholically at the pouring rain outside, sighing gloomily. Originally, she had already calculated the time. If she just had the carriage go faster, it might not be enough to get to the capital before the gates were closed, but it should be enough to reach Huguo Temple tonight.

Counting the days, Qi Yang’s prayer at Huguo Temple should also be coming to an end. She had promised to visit her in two days, but due to the delay, she hadn’t gone to see her even once.

Her Royal Highness The Princess can also be petty at times. If she completely missed the appointment she promised her, she was afraid that the Princess would throw a tantrum once she returned. She really did not want to face Her Royal Highness’s cold face at all!

Thinking of this, Lu Qipei frowned at the heavy rain outside the window. The two minor officials accompanying her were not bothered by the heavy rain. In fact, they had been quite tired from hurrying for the past two days, and it was nice to have a rest now that the rain was blocking the road.

A minor official came with a cup of tea and handed it to Lu Qipei, saying, “Don’t worry, Milord. Summer rain comes and goes quickly. Although it seems to be raining heavily right now, it might stop in two hours.”

Lu Qipei nodded and said a few words to the minor official, then turned around and continued staring at the heavy rain outside.

There was nothing wrong with what the minor official said. There were lots of rain in spring and summer, but heavy rains didn’t usually last for a long time. Lu Qipei simply sat in front of the window, waiting for the rain to stop.

In the end, the rain lasted for a whole day. It was small, but it kept going on and on.

When evening came they could no longer make the trip, so she had no choice but to stay in the posthouse.

Lu Qipei had been a little restless after waiting all day. When the guest rooms were assigned in the evening, she pulled the postmaster and asked, “It rained endlessly today. According to Postmaster, will the rain stop tomorrow?”

The postmaster was not young, and had been there for decades. He had a good understanding of the weather there, so he looked at the sky and said, “Rain in this season is hard to tell, it could last for the next two or three days. I heard that Milord is returning to the capital to report on your work. If you’re not in a hurry, you can stay in the posthouse for a couple of days. If you’re in a hurry, you might have to drive your way through the rain.”

That said, the postmaster didn’t think that reporting work was something urgent to do. Didn’t the two minor officials look completely at ease? Only the chief official looked a little anxious; it seemed that it was mostly due to a personal matter.

The postmaster had seen all kinds of people, and his eyes were sharp. Lu Qipei didn’t say anything after hearing that, but she had made a decision inside.

After that, she slept all night and woke up the next morning. Before she opened her eyes, she could already hear the pitter patter of rain outside the window.

She got up and opened the window, and sure enough, the light rain outside had not stopped. A lot of water had accumulated in the courtyard overnight. Looking at this, even if the carriage were to continue on the road, the trip wouldn’t be easy even after the rain stopped. It had to wait at least half a day for the road to dry up.

She was like an arrow flying to return home. She didn’t have the patience to wait anymore, afraid that Qi Yang would return to the capital already. Lu Qipei closed the window, turned around and changed into a riding outfit that’s comfortable to move in. After an early breakfast, she put on a raincoat and prepared to go out on horseback.

Seeing this, the two minor officials panicked a little and were about to say something when Lu Qipei waved and interrupted them. “I’m in a hurry to return to the capital due to a private matter. The rain is blocking the road right now, so it’s reasonable for you two to stay here and wait for the rain to stop. Don’t worry about the Court of Judicial Review. Wait for the rain to stop, then return back with the documents. No one will blame you.”

After saying this, Lu Qipei left everyone behind, riding in the rain with just one attendant.

The posthouse was not actually far from the capital, only half a day away by carriage. Riding a horse would be even faster. Although it was hard to travel on a rainy day, Lu Qipei who set out in the morning managed to arrive at Huguo temple in the afternoon.

After asking the monks in the temple, Lu Qipei was relieved to learn that Princess Qi Yang had not returned to the capital.

Qi Yang prayed and stayed in a side room in Huguo temple’s backyard. This wasn’t Lu Qipei’s first time going to Huguo temple’s backyard, and she didn’t need a guide there. She went there by herself and naturally met many guards and servants, but no one dared to stop her when they saw it was the Prince Consort.

Lu Qipei traveled unimpeded, and had taken off her raincoat and hat by the time she reached outside Qi Yang’s residence. She casually handed them to the maid guarding outside Qi Yang’s room, and tidied up her slightly wet clothes. “How has Her Highness been these days?”

The maid leaned over and replied, “Answering the Prince Consort, Her Highness is well. She is taking a nap right now.”

Lu Qipei actually wanted to ask whether Her Highness had been angry about her delay, but she was too embarrassed to ask the maid, so she just nodded and said, “Then I’ll go in and have a look.”

The Princess and her prince consort were known to be deeply in love. No one stopped her, and Lu Qipei carefully opened the door and walked inside.

She saw that on a small couch inside the room, one big body and one small body were nestled together, sleeping soundly accompanied by the sound of the rain.

Author notes:

Lu Qipei (shocked): Wait wait, I only went away for a few days. Has the spot next to Her Royal Highness The Princess already changed hands!?

Qi Yang (hugging the dumpling): Prince Consort, I suddenly found after hugging Ah Sheng that she’s feels softer and more fragrant than you…

Lu Qipei (expressionless): Dumplings are useless anyway, let’s throw her away as soon as possible!!

Lu Sheng (confused face): !?!?!?