The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 1239

Chapter 1239: 606 Father! (Third Watch)

Lord Xuanping left the Tea Shed still feeling sentimental, "The folks here are truly warm-hearted, not even charging for tea."

The owner of the Tea Shed had been running his stall for seven or eight years and had never seen such a stingy customer before!

Absolutely unbelievable!

The torrential rain showed no signs of abating, making traveling in such weather extremely dangerous and inconvenient.

Of course, that applied to others, but Lord Xuanping was a military general, who had experienced even worse weather on the battlefield; he would not easily be stopped halfway.

Dressed in a thick straw coat and wearing a bamboo hat, Lord Xuanping rode atop his tall steed.

He patted its head, looking into the waterfall-like rain and said, "That old man is on his last breath, don’t you understand he cannot be allowed to die a peaceful death?"

The horse seemed to sense its master’s determination and murderous aura, neighing loudly and rearing up before charging fearlessly into the downpour.

Meanwhile, Xiao Hen, after a whole day’s arduous journey, finally arrived at the same Tea Shed Lord Xuanping had once visited.

At night, the Tea Shed was supposed to close, but because the rain was too heavy, the customers could not leave, and the owner could not return home.

The Tea Shed was packed, and the price of tea and food skyrocketed, with steamed buns that cost two coins each now soaring to ten coins.

The carriage raced through the rain, and Liao Quan, dressed in a straw coat, with eyes barely able to open, said, "Young Master Xiao, there’s a Tea Shed ahead, shall we take a break there?"

Xiao Hen replied with a focused gaze, "Uncle Liao, please continue to push on."

Liao Quan tightened the reins, "I’m fine, but I’m worried about you! You’ve been traveling all day, how are your wounds?"

"I’m alright, let’s keep going then," Xiao Hen said.

"Eh," Liao Quan acknowledged.

"Wait," Xiao Hen suddenly interjected, "Stop a moment."

Liao Quan pulled the carriage to a halt, "What’s the matter?"

Xiao Hen looked at the map in his hand, then glanced at the fork in the road ahead, "There are two paths ahead, I don’t know which one he took."

Both roads led to the Official Road near Creek Village, but the conditions of the roads varied, and the time spent on each would also differ.

Xiao Hen was familiar with the geography of Zhan Country to be aware of these details, whereas Lord Xuanping hardly visited the fiefs of Prince Liang and might not know which road was the shorter one.

"Let’s ask at the Tea Shed," Xiao Hen decided.

"Alright!" Liao Quan drove the carriage towards the Tea Shed.

The owner of the Tea Shed was boiling water when he saw a carriage stop beside him and said without thinking, "We’re full, no space left; you should keep going. There’s a post station about ten miles east from here."

Xiao Hen pushed aside the curtains and peered through the thick rain toward the Tea Shed owner, "Sorry to disturb you, I’m looking for someone. Did a tall, handsome man in his early thirties visit here today?"

Lord Xuanping was not in his early thirties, but he looked too young; the maturity was just an added trait of his appearance.

The Tea Shed owner added a handful of firewood to the stove and casually replied, "Quite a few came by, which one are you talking about?"

Xiao Hen wanted to say the most handsome one, but as a grown man, it felt a bit awkward to say, and even "handsome" was the extent of his comfort.

After a moment of thought, with a shift in his eyes, Xiao Hen asked, "The particularly stingy one?"

"Ah! So you mean him," the Tea Shed owner was suddenly energized, his complaints flowing ceaselessly like the torrential Yellow River.

"I’ve run a Tea Shed all my life and never seen someone so stingy! A single Copper Plate! Can you believe it?"

"Even the beggars gave me two!"

"..."

Xiao Hen bore a barrage of complaints that someone his age should not have to endure.

"Which way did he go?" Xiao Hen inquired.

"Over there!" the Tea Shed owner pointed vigorously in a direction, still fuming.

"Thank you," Xiao Hen lowered the curtain and spread the map, "Uncle Liao, let’s set out."

The Tea Shed owner was baffled.

Was he just asking for information without buying anything?

Should’ve at least bought a couple of steamed buns before leaving!

"Stop!" the Tea Shed owner called out to Xiao Hen’s carriage.

Xiao Hen lifted the curtain, "Is there something else?"

The Tea Shed owner handed him two steamed buns, then flipped his palm up twice.

Two times five, meaning ten.

Xiao Hen wasn’t in the mood for food and didn’t really want them, but since the owner insisted, he reluctantly accepted them.

He took the steamed buns and waved to the Tea Shed owner, "Thanks, until next time."

And then he left.

The Tea Shed owner again, "...!!"

He looked at his hand frozen mid-air, then at the steamed buns that had been taken.

Is that what I meant?!

...

The rain was far too intense, and the horse could barely run, only able to proceed at a slow pace.

"Uncle Liao, if it keeps raining like this, he should only have reached here by now," Xiao Hen pointed to a small village on the map, "Yangliu Village."

Liao Quan didn’t understand this; he had never been to Pingcheng Prefecture City and had been following Xiao Hen’s directions all along.

He asked, "Is he far from the incident site? If it’s too far, perhaps he won’t be caught in the landslide."

"Anyone else taking this road would definitely not make it in time," Xiao Hen said.

But he is Lord Xuanping.

No matter how many obstacles lie ahead, he will surely find a way to reach Prince Liang’s residence.