The next morning, Leng Ruo Li opened her door to a gust of wind. Outside, houses and trees were covered in a thick white coat. Truly, "mountains danced like silver snakes, and hills galloped like wax elephants," with the earth blanketed by a thick quilt. The heavy snow had finally stopped.
Last night's northwesterly wind had caused a sharp drop in temperature. Leng Ruo Li wore a gold-embroidered, cloud-patterned brocade jacket, with a fur-lined cloak draped over it. Her hair was styled in a堕马髻 (duò mǎ jì), adorned with a butterfly hairpin. Her eyebrows were like slender willows, her face delicate and beautiful, giving her an air of noble elegance and chilling beauty.
Last night, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han had discussed their plans. Since matters in the capital were mostly settled, it was time for them to set out in search of the two medicinal ingredients.
She walked to Jun Mo Han's study, where he was also in the study, handling some documents, dressed in a brown and green trimmed brocade cotton robe with a python pattern.
"Jun Mo Han, we are departing today. Have you sent someone to the palace to inform His Majesty and the Empress Dowager that we are leaving?" Leng Ruo Li asked calmly.
"I sent Ye Ying to the palace early this morning. He should be almost back by now," Jun Mo Han replied.
"Mm-hmm, then let's have the butler prepare more provisions for the journey," Leng Ruo Li suggested with a slight nod.
"How about… we go buy them ourselves? We can buy whatever we need," Jun Mo Han said after a few moments of thought.
Leng Ruo Li nodded in strong agreement.
Following this, the two boarded a carriage and headed into the city. They bought whatever caught their eye – food, clothing, and necessities. In no time, they had filled an entire carriage with goods, leaving no room for themselves inside.
Leng Ruo Li suddenly felt that it would be inconvenient to travel with such a large amount of luggage. Therefore, she planned to store the carriage's contents in the storage room of her system space.
"Jun Mo Han, shall we play a game?"
Leng Ruo Li stuck out her tongue at Jun Mo Han, blinking her eyes playfully.
Upon hearing this, Jun Mo Han looked at the cunning and lively Leng Ruo Li, his handsome brows furrowing slightly. He guessed she must have come up with some mischievous idea again.
"What game?" Jun Mo Han asked, feigning composure.
"You close your eyes first, and only open them when I tell you to," Leng Ruo Li said mysteriously.
As she finished speaking, Jun Mo Han carefully observed the expression on Leng Ruo Li's face. Seeing no trace of deceit, he obediently closed his eyes. Leng Ruo Li then turned him around to face outwards from the carriage.
Subsequently, Leng Ruo Li waved her wide sleeve, and all the goods in the carriage vanished into the storage room of her system space.
"Alright, Jun Mo Han, you can open your eyes now," Leng Ruo Li said with a giggle.
Jun Mo Han immediately opened his eyes and turned around. He was stunned to find that the piled-up goods in the carriage were gone.
"Li'er, where did all the things on our carriage go?" Jun Mo Han asked, completely bewildered.
At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He rubbed his eyes several times, but still, he couldn't see the items on the carriage.
He then checked Leng Ruo Li's sleeves and pockets repeatedly, but still, he couldn't find any of the goods.
At this moment, Jun Mo Han recalled some of the strange behaviors that had occurred with Leng Ruo Li.
He suddenly asked, "Do you have a pocket that can grow and shrink?"
Upon hearing his question, Leng Ruo Li paused for a few seconds.
Then, she quickly reacted, going along with Jun Mo Han's lead, and said slowly, "That's right, I do have a Qiankun Bag that can grow and shrink."
Jun Mo Han was utterly astonished. So, his Li'er indeed possessed an astonishing secret.
However, this Qiankun Bag was simply incredible!
To be able to store so much in an instant.
Traveling with Li'er would be so much more convenient for him, not only would they not have to carry a carriage full of goods, but he could also retrieve and store items whenever needed.
However, he knew that such a treasure in Li'er's possession must never be revealed, so he had to remind her.
"Li'er, you possess such a magical treasure, you must not let a third person know about it. Otherwise, it will surely attract covetousness and the vying of various forces, thus bringing danger upon yourself," Jun Mo Han earnestly cautioned.
"Don't worry, you're the only one who knows this secret for now. I haven't even told my own father," Leng Ruo Li replied with a faint smile.
"It's good that you know. If you let this secret out, I might not even be able to protect you," Jun Mo Han said with a slight nod.
Heh heh, Jun Mo Han, I've revealed such a big secret I've been hiding to you. Aren't you deeply touched right now!" Leng Ruo Li teased him with a raised eyebrow.
Jun Mo Han: "…"
He suddenly felt like not talking to her anymore.
Then, Leng Ruo Li seemed to have opened a floodgate of words. On the carriage ride back to the Prince's Estate, she chattered on and on, perhaps due to her excitement about leaving soon.
When they returned to the Prince's Estate, Ye Ying, who had gone to the palace to report, had also returned. Jun Mo Han immediately summoned Ye Ying, Yin Chen, the butler, several hidden guards and guards, as well as Chu Ming Xuan, to his study.
"Today, this Prince and the Princess Consort are preparing to leave. You must guard the Leng Prince's Estate well. This trip might take up to a month before we can return. You must all be disciplined in your conduct," Jun Mo Han said sternly to them.
"Yes, Your Highness. Your subordinate obeys!" everyone replied respectfully.
At this moment, Ye Ying and Yin Chen stepped forward from the ranks and said in unison, "Your Highness, Princess Consort, please take us with you!"
Jun Mo Han glanced at the two and said calmly, "If you both wish to accompany us, only one of you can go. One must remain to guard the Leng Prince's Estate, and furthermore, no one must discover that this Prince and the Princess Consort have left the capital."
"Yes, this Princess Consort and His Highness have too many enemies. We must avoid everyone's eyes and ears on this trip, so one of them must stay behind to guard the Leng Prince's Estate and impersonate His Highness. Also, even this Princess Consort cannot bring any maids with her," Leng Ruo Li added.
After she spoke, Jun Mo Han was silent for a moment before saying, "This time, let Ye Ying guard the Prince's Estate. Ye Ying's build is most similar to mine, and he has impersonated me before."
"Yes, Your Highness. Your subordinate obeys!"
Although Ye Ying wished to accompany His Highness, since His Highness had assigned him a task, he had to obey the order.
Subsequently, Jun Mo Han and Leng Ruo Li arranged for Yin Chen, Yin Yi, Yin Er, and Chu Ming Xuan to accompany them on their journey, while the remaining individuals were left behind to guard the Prince's Estate.
Then, after Jun Mo Han made arrangements for the Leng Prince's Estate, he instructed the few men to return to their rooms to pack their luggage. Once they had finished packing, Jun Mo Han led them to his and Leng Ruo Li's chambers.