Song Chaoyu had to admit that Dong Shuang was right.
She also hadn't expected that at such a young age, she had already gone through so many things.
Although Dong Shuang was her attendant, Song Chaoyu did not act superior towards her. "Yes, you should live on safely for all of them."
Dong Shuang seemed to realize that she shouldn't have said so much.
She lowered her head and smiled faintly, "Don't worry, I will be fine, and all of us will be fine!"
Perhaps it was because Dong Shuang had said this, but at this moment, Song Chaoyu felt that this Xiaoyin Village seemed particularly different.
Fortunately, the heavy rain soon passed, and they could continue on their way.
However, the further they went towards Qin Prefecture, the more muddy the road became.
Xiao Ruizhi knew that the roads here were steep and difficult, so he had already found a local guide to lead the way.
This person had a long-standing friendship with Xiao Ruizhi. He was formerly a servant in the palace of the small Qin Kingdom, and later received help from Xiao Ruizhi's family, which allowed him to live a stable life today.
His name was "Tang Ming," a sturdy Qin Prefecture man.
When Song Chaoyu and the others passed Xiaoyin Village, they met Tang Ming at the fork in the road in front of the village entrance.
He was wearing simple hunter's clothes and happily greeted them.
He was the only one who knew Song Chaoyu's identity, so he wanted to bow to them.
But Xiao Ruizhi grabbed him, "Tang Ming, we are all our own people. Don't be so formal. This time we are traveling incognito, so treat us like your usual friends, don't be so reserved. Our master is using the alias Han Xi, and the madam is naturally Madam Han. Just keep this in mind."
Yes, Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi had decided to use the familiar names.
The title Madam Han brought a peculiar gentleness to Song Chaoyu's heart.
Tang Ming smiled and nodded, appearing to be a very cheerful person.
Mu Changxi also spoke to him kindly, "We hope our visit this time has not delayed your affairs. I fear you will have to accompany us for quite some distance!"
Tang Ming scratched his head and started leading the way, "You are too kind. Xiao Rui and I are good friends, and you have given me quite a bit of money this time, enough for my family to live on for a long time. I am a hunter in these mountains, and it's no different from my usual walks and hunts in the mountains, is it?"
Tang Ming was very familiar with the situation in Qin Prefecture.
Qin Prefecture largely continued the situation of the former small Qin Kingdom. In these continuous mountain ranges, many small villages were hidden. The villagers were self-sufficient, and the entire Qin Prefecture basically relied on trade with other prefectures for its livelihood.
Speaking of this, Tang Ming smiled even more honestly, "Although I was formerly a person of the small Qin Kingdom, I dare say that most people of the small Qin Kingdom feel that we are very good as people of the Great Yue now! The court has built roads for us in the mountains and has specifically sent a chamber of commerce to settle in Qin Prefecture. Trade in Qin Prefecture is much more convenient now than before, and everyone's lives have naturally improved."
This was why the small Qin Kingdom had integrated so quickly with the people of the Great Yue Dynasty after surrendering.
In addition to this, Tang Ming also introduced that there were now about three relatively large cities in the entire Qin Prefecture.
First and foremost, of course, was the former capital of the small Qin Kingdom, Yacheng, which is now Qin Prefecture City.
Qin Prefecture City was located in the basin almost in the center of these continuous mountain ranges. It was the only relatively large and open plain area in the small Qin Kingdom, which was why it could accommodate such a large city.
The other two cities were very small in scale, perhaps not even as large as a town in the Great Yue Dynasty, but they were also situated on small plains and were the most developed areas in Qin Prefecture.
Tang Ming knew the purpose of Mu Changxi's visit, and he explained, "As far as I know, the Tan family lineage from those years still has people in Qin Prefecture. However, I cannot be sure, and I am asking around for information. I will first take you to Qin Prefecture City to rest, and then we will continue south. I know of a collateral descendant of the Tan family who is now running a tavern in Yuecheng, south of Qin Prefecture. But that was three years ago, and we won't know if we can find the person until we go there!"
The road ahead was muddy, and Tang Ming helped the coachman detour around a water pit before continuing, "There are many mountain roads in Qin Prefecture. After passing Qin Prefecture City, this large carriage may not be convenient to travel. How about we take sedan chairs?"
He probably intended to suggest that riding horses would be more convenient, but seeing Mu Changxi's wooden wheelchair, he proposed the idea of sedan chairs.
"No matter."
Mu Changxi understood Tang Ming's meaning, "We can find some good horses then and ride them."
Xiao Ruizhi also nodded, "I have brought the special saddle for our master, so you can find good horses with confidence."
Tang Ming clapped his hands, "That would be wonderful! If we can ride horses, our speed will be much faster on these mountain roads!"
He rubbed his hands together, "We'll hunt for our meals then, and I'll show you my skills!"
It was evident that even Mu Changxi liked Tang Ming's enthusiastic and cheerful demeanor, and the gloom on his face had somewhat lessened at this moment.
Tang Ming said that although Qin Prefecture was not large, due to the many mountain roads and the bad weather in the past two days, their speed would not be very fast.
It would likely take another three days to reach Qin Prefecture City.
However, speaking of this, Tang Ming still said, "If it were in the past, we wouldn't dare to delay for so long on the road. I fear there would be bandits made from deserters, constantly watching us! But in the past two years, the court has sent many generals to suppress bandits. The roads are very safe now, and many post stations and tea houses have been set up for us to rest. Alas... if only we had surrendered to the Great Yue Dynasty earlier!"
In the capital in the past, Song Chaoyu did not have this feeling.
She sometimes felt that the nobles in the capital were too extravagant.
But now she realized that the Emperor's diligent governance over the years had not been in vain.
At least for the people of Qin Prefecture, most of them recognized the Great Yue Dynasty and were happy to be subjects of the Great Yue Dynasty.
This must be what those in power should be happiest about.
Tang Ming was indeed very familiar with the way, and by evening, he had led them to the first larger post station on the mountain.
There were few people on the mountain road, but unexpectedly, there were quite a few people at this post station.
They managed to get the last few rooms and would naturally rest here for the night.
However, Song Chaoyu noticed that there was a southern merchant caravan here.
They were noisy and numerous.
This made Song Chaoyu worry if they might recognize Mu Changxi.