Chapter 466: Token

Yi Na's carriage left Dependents Village, and Northwest Army cavalry followed at a distance, neither too near nor too far.

One was to monitor and guard; the other was to escort.

This was naturally Huo Jiang's intention.

Yi Na and her child must not come to any harm within Daye's territory.

As long as we see them safely cross the border between the two countries, whatever situation they face upon returning to Beili will have nothing to do with the Northwest Army.

After seeing Yi Na off, Gu Xixi and Lv Jing also returned to the small courtyard to hitch the cart and move their luggage.

This time, because Yi Na gave birth, they had been delayed several days at the border; it was time to return as soon as possible.

The mule cart swayed back and forth, and Dependents Village behind them could no longer be seen……

Gu Xixi lowered her head to look at the curved blade Yi Na had given her, her palm lightly stroking the hilt.

The scabbard was inlaid with a large pigeon-blood red ruby.

But the value of this knife does not lie therein.

Rather, it is the family crest engraved at the bottom of the hilt.

To understand the world better, she had read many local gazettes and miscellaneous discourses.

In Beili, ordinary nobles and official families are not worthy of possessing a family crest.

Only a few royal princes and the chief families of various tribes, passed down through generations, have their own unique family crests.

Each family crest is unique, representing that family's authority and glory.

Objects engraved with a family crest are symbols of nobility and proof of identity.

Therefore, the curved blade in Gu Xixi's hand is also a kind of token.

Recalling Yi Na's whisper in her ear at parting.

"This knife was given to me by my father at my coming-of-age ceremony; it is my most cherished possession."

"All my tribesmen who see this knife see me as well."

"If one day you need help, this knife might come in handy."

"Of course, if I can overcome this crisis upon returning to my country, I will find a way to send you a message."

Saying this, Yi Na gave a sly smile: "Your man holds high power and authority, his thoughts are deep, and he is full of schemes; I must be very careful when speaking with him. He is far more terrifying than my husband."

Gu Xixi stared, "Have you seen him?"

Yi Na laughed and nodded, "If you ever grow weary of staying in Daye and wish to leave him, you are welcome to come to me at any time."

"I dare not promise you a marquisate and premiership, but I can still afford wealth and honor; when the time comes, you may choose from among the fine young men of Beili."

Gu Xixi and Yi Na exchanged glances, unable to suppress a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness; I have taken note of it all."

She also joked, "However, I am fairly satisfied with my current life, and I hope there will never be a day when I need to ask you to repay a favor."

The two smiled at each other.

Although the two women are in different situations and hold opposing positions,

but at least at this moment, they both truly felt the existence of what is called "friendship."

Let's leave future matters to be discussed later.

In the blink of an eye, noon passed; Lv Jing finally found a patch of shade and stopped the cart.

The two people shared a meal with one mule.

Now the border's security is excellent; whether stopping midway to rest or camping outdoors, there is no fear of encountering bandits.

Lv Jing took a bite of a sesame pancake and said, "These days the villagers are no longer as hostile toward Yi Na and her child as before."

"I originally thought she would at least finish the postpartum month."

"I never expected she would leave just after ten days, while Le Nu is still small and she herself hasn't recovered well; I don't know what she's rushing about."

"She is certainly anxious," Gu Xixi said lightly, "they and her child will eventually have to return to Beili."

"They must already be eager to return home."

Yi Na, who gave birth to a royal heir while hiding in Daye, has already been here this long; the news will sooner or later be transmitted to the Beili Royal Palace.

As the saying goes, 'long nights bring many dreams'; delaying return by even a day adds several points of risk.

For Yi Na, before the palace notices, the best and only choice is to return to her own tribe as soon as possible.

Moreover, these arrangements were likely already settled when Yi Na met with Mu Nan Zhao and Huo Jiang.

When Gu Xixi returned home, He Jinglan's letter had already been placed on the desk in her room.

Gu Xixi didn't have time to put away the luggage she brought back; she immediately tore open the envelope.

As she read the letter, her brows suddenly knotted, and her fingertips clenched from nervousness.

But after reading a few more lines, she visibly relaxed.

Then she ground ink on the paper and began to write a reply.

There were two letters in total, one for He Jinglan and the other addressed directly to the Regent Prince's residence.

……

As the saying goes, 'injury to tendons and bones takes a hundred days to heal'; for a long time afterward, Mu Nan Zhao did not return to the Northwest.

His duties in the Northwest were also temporarily taken over by others.

However, correspondence back and forth became frequent.

It seemed like in the blink of an eye, deep autumn with falling leaves had arrived.

All the farmland under Gu Xixi's name once again welcomed a bumper harvest of millet.

Now, after undergoing many trials, Lv Jing has grown quickly and is basically able to stand on her own.

Therefore, Gu Xixi herself went to the tea garden, she had Lv Jing go to the farmstead to take charge of Shopkeeper Liao's purchase of millet.

The tea trees that were fully planted in Cha Yuan a month ago have already survived.

Gu Xixi personally walked a large circuit inside Cha Yuan, while also following the workers doing work in various places to understand the situation.

As she was about to walk out, the accountant came running over, saying, "Boss, quite a few people have come looking for you."

"They've been waiting outside our accounting office for quite a while."

Gu Xixi frowned, puzzled, "Who are they? Did they say what they want?"

She had originally planned to head back and, on the way, visit Zhao Meipo.

She never expected that, at the last moment, these people seeking her would suddenly appear.

The accountant replied, "The two groups are not together."

"One group has several dozen people, coming in crowds, claiming to be surnamed Gu and to be your relatives, Boss."

"The other side has only three people; the leader is a young nobleman, dressed finely and splendidly, who arrived by carriage and brought two attendants."

Gu Xixi walked while thinking for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll go see; you don't need to worry about it."

Since the summer harvest clan meeting, Gu Xixi has essentially cut off contact with the local Gu clan.

Even when some of them come to buy pesticides and fertilizer, it's purely business.

Today they gathered these people and rushed to Cha Yuan—what do they want? To keep pressuring her with soft words and hard tactics, forcing her to take on work?

Cha Yuan had already finished its public recruitment two months ago—do they still not give up?

Thinking of this, when Gu Xixi walked near the accounting office, she had no pleasant expression at all.

Suddenly a man's voice jeered, "From afar I saw Boss Gu coming with a fierce air—this expression is truly frightening."

"Could it be that you're blaming He for coming uninvited and wasting Boss Gu's time?"

Gu Xixi startled, followed the sound and looked up, and actually saw He Jinghui standing in the shade behind the house.

She glanced left and right, then walked forward, "Official He?"

He Jinghui laughed, "Don't bother looking; he didn't come."

"I'm temporarily taking on one of his errands, making this trip for him."

"Before I head back, I still need to follow his orders and come take a look at Boss Gu."

Gu Xixi stood before He Jinghui and said, "Official He, you came to Cha Yuan looking for me—was that also his direction?"

He Jinghui laughed, "Not just him—there's also Jing Lan."

"They both said, considering the season, you probably spend all your days lately in Cha Yuan."

"Rather than possibly coming up empty at home, it's better to come here to find someone—the odds are higher."