116 Here and There, Whats the Difference? 3 (1/2)
Travelling with the assurance of the solid earth directly below the carriage was indeed comforting compared staring down from outside of Jiang'an.
The imperial carriage and nine others silently traversed through the forest, the only sounds apart from nature's beckon constituting the carriage driver's calls, and the occasional grunt of protest from the horses.
Regarding the carriage drivers, An Fei could only release an appreciative sigh.
…the empress, perhaps due to her awe-inspiring attainment in cultivation, had only stocked up on incompatible supplies.
Strictly meaning, candied fruit, nuts, and dried variants of meat and bread.
One was solely incompatible with a traveling environment where a decent food supply was impossible to obtain within the middle of a forest, and the other was tiresome to eat with limited water.
Thinking about the two days that she had to gnaw on the thick piece of jerky that Feng Yu Xin had cheerfully distributed to the three maidens, the young girl shuddered in terror.
The leathery surface and unsalted taste, not to mention that as it slid down her throat, there was an equally sufficient chance of getting lodged and stuck halfway down…
…Zhang Yuewen had indeed choked on a piece of beef jerky, thus necessitating the change.
”Your Imperial Highness, the carriage at the front has come to a stop!” the carriage driver called from outside of the cabin.
”Mm,” Feng Yu Xin slowly hummed in response.
Taking a glance at the three young maidens who where playing a makeshift game of Go using two types of candied nuts, the empress raised her voice towards the carriage driver.
”Then let us stop. It's close to becoming evening, having a break isn't outrageous.”
”Understood, Your Imperial Highness!” the carriage driver responded in a respectful tone, before whipping the air above the horses with the whip.
The eight horses gradually slowed to a trot, then halted alongside of the lead carriage of the convoy.
Other than the initial change in speed and the final stop, An Fei couldn't detect anything from within the cabin, causing her to applaud the makers of the imperial carriage one more time.
The suspension of the wheels was truly worthy of its praise!
”We're finally stopping for the day?” Zhang Yuewen rolled her neck and stretched, her body singing in pleasant agony after having remained seated for numerous hours.
”Sister Xi, Sister Fei, let's go outside! Outside, where the three of us can finally breathe some fresh air, ah!”
Luo Xi gracefully nodded in assent, before grasping the young girl's hand as she made her way out of the cabin.
With Zhang Yuewen leading the path, the three young maidens departed from the imperial carriage, only to be struck with numerous gazes of envy.
Each carriage housed approximately three people, and they envied the participants within the Imperial carriage not only for the prestige it garnered by sitting next to the Empress of Great Yong, but also because the blackwood carriage possessed far greater suspension compared to theirs.
Their bodies felt as if they were about to fall apart, yet these three Young Misses have the nerve to appear tired before them!?
”This Elder Sister here, ah,” a Young Miss complained towards her companions sitting next to her with dejected expressions.
”She not only gets the opportunity to ride with the Empress, but she also doesn't have to worry about her bones being lit on fire. Look at her! Strutting around like that before the rest of us, what arrogance!”
”That's right! What family is she from, to not display any respect towards Sister Yan? Sister Yan is from a prestigious family, but this Young Miss doesn't even spare a glance…”
Raising an eyebrow at the muffled complaints issued from the girls' mouths, Zhang Yuewen cheerfully turned towards the two other maidens following her.
”Look, aren't they attempting to deface our reputation?” the belle revealed a callous smile.
”Shouldn't we go and greet them, as the daughters of Imperial Censors and Uncle Wei?”
”…is that even appropriate?” Luo Xi frowned at the suggestion.
”They're just being piteously jealous that we have the permission to be seated in a carriage of higher quality, do we really have to…”
”…what does Sister Fei think?” the belle pressed again, her countenance reflecting a desire to stir up trouble.
The young girl continued to stare at the forest scenery, an absentminded gaze behind her veiled countenance. Eventually, An Fei opened her mouth to respond to Zhang Yuewen.
”…too troublesome…”
Revealing an exasperated stare towards the two young maidens who reflected an indecisive expression, Zhang Yuewen released a heavy sigh, trudging back to sit against the wheels of the imperial carriage.
In her mind, she too thought that such a matter would be quite troublesome whilst traveling towards the Taiyi Sect…
Forget it, it seemed that she was going to have to play Go with candied nuts with Luo Xi, or become like An Fei and sleep all day long…