"Shadow One will stay to clean up. The rest of you, continue on."
With Feng Xiwu's command, the carriage continued south.
Li Yang was still unwilling. "Your Highness, we're just leaving like this? Lin Qingquan was punished, but what about Xiao Yueying? Are we just going to let her scheme and use us like this?"
Lin Qingquan was indeed detestable. If Xiao Yueying had dealt with him using her own abilities, Li Yang would have called her a hero.
But she had used Lu Qingwan, and even Feng Xiwu. In Li Yang's eyes, this was simply unforgivable.
"Didn't I already tell you to send Xiao Yueying back to Shangjing?"
Lu Qingwan was also helpless with this straightforward subordinate. "Even if Wu Ying was soft-hearted, there's still Li Jin in Shangjing. He won't let her off easy.
Our trip this time is for His Highness's leg. Nothing is more important than that. Don't get your priorities mixed up!"
As soon as she mentioned treating her master's leg, Li Yang lost all his complaints.
He responded crisply, "Yes, Consort!"
He drove the carriage straight to Cangwu City, wishing he could fly to Medicine King Valley overnight and cure Feng Xiwu's leg.
Both Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu were jolted and hit the carriage wall.
She wasn't angry, but rather understood why such a steady person as Feng Xiwu would have such a lively subordinate as Li Yang.
Although he was occasionally slow-witted, he was very loyal and obedient, which was rare.
Cangwu City, the foremost town in the Southern Lands, the former capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom.
As soon as Lu Qingwan entered the city, she was dazzled by the sight of blooming flowers. "Is this really a city, or a giant park?"
Everywhere she looked, there were lush flowers, and even the architectural style of the houses matched the colors and styles of the flowers in the area.
It was as if the houses weren't built by hand but had grown out of the flowerbeds.
"Most cities in the Southern Lands are like this, and Cangwu City is even more so."
The sight of the beautiful and refreshing scenery completely relaxed Feng Xiwu's brows.
"Because of this, Cangwu City has another name, which is Hundred Flower City."
He patiently explained to Lu Qingwan, "Cangwu City is like spring all year round, but do you see that mountain in the distance?
The people of the Southern Lands call it Cangwu Sacred Mountain. Even in the heat of June, it snows there.
A hundred flowers bloom at the foot of the mountain, and auspicious snow signifies a good harvest on the mountain. This is the greatest marvel of Cangwu City.
Every year around June, many scholars and poets travel thousands of miles from all over to Cangwu City, just to witness this astonishing spectacle!"
Lu Qingwan nodded continuously. "I can understand. If I were one of those scholars and poets, I certainly wouldn't want to miss such a marvel."
She gazed longingly at the snow-capped mountain, which looked like it was wearing a white felt hat. "When your leg is better, can we go hiking?
It would be so exhilarating to climb up there with great effort and then ski down with a sled!"
Her tone was expectant, and her eyes sparkled like a playful child.
Feng Xiwu had actually been to Cangwu City before, but Lu Qingwan's cheerful mood made him look forward to it too.
"Climbing mountains is fine, but what is a sled?"
"It's a tool for winter sports. I can't explain it clearly in a moment. When I get Tie Shou to make one for me, you'll see."
Lu Qingwan excitedly lifted the curtain and looked at the passing pedestrians. "Their clothes are so beautiful! I want to change into something like this later!"
Perhaps influenced by the environment, the people of Cangwu City, both men and women, wore clothes with very mixed patterns and bright colors.
But in the unique environment of Cangwu City, no matter how mixed the patterns were, they gave the impression of being vibrant without being vulgar.
They looked like the clothing of the Bai and Miao ethnic groups in modern Yunnan.
Lu Qingwan had been a hairpin maker and worn Hanfu from various dynasties, but she hadn't had much experience with ethnic clothing. It wasn't that she couldn't get it, but rather that she lacked suitable occasions.
Finally having the chance to wear such clothes openly, she had already figured out how she would match them in her mind.
She then turned her attention to Feng Xiwu. "You should change into one too. We'll wear matching outfits, find someone to paint a portrait, and then hang it in the clothing shop as an advertisement, hehe..."
Her mood was so exuberant that her final two laughs sounded silly, and she unknowingly uttered many new words that didn't exist in this era.
Feng Xiwu murmured thoughtfully, "Matching outfits?"
"Ah, it's clothes where the styles and patterns are similar, so people can tell at a glance that we are a married couple or lovers.
They might not have them in clothing shops, but we're not short of money. We can ask a tailor to make them, right?"
"Yes."
Feng Xiwu's lips curved slightly. It was rare for his little consort to want to declare her ownership, so even if Cangwu City didn't have these so-called matching outfits, he would find a way to have a tailor make them.
The carriage turned and stopped in front of a small courtyard full of flowers. Li Yang's voice came from outside, "Master, Madam, we've arrived."
Lu Qingwan lifted the curtain, jumped nimbly off the carriage, and went around to the back.
The guards had already placed the wheelchair, and Feng Xiwu, bracing himself on the carriage frame, leaped lightly and landed steadily on the wheelchair.
With such a smooth movement, apart from the wheelchair on the ground, there was no indication that he was a person with mobility issues.
However, Feng Xiwu still disliked being seen when he got in and out of the carriage.
Even Lu Qingwan, his consort, had only accidentally witnessed it once before she gave up trying to avoid it.
But Lu Qingwan, being a doctor and healer, had seen all sorts of patients and highly understood Feng Xiwu's fragile pride.
So she never paid excessive attention to Feng Xiwu's leg injury. As soon as Feng Xiwu was settled in his wheelchair, she ambled forward and caught a myna bird that had landed on a camellia.
The little bird chirped, which to others sounded like pleasant birdsong, but to Lu Qingwan, it was a string of important intelligence.
"I'm so tired. She tied my little feet so tight, and something big kept chasing me..."
The bird chirped, lifting one of its claws. Lu Qingwan took down the bamboo tube tied to its claw and handed the bird to Li Su. "Go, take it to get something to eat."
With Lu Qingwan nearby, the myna bird was not afraid of people and hopped onto Li Su's shoulder, following him away.
Lu Qingwan followed Feng Xiwu into the small courtyard, looking around at the furnishings with some suspicion. "Are we not staying at an inn this time?"
As they traveled south, Lu Qingwan noticed that except for a few times they camped outdoors, they often stayed in places that seemed to belong to Feng Xiwu, like roadside inns.
Some were disguised as inns, some were restaurants, and even tea houses.
But as long as Feng Xiwu stayed there, they would close for business, and they didn't have to do anything themselves; the staff at the inn would attend to their food and lodging.
However, this small courtyard seemed different from the other disguised inns they had stayed in.