Two days ago, she was sent to Anyang, two hundred miles from Zhaojing. At that time, the entourage from Xiyan, sent for the diplomatic marriage, was resting at a local inn. When they set off the next day, two of the carriages carrying the beauties broke down after failing to withstand the long journey, forcing the women to be redistributed among the remaining carriages.
It was under these circumstances that Mei Lin found herself in the current carriage. After two days, she finally understood why no one questioned her identity.
The journey had been exhausting, and strict protocols meant that the beauties had little opportunity to converse after disembarking. Even when they did, it was only with those in the same carriage. Consequently, they were unfamiliar with the women in the other carriages, let alone the guards who rarely had the chance to see their faces. Of course, this plan would not have been so easy without the cooperation of those in power in Xiyan.
However, these matters were not her concern, and it was best not to dwell on them. Knowing too much would do her no good. She had more urgent issues to address.
The language of Xiyan.
The women spoke in soft, melodious voices, their words flowing like a gentle song—truly pleasant to the ear, though she had no idea what they were saying. How ridiculous it would be for someone supposedly from Xiyan to not understand the Xiyan language.
Every detail of the mission had been meticulously planned, so why had this one crucial aspect been overlooked? She couldn't understand it, yet she had no choice but to handle it cautiously.
As she pondered this, she felt a warmth near her ear—someone had leaned in to whisper to her. Mei Lin suppressed her instinctive reaction to pull away and turned to see the most beautiful and gentle girl of the five women in the carriage, looking at her with concern.
A smile immediately appeared on Mei Lin's face as her mind raced, trying to think of a response. Just then, the carriage, which had already been moving slowly, suddenly came to a stop, drawing the girl's attention away.
Mei Lin quietly sighed in relief and joined the others in looking out the carriage window.
Their carriage was in the middle of the convoy, so they couldn’t see much, only hearing the sound of urgent hoofbeats approaching from a distance and then stopping at the front of the convoy. There was no doubt that the guards had intercepted someone.
As the women puzzled over and speculated about what was happening, the sound of hoofbeats resumed, accompanied by shouts. This time, it was their own guards, going from carriage to carriage, ordering people to disembark.
It turned out that due to various delays along the way, the bridal party from Xiyan was nearly a month behind schedule in reaching Zhaojing. They had coincidentally arrived just as the annual autumn hunt of the Dayan Empire was taking place. The hunting grounds were in Lushan, three hundred miles southwest of Zhaojing, along the same road. By chance, the two groups had crossed paths.
When the women got out of the carriage, they saw that the other carriages had already been moved to the roadside, while the princess's carriage, escorted by the head guard, sped off towards the distant banners and armored soldiers.
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a court eunuch arrived with an imperial decree, instructing the bridal party to follow the imperial entourage to Lushan.
Everyone knelt by the roadside, waiting until the Emperor of Dayan, dressed in full armor and riding a horse, led the princes, nobles, and officials past them in a grand procession before rising and returning to their carriages to follow behind.
Perhaps intimidated by the strict and imposing atmosphere, the young women did not dare to speak after getting back into the carriage. Mei Lin silently breathed a sigh of relief but knew that such luck wouldn’t always be on her side. If she didn’t come up with a solution soon, she feared her cover would be blown.
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