Chapter 691 - Going South
"From what you're saying...you're the only one who is suitable for this job?" Zhu Junfan deliberately asked in this manner.
Zhu Junyang hurriedly nodded his head and stated in a solemn manner, "This official believes that I am the most suitable one! This official will use my own life as a guarantee and will do my utmost to protect the great imperial envoy's life. I am willing to sacrifice my own life if needed!"
Zhu Junfan angrily rebuked, "Don't say it as if you have such selfless reasons! You're protecting your own wife!"
"Who was the one who made my wife into the great imperial envoy ah?" Zhu Junyang arrogantly raised his chin up high.
"Quickly scram out of here! We still want to go back to sleep!!" Zhu Junfan furiously shooed the prince away.
Zhu Junyang saw that he had achieved his goal. As he was leaving the palace, he still had his usual constipated look on his face. However, those familiar with him would have been able to spot a glow in his phoenix eyes and tell that he was in an incredibly good mood.
Unfortunately, his good mood only lasted one day. On the next day, an imperial decree was sent out. It turned out that there were now two people in charge of the great imperial envoy's safety. The other one was Zhu Junyang's 'archenemy', the person he found incredibly annoying, Su Ran!
Zhu Junfan cackled inwardly, 'Stinky brat. You think that by disturbing our sleep we would let you get your way? If we didn't do something to make you unhappy, we wouldn't be surnamed Zhu!!' Alright ah, in actuality, he wasn't surnamed Zhu in his past life!
'Brat, don't you just want to take advantage of this situation to have a sweet honeymoon, traveling leisurely, with your wife while she's out on official duties? We will give you a nice third wheel then! Didn't you give plenty of excuses why you had to go along, giving us no choice ah? Well, our reasoning is also perfect. The great imperial envoy's status is too precious and her safety is of utmost importance. It'd be hard for one person not to miss something from time to time, so a second martial arts expert should be added to the trip! As for an expert, who in this empire can compete with Chief Steward Su?'
Consequently, the group of two that was heading to Jiangnan had now become three. As for the person in charge of the experimental fields in Jinling, Official Wu, he had been summarily ignored.
All of the maidservants and bodyguards at Imperial Prince Xu's estate became excited when they heard the news of their masters heading out to Jiangnan. For the maidservants, being able to accompany their mistress when she left the capital to travel was a very status boosting event. Furthermore, right now was the start of the third month, where everything was growing and blossoming. Traveling to the south with its different climate and flora would allow them to appreciate sights they wouldn't be able to see in the north. All of the maidservants in the masters' courtyard did their best to show off their advantages to them in hopes of being selected to go on the journey.
However, His Highness had said that he planned on traveling lightly this time. He was only bringing Hou Xiaoliang as a bodyguard. As for the princess consort's maidservants, she was going to bring one who knew martial arts and one to take care of her daily necessities. He was afraid that if they brought too many people along, it'd disturb their cuddling together as a couple.
The requirement that one of them know martial arts had eliminated many prospective people. Inside the inner courtyard, there were only five who had martial arts skills. Among them included a bodyguard who had retired from Imperial Prince Jing's hidden bodyguard's ranks when she was in her thirties and didn't want to leave her spouse. She had been appointed as a small steward by Xiaocao in the inner courtyard.
