Old Shang’s driving was fortunately excellent. He repeatedly lashed his whip and entered the vehicle into the dark alley.
Chen Rong sighed in relief once they were there.
She quietly lifted the curtain to peer outside.
From her vantage point, she could see that the curtain of the golden carriage had also lifted. The pudgy Prince of Nan’yang was nodding haughtily while saying something. Submissive nobles stood at his side; Chen Rong recognized Chen Shu among them.
Suddenly, Chen Rong’s expression altered as she inwardly thought: Drat, the major clans cannot leave Nan’yang and now have to make every effort to curry favor with him.
Old Shang craned his neck looking at the scene and wondered: “That’s odd, why don’t these people go the the prince’s estate to seek an audience with him instead of making a ruckus out in the streets?”
Chen Rong pursed her lips. “That’s because everyone knows the Prince of Nan’yang likes to tell everyone that he is the mightiest in this city!”
“It seems they won’t leave for the time being, let’s go home,” she lowered her voice.
“Aye.”
When the carriage turned around, Chen Rong pulled her curtain down as she sat inside, wringing her hands in contemplation.
When the vehicle drove out of South Street, Chen Rong heard weeping coming from the carriage next to hers: “Why? I’m already betrothed to Mister Liu. Why must I attend the prince’s banquet.”
An older woman whispered, “What else can we do? Your father even sent him Sima Qian’s handwritten records that he had treasured for years, but Advisor Xu said the prince does not like such complicated amusements. There’s nothing else your father can do.”
“Even if we cannot go back to Jiankang for the time being, why must we be so hasty? Isn’t General Ran here to protect us? Why must we go curry favor with the old lecher?”
The older woman’s voice turned pained: “Miss, you must not have heard. With the pretext that we need to bolster Nanyang’s security because the barbarians will soon move south, the prince intends to send some families to station outside the city.”
The young girl stopped crying to exclaim: “Station outside the city?”
“Aye, why else would your father go to this length? Not only your father, but all of the major clans are sending their beautiful daughters to him in order to make him change his mind.”
The conversation was left behind as the wheels rolled on.
At this time, Old Shang spoke to her: “Miss?” He sounded quite unnerved.
Inside, Chen Rong kept wringing her hands. “Stop, Old Shang. Ask to see which estate General Ran is guesting at right now.”
“Aye, miss.”
Moments later, he jumped back onto the carriage. “Miss, he’s at the Huan estate.”
“To the Huan estate, then.”
“Aye.”
The Huan estate was situated on South Street. To avoid the prince’s fleet, Old Shang had circled the long way and spent nearly an hour to arrive at its side door.
The carriage came to a stop and, as Old Shang went to the gatekeeper, Chen Rong lifted a corner of the curtain. Although she was looking at them, her eyes seemed to be well away.
A while later, Old Shang came back and drove the carriage into the estate from the side door.
A round of distant music streamed to them as soon as they entered.
It was different from the usual reed pipes, however. There was an unusual ringing of zither in this music.