EFB Chapter 348 Arrival in Hangzhou
Chapter 348 Arrival in Hangzhou
The nearly two-week boat trip had made the little ones quite listless. Even the usually steady Rui Ge couldn't help but ask Wen Zongji when they would get off the boat in the last few days.
When the boat docked, the little ones were incredibly excited.
Lingjie was held in Wen Zongji's arms, clapping her hands excitedly and constantly arching her back, as if urging Wen Zongji to get off the boat quickly.
Wen Zongji patted her little head and comforted her, "There are too many people now. Let's wait until there are fewer people and then go down to town to buy some flowers for Ling'er, okay?"
"Flowers~"
Lingjie became even more excited.
Although Lingjie is only a little over a year old, she has already developed a preference: she likes all things gorgeous and beautiful.
Jewelry and fresh flowers are the most popular!
Princess Changning was delighted to hear this: "As expected of Ling'er, she takes after her aunt in this respect."
She just loves glamorous things; her private collection is full of gorgeous little trinkets.
After learning about Lingjie'er's preferences, Princess Changning would bring Lingjie'er gifts every time she visited the county princess's residence. Because of these gifts, Lingjie'er grew to like Princess Changning very much.
Princess Changning was originally supposed to come on this trip, but she is already engaged and will be getting married next year. She has a lot of wedding preparations to attend to and cannot leave the capital.
Princess Changning was very disappointed and had no choice but to ask Pei Rujing to bring her more gifts back.
Once the number of people at the dock decreased, the guards immediately disembarked and guarded the roads on both sides of the dock to prevent any unauthorized personnel from approaching.
At this point, Wen Zongji and his party disembarked.
The Hangzhou prefect, dressed in plain clothes, approached and showed his identification seal before the guards allowed him to get closer.
"This humble official pays his respects to the Princess and the Princess of Anhe County."
The eldest princess frowned: "I have said before that I do not like to be disturbed."
Traveling with imperial guards, they couldn't keep a low profile and couldn't hide it from local officials. Therefore, after leaving the capital, the princess announced that this trip was just for sightseeing and that she would not meet with any officials.
As soon as they arrived in Hangzhou, the Hangzhou prefect came up to them.
The eldest princess was very displeased.
The Hangzhou prefect hurriedly explained, "This humble official was unaware of informing his colleagues. With the Princess's arrival in Hangzhou, it is my duty as the prefect to provide her with the best possible hospitality. The post station is too small to accommodate too many people, and with so many people around, it's inevitable that someone might offend the Princess. The wealthy Mr. Zhou of Hangzhou is willing to offer his estate so that the Princess can stay in Hangzhou."
The Hangzhou prefect spoke earnestly.
The eldest princess remained unmoved: "No need for Prefect Liu to trouble himself. My lodgings have already been arranged. The yamen must have a lot to do, Prefect Liu, please go and attend to your duties."
The Hangzhou prefect had hoped to make a good impression on the princess during her visit, but it seems he has backfired.
The Hangzhou prefect then looked at Wen Zongji: "Lord Wen, this..."
He thought that the eldest princess was probably used to being arrogant and didn't like this kind of behavior. Wen Zongji had been in the court for a long time, so he should give her some face.
Wen Zongji smiled, shrugged helplessly, and said nothing.
Upon seeing this, the prefect of Hangzhou realized that Wen Zongji's words did not carry weight. Indeed, no matter how high Wen Zongji's official rank was, he had little say in front of the princess.
The Hangzhou prefect sighed, apologized, and left.
The eldest princess snorted coldly: "Instead of doing his job properly and thinking about the people, he always thinks of crooked ways. This person is wicked."
Wen Zongji remained silent. He was neither an imperial censor of the Censorate nor an official in the Ministry of Personnel, and therefore had no right to comment on the words and actions of local officials.
At this moment, the commander of the Imperial Guards came to report: "Your Highness, your accommodations have been arranged. Please, Your Highness and the County Princess, move in."
"Let's go."
They were out for fun, not on official business, so of course they couldn't stay at an inn. They had sent people into the city in advance to find accommodations. Since there were so many of them, they had to book an entire inn to accommodate everyone.
If we don't make arrangements in advance, we might not be able to find a suitable place in a short time.
Now that they had found a place to stay, Wen Zongji and the others did not hesitate and got into their carriages and headed towards the inn.
On the carriage
Pei Rujing said impatiently, "That Hangzhou prefect is really annoying."
She didn't lash out outside, but she was already very impatient inside.
Wen Zongji held her hand: "Everyone has their own little thoughts, which is understandable. After this incident, he should not dare to make decisions recklessly again. We came here to have fun and don't want to think about these troublesome things."
Pei Rujing leaned against Wen Zongji's chest: "I just don't want to see anyone who spoils the fun."
Ling'er blinked, looked at her parents huddled together, stepped out of Rui'er's arms, staggered to Wen Zongji, and opened her arms: "Hug me~"
Pei Rujing pinched her little cheek: "You little rascal."
As she said this, she still got up and let Wen Zongji pick up Lingjie'er.
But Ling'er was not satisfied. She turned around and grabbed Pei Rujing, saying, "Mother... Mother..."
Pei Rujing paused for a moment before realizing what Lingjie meant; she wanted Pei Rujing to remain nestled in Wen Zongji's arms.
She came not to compete with Pei Rujing for Wen Zongji, but to bring the family of three together.
Pei Rujing leaned over and kissed her cheek, pressing her forehead against hers, and said softly, "Good girl~".
Lingjie grinned.
Rui glanced at their interaction, then turned to look out the window.
As expected of a water town in Jiangnan, the roads are separated by a river, and some people are walking while others are on boats.
The roadsides are lined with various courtyards and pavilions, which have a distinct Jiangnan (southern China) flavor and are completely different from those in Beijing.
Rui-ge'er was captivated; these were things that couldn't be seen in the capital.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage stopped.
Wen Zongji and his entourage disembarked from the carriage.
As soon as Zhou Ge'er got off the carriage, he ran over to Rui Ge'er: "Third Brother, I saw some people rowing a boat. Do they have to take a boat every day? It's so pitiful."
He couldn't stand it after sitting on the boat for half a month. The people here have to sit on the boat every day; it's so pitiful.
Rui Ge'er said, "Not everyone travels by boat; some travel by carriage."
On his way here, he saw many horse-drawn carriages on the road.
Moreover, that river doesn't lead to every part of Hangzhou, so it would definitely be more convenient to take a horse-drawn carriage.
Zhou Ge'er was relieved: "That's alright."
They had booked the entire inn, reserving the largest courtyard for the eldest princess, while Wen Zongji and Wen Zongqi's families each chose a courtyard next to it.
As for the maids and guards, that's easy to arrange. Just arrange them according to the number of rooms. If there aren't enough courtyards, they can stay in guest rooms.
The inn was large enough to accommodate all of them.
Everything was arranged, and it was getting dark.
Dinner was served at the inn, but not by the inn's cook.
This group of people were all very precious and might not be used to the food at the inn. The princess and Pei Rujing brought their own chefs, and they ate the meals prepared by their own chefs along the way.
They booked the inn, so they could naturally have their own cook prepare the meals, which made things much easier for the innkeeper.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.