A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 111 Entering Beijing

The journey to the capital was long, but fortunately they were traveling by horse-drawn carriage.

Then two more carriages arrived, and the group, who had been traveling alone, were now accompanied by laughter.

The journey was peaceful for the next few days, with nothing particularly unusual happening. The only unusual thing was that Qi Xin vomited while riding in the carriage...

They finally found an inn to stay in, but these students, being delicate and frail, got sick from eating a simple meal and were delayed for two more days.

Finally, they set off again. In just a few days, Xiang He's injuries had completely healed, except for a slight ache in her calves.

Looking listlessly out the car window, she blew on her stray hairs, "How much longer..."

“We’ll be there soon,” He Sui’an patted his outer robe. “The carriage ahead has stopped. Let’s see what they’re up to. It’s not good to sit for too long.”

"alright."

The two got off the carriage and, after only seeing one side of the scenery, they unexpectedly found themselves in a wide-open space, where the grass was lush and vibrant, and a gentle breeze made them feel cool.

Qi Xin came running up ahead, looking cheerful. "Young Master He, Miss Xiang, the scenery here is quite nice. Shall we come down and have a chat?"

He Sui'an remained silent, only looking at Xiang He. After Xiang He looked around and nodded, the group went over and found a good place to sit down.

They sat on small stools or on the ground, wearing cotton-padded clothes despite the cool weather, and fanned themselves with folding fans to appear cultured. Xiang He was worried that they would catch a cold.

She glanced at He Suian, who had his folding fan neatly placed at his waist and a tea set in his hand. Xing Ji always prepared this for him, and he would play with it whenever he had free time.

Fortunately, it was cold enough that day, otherwise it would have felt hot even if you got close.

As the aroma of tea wafted out, Xiang He sniffed, "The tea has changed?"

"Hmm, flower tea."

Xiang He pursed her lips. This person always liked to tinker with various teas, but they smelled quite good.

Seeing her indifferent expression, He Sui'an poured her a cup and handed it to her, saying, "This 'Far Guest' tea is warm in nature and can help regulate qi and relieve depression. Drink more of it."

She reached out, took the tea, smelled it, and sipped it. "You seem to know a lot about tea. Have you been reading a lot of medical books lately?"

Bored on the carriage these past few days, he didn't speak but looked at the book, glancing at it a few times.

He Sui'an placed the book beside him on his lap. "I've read some of it. It's very profound."

"You can ask me if you don't understand."

"nature."

As the two talked, Qi Xin couldn't get a word in edgewise. Hearing them discuss medical books, he looked on with curiosity, "Does the young lady possess profound medical skills?"

Xiang He blew on the hot air and glanced sideways, saying, "I know a little."

Seeing his bright eyes, Xiang He immediately looked away and pointed, "I'm going to rest over there. You guys chat, don't worry about me."

After saying that, he picked up the large umbrella, got up and walked over. Right at the edge of the open space, he leaned against a big tree and sat down cross-legged. The sunlight shone on him, making him feel very warm.

She placed the large umbrella horizontally on her lap, casually rested her hands on it, slightly raised her chin, looked up at the sky, and slowly closed her eyes.

Seeing her appearance, Qi Xin became even more curious. "I always felt that... Miss Xiang is different from ordinary people."

He Sui'an, who was enjoying the aroma of tea, lowered her eyes and asked, "Based on what?"

Qi Xin, whose gaze had been fixed on Xiang He, frowned. "Young Master He, don't you think she often meditates alone, her words are simple yet profound, and it feels like... she's not one of us."

He Sui'an's gaze followed her. Bathed in sunlight, her straight lips were etched with a cold expression, and her face was calm yet aloof.

The person before me gradually became illusory, as if he would be assimilated by the sunlight at any moment and disappear into the world.

Perhaps this is her, the original her.

With a blink of an eye, He Sui'an looked away, tilted his head back and drank the tea in his cup. A ripple of emotion flickered in his eyes, but he eventually lowered his gaze and hid it.

-

-

The carriage traveled for another day and arrived at the huge city gate at noon.

The people filed in, while the soldiers stood guard at the city gate, setting up a table to record the comings and goings and to check everyone's luggage and carriages.

Qi Xin and his carriage went ahead first; they would head straight for the capital.

Xiang He and the others were going to the outskirts of the city, while He Sui'an was going to visit his maternal grandfather.

The two got off the carriage, and the soldiers went inside to inspect it. Xiang He's cloth bag was also found, and the small copper coin sword clattered onto the table. The soldiers looked puzzled.

"This is……?"

Xiang He smiled and said, "I thought it would be fun, so I made a small sword. If there are any problems, I can solve them."

The officers frowned, puzzled, and pointed to the yellow paper. "And these?"

“For drawing.”

"..."

There were copper coins, swords, and yellow paper, along with red rope and other such items. The soldier's lips twitched. These looked exactly like the stuff used by sorcerers. He glanced at Xiang He from head to toe. There was also a refined young man beside him. How could he be traveling with such a charlatan...

In the end, he said nothing, waved his hand, and moved on to the next one, saying, "Pack yourself up."

Ignoring the other person's disdainful look, Xiang He cheerfully replied, "Okay!"

She quickly packed her things and then watched as the soldiers inspected He Suian's luggage. Apart from books and clothes, there were only miscellaneous items. They let her pass in no time.

These common people could only enter through Yongning Gate. People on both sides hurried along, carrying or pulling goods, heading towards South Street, the bustling area of ​​the outer city, where the people loved to go.

Their carriage headed south, traveling along a wide, straight road for quite some time until they reached a meadow. There was a lake nestled at the foot of the mountain, with a pavilion in the middle of the lake.

After crossing the grassy field and taking a detour, we arrived at the foot of a forest, where a large mansion came into view, with people sweeping fallen leaves in front of the gate.

As soon as the carriage stopped, the sweeper hurriedly put down his broom and rushed over to greet him, his face beaming with joy. "Young master has arrived! This humble servant greets you, young master!"

He Sui'an stepped off the carriage first, nodded to the gatekeeper, and asked, "Is my maternal grandfather at home?"

"Of course our ancestors are home, everyone is home!"

Listening to his lively conversation, Xiang He came downstairs. The gatekeeper looked surprised and quickly bowed.

Xiang He waved and followed He Suian inside.

The mansion was quite large, and a few servants were sweeping and cleaning with their heads down. When they saw He Sui'an, they bowed respectfully.

After passing through the front yard and the hanging flower gate, the gatekeeper hurried into the small hall of the left-hand corridor. A few moments later, several people came out from inside. Among them was an old man who was being helped by someone. When he saw He Sui'an, his kind face was filled with surprise.

"Sui'an, you're finally back..."

His eyes gradually welled up with tears. He Suian stepped forward and said, "Grandfather, eldest uncle, youngest uncle."

"Alright, alright, hurry inside and tell us how things have been lately," an older man said, his eyes bright and gentle, looking at He Suian with concern. But when he turned his gaze to Xiang He, he asked, "Suian, who is this young lady?"

He Sui'an's maternal grandfather, Tang Jingxian, looked at her with loving eyes, smiled and waved to Xiang He. Xiang He stepped forward with a slight pause, "My name is Xiang He, and I am his good friend."

Tang Jingxian's eyes still shone with affection. "Come, come, come inside and sit down for some tea to warm yourself up. It's rare to see Sui'an with such a good friend. Tell this old man some interesting stories."

He Sui'an helped Tang Jing walk ahead, while Xiang He followed slowly behind.

She heard hurried footsteps beside her and turned her head to see a graceful figure running towards her, lifting her skirt and beaming with joy. "Cousin!"