?

  In the afternoon, the team entered Nanchang City. After a long journey, Zhang Gui looked tired and pale, so Prince Lanling planned to rest here for a few more days, waiting for her body to recover before deciding on their next destination.

  Arrived in Nanchang, not far from Jiankang. Walking on the streets of Nanchang, I saw the paulownia trees and peach trees everywhere, gazing at the branches full of tender red and white flowers, Zhang Gui was enchanted.

  The next day, the sun was high in the sky, and Zhang Gui was still sleeping lazily in her room. Lately, she had been sharing a bed with Langling Wang, although every time they woke up from their sleep, they would always end up on the same couch. However, he didn't make a move on her, and Zhang Gui, feeling a bit awkward, closed her eyes and pretended to be stupid, just wanting to get through each day.

  Now, he had long since collapsed, but Zhang Qi felt that this long journey was exhausting, his bones were broken into pieces, as if he needed to rest for ten days or half a month to recover.

  Just as she was nestling into the couch, unwilling to move, a series of footsteps came, followed by the voice of a guard from outside, "Madam, an envoy from Emperor Chen has arrived, and Lang Jun is receiving them."

  Zhang Qi was stunned for a moment before reacting. She hastily said, "Wait a minute." After quickly washing up, Zhang Qi came out.

  "Did you say His Majesty has sent someone?"

  "Yes."

  "But we have been in Chen's territory for only a few days, how did they know?"

  "This little person also doesn't know."

  "What did they say?"

  "Chen Shiying invited Lang Jun and his wife to go to Jiankang together." When he said this, the guard looked up, a smile on his young face. "Madam, I understand what Lang Jun means. He's saying that this time when you return home, it can be considered a glorious return to your hometown, and you might see your sisters from the past. If you want to buy something, you can buy a little."

  Returning home with honor? Is this what they call returning home with honor? For a moment, Zhang Gui was stunned.

  After a while, she replied: "Alright then. Go and call for a horse carriage, we'll go outside to buy some gifts."

  "Yes." The guard gave her a bright, toothy smile and walked away with a spring in his step.

  In a big city like Nanchang, buying gifts is quite simple. To say the least, Zhang Gui and the Zhang family in Jiankang didn't have many close friends, so she didn't know if those people would want the gifts or not. Therefore, she just collected some hairpins and rouge that looked novel and interesting, and then stopped.

  After returning to the wine building, she took out two things from Langling Wang's spoils of war. One was an ivory carved folding fan, which was used to give to Ninth Brother. She also took a few simple and not so precious jade carvings, preparing to give them to her father Zhang Shierlang and others.

  After playing with these gifts for a while, Zhang Qi suddenly smiled foolishly: I don't know if Jiu Xiong would be scared to see himself now.

  At first when she left, she was just a delicate and lovely little beauty, but now after three years, her appearance has changed greatly, I wonder if he can adapt to it?

  When she was at a loss in the state of Qi, Zhang Gui repeatedly recited her hometown. In such nostalgia, even the not-so-beautiful Zhang Mansion became beautiful. Especially Zhang Xuan, the only brother who gave her warmth, was almost idealized by her, and almost became the ideal brother she had dreamed of for two lifetimes, that is, kind and gentle, and could give her shelter from the wind and rain.

  Under Chen Shi's urging, Langling Wang and his party set out on the third day.

  The journey went smoothly afterwards, and on the tenth day, they appeared outside Jiankang City.

  She's really back in Jiankang! She's back in Jiankang!

  Looking at the distant, the city wall that appeared in the field of vision, suddenly, a kind of indescribable complex emotion surged up. Unconsciously, Zhang Qi's face was filled with tears.

  She came back, this was not good, and had never brought her warmth and happiness. But in the years she left, the home country that was always on her mind, she finally saw it again.

  With her sleeve covering her face, Zhang Qi finally calmed down after taking a few deep breaths. After calming down, she hastily wiped away her tears and picked up the copper mirror to take a look. She took out the rouge and eyebrow pencil and carefully painted on her face.

  Zhang Yi's beauty doesn't need any makeup, she is now drawing just to cover up that scar.

  After all the hardships of returning home, she wanted to meet old friends with a refreshed spirit.

  Half an hour later, the crowd arrived under the city wall. Looking at the moat in front of them and the flow of people coming and going inside and outside the city gate, the crowd cheered up.

  Among the cheers, Zhang Gui lifted the curtain of the carriage. At this moment, a Chen messenger shouted: "The King of Lanling, our country's people have come out to welcome the king spontaneously."

  Indeed, the people in the city apparently discovered this mighty procession of men and horses, almost suddenly, a burst of thunderous applause echoed from the city, shaking heaven and earth. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of people mixed with the same number of horse-drawn carriages rushed out of the city gate, driving towards them.

  Along with these people, there were also chaotic and exceptionally loud shouts, "Langling Wang!" "Langling Wang!"

  "The world is divided into three kingdoms, Lanzhou is unmatched——"

  "The world is divided into three kingdoms, and Lanzhou is unmatched!"

  "The world is divided into three kingdoms, Lanzhou is unmatched——"

  In the end, hundreds and thousands of people, only this one voice came, this roar was so loud that it caused the echo to rumble, in the roar, there were also the cheers and laughter of girls, which added a strong flavor of spring to this earth-shaking sound.

  Looking at the crowded official road, more and more beautiful girls are coming, looking at those tender figures, the guards are stunned. Suddenly, a guard surnamed Cheng turned his head and shouted to King Langling: "Your Highness, let's not go back, let's stay in Jiankang City! I'm old, I want to find a wife!"

  As soon as this remark was made, all the guards burst out laughing at the same time.

  These laughs made Zhang Qi, who was a little homesick, smile too.

  The two sides are getting closer and closer.

  Just as Zhang Qi raised her head and involuntarily looked towards the dense crowd, hoping to find a familiar figure among them, suddenly, one of the dozens of horse-drawn carriages rushed out first. Before the guards could stop it, the carriage curtain shook, and a familiar clear male voice came, "Is Ah Qi here? I am his ninth brother!"

  That voice was afraid that everyone wouldn't hear it, so he raised his throat and shouted again: "Prince of Lanling, dare to ask if Zhang Shi Aqi is here? I am her ninth brother!"

  This time, it was not only Langling Wang who heard his voice, but also Zhang Gui.

  At this moment, Zhang Qi pushed open the car curtain and excitedly called out in a trembling voice: "Jiu Xiong, Jiu Xiong——"

  "Wait here." Seeing the young man in the carriage turn his head, Zhang Qi suddenly remembered that she was still wearing a veil. She immediately removed it and stuck her head out to joyfully call out: "Ninth Brother, I'm over here!"

  The soft and gentle voice of Wu Zun, the crisp sound, suddenly rushed into everyone's eardrums. The absolutely beautiful face of Hua Sheng, was also striking people's vision again and again.

  Zhang Qi didn't have the leisure to notice that everything around her had suddenly fallen silent, she waved her handkerchief, with tears in her eyes, and called out towards the carriage: "Ninth Brother. Ninth Brother, it's me, A Qi."

  After calling out, she turned her head towards Yu Fu and shouted: "Stop the car—"

  "Yes."

  As soon as the carriage stopped, Zhang Gui lifted the curtain and jumped down. Just as she jumped down, the crowd simultaneously let out a soft "ah" sound, as if everyone was worried that this action would hurt her foot.

  Zhang Xuan was still in a daze, when a urgent voice from the side came, "A Xuan, what are you still staring at? Hurry up and go down. Go down..." His voice was trembling with excitement.

  "Oh." Zhang Xuan responded with a sound, hastily getting down from the horse carriage. As soon as he got down from the horse carriage, Zhang Qi threw herself into his arms.

  In a neat "hiss" sound, Zhang Xuan was stunned, and he stretched out his hand to hold the girl in his arms.

  Before he could speak, amidst the "clip-clop" of horse hooves, a deep voice said, "Enough!" The tone was authoritative and commanding, coming from on high.

  Zhang Xuan was shocked and quickly lifted his head. He looked up at a tall, handsome figure wearing a black robe with golden trim, which complemented his perfectly chiseled face, giving off an air of nobility and superiority. Anyone who saw him would surely feel inferior. At this moment, the man was staring at Zhang Xuan with a gloomy expression. Under his gaze, Zhang Xuan subconsciously pushed Zhang Qi away, but she was hugging his waist tightly, so he couldn't push her off.

  Zhang Xuan pushed once but didn't push it open, and the crowd behind him let out another "Whoa---" sound.

  Hearing the rustling sound from behind, Zhang Xuan suddenly woke up. He looked at Zhang Qi in his arms with a pleased expression, showing off his snow-white teeth and smiled. He bowed to the handsome man on horseback, who was also Lang Ling Wang, saying: "Brother-in-law, don't be annoyed. It's been many years since I've seen my sister, and it's only natural that we can't control our emotions for a moment."

  As he spoke, he nodded his head and swayed from side to side, looking very pleased with himself.

  When he heard this, Langling Wang let out a cold hum, while tightly hugging Zhang Xuan, and Zhang Qi, who was excited to the point of tears, also felt that something was off.

  She raised her head.

  As soon as he looked up, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but skip a beat.

  Zhang Gui's face turned red as she stared at Zhang Xuan's stunned eyes. She took a step back, bowed her head and greeted him softly, "Ninth brother, don't you recognize me?"

  "Understood, understood." Zhang Xuan hastily replied. He found that facing Zhang Hui's eyes, his face was getting hotter and hotter, and his heartbeat was also getting faster and faster. Then he smiled wryly and said: "It's just that brother didn't expect that after three years, Ah Hui has become so beautiful."

  "Aggie has gone to the United States."

  As soon as the words came out, Zhang Qi was given a wake-up call. She looked at the crowd staring blankly at her and saw that Xiang Zuo had not yet connected her to the isolated and cold Ah Qi of the past. Her face turned red. Lowering her head, she bowed to Xiang Zuo and said in a low voice: "Ninth brother, it's Ah Qi being presumptuous, I..."

  Before she could finish speaking, her body suddenly felt light, and it was the impatient King of Lanling who reached out his hand to lift her onto the horse's back.

  The King of Lanling lifted Zhang Gui onto the horse's back and held her close, then signaled to his guards to bring over her silk hat. After putting it on her, covering up Zhang Gui's face, amidst a chorus of sighs and gasps, the King of Lanling said with a forced smile: "Ah Gui, the people of Chen are different from those in Qi and Zhou, they love beauty the most, how could you forget?"

  Compared to the Qi and Zhou regions, the aristocrats of Southern Chen were indeed those who indulged in beauty, appreciated beauty, and were infatuated with it.

  Feeling unhappy about Langling Wang's words, Zhang Gui argued in a low voice: "That is my brother, he was very good to me when I was at home."

  The only response was the cold hum of Lanling King.