HCB Chapter 293 Choosing a Partner
Chapter 293 Choosing a Partner
Upon learning that Nangong Ming and Yang Jing were both in the courtyard, Long Chuqing and the other two walked directly towards the courtyard after they came out.
The guests, who had already dispersed, quietly gathered again after seeing the government officials arrive.
However, they dared not get too close, since there were officials guarding the area, and they only stood a little distance away to watch.
When Long Chuqing, Qingshan, and Yang Yi arrived at the courtyard, Lan Feng was leading the constables, escorting the bandits out in an orderly fashion.
Seeing Long Chuqing walking towards them, Xiao Yue smiled.
Upon approaching, he stepped forward to greet her, "Miss Long... it's been a long time."
Long Chuqing bowed slightly and greeted, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jin."
Yang Yi bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jin."
Qingshan bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jin."
Xiao Yue nodded slightly to them.
Xiao Yue looked at Long Chuqing: "I didn't expect Miss Long to be here too, what a coincidence."
"What a coincidence... I was also invited by Young Master Nangong, which is why I came to this manor for a visit."
"I wonder if the bandits have disturbed the young lady's enjoyment of her outing?"
"No, we're getting ready to head back soon."
Xiao Yue thought to himself: What a pity, it's such a rare opportunity to meet Miss Long, but I haven't even had a chance to say a few words to her yet!
He also had to escort the bandits, otherwise he could have traveled with her.
Liu Yulai reported: "Young Master, the horses and carriages are ready and we can set off at any time."
Nangong Ming replied, "Okay, I understand."
Yang Jing suddenly said, "Cousin, I accompanied His Highness Prince Jin all the way to help him escort the bandits back to the city safely. These bandits are quite cunning, and I'm afraid they might cause some trouble on the way."
They tried to escape several times last night, and it's hard to guarantee they won't cause trouble on the mountain road later. It's best to be cautious.
The government office only sent about twenty people, which was a bit of a stretch to keep an eye on nearly forty bandits. They were afraid they wouldn't be able to keep an eye on them all.
He was still a little worried.
Therefore, this decision was made after careful consideration.
Yang Jing looked at Xiao Yue and asked, "Your Highness, would you mind if I traveled with you?"
"How could I mind? It would be even better if the young general accompanied us on the escort, providing an extra layer of protection along the way." Xiao Yue pondered for a moment and then said, "It's just that... wouldn't that take up the young general's time?"
"It won't cause any trouble, there's nothing to do if we go back."
"That's good," Xiao Yue continued, "To be honest, I originally wanted to send more people, but walking would take too long, and the number of horses in the government office is also limited, so only this many people came."
Yang Jing said, "Walking will indeed take a lot of time, and this trip will probably take until dark."
“Brother…” Yang Yi said, “Then I’ll go with you! Anyway, we’re all going back to the city, and I can help out if anything happens.”
Yang Jing nodded: "Alright, then you can come with me!"
“Then I’ll go with you!” Nangong Ming said. “These bandits came for my manor, and I have to make sure they all end up in jail.”
Suddenly, Yang Jing was troubled.
They had agreed to return to the city together during lunch, but seeing that the number of government officials was rather small, he changed his mind.
However, I didn't expect that my sister and cousin would also make a last-minute change, and they didn't even consider Miss Long.
Now all three of them intend to travel with the prince. I wonder what Miss Long thinks.
Qingshan looked at Long Chuqing: "The prince instructed that Miss Long is not allowed to ride a horse on the way back. She wouldn't be thinking of walking slowly with them, would she?"
"Xiao Yi." Yang Jing changed his mind and turned to Yang Yi, saying, "You accompany Miss Long back to the city first! My cousin Liu Yu and I will be fine with you."
He had thought it through; if they all chose to go with the prince, Miss Long would definitely choose to go with them too.
The weather is cold now, and the journey home will take a long time, so there's no need for the young lady to suffer the cold with them.
Although both the younger sister and Miss Long know martial arts, they are, after all, girls, and their bodies are more delicate, unlike men who are not bothered by the cold.
After hearing Yang Jing's words, Yang Yi and Nangong Ming both looked at Long Chuqing.
It's their fault for not considering Miss Long for a moment.
Nangong Mingxin thought to himself: Miss Long came to the manor at his invitation. Now that His Highness Prince Qin has left ahead of schedule, he should escort her safely back to the city. He had forgotten about this just now.
But he had already said he would help Prince Jin escort the bandits, so... could he take it back?
Yang Yi was annoyed: He had told Miss Long that he wouldn't ride a horse on the way back and that he would ride in the same carriage with her, but he had forgotten.
“Alright! Then I’ll go with Miss Long.” Yang Yi took Long Chuqing’s arm. “I’m sorry, Miss Long, I completely forgot about what we agreed on earlier.”
Long Chuqing was frustrated: Why is everyone so worried about her?
Actually, she didn't care about these things; she was fine with traveling with a group or going alone.
Right now, everyone is choosing to help Prince Jin escort the bandits. If she chooses to leave alone, wouldn't she seem out of place?
“It’s alright,” Long Chuqing said to Yang Yi, “I completely understand your thoughts.”
"Since everyone has chosen to assist His Highness Prince Jin in escorting the bandits, let's go together!"
“We came out together, so naturally we should go back together.” Long Chuqing looked at Qingshan beside her and asked, “Qingshan, what do you think?”
“Uh…” Qingshan scratched his head and replied, “I’ll listen to Miss Long.”
The prince asked her to stay and protect Miss Long. Since she chose to travel with them, he naturally had to go with her.
Long Chuqing laughed and said, "Look, we've gained another helper." He was referring to Qingshan.
Xiao Yue stepped forward and said, "I thank you all for your righteous act, but I wonder if this will trouble you and take up your time."
"If you have other matters to attend to, you may leave now. We can handle these bandits."
He knew that Nangong Ming was a businessman with a large business, so his time was naturally very precious.
He was naturally pleased to hear that Miss Long was willing to travel with him, and that he could have more time to talk to her along the way.
However, the journey would take a long time, and with the recent severe cold, he didn't want Miss Long to suffer from the cold along the way with him.
“I’m fine,” Nangong Ming said. “Since we’ve come to the villa for a visit, we’ve naturally allowed plenty of time. Half a day won’t make a difference.”
Long Chuqing said, "Then let's set off quickly! We've already wasted too much time!"
"Actually, there's no need to worry too much. Just like Yang Yi said, we're going back anyway, so whether we walk fast or slow is the same. If we walk slowly, we can just treat it as sightseeing."
It was a bit cold.
“Yes, yes…” Yang Jing said, “Since we’ve decided, let’s set off so we can get back to the city sooner.”
Everyone nodded unanimously.
The group left the villa one after another.
At noon, Nangong Ming instructed his men to send some food to the bandits, fearing they would be too hungry to walk.
Lan Feng rode his horse at the front, leading the group, with the bandits following behind in an orderly line.
The journey was uneventful; the bandits did not cause any trouble, and the journey was not slow. After two and a half hours, they returned to the city at 7 PM.
Nangong Ming and Long Chuqing bid farewell to Xiao Yue upon entering the city and returned to their respective residences.
Yang Jing and Yang Yi continued to escort Xiao Yue and the bandits back to the government office.