While the pair had just finished their negotiations, in another faraway place, Gong Jue was close to arriving at Xi Zhou.
In this present era, Xi Zhou was located between Tibet and Lhasa, which belonged to the southern part of the Tarim Basin.
The country of Great Yu was originally a vast land mass and Xi Zhou was part of this territory that extended outwards as a strip of land. The northern part is bordered by Lou Ye while the southern grassland is bordered by many small nomadic countries. Therefore, Xi Zhou was always guarded with a sizable amount of troops in all three directions in order to defend their kingdom's land.
Seeing that his men would finally arrive at their destination in just two days, Gong Jue felt relieved. The road they now traveled was very smooth. For this journey, he had walked through deserts, oases, snow capped mountains and grasslands.
Only now did he see with his own eyes the many landscapes that Sister Gong once told him stories of, and just how magnificent his country was. His heart swelled with pride as he pondered how fathers and grandfathers had accomplished the feat of conquering these great rivers and mountains step by step.
When they passed a village that was built by an oasis, Gong Jue ordered everyone to stop their carriages and to resume their travels during nightfall when the temperature wasn't so hot.
Since the villagers had discovered that they were heading to Xi Zhou for the disaster relief, they welcomed the traveling group warmly and arranged for Gong Jue to stay at the village head's home.
Even though he had already seen so much along the way, Gong Jue still felt very strange; the faces of the people her were quite different from those in the capital. Just as Sister Gong once told him, there were many kinds of faces in the world. If one were to travel further south, he would find more people with darker skin. Unfortunately, Gong Jue had yet to see all that she had described to him.
Because the journey was long and difficult, aside from the guards who were ordered to keep watch, the rest of the travelers slept to refuel their energy. While Gong Jue lay in bed, he found it difficult to fall asleep.
He felt a little uneasy because he didn't receive a single letter from Gong Yi Mo, despite receiving news of the capital from time to time. Could it be that since he had left the capital to a faraway place, Sister Gong decided to be more diligent this time?
Gong Jue couldn't help but laugh when he thought of it.
He touched the strand of hair in his arms. Gong Jue didn't know how Gong Yi Mo was faring alone at the palace. Was she happy?
When he thought of her endearing smile, Gong Jue was able to slowly fall asleep. After an unknown amount of time had passed, an uninvited guest had sneaked into the prince's residence. In his sudden alarm, Gong Jue unsheathed his sword with a 'shing' and he pointed it threateningly at the newcomer's shoulder!
A water basin fell with a clatter upon the ground, but the prince paid no attention to it. Instead, he stared wide-eyed at his visitor as he said in disbelief, "Sister Gong?"
The girl shivered with trepidation as she looked down at the basin on the ground. She didn't dare to move. When Gong Jue finally saw her appearance more clearly, he blinked with regret. It wasn't Sister Gong, but rather, a young girl who looked seven points similar to her.
But instead of lowering his guard, Gong Jue was even more vigilant. Although she may have been sent to accommodate him, just the fact that she looked so similar to his sister had raised his suspicions.
"Who are you? Who sent you here?" His narrow sword clung to his opponent's neck. One wrong word and he would surely cut off her neck without any hesitation. His gaze was chilling, as if he were staring at a corpse, which caused the girl to tremble in fear even more.
"I...I don't know why Your Highness asks. I am the village head's foster daughter. I just came to help you wash your face."
The village head's foster daughter?
Gong Jue scrutinized the girl and questioned, "In that case, were you ordered by them to do this?"
His tone was very cold but the little girl in front of him couldn't help but blush, "It's just me..I wanted to come see you out of my desires...From the very first time I saw you..." Her eyes sparkled as she gazed longingly at Gong Jue. When she made such a face, her appearance looked eight points similar to Gong Yi Mo!
"I...I admire your highness, so...That's why...I just came into your room."