Chapter 79 - Their First Stop

"do you care about your husband and less think about someone else problem?" Jin Yu is flicking her forehead and look at her with full of love.

"I was reminiscing about a good wine while I am outside the thick palace. Do you think so mighty about your palace compared to the outside wall?" Ni Qing complaints to the emperor.

"Palace is our house, and it is not some scared place to live. I already ask our prime minister and your father to take care Uncle Chen case. Anyway, why everyone else is so depressed inside the jail and you look so happy?" Jin Yu is looking so interested to know about the whole story behind the cell.

"Nothing… I do not know. I just feel bored, and they ask me to play with them…" Ni Qing is trying to hide the real thing about her disguise to her husband. She rolled her ayes and tries to put her face toward the window.

"I do not believe it," Jin Yu is looking deeply to his wife and tries to find out about the real thing. Suddenly, the carriage stops, and Eunuch Wang is opening the curtain. He informs them about their arrival in front of the inn. Jin Yu is walking out from the carriage and help Ni Qing to walk out from the carriages. The inn locates attached to the lake where the mist and fog start to rise up.

"We have to stay in here as the sun will set soon. The fog already up from the lake and it will be dangerous for us to continue the journey, your highness," Zhou Yun is advising his emperor for this journey.

"Stop call me with your highness. I am a merchant from capital, and I am not emperor. call me Lord Jin. What do you think Lin Yue?" Jin Yu is asking the advice from his competent general.

"My lord, please listen to the word of Mr Zhou. This fog and mist will make the horse confuse. We will need to stay in this inn for tonight," Lin Yue is giving him the best advice use his knowledge on the warzone.

"Qing… what do you think?" Jin Yu is looking to his wife who is looking at the lake and touching the ground. It seems his wife has something in her mind.

"We can stay here tonight; Ah Yue and Wang Bo please hide our horse and carrier. We will be having some company tonight. can we play cat and mouse? Xiao Nie, tell the owner of the inn, we are going to rent the whole inn for our group and moves our secret stash to the room. Eunuch Wang and Eunuch Li, I need some rock a lot of it. Zhang can you set up the perimeter with A Sheng. The rest can come with us to have lunch," Ni Qing is smiling and walk inside after get some clothes inside the carriage and stuff it in front of her stomach. Jin Yu follows her as he understands her mind. No wonder, Lin Yue always wins in every war with her when he witnesses it himself about the mind of his wife.

As soon as they reach the front gate of the inn, Ni Qing is holding Jin Yu's arm and Jin Yu is supporting her waist. They got welcome by the old couple who is looking haggard and a bit scares to see them arrives in the Inn.

"Madame, the owner said, they are not renting the room tonight. I already inform that you are willing to pay the price, but they are not happy for our visit," Xiao Nie is reporting to Ni Qing. Xiao Nie is already told Eunuch Li to wrap all their gold and money to the bag and exchange the contain of the wooden box with the rock before moving it to the room as if they are moving some important stuff. This is not the first time; they did the same thing last time with their weapon supply from the nearby barrack.

"Good evening, Mister and madame owner of this inn. I am sorry to be a hassle for you, but please spare this pregnant woman some room to lay down. I do not want to follow my husband to get some merchandise to sell into our shop in capital, but I can not let my husband to be away if I have a baby and I am afraid my husband will get other women to become his concubine. His handsome face is like a magnet for a woman," Ni Qing is clasping her hand together as a respect and bow her head and body down.

"Haiyoooo…. We cannot accept you as it will be not safe for you to stay in our place. We do not want to hurt innocent people. Just ignore this inn and walk away from this cursing place," The old woman is telling them with her worry place.

"Why this place is not safe for us? We just need place to lay down tonight and we will not make any problem for you. My husband is having his own staff to take care of us," Ni Qing is doing the talking with her nice tone which make the old couple is talking to each other.

"I am really tired, and I do need place to rest. Please be kind to this pregnant woman…" Ni Qing is making a gesture to rub her fake stomach.

"Please sit down in the table. I will cook some food for you and my husband will clean a bit some room for you. However, you need to bear with the risk in front of you. We already warn you about the danger," the old woman is looking at her with a gentle gesture.

"I promise and thank you. I took my husband her because I miss the fish dishes in this inn. Can you cook it for me and pair it with your excellent wine for my husband?" Ni Qing is smiling and grab the old hand of the madame. Ni Qing knows this couple under the threat from some bandit which relate to them or they take their family member as hostage.

"You are lucky… My husband just caught a lot of fish today. We are planning to dry the fish for our food, but I think God has already prepare this food for you. Take a seat and I will serve the wine and some food," The old woman is pointing the empty space and went back to get two jars of wine and stack of bowl from the back. She also busy to serve some small dishes with the help from Xiao Nie.

As soon as the old woman disappear to the kitchen with Xiao Nie. Ni Qing is opening the wine and smell it. Xiao Nie is back with two kind of dishes in her hand.

"Do you see the wine storage and see something weird when she get the wine?" Ni Qing is asking her loyal maid.

"She is taking the wine from the big jar. But there are sealed jar of wine and she open a big jar of wine and scoop it from there," Xiao Nie is reporting from her knowledge.

"What happen?" Jin Yu is looking at his wife who pour the liquid to the bowl and drink it straight away which make Jin Yu worry.

"Why are you so reckless and never check the food or drink with the silver needle?"

"It is just normal spring water. Taste it as it is so refreshing. The spring water in the Jiling mountain famous to be pure and can not mix with any poison. The water will react straight away toward any foreign substances. The old woman changes our wine with the spring water as she must be known something about the wine," Ni Qing is informing to the emperor with a little voice. She starts to dig into the side dishes serves by Xiao Nie.

Lin Yue, Zhang and Ni Sheng are coming back from their task. Zhang and Lin Yue are putting their people in the strategic post for the security. Ni Sheng is placing some trap surrounds of the Inn used the wood and simple rope. Lin Yue and Wang Bo are finding some small cave near the lake where they secure their belonging and horse. Meanwhile, Eunuch Li and Eunuch Wang just finished to put they wooden chest box with stone inside to their room and helps a little bit with the old man to prepare the room.

Zhao Yun is coming back with a wary expression in his face. He is not feeling good in this situation when he remembers the notorious famous bandit in the lake LongJing who did not afraid to hurt their victim. He just finished to check the surrounding terrain when he notices someone hides in the bush.

"What make your wary expression, Mr Zhao?" Ni Qing is asking to the man opposite of her. He is sitting down on the table with other people. However, this is the first time, he is actually sitting in one table with his emperor. Zhao Yun is idolizing the emperor with his wisdom and make the country to become prosperous.