Chapter 198: Act on orders 198 Chapter 198: Act on orders 198 Having left the border town, Ye Jiu realized how mistaken she had been to purchase a donkey.
She did not know the way, so she took a guide out of the city, and then had no idea which direction to go.
With a confused expression, she continued forward, fortunately encountering a village before darkness fell.
Ye Jiu, a girl, dared not expose the money she carried, so she simply exchanged her clothing with a local village girl and smeared her face with mud. She tousled her hair into a mess, and in no time, she had transformed herself into the appearance of a little beggar.
She walked and stopped along the way, asking others for directions when she did not recognize the road.
At first, she was very vigilant, but later, when she realized that the person following her had no intention of harming her, she finally felt at ease.
Ye Jiu thought that the person lurking in the shadows must either be one of Sikong Mo’s or the Prince’s.
It took her a full five days to finally reach Shuangxi Town.
Standing at a secluded spot outside Shuangxi Town, Ye Jiu turned around and shouted to the person behind her, “Your Excellency has followed me all this way, and now that I have reached my destination, shouldn’t you come out to meet me?”
No sooner had Ye Jiu finished speaking than a man dressed in black appeared before her.
“Miss Ye,” the man in black said as he bowed.
“May I know whom you serve?” Ye Jiu asked.
“The Prince was concerned about Miss Ye’s safety, so he sent his subordinate to escort you home,” the man replied.
“Regardless of who sent you, I thank you, brave sir, for protecting me along the way,” Ye Jiu responded and then continued, “Now that I am nearly at my doorstep, with not much of the journey left, there is no need for you to waste any more time on me.”
“This…” The man hesitated and said, “Subordinate is under orders to act, and I must ensure Miss Ye’s safe return home. Please do not make this difficult for this subordinate.”
Ye Jiu gave a wry smile, “The Prince’s good intentions are well appreciated by this humble girl, but if his Excellency truly has a kind heart, it would be better to capture all those inhuman traffickers at once. Focusing on rescuing those Dongyue women who have been abductued would also mean punishing the wicked and removing evil, which would be doing a good deed for the people of Dongyue.”
These were words Ye Jiu had wanted to say for a long time. Her own capabilities were limited, and since she had been fleeing all this while, she herself needed protection and thus had no right to speak of rescuing the trafficked women.
Even now, all she could do was speak a few good words on their behalf, hoping that those in power would be moved to act kindly, giving those women a chance to be rescued.
But Ye Jiu had overlooked what kind of era this was.
This era was extremely harsh on women; even if those women were rescued, could they, having lost their chastity, still be accepted by their own families?
Nevertheless, Ye Jiu’s suggestion now was indeed made with the best of intentions.
“Miss Ye’s words will naturally be reported to the Prince by this subordinate,” the man said immediately with a bow, his face showing nothing but respect, “However, it is my duty to ensure Miss Ye’s safe return home, and I hope you will not make this difficult for me.”
Ye Jiu had no choice but to relent, though she could not refuse his escort any longer.
After all, this was the order he had accepted. If he failed to complete it, he would surely face punishment upon his return. Ye Jiu did not want someone to accompany her, but she was even more reluctant to cause an innocent person to be punished for her sake.
Ye Jiu had not visited Shuangxi Town many times.
Yet, as she walked once more on these somewhat familiar streets, her heart was filled with a surge of emotion.
She was home, at last, she had returned home.