Chapter 445: Returning to the capital (1)
The road from Spring City to the capital was bumpy and long. It took half a year to make the trip. The day after Shen Xin received the imperial edict, he set off. Luo Ling and Luo Tan also followed along.
Luo Ling was asked by Luo Sui to go. As the eldest grandson of the Luo family, Luo Ling would eventually take on the responsibility as the head of the entire Luo family. Luo Sui wanted Luo Ling to go to the capital to broaden his horizon and understand the current situation in Ming Qi. Luo Sa had to stay in Spring City and continue to train the Luo army with his elders.
Luo Tan and Luo Qian weren’t allowed to go, but Luo Tan secretly climbed into the carriage and hid in the box. When they were far away from Spring City, she suddenly crawled out. At that time, it was too late to send her back. They could only get someone to send a letter back to inform the Luo family.
Luo Tan was yearning for the capital. After repeatedly promising not to cause trouble, she was allowed to stay.
This time, Shen Xin also brought back a batch of the Luo army. This batch was personally trained by Shen Xin and Shen Qiu, and it consisted of the most elite soldiers. Every one of them could be considered a leader in other teams. This batch was nurtured by Shen Xin himself and followed him as guards.
They set off in spring and only arrived in late autumn. The green trees along the way turned into withered leaves and fell into the soil with the wind. When the group started to put on clothes, they were about to reach the capital.
The sky gradually darkened. The group of people rested in an inn outside the city. Shen Qiu said, “Let’s enter the city tomorrow morning and find a house to stay in.”
Before they left, the Shen family had split up, so it was naturally impossible for them to return to the Shen mansion.
Previously, when they were in the Luo family, Luo Xueyan told Luo Sui about the Shen family splitting up. Luo Ling and Luo Tan were not surprised. Luo Tan rested her chin on her hand and said with a yearning expression, “Auntie, Uncle, let’s find a bustling place to stay, okay? I’ve never been to the capital.”
Luo Xueyan smiled and said, “East of the city was the most bustling place in the capital, but we haven’t been back for two years. I wonder if it has changed.”
“That’s simple.” Luo Tan asked the waiter, “Waiter, do you know the most bustling place in the capital?”
The waiter did not know the identity of this group of people, but seeing that they had brought so many guards and were dressed exquisitely, especially the little girl sitting in the middle, he knew at a glance that she was from a noble family. He did not dare to be negligent and replied enthusiastically, “Miss, there are many busy places in the capital. The east and south of the city are quite busy. There are many shops in the east of the city. It’s more convenient for girls to buy rouge and powder. There are many restaurants in the south of the city. If you want to eat something, go to the south.”
Luo Tan was obviously not satisfied with this answer. She frowned and said, “Is that all?”
The waiter was afraid of making her unhappy, so he thought for a moment and added, “Miss, if you really want to have fun, go to the south of the city. Recently, people from the State of Qin and the Daliang Dynasty have come. The emperor provided accommodation for them in Yanqing Alley in the south of the city.”
“What’s Yanqing Alley?” Luo Tan asked.
“Yanqing Alley is the most expensive land in the capital.” Shen Qiu explained, “It’s a good place that even the royal family can’t afford to live in. Even the princes didn’t live there. Only the empress’s brother lived in Yanqing Alley for a while.”
Luo Tan was surprised at first. “Yanqing Alley is actually so expensive.” Then, she was a little disappointed. “But since it’s so expensive, we definitely can’t afford a house there.”