Chapter 161 Taking the Back Path

Accompanying Baili Hai was Liu Lufeng, her father in name only, along with his young, pregnant wife, Tan Cai'er. Tan Cai'er was nearly four months along, and the swell of her belly was already faintly visible.

Once the Emperor had finished posturing and departed, Liu Ling'er walked over to her father. She whispered something into his ear, then cast a profound look toward Tan Cai'er's stomach, wearing a smirk as she murmured a final sentence before setting off with Baili Xian.

Watching Liu Ling'er disappear from sight, Tan Cai'er tugged at Liu Lufeng's sleeve, asking in confusion, "Lufeng, what did Ling'er say to you? Why did she smile at me like that at the end? It has me completely bewildered."

Liu Lufeng blushed, but he pulled Tan Cai'er into his arms and rested a hand on her belly. "Ling'er was just saying goodbye to the child in your womb. She told me to take good care of you and keep you healthy and plump so that we can bring our baby into the world safely. She said she wants to hold her little brother when she returns."

Upon hearing this, Tan Cai'er's face turned a deep shade of crimson. She buried her face in Liu Lufeng's chest, not daring to look up at anyone else for fear of being made the subject of a joke. Knowing her shy nature, Liu Lufeng did not press the matter; he simply held her close with doting affection.

More than ten miles outside the capital, Baili Xian called for the carriage to stop. He asked Liu Ling'er to step down and join him on foot, while Tie Wula and Yin Wula continued along the main road with the retinue from Prince Xian's estate.

Once they were out of sight, Baili Xian took Liu Ling'er's hand and veered onto a narrow, overgrown path hidden in the grass.

After walking for a while, Liu Ling'er asked with confusion, "Prince Xian, why are we abandoning the perfectly good main road for this desolate, craggy trail? I suspect my shoes will be worn through before two days have passed."

Baili Xian stopped and opened his pack. He pulled out two sets of clothes and tossed one to Liu Ling'er. "Put these on. I will explain the reason afterward."

Liu Ling'er took the garments, unfolded them, and then glanced at the clothes Baili Xian had already donned. She burst into laughter. "Prince Xian, what kind of play are you putting on? Why are you dressed as a young nobleman while I am dressed as a servant boy? Do you intend for me to wait on you hand and foot along the way?"

"You?" Baili Xian scoffed. "If you don't become a burden to me, I'll count myself lucky; I would never dare to trouble you with serving me. Sigh, if I had known, I would never have brought such dead weight along."