why did he seem so familiar?
A suspected old acquaintance.
The new emperor’s gaze swept over the crowd, precisely landing on me. His smile deepened, his lips moving slightly. Though far away, I could roughly understand his silent words.
Are you well?
Yuan Xiao stood up on its hind legs, letting out a cheerful bark towards the nearby area. I felt even more relieved. “I know you understand. You still like staying with me, right?” It shook its fur, not glancing at me, and ran towards the nearby area. Following its direction, I saw a butcher shop where Que’er was swinging a bone.
Before I could sigh, I saw the lively people of Yan Feng crowding around another group entering the city gate. Leading them was a tall, stern-faced young general with an unsheathed long knife at his waist and a yellow-crowned white-feathered macaw perched on his shoulder. Behind the general was a tall and luxurious two-horse carriage, with a semi-transparent curtain floating, vaguely revealing a woman sitting inside. Undoubtedly, this was the cavalry general and second princess of Nan Rui.
I had heard that the people of Nan Rui loved raising animals, with almost everyone keeping a pet and every household having birds and beasts. But I didn’t expect this imposing general to have such a cute little parrot.
On the second day after the Xi Liang and Nan Rui caravans arrived in Yan Feng, the Qi Emperor held a banquet in the palace to welcome the guests from both countries, and An Jin was also in attendance. I didn’t need to attend the feast, so I took Yuan Xiao home to check on my elder brother’s mechanical arts learning progress.
Unexpectedly, halfway there, Yuan Xiao suddenly shook its head and ran off like an unbridled wild horse, refusing to come back no matter how I called. I guessed it was lured by the aroma of some meat bone soup, and quickly chased after it with Que’er. After following it through several small alleys, the view suddenly opened up to the Jing De Gate with its double-eaved hipped roof.
