The siblings, unsettled, only asked for some water before setting off again. They hadn’t traveled far when they saw Wang Qinian’s carriage coming to pick them up. Seeing Fan Xian’s unusual expression, Wang Qinian dared not speak unnecessarily.
"Why would His Majesty show up here?" Fan Ruoruo asked, wiping away sweat with her handkerchief.
Fan Xian smiled uneasily. "This emperor of ours has always lived in secret and ventures out dressed simply. I guessed this a long time ago. How could a man spend year after year in a palace? He must come out sometimes, and it wouldn’t be strange for him to come to Liujing River. I did it find it amusing, though, that Sir Gong Dian did not call him ‘Master Huang’."
Fan Ruoruo chuckled. "How could everything be like your stories? If what you said was true, you should have started a bookstore from the beginning."
