Wei Yingnan and others gathered with Shuangshuang for a day before leaving Qingyang Prefecture. At this critical moment, none could be absent from their jurisdiction for too long.

It is said that Qingyang Prefecture has almost no strength from aristocratic families, which makes it the easiest to handle. In other areas where the power of aristocratic families is strong, dealing with them will only be more troublesome.

Originally, Shuangshuang was supposed to be promoted, but because of the backlash from aristocratic families, it was delayed by half a year before the power of aristocratic families in Qingyang Prefecture was completely dealt with.

The main reason is that although Qingyang Prefecture is not as troublesome as other places, it is adjacent to the border and is the rear for General Feng, who is still at war with the barbarians, so there must be no room for error.

This place does not make the Emperor feel assured with anyone else handling it, so there was no choice but to have Shuangshuang handle the follow-up in Qingyang Prefecture before promoting Xu Zijing to be the Magistrate of Qingyang Prefecture, ensuring absolute security.

As for Xu Zijing’s departure, the County Magistrate of Qinglin County was appointed to Xu Zilan; although he is young, he is the disciple of Shuangshuang’s grandfather, Wang Zhongxuan.

Due to this reason, Shuangshuang has also given much guidance to Xu Zilan over the years. With both a Prime Minister and Shuangshuang guiding him, Xu Zilan, despite his young age, is already capable of handling things independently.

It wasn’t until Shuangshuang governed Qingyang Prefecture like an iron clamshell, making it impossible for the power of aristocratic families to seep in, that the Emperor decreed for Shuangshuang to hastily enter the Capital City. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Originally, the Emperor should have granted Shuangshuang a family visit leave, but unfortunately, now aristocratic families have grown increasingly arrogant, perhaps knowing their doom is near, resisting desperately.

During this time, the Emperor is also overwhelmed, incredibly agitated, thus urgently needing Shuangshuang to return and devise strategies, as he cannot wait any longer.

This time, Shuangshuang returned to the Capital City by waterway, and to be extra careful, the Emperor dispatched over twenty Hidden Guards to ensure Shuangshuang’s safety.

With Shuangshuang’s strategies against the aristocratic families, they have been hit repeatedly and have long hated Shuangshuang to the core. Over the years, there have always been attempts on Shuangshuang’s life.

This time on the journey to the Capital City, the Emperor is particularly worried about Shuangshuang’s safety, hence deploying extra Hidden Guards.

The official boat is stable and large, embarking from the Lishui County wharf, passing through the picturesque lake before entering Jing River all the way to the Capital City.

Shuangshuang will travel by boat for a month this time. Luo Linlang prepared various food supplies on the boat in advance because Shuangshuang generally dislikes eating fish.

It should be said that Shuangshuang is quite picky; she does not like poultry eggs or aquatic products like chicken, duck, and goose, and the only meat she eats is pork, beef, and lamb, with lamb needing to be roasted.

However, over the years, with Shuangshuang frequently taking medication, her taste buds have gone numb, and she can’t taste much, so she is less concerned about food, though she still avoids what she doesn’t like.

This particularity often exasperates Ying Chang’an since many medicinal dishes for health maintenance require meat from chicken, duck, and fish, but Shuangshuang’s refusal to eat them creates a problem.

This time on the boat, Ying Chang’an and Heng Yue prepared seasickness medication in advance, and three times a day, they checked Shuangshuang’s pulse to ensure she doesn’t fall ill before traveling.

For any healthy person, traveling sick is problematic, not to mention Shuangshuang, who is naturally frail; even before boarding, Ying Chang’an and Heng Yue had already made several porcelain bottles of medicine.

On the day the boat left the wharf, a light rain dripped from the sky, and the common people of Qingyang Prefecture knew Shuangshuang was leaving, so they came to the wharf to bid her farewell.

Many had traveled a great distance upon hearing the news of Shuangshuang’s departure, having come to see her off. Over the years, Shuangshuang significantly improved the livelihood of the Qingyang Prefecture common people.

As Shuangshuang boarded the boat, a dense gathering of common people knelt by the wharf, many with tears in their eyes, reluctantly beseeching her to stay.

Two older individuals were selected by the common people, each holding a massive Mass Umbrella to be given to Shuangshuang.

Creating this Mass Umbrella involved countless common people of Qingyang Prefecture pooling money to buy the fabric, each leaving their name on it - those who could write, did so; those who couldn’t, left a handprint.

In fact, originally in Qinglin County, the common people planned to give Shuangshuang a Mass Umbrella, but she left for Qingyang Prefecture before they could finish making it.

Moreover, Shuangshuang left so quietly that the common people of Qinglin County did not have time to react.

This time, the common people of Qingyang Prefecture learned from that lesson and prepared the Mass Umbrella in advance, managing to give it to her as she left.

The boat moved across the water, swaying slightly; as Shuangshuang touched the Mass Umbrella with her hand, a rare serene and joyful smile appeared on her face, usually filled with solemnity over troubling thoughts.

Ah, the Mass Umbrella! This is a true Mass Umbrella, with more than tens of thousands of names on it. It symbolizes that the common people recognize her hard work and toils, finally making her feel gratified.

The boat sailed slowly, needing haulers on the shore to pull it with ropes while turning against the current. The scenery on the water was initially beautiful, but after a while, it became tedious, leaving little impression.

As days passed, it suddenly had been five days; that evening, as Shuangshuang prepared for bed, she noticed the boat suddenly wobbling, with sounds of a scuffle ringing from outside.

Frowning slightly, Shuangshuang paused her actions of taking off her clothes, instead sitting at the desk as Luo Linlang, who was making her bed, casually commented, "My lord, it seems there are assassins aboard our boat."

Luo Linlang remained calm for good reason; after all, with numerous assassination attempts over the years, she had become desensitized. No matter how skilled the assassins, they could not get past Yan Yi and Ying Yi and their men.

Since Luo Linlang was not nervous, Shuangshuang was even less so. She casually responded with a hum, propping her head with one hand as she felt a headache from bad sleep during the voyage.

Without interrupting her actions, Luo Linlang straightened Shuangshuang’s bedding, walked to the desk, and adjusted the charcoal in the red clay stove before retrieving the pot of brewed medicinal tea, pouring a cup for Shuangshuang.

Holding the cup in her hands to warm herself with the heat, Shuangshuang noted that although it was not yet winter, it was autumn, and the nights carried a slight chill.

Soon, the commotion caused by the assassins outside was quelled, with Yan Yi and Ying Yi capturing them. Yan Yi entered to report to Shuangshuang: "My lord, there were four people onboard.

Among them, three are highly skilled, appearing to be Hidden Guards or Death Guards trained by the aristocratic families, with martial arts techniques cruel and sinister, fighting with no regard for their lives.

The other one is less skilled, yet must be the main figure, as the three protect him constantly. Now all four have been captured, my lord. Would you like to interrogate them?"