Zhao Jiaqi also chuckled, "How many years have you been driving? Not many jobs like ours that travel long distances, right?"
The coachman rolled his eyes a couple of times, flicked his whip, and honestly replied, "I've been driving for over a decade. I haven't had many trips this long, but the pay is good, so I'm happy to do it. I can pick up a passenger or two on the way back and earn a bit more. It's worth it."
What he said was watertight, making perfect sense and leaving Zhao Jiaqi unable to find any hint of a conspiracy.
She continued, "You travel day and night without rest. It'll take at least five or six days to reach the inner city. Don't your wife and children worry about you when you're away for so long?"
The coachman gave a wry smile at her words and sighed, "My wife died seventeen years ago. She died in childbirth, and I lost both her and the baby. That's why I started driving. If I had a wife and children at home, I wouldn't be driving; I'd be happy to earn a little less and stay home with them."
So, he was all alone!
"Then haven't you found anyone else?" Zhao Jiaqi asked curiously.
The coachman indulged her curiosity, "Where would I find a wife who was so truly devoted to me?"
He gestured with his rough, calloused hand towards Zhao Jiaqi. The calluses on his hands looked somewhat yellowed, a testament to years of gripping reins, which aligned with his story of driving for over a decade.
"Now, I'm someone who eats alone and no one depends on me. I earn a little money, and if I feel like having a drink, I do, and no one minds. I live freely, avoiding the endless nagging of a woman. It's much less troublesome."
This man truly saw through life to give up the idea of marriage and children, and even the notion of having sons to support him in his old age and see him off.
In this era, such a mindset was truly rare, especially for a villager.
"Then haven't you considered who will take care of you when you're old?"
The coachman paused, and after a while, he raised his whip. His tone was no longer as nonchalant as before, but tinged with a hint of sadness, "I have nephews. If they are willing, they can bury me. The house, land, and money will be theirs. If not, I'll just find a place to stay and die wherever I end up. When my eyes close, who knows what happens next. Madam, don't you think that makes sense!"
Zhao Jiaqi pursed her lips. She didn't know how to respond to that.
After chatting about other things for a while, Zhao Jiaqi found no suspicious behavior from the coachman. However, to be on the safe side, she decided to treat him as a suspect sent by A Le.
They made do with lunch in the carriage. By evening, they reached a small town, and Zhao Jiaqi decided to stay there for the night.
Binyue Inn, Heavenly Room.
Jiaojiao and Yaoyao attended to their madam's bath, while Su Ya stood guard outside. The coachman stayed in a room downstairs. This was the perfect opportunity for a private chat.
"Jiaojiao, where are the sleeve darts you prepared?"
"Madam, they are here. The issue is that there are few arrowheads. Once they are used, they cannot be refilled unless we find another blacksmith shop to make more. That would take considerable time!"
Zhao Jiaqi felt the sleeve darts in her hand, examining them repeatedly. She was thankful that Karger had underestimated them; otherwise, they would not have been able to bring these items if they had been searched.
However, as she had said, refilling them after use would be time-consuming and labor-intensive.
"We are safe for now, and normally we won't need them. But if we do use them, it must be a fatal blow. This way, the arrowheads can be reused."
Jiaojiao and Yaoyao nodded, agreeing that this would reduce the time needed to make arrowheads.
Looking at the sleeve darts, her mind was consumed with how to rescue her husband and then annihilate the spies and A Le's gang. She was so restless that she couldn't eat or sleep, feeling as anxious as someone experiencing constipation or menopause.
"No, we need to research more cold weapons. They excel at mounted archery, and our Yun Kingdom's mounted archery is indeed inferior. Moreover, these people are fierce. Children, the old, the weak, and women can all become fighters. This is something we must guard against."
Upon hearing this, Jiaojiao and Yaoyao fell silent, their minds racing to think of weapons with high lethality, but no good solutions came to mind after repeated consideration.
At this moment, Zhao Jiaqi thought of bombs. Such devices could kill a large number of people. They could not only deter the enemy but perhaps also help her capture the grassland and extinguish A Le's ambitions in one fell swoop.
However, when it came to gunpowder, she only knew the formula but had never actually practiced making it. Mishandling such a substance could very likely result in death.
It was a headache!
She put on her clothes, waved her hands at the two of them, "Have someone clean up, and you two can go rest. We have to travel again tomorrow."
After the sisters withdrew from the room, they washed up and went to rest.
In the latter half of the night, when the world was asleep.
The cold wind made the paper on the window creak. Zhao Jiaqi, unable to sleep, got up and walked to the window, opening it slightly. She looked up at the moon hanging high in the sky. The bright moonlight slanted down, illuminating the ground, making it exceptionally bright.
The myriad stars in the sky seemed to be in sync with the moon, twinkling beautifully.
Such a beautiful night view could not smooth the sorrow in her heart; instead, it made her feel even more heartbroken.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed by extremely quickly. She leaned out to look at the shadow about to disappear outside. It was slightly hunched. This... wasn't that the coachman?
Zhao Jiaqi thought she had seen wrong and immediately rubbed her eyes. After clearly seeing the disappearing shadow at the end was the coachman, Zhao Jiaqi's suspicions were finally confirmed.
At this moment, she had to be even more careful.
She threw on her cloak and quietly went to the back door of the inn, tiptoeing. She couldn't see anyone outside through the crack in the door, but she could hear people talking, their voices very low.
Listening to the rapid chatter, she understood. The coachman must be relaying information to his superior. Zhao Jiaqi, without making a sound, slowly returned to her room.
Lying on the bed, her heart pounded wildly, and she felt a sense of having narrowly escaped death. If she had been discovered, she would have been one step away from death.
The next day, after breakfast and buying some provisions for the journey, they set off again.
At this point, she eagerly anticipated reaching Jinzhou City, where the Special Commissioner was waiting for her.
However, after arriving in Jinzhou City, she had to deal with these spies, otherwise, there would be endless trouble.
The coachman was indeed an expert at driving. By noon, they had bypassed all towns, and by evening, they arrived at the small town as scheduled. Along the way, they had never rested in any prefectural or county seat.
Zhao Jiaqi truly admired the coachman. He had timed everything perfectly, forcing her to see him in a new light.
He was clearly from Yun Kingdom, so why had he become A Le's spy? Alas...
Watching him drive like this, even if they reached Jinzhou City, he would definitely bypass it. She needed to find an excuse, without arousing the coachman's suspicion. How could this be handled?