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Shen Chuwei looked at him, her voice seemingly calm, "What do you want to say?"

Xiao Jinyan said word by word, "Let’s go back together."

Shen Chuwei very decisively replied with two words, "No need."

Because Xiao Jinyan was the Crown Prince, she followed local customs, so she never dared to go against his wishes, but she had her limits.

She was indeed lazy, lazy to vie for favor, lazy to eradicate mistresses, lazy to strive for anything.

She felt that as long as Xiao Jinyan kept her in his heart and did what he promised her, that would be enough.

If not, once she reached her limit, she would withdraw, because she had always left herself a way out, which had made her life easy for four years.

Who could have foreseen the appearance of a significant figure from his past, a childhood sweetheart?

This was something she had never considered.

If she had known beforehand, she would definitely have kept her distance from Xiao Jinyan, preferring to stay in Xiaoxiang Pavilion rather than be some sort of Crown Princess.

Xiao Jinyan had never seen her throw a tantrum like this, and her determined eyes told him that she was resolute about going back.

"Nanzhao Country is thousands of miles away from Daxia. How can I rest easy letting you go back alone?"

Shen Chuwei said, "It would be fine for Qin Xiao to escort me back. I can disguise myself as an old woman, keep a low profile, and avoid drawing attention by not displaying wealth or beauty."

That was the cleverness of Shen Chuwei, knowing how to protect herself when outside her own domain and without necessary power.

Even so, Xiao Jinyan disagreed with her going back to Daxia alone.

"No matter what, I won’t let you go back to Daxia alone. Without me by your side, I won’t be at ease."

As soon as Shen Chuwei heard his tone, she knew there was no room for negotiation, but that didn’t mean she would give up.

During these two days, Shen Chuwei repeatedly confirmed that the National Master was not in the palace, and then she began packing her luggage.

Actually, her belongings in the palace were pitifully few, most of them provided by the Emperor, and not necessary to take.

She put all her things in the Space.

She had a lot of meat prepared for the beast to eat, and she wondered if it would once again be caged after she left.

But these were no longer her concerns.

Though it was hard to let go, eventually they had to part ways.

She looked up at the colorful feathers above her, leisurely preening its beautiful plumage.

It could speak, yet remained silent.

Shen Chuwei took out paper and pen and left a letter in his guest room.

Before leaving, she looked down at Xuetuan, hesitating whether to take it with her and after some thought, decided to bring it along.

Taking advantage of Xiao Jinyan’s absence, Shen Chuwei held Xuetuan and boarded the horse carriage, using the token to smoothly exit the palace without any obstructions.

Once they were out of the palace, the carriage traveled through a bustling area, and Shen Chuwei instructed the little eunuch to wait there while she, holding Xuetuan, sneaked away.

The little eunuch was not new to accompanying Shen Chuwei out of the palace, so he didn’t overthink it and obediently stayed where he was.

Shen Chuwei looked back at the little eunuch, feeling sorry that he would have to wait until dark. She then withdrew her gaze and continued walking, holding Xuetuan.

Leaving couldn’t rely on her legs alone, so she had to hire a horse carriage.

For the ticket to hire a carriage, Shen Chuwei disguised herself, dressing up as a woman in her fifties or sixties. She knew a bit about makeup.

Clothing was easy, she could simply buy a set from a store.

Once she changed, Shen Chuwei, who was originally of blooming age, transformed into a woman in her fifties or sixties.

On her way to hire a carriage, she bought some crispy pastries.

Shen Chuwei saw an ordinary horse carriage; the horses seemed strong, so she negotiated a price with the coachman.

Shen Chuwei wouldn’t hire a single carriage for the whole journey; she planned to switch carriages at the next stop.

The coachman, seeing she was an elderly woman, was tempted to raise the price but was afraid she couldn’t afford it.

"The price is set. Does that work for you, ma’am?"

Shen Chuwei hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Yes."

The coachman hopped down from his seat, holding the reins and adjusting his clothes, while calling out, "Then please, ma’am, get into the carriage."

Holding Xuetuan, it took Shen Chuwei three times longer than usual to climb into the carriage.

Once she was on board, she lifted the curtain to look at Nanzhao Country. She had been there for a while now and found herself reluctant to leave behind the local delicacies.

The coachman cracked his whip and shouted, and the horses trotted off.

Shen Chuwei put down the curtain, looked down at Xuetuan, and rubbed its head. This was her first time traveling such a long distance alone.

But to get back to Daxia, it was worth it, even though the journey would be long and time-consuming.

Xuetuan, always in a state of confusion, didn’t understand what "Little Nine" was doing but still stayed quietly in her arms.