Clear Water Village was much like many of the impoverished mountain villages she had encounterd several times before while accompanying her father on his official duties, with dilapidated, scattered, and crumbling houses, rugged, narrow, and dusty paths, and vast expanses of farmland. At this time of year, the crops had already begun to turn yellow, lacking the vibrant green vitality.
Inside Zhou Biyao's carriage sat two maids and Nanny Zhong, with four robust house servants following before and after the carriage.
Shun Yi had already aroused suspicion and been dealt with once. Zhou Biyao dared not ask Shun Yi to lead the way, so the group had to walk and ask for directions as they went. They set off at the Chen Hour, spurring their horses on at a fast pace, and it wasn't until three quarters past the hour of Si that they finally found themselves outside the courtyard of the second branch of the Qi family.