The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 197 Any later, and she wouldn't be able to leave.
When Zhiwan and Shuang'er arrived at the dock, it was already quite lively.

Food vendors were enthusiastically hawking their wares, and porters were coming and going in a steady stream, some unloading goods from cargo ships and others loading them onto them.

The entire dock was noisy yet orderly.

As soon as Zhiwan and Shuang'er stepped out of the carriage, a kind-looking young man approached Zhao Dong and said with a simple smile, "Brother Zhao, you've arrived."

Zhao Dong patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "You're pretty punctual. Have you been waiting for a long time?"

The young man scratched his head and said honestly, "Brother Zhao introduced me to a job, so I naturally dared not slack off. I've only been here a short time."

Zhao Dong nodded and turned to Zhiwan, saying, "Miss, this is Guo Yong, whom I just told you about. This young man is very strong and reliable. You can use him anytime along the way."

While the two were talking, Zhiwan had already subtly sized up Guo Yong.

The other person was probably in his early twenties, of medium height, and looked very thin, but with dark skin and calloused hands, indicating that he was used to doing manual labor.

On the way here, Zhao Dong had already told her about Guo Yong's situation.

Guo Yong's family consisted of only a widowed mother who earned money by doing manual labor. She helped Zhiweizhai move goods a few times, and that's how the two became acquainted.

So when she mentioned that she needed to find a reliable person to accompany her to Yangzhou, Zhao Dong immediately thought of Guo Yong.

Zhao Dong is always reliable, and Zhiwan trusts the people he hires.

"Master." Guo Yong stepped forward somewhat awkwardly and bowed, seemingly unaccustomed to greeting young ladies, his words stammering, "Throughout this journey, I, I will certainly protect you well, Master!"

Zhiwan nodded, "Thank you for your trouble."

Guo Yong quickly waved his hand, "It's my pleasure." Seeing the bundle slung over Shuang'er's shoulder, he reached out and said, "Give it to me."

Shuang'er glanced at Zhiwan, and seeing that Zhiwan nodded, she quickly handed the bundle to Guo Yong.

The two had little luggage; their bundles contained clothes and some dry food that Zhao Dong had helped prepare.

Zhiwan and Shuang'er kept the valuable and precious items close to their bodies.

“Miss, it’s still early, the ship won’t be leaving anytime soon. Why don’t you find a stall to rest and have something to eat? I’ll go check out the dock.” Zhao Dong said.

"Go ahead," Zhiwan nodded.

"Guo Yong, protect Miss. I'll be right back," Zhao Dong instructed Guo Yong before heading to the dock.

Although Zhiwan wanted to leave as soon as possible, there was no use in her being anxious since the boat wasn't sailing. So she took Shuang'er and Guo Yong to a small stall by the dock for breakfast.

Zhiwan and Shuang'er ordered a few steamed buns, two bowls of soy milk, and a large bowl of beef noodles for Guo Yong.

Looking at the several large pieces of beef piled on the table, Guo Yong was quite reserved. "Boss, I don't need to eat so well."

Zhiwan didn't speak, but took the bun and ate it in small bites. Shuang'er then said to Guo Yong, "If I give you food, you should eat it. I'm not letting you eat for free. During this time, you need to protect Miss."

Upon hearing this, Guo Yong no longer declined, saying, "Thank you, employer."

The three of them were eating breakfast, unaware that a group of thugs sitting at the next table were eyeing them.

"That girl's dress looks nice; she must come from a wealthy family. Why don't we ask them for some money to spend?"

"Look at your pathetic self. If you ask me, that girl is so reluctant to take off her veil even when eating breakfast, she must be quite beautiful. Why don't we bring her over to serve us?"

"So, does that mean we'll get both money and women today?"

Several thugs whispered among themselves, occasionally letting out lewd laughter.

Although Guo Yong looked honest and simple, he had been making a living in the streets since he was a child. When he heard the men's ill-intentioned laughter, he immediately became wary.

"The master and Miss Shuang'er will get on the carriage first."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan glanced at him and, seeing his tense expression, knew something had happened. She then said to Shuang'er, "Let's get in the carriage first."

Shuang'er nodded. After leaving the stall, Guo Yong escorted the two towards the carriage.

Just then, those thugs rammed into Guo Yong.

"Can't you watch where you're going? How dare you bump into me!" The thug accused the scoundrel first.

In the blink of an eye, Guo Yong was surrounded by several thugs.

Zhiwan and Shuang'er's expressions changed, and just as they were about to run away, a local thug walked over and blocked their way with a smile.

"Ladies, don't rush off. We'd like to invite you for tea. Would you do us the honor?" As the thug spoke, he reached out to pull off the veil from Zhiwan's head.

Just then, a hand reached out and grabbed the thug's hand.

Before the thugs could react, they heard a "crack" sound.

The next moment, the thug screamed and fell to his knees, clutching his broken arm and weeping bitterly.

Zhiwan was startled. When she saw who it was, her expression changed drastically. She grabbed Shuang'er's hand and ran away.

"Cousin?" Before Chen Jiu could even boast of his achievement, he saw the cousin run away as if she had seen a ghost.

what's the situation?
Chen Jiu was completely bewildered and was about to chase after them when he saw the thugs surrounding Guo Yong approaching him.

"How dare you hit our brothers? You're asking for trouble!"

Chen Jiu scoffed, and just as he was about to speak, a large group of people wielding sticks surged out from behind the thugs and surrounded him.

Zhiwan and Shuang'er ran all the way to the dock.

"Miss, why is Chen Jiu here?" Shuang'er asked breathlessly.

Zhiwan didn't speak; she clenched her fingers nervously.

She never expected to run into Chen Jiu here.

The fact that Chen Jiufang appeared so promptly clearly indicates that he had been following them.

Chen Jiu is my cousin's man, so his presence here must be at my cousin's behest.

Did her cousin already guess that she was going to leave the capital?

Thinking of this, Zhiwan felt extremely anxious and uneasy.

Just then, Zhao Dong walked over.

Seeing that Guo Yong wasn't with them, she asked curiously, "Miss, where is Guo Yong?"

“We just ran into some trouble. Guo Yong is probably still being harassed by those thugs,” Zhiwan said, then asked, “How did your inquiry go? When does the ship depart?”

"I'm here to tell you, Miss, that the ship is about to depart and you can board now," Zhao Dong said hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Then please take us onto the ship quickly."

"But Guo Yong hasn't arrived yet. Aren't we going to wait for him?" Zhao Dong asked.

"We won't wait for him. Don't worry, he'll be fine," Zhiwan said.

With Chen Jiu there, those thugs and hooligans wouldn't stand a chance against him, so why would he bother Guo Yong again?
“But it’s not very proper for two young ladies like you to be without a man to protect you…” Zhao Dong said with concern.

"It's alright, don't worry, hurry up and get us on the boat!" Zhiwan urged.

She just wanted to leave as soon as possible, otherwise she was afraid she wouldn't be able to leave.

(End of this chapter)