The room was eerily quiet, and two dim rays of sunlight shone behind him, adding to the depressing feeling.
Mingzhu woke up and her head still hurt a little. She slowly sat up from the bed, her long black hair spread out lazily. Her face turned pale, and she felt frightened for no reason.
She swallowed, and her throat hurt when she spoke, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"
Zhao Shi put his fingers on the edge of the table, and there seemed to be a few yellowed papers pressed under his fingertips. His face looked very calm, "I saw something interesting."
Mingzhu sat up and put on her shoes, walked slowly to him, glanced at the letter pressed under his fingers, her pupils shrank suddenly, she almost couldn't hold back and wanted to grab it back, she clenched it tightly with her fingers, My heart gradually sank.
Zhao Shi raised his eyes and looked at Mingzhu, expressionlessly picked up the letter paper, handed it to her, and asked, "Are you literate?"
Mingzhu remained silent.
Zhao Shi said calmly: "Read it for me."
Mingzhu didn't even dare to reach out to take the letter he handed over. No one knew the contents of these letters better than she did. A girl who was just in love, and it was just when her honey was mixed with oil, the love poems she wrote could make half of her teeth sore.
She also knew that Zhao Shi hated her having contact with other men. The way this man looked at her sometimes made her breathless.
It seems gentle, but in fact, it is moisturizing and quietly invading everything she has.
To listen to him, it is best to follow his wishes in everything.
Zhao Shi stood up and slapped the letter on the table, his voice as heavy as thunder. He pinched her chin and tightened his grip, but it didn't hurt her. He looked at her with his dark eyes, "Come on, read it to me again."
It was quiet for a while. An attendant outside the door reminded in a low voice: "Your Highness, it's almost time to go to court."
Zhao Shi said in a cold voice, "Get out."
The attendants waiting outside the door were also startled, but they had never heard such serious words spoken by the gentle and gentle Crown Prince.
He boldly said again: "Your Highness, if you don't leave, it will be too late."
Zhao Shi's voice was a few degrees colder than before, "I told you not to understand, right?"
The attendant was frightened and did not dare to say anything.
Mingzhu was so nervous that she didn't dare to move. Her jaw hurt from being pinched by him. Her eye circles were slightly rippled and the tip of her nose was red. She clenched her sleeves tightly and took a breath. Then she closed her eyes and asked, "Your Highness, do you really want to listen to me?" ?"
Zhao Shi smiled coldly.
Mingzhu felt so wronged. He took her things without permission and now he got angry at her. Why? She broke the jar and said, "Your Highness, please let go of me first, and I will read it to you."
Say it word by word.
Zhao Shi loosened his knuckles, Mingzhu coughed twice, and picked up the letters on the table. Some were written by her to Wei Chiyu, and some were written by Wei Chiyu to her.
She had not read many books and was not very good at writing poems. The love words she wrote were very popular and bold. At that time, her only hope was to be sweet with him for a long time.
At that time, she only wanted to marry a good husband. It didn't have to be a good family background or a lot of money. It was enough that he was motivated, liked her, and was willing to treat her well. So everything written in the letter is true.
Mingzhu had not read these letters for a long time, and she was in a daze. When she came back to her senses, she said in a low voice: "Wei Lang personally sends this letter with great affection. I received the letter yesterday, and I was full of joy. Not seeing each other for one day is like three autumns. I just hope that I can see you again." May I stay with Wei Lang forever and never be separated."
Every time she said a word, the expression on Zhao Shi's face became colder.
When Mingzhu read these letters again, her eyes were sore and she still felt a little uncomfortable. She then read the next letter, "Wei Lang, I haven't seen you for half a month. How are you? My mistress has promised to betroth me to you. I just look forward to spending time with you day and night."
Zhao Shi held her wrist down, as if he finally couldn't listen anymore, "Stop reading."
Mingzhu felt that after she read the letter, Zhao Shi's anger not only did not subside, but actually grew stronger.
There was no extra expression on the man's face. His tall figure loomed in front of her, and his air pressure was low.
Without saying a word, Zhao Shi picked up the old letters on the table and threw them into the brazier.
The moment the paper touched the flame, it disappeared into ashes.
It was too late for Mingzhu to grab it.
Zhao Shi saw her lunging forward, grabbed her arm tightly, pulled her into his arms, looked down at her, and bit her hard at the corner of her mouth, which made her feel better after the skin was broken and she tasted the blood. His voice was extremely cold, "Can't bear to part with you?"
Mingzhu's face was already red with anger, and the ends of her eyes were pitifully red, with a faint glimmer of water.
When Zhao Shi saw her looking like she was about to cry, he was furious and suppressed it. At this moment, he also lost the calmness and rationality that he was usually proud of, "Do you still want to be the wife of the minister?"
Mingzhu gritted her teeth and said nothing, staring at him with watery eyes.
Zhao Shi had never seen her with an expression like a kitten's hair was exploding. When she mentioned Wei Chiyu, she couldn't sit still and lost her temper. He even felt itchy with hatred.
"Do you think he will marry you?" Zhao Shi sneered at the corner of his mouth, as if he was laughing at her for dreaming.
The indifference in Zhao Shi's eyes really hurt Mingzhu's self-esteem, which was almost gone. This look was more like ridicule, disdain, and contempt than indifference, treating her as a lowly plaything and humiliating her wantonly.
In fact, from the moment she was kidnapped by Zhao Shi and brought to his bed, she had no such thing as self-esteem and tried her best not to think about the rumors in the mortal world. But her heart is not made of gold, so she will still feel ashamed and sad.
Mingzhu was so angry that she burst into tears.
Zhao Shi didn't feel soft when he saw her crying this time. He spoke clearly and said word by word: "He can't."
"Don't think you can go back to him."
Mingzhu wiped the corners of her eyes and spoke with a strong nasal voice. She lowered her head and said softly: "If it weren't for you, I would have married him as I wished."
She doesn't have to be a shady concubine for him, she doesn't have to be scolded by her sisters at home, and she won't be a scheming concubine who seduces the prince and clings to power in the eyes of others.
It was daylight, and Biying opened the windows in the house to let fresh air into the house.
Miss Mingzhu sat motionless by the bed, the tears on her face were still clearly visible, and her eyes seemed to be looking at the brazier burning coals.
Biying walked over cautiously and asked, "Girl, do you still feel cold?"
Why do you keep staring at the carbon fire
Mingzhu shook her head, "I'm not cold."
She raised her eyes and said, "Please get me some water. I want to wash my face."
His face seemed to be still wet, and he felt a little uncomfortable. Zhao Shi was angry with her this morning. After she said those words, he said nothing and had a frosty face. He originally thought he would get angry, but in the end he just walked away with a white face.
After Mingzhu finished speaking, she began to regret that she shouldn't have plucked the tiger's hair. Fortunately, she was in the Ming family. If she were in the Prince's Courtyard, she couldn't tell what the situation would be this morning.
Biying quickly filled a basin of warm water and entered the house. Mingzhu wiped her face with a wet handkerchief and applied it to her eyes for a while before she felt more comfortable.
She doesn't have much time, only these ten short days.
When the time came and she returned to the Prince's Courtyard, Mingzhu knew that there was almost no chance of her escaping without thinking.
People in the Ming Mansion would not keep an eye on her all the time, let alone care where she went.
Mingzhu deliberately pushed Biying away and said, "I want to eat Yangchun noodles. You go to the kitchen and watch them cook me a bowl of Yangchun noodles. No onions or garlic."
"yes."
As soon as Biying left, Mingzhu asked Arou to go out and go to the pawn shop.
It didn't stop early in the morning. Mingru asked her personal maid to bring a pile of dirty clothes. She ordered her to wash the clothes as before.
Mingzhu smiled angrily, is she a soft bun? Anyone can pinch it.
She said: "Tell eldest sister, I won't wash."
The maid seemed to have guessed what she would say, so she brought Mingru's words back as they were, "Miss Mingru is doing this for your own good, lest you get used to a good life and fall to the bottom again in the future, and you will be unaccustomed to the old life. "
Although His Highness the Crown Prince came quietly last night, he left this morning with a cold face.
Miss Mingzhu must have offended His Highness the Crown Prince, and her favor, which was already in jeopardy, may not be much left now.
Mingzhu said it was not painful or itchy, "Thank you, eldest sister, for your kindness. She should first think about how to deal with the future crown princess."
Princess Xiangyang's innocence and romance are all superficial, but in reality she is as cruel and ruthless as Zhao Shi. Before the princess married into the East Palace, she could not tolerate her, and she might not be able to tolerate Mingru in the future.
and-
Mingzhu felt that Zhao Shi must be in love with Princess Xiangyang, so she personally ordered her to be eliminated as a bed warmer just so that the princess could marry him without any grudges.
The maid was speechless, left her dirty clothes, and left in dejection.
Biying, who came back from the kitchen, was really angry when she saw this pile of clothes, "They bullied people too much!"
What kind of life did Miss Mingzhu live like before? Persimmons are always picky and weak, and they bully others because they have no father or mother to love them.
Mingzhu said: "Don't be angry, just throw her clothes away."
Biying threw away her clothes fiercely, "The prince is reluctant to ask you to do work, how dare they?"
When Mingzhu heard her mention Zhao Shi, the smile on her lips slowly dropped and she couldn't even smile.
She lowered her head to eat the noodles. As soon as she finished eating and put away her chopsticks, Ah Rou came back from outside, her brows furrowed and her eyes somewhat resentful.
When Biying was gone, Mingzhu had time to ask her what happened
Ah Rou said: "I didn't take it as jewelry. The shopkeeper said that I looked like a maid who had escaped from a wealthy family. Who knows if the valuable jewelry in my hand was stolen, so he didn't accept it."
Shopkeepers who are like people are very knowledgeable and well-informed, and they can tell who they are at a glance.
Ah Rou said and stomped her feet vigorously, "I almost got into an argument with him. It really pissed me off."
Mingzhu asked her to calm down, but how could Ah Rou not be anxious? She also wanted to take the young lady out of the sea of misery as soon as possible, "Miss, what should we do now?"
Mingzhu frowned and thought for a moment, "Otherwise, I'll go there myself."
Ah Rou was a little worried: "No one will find out, right?"
Mingzhu sighed inwardly, she didn't know what to do, but if she went out disguised as a man, she wouldn't be recognized so easily.
So until the next day, Mingzhu found the men's clothes she used to wear from the cabinet and put on them. She also combed her hair into a man's bun. From a distance, she looked like a pretty, frail scholar.
Ah Rou helped Mingzhu drive away Biying, and then the two of them slipped out while the boys guarding the back door were gambling and fighting for money.
Mingzhu took all the jewelry she could sell for money and held them tightly in her arms. When she reached the door of the pawn shop, she looked around and quickly entered the shop while there were few people around.
The shopkeeper knew she was no ordinary person just by looking at her facial features and temperament. He quickly served tea and water to receive the guests, "Girl, what do you want to be?"
Pearl: "..."
What a failure of a woman disguised as a man.
She moistened her throat and said, "Go in and talk."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, "Please."
Mingzhu placed the jade hairpin and jade bracelets wrapped in cloth on the table, "Look, how much are these worth?"
The shopkeeper's eyes were glued to his eyes, and he looked at the pile of things carefully. After a long silence, he asked: "Girl, where did you get all these things?"
"Don't worry about it. It's not stolen or robbed after all."
The shopkeeper stroked his beard with a very embarrassed expression. The pile of things in front of him were all treasures that were hard to find even with a lantern. Many of them were treasures paid tribute by small affiliated countries and could only be seen in the palace!
His eyes changed when he looked at Mingzhu. This girl's delicate facial features and extraordinary temperament, with her delicate skin and tender flesh, made her look like a pampered young lady.
Mingzhu waited impatiently, "Are you going to make an offer? If not, I'll leave."
"Slowly! Don't be anxious, girl."
"I am leaving."
"One thousand taels, I want them all."
Even though Mingzhu didn't know the goods, she knew it wasn't worth the money. She shook her head: "No."
The shopkeeper took a step back: "How much do you want?"
Pearl Lion opened his mouth and asked for five thousand taels. She was already prepared to be rejected, but she didn't know that the shopkeeper actually agreed and immediately prepared the money and sent it to her.
Mingzhu held the banknote in a daze.
The shopkeeper looked at her with a smile, "Girl, next time you have something good, send it to me."
Mingzhu answered absentmindedly and hid the banknote close to her body. Before leaving, she said dissatisfiedly: "Call me Young Master!"
"Yes, yes, sir, walk slowly."
It's not easy for Mingzhu to come out. How many years has it been since she walked down the street so freely? Can't remember.
On a whim, she wanted to visit a rouge and gouache shop, so she walked to the main street and saw guards guarding the door of the shop from a distance.
There was a figure she was familiar with inside.
Zhao Shi was dressed in a green shirt, gentle and elegant, with a face as bright and clean as the moon. Beside him was a woman, dressed in red, bright and charming, with nobility between her eyebrows, and extremely arrogant.
When Zhao Shi turned his head to talk to her, his expression was gentle that Mingzhu had never seen before.
Mingzhu's world seemed to suddenly become quiet, and their figures were reflected in her eyes.
The woman smiled brightly and cheerfully, and Mingzhu guessed that she must be the Princess of Xiangyang.
Only then did Mingzhu realize that Zhao Shi was so gentle when getting along with his future wife.