The next day before dawn, Zhao Shi got up, dressed neatly, looking elegant, elegant, clean, and with an outstanding appearance.
The little maids in the yard of the fifth lady of the Ming Dynasty couldn't help but look at her with blushing faces. His Royal Highness was so good-looking.
Zhao Shi took his personal guards with swords on their waists, leaving only a few guards outside the Ming Mansion.
It wasn't out of surveillance, just because she was worried that if something happened, someone would be able to protect her.
Mingzhu's head still hurt a little after she woke up. She had slept for a long time. When she sat up, her waist and heels hurt as if they were broken. After getting out of bed, her legs swayed, and she stood up slowly after a while.
Biying walked in with newly made clothes. Mingzhu took a look and said, "It's better to dress more modestly today."
Biying was a little puzzled, "But doesn't the girl still have to go out for the festival at night?"
During the Lantern Festival, many unmarried men and women will have private dates. Girls like flowers will dress themselves up beautifully on this day. If they meet someone they like on the street, they will boldly come forward to chat.
Although the prince has gone to Changtai Mountain to offer sacrifices, he should be able to come back from there before dark to spend the festival with the girl.
Biying said: "The fabric of this skirt is light and breathable, elegant and dusty. It looks particularly good on me, like a little fairy."
Mingzhu smiled and said, "Then wait until night to change."
Biying nodded and said yes.
Mingzhu pretended to ask casually: "Biying, when did the prince leave?"
"Leaved while it was still dark."
"Yes." Mingzhu relaxed. She picked up the water glass and took a sip. After a long silence, she asked again: "Isn't the prince's birthday coming up in two days?"
Biying's brows were filled with joy. She didn't expect Miss Mingzhu to be so thoughtful and keep the birthday of His Highness in her heart. She smiled and said, "Yes, it's less than a month away."
Of course Mingzhu remembered Zhao Shi's birthday, and she would prepare a birthday gift for him every year in her previous life. And Zhao Shi would come back after celebrating his birthday in the palace every year, so many of her gifts fell into his hands.
She lowered her face, pretending to be shy, "I ordered a glass hairpin in the jewelry shop a few days ago. Can you help me get it back if you have time this afternoon?"
Biying nodded: "Yeah, okay."
Mingzhu wanted to send Biying away deliberately. When she came back and found that she was missing, it would be too late to send someone to look for her.
Biying did not expect that Mingzhu still had thoughts of running away. In her opinion, His Highness the Crown Prince treated Miss Mingzhu very well.
Lanterns were put on everywhere in the Ming Mansion, and the servants were busy preparing fireworks and firecrackers that were planned to be set off tonight.
There was a lively scene in the mansion, which looked festive.
The naughty brothers and sisters from the third room ran wildly towards Mingzhu’s yard with kites, shouting and making a lot of noise.
"Sister, fly the kite higher!"
"This yard is too small. They told me not to come here. I hate Fifth Sister."
"I hate her too, and my mother told me not to talk to her."
Childish words are unbridled, just say whatever is on your mind.
The kite was flown too high. When the spring breeze blew, the string of the kite suddenly broke in mid-air.
The children were jumping eagerly and chirping non-stop.
Pearl heard the sound and came out.
The children were not afraid of her, so they called her naturally: "Hurry up and help us take down the kite hanging from the tree."
Mingzhu thought for a while, "I can't climb trees."
The child snorted, "You lied."
The children in the third room don't like Mingzhu, and Mingzhu doesn't like them either.
She added: "You ask someone to pick it up yourself."
The snow that fell in the past few days has been wiped away by the warm spring sunshine, and the branches have sprouted new buds and swayed in the wind.
The children are still dressed very warmly, wearing little boots and gold and silver. Their plump and tender bodies are pampered and white, like the fat dolls in New Year paintings. His character was also raised to be somewhat arrogant and domineering.
"I want you to pick it up for us, otherwise I will sue daddy and say you bully us."
Mingzhu said calmly, she was not their slave and was not afraid of them using this trick.
"You go ahead."
There was already a mother-in-law looking for them, and in the blink of an eye, the young master and the ladies were gone. But it made them anxious.
Mingru and her maids came over after hearing the sound. She said in a bad tone, "Bring the young masters and ladies out quickly!"
"Sister Ru, there are still our kites!" He took the opportunity to complain, hoping that Sister Ru would teach her a lesson, "She didn't pick up the kite for us, and she let us get hurt."
Mingru glanced at the mother-in-law beside her, and they quickly left the yard with their children in their arms.
Mingzhu felt that Mingru was staring at her very unkindly, so they were silent for a while. Her sister-in-law didn't say anything, turned around and left again.
Mingru didn't dare to act arbitrarily now. She had far underestimated the weight of Mingzhu in His Highness the Crown Prince's heart. The princess just kicked her twice and made the bitch kneel down for several hours. The Crown Prince immediately retreated in anger. Got married.
This frightened Mingru so much that she had a high fever when she came back from the palace and took medicine for two days before she managed to get better.
If she still wants to marry the prince as a concubine, she can't interfere with his people.
But when Mingzhu thought about how she would really marry into the East Palace and become the crown prince's concubine and not be able to touch Mingzhu, she couldn't bear to say this.
Her mother advised her to endure it if she couldn't bear it.
Mingru thought bitterly, why didn't the princess kill Mingzhu directly that day in the palace? In this fight, both sides suffer losses, so that she can benefit.
No matter how unwilling she was, Mingru could only swallow it.
After Mingru left, Mingzhu turned around and asked Biying, "Isn't my sister getting engaged soon? Why is she still looking unhappy?"
Biying also felt strange. She shook her head and said she didn't know either.
"However, after His Highness the Crown Prince brought you back from the palace that day, he canceled the marriage with the princess."
After Biying finished speaking, she raised her eyes to observe the expression on Mingzhu's face, but her expression did not change much.
Mingzhu didn't feel too much about the news of breaking off the engagement. She stood quietly in the sun and remained silent.
Biying asked curiously: "Girl, are you unhappy?"
After all, the prince canceled his marriage to the princess because of her.
Mingzhu came back to her senses and pointed at herself, "Me?"
"Um."
"fine."
Mingzhu thought clearly. If Zhao Shi didn't marry the princess, he would look for other noble daughters from famous families to be his concubines in the future.
Zhao Shi looked down upon her background, and only had lust for her, rather than sincere love for her.
Biying looked worried and said, "Your Highness broke off the engagement because the princess hurt you."
Mingzhu smiled weakly, "No."
Zhao Shi regards her as his belongings. She is gentle and elegant on the surface, but the blood of royal domineering still flows in his bones.
He just didn't like others touching his things, so he got angry.
The front yard became increasingly lively, and many guests came one after another to the front hall where guests were entertained. Several sisters who were married before also came back to visit relatives with their brothers-in-law and their children.
Mingzhu didn't know these sisters very well, but judging from their clothes and looks, they must be living a good life in her husband's family.
The concubines' marriages were neither good nor bad, but after they gave birth to children, their husbands' mother-in-law treated them well. The husbands were motivated and worry-free, and they never married or took concubines.
Several sisters felt a little pity for her, a concubine who had the same problem, and talked to her privately, "Zhuzhu, you and the prince... are not a long-term solution after all."
Mingzhu lowered her face and replied in a low voice: "I know."
Even if the concubine was an outsider, she felt sorry for her original marriage. If it hadn't been an affair, she, the concubine, would have lived a good and prosperous life long ago.
"You should also plan for yourself as early as possible, and you don't want to have your own children in the future..."
Like them, they live a life of looking at people's glances all the time.
Her younger sister loves children very much. If she gives birth to a child for the prince now because of her enthusiasm, it will be even more difficult for her to marry a good family in the future.
Mingzhu held the concubine's hand and said, "No, I have taken medicine."
"That's not okay. You fell into the water when you were a child. Drinking that kind of medicine is very bad for your health. Just listen to your sister's advice, and then yourself..."
Halfway through, the concubine also understood what was going on. She was afraid that the prince would not let her give birth.
The concubine sighed, "Forget it, you haven't met Brother Qi yet, have you? He is almost half a year old. You can go and hug him later."
"Okay." Mingzhu asked cautiously: "Sister, are you going back tonight?"
"I won't go back."
"That's good."
"What good."
Mingzhu shook her head: "Nothing."
On such a lively day, the more people at home, the better. She knew that there were people from Zhao Shi around the Ming family who were keeping an eye on her. Only when there were more people did she have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
In the evening, Biying listened to Mingzhu's instructions and went to the jewelry shop in the west of the city to get a hairpin.
Mingzhu took advantage of everyone having a drink in the front yard, packed her well-prepared baggage, and quietly went to the back door.
Ah Rou held her hand and said, "Miss, the driver has arrived. Get in the car quickly. Don't take the land route. Instead, take the water route to Jiangnan."
The little girl wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "When you settle down, I will go find you."
Mingzhu wiped her plain face with a handkerchief, "Don't cry, we can meet again in the future."
"Um."
The night was thick, and it was so dark that no one could be seen clearly.
After Mingzhu got on the carriage, her heart was beating fast. She clenched her fingers and said to the coachman: "You run faster, I want to leave the city."
"Don't worry, girl, there is no horse in the capital that can run faster than me."
Mingzhu's heart was beating very fast. She frowned, as if a heavy stone was weighing on her heart. She couldn't relax until she left the city gate.
When Biying came back with the hairpin and found that the person was missing, it was already too late.
The jewelry in the cage was also missing, and several sets of clothes were missing.
Biying's face turned pale and she felt bad.
She hurriedly went forward and asked if they had seen Miss Mingzhu. The maids all shook their heads in confusion, not knowing if they had seen her.
Biying was like an ant in a hot pot, dragging Ah Rou with a rare look of cruelty on her face, "Where's Miss Mingzhu?!"
Ah Rou is smart and has good acting skills: "Isn't it in the house?"
"No! I can't find him!"
A Rou was shocked, "How could that happen?"
Biying stared into her eyes, "You really don't know?"
Ah Rou's eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry, "I really don't know. I was asked by my grandma to help in the front yard this morning, so I didn't have time to see the lady."
She stamped her feet, tears streaming down her face, "Sister Biying, will something happen to my lady?"
Biying believed her for the time being and pulled her hand away, "I'm afraid she escaped on her own. She's so confused!"
In the whole world, there is nothing but the royal land.
No matter how hard Miss Mingzhu escapes, does she really think she can escape from the clutches of His Highness the Crown Prince
Biying didn't dare to think about His Highness the Crown Prince's expression when he found out about this. However, she was so scared that she had to send someone to send the news quickly without any further delay.
How could Ah Rou let her go? She hugged her and cried, "Could someone kidnap my young lady?"
Biying pushed her away hard, "I don't have time to tell you now. Please pray quickly that Miss Mingzhu doesn't really escape."
It's hard to say what will happen if you are caught.
Before Biying could contact the person who sent the message, His Royal Highness the Prince's car had already stopped at the gate of the Ming family.
Zhao Shi asked in a deep voice: "Where is she? Has she gone out?"
The man was tired from traveling and traveling, and his eyebrows looked somewhat tired.
Hurrying back from Changtai Mountain, I don’t know how many horses were killed along the way.
Zhao Shi still held in his hand the peace talisman that he had prayed for her at Fuyuan Temple in Changtai Mountain today. The red thread on the talisman was knitted by him himself. It was just right to hang it on his body or hide it in his purse.
Biying's body was shaking, and she buried her face and did not dare to look into His Highness the Crown Prince's eyes.
Zhao Shi stopped and looked sideways at her, giving her a cold look without any emotion. He was wearing an aqua blue straight tie today. His figure was like a pine tree and his temperament was as cold as snow. He patiently asked again and again, "Let me ask you, where is she?"
Biying gritted her teeth and her voice trembled obviously when she spoke, "Miss Mingzhu...she...she's gone!"
The air was silent for a while.
Silent as death.
The peace charm in Zhao Shi's palm was pinched and deformed. The corners of his mouth pursed slightly, his Adam's apple slid up and down, and his voice was calm and scary. He asked with a sneer: "She ran away?"