In the following days, Shen Dingzhu's plan went extremely smoothly.
She inquired that on the day when Xiao Langyan and Ma Xuewei went to visit the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the entire city's guards would be mobilized to strengthen patrols and precautions. The guards at the city gates would be weaker than those inside the city.
That was a good day for her to leave.
And she had already exchanged some wood from the villa for some money, and now she was holding a thousand taels of non-consecutive silver notes in her hand, which she could safely exchange at any bank.
The most important thing is that she has already thought of a way to fake her death.
She coughed more and more, and after taking the medicine, she vomited it out again. Although it was not true, just to show it to the servants in the palace, it frightened Shen Bi a lot.
He stayed by her side day and night, taking care of her alternately with Guiqin.
In the end, Shen Dingzhu could only reassure Shen Bi that there was no need to worry.
She recovered for a day or two, and her face became more and more rosy, probably because she thought about leaving and was about to meet her family for real. No matter how hard the road ahead was, she had the courage to face it.
Although, choosing to leave cannot wash away the grievances of the family.
But she had to live exhaustedly by Xiao Langyan's side, and she might not be able to survive the day when he could redress the injustice of the Shen family.
Shen Dingzhu took the time to visit her sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhao.
"Little sister, you came to see me, why did you bring so many things?" Ms. Zhao was a little surprised.
She flipped through the brocade cloths and some pearl jewelry brought by Shen Dingzhu.
Even her favorite peacock blue head and face were given to her.
Ms. Zhao was a little confused: "You don't want it all?"
Shen Dingzhu held her arm and walked side by side with her on the path in the countryside.
The smell of vanilla all over the mountains and plains, accompanied by the scorching summer sun, the crisp chirping of birds, and Shen Dingzhu's bright smile.
Behind them were the palace servants and guards. They seemed to be protecting her, but in fact they were more like surveillance.
Although Xiao Langyan didn't return home often, he sent more and more people to watch over her.
"Sister-in-law, I will give you all the things so that I can have better ones in the future. These are just external things, so you should keep them well."
When Zhao heard this, she held her hand distressedly: "You used to be the youngest daughter in the family. Your parents loved you and your brothers cared for you. We never thought that one day you would be the last lifeblood of the Shen family. that person."
"Little sister, if your life is too hard and you are unhappy, just write me a letter. Your elder brother won't say anything, but in fact he is most concerned about your situation. He is afraid that you will be abused as a concubine, and he is also afraid that you will have trouble. Such beauty becomes someone else’s plaything and suffers a lot.”
"But from what I think, Prince Ning's Mansion is indeed your best safe haven. As for the prince... little sister, you have to take care of yourself."
Shen Dingzhu lowered her slender eyelashes and responded somewhat perfunctorily: "You know, I will be fine, and so will my sister-in-law."
Before leaving, she picked up Shen Qingshan. The little child was only half a year old and had just woken up. He opened his big ignorant eyes and looked at the beauty in front of him.
"Xiaoshan, I am your aunt," Shen Dingzhu hugged the child and swayed it reluctantly, "You must remember my little aunt. When you grow up, don't forget me."
Mrs. Zhao laughed at the side: "I can't forget it. When he starts to remember, I will take him to see you every day."
Shen Dingzhu smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his eyes, but he didn't say it clearly.
She settled everything in the capital, including giving Shen Bi a sum of money.
Shen Bi was flattered: "Master, this...this is over a hundred taels. Why did you give this slave so much?"
Shen Dingzhu held her hand and whispered: "In the whole palace, you are the only one I trust the most. Shen Bi, you keep the money for me, but when you need it, you can spend it as you should." Don’t skimp.”
Shen Bi was anxious and uneasy: "Master, please don't be like this. Recently, you always send things out. Are we going to be kicked out of the house by the prince?"
Shen Dingzhu held the short table, smiling tremblingly, and said with high spirits: "Yes, yes, if such a day comes, it will be up to you to support me."
Shen Bi believed it to be true, grabbed the money, and thought carefully.
"Fortunately, I know how to make tofu. Master, why are you laughing? My mother is really a master of making tofu."
The master and servant sat under the window, the dust was stirring in the light, and their chuckles one after another startled the birds in the nearby treetops.
There was still one day left before the Hundred Flowers Banquet, and Ling Feng actually returned from the border.
Shen Dingzhu was a little surprised. Ling Feng didn't look good. When he saw her, he didn't directly report the current situation of her family like before.
She felt a little uneasy.
"Ling Feng, how are my parents?"
Ling Feng paused and said, "Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen are both very good."
"What about my eldest and second brothers?" Shen Dingzhu asked.
Unexpectedly, Ling Feng's eyes evaded, as if he didn't want to answer the question, and Shen Dingzhu's heart skipped a beat.
She knew something was wrong.
Ling Feng paced back and forth in the palace, and Xu Shou hurriedly came over: "I have sent people into the palace to inform the prince. However, there is a banquet in the palace today, and the prince may come back very late."
Shen Dingzhu couldn't wait any longer and grabbed Ling Feng's wrist: "Ling Feng, tell me, what happened to my eldest and second brother? Who is in trouble? Is it because the eldest brother's leg is not recovering well?"
Ling Feng shook his head: "It's the Second Young Master Shen. On the way back from his humble job, he received a letter from the supervisor over there, saying that the Second Young Master was summoned to the capital by imperial edict, but fell off a cliff and disappeared while setting off."
Shen Dingzhu suddenly fell to the ground.
Shen Bi and Guiqin exclaimed and hurriedly stepped forward to support her. The beauty's face was pale and her red lips were trembling: "I want to find the prince, the prince..."
She was at a loss for words at the moment, and the only thing she could think of was Xiao Langyan.
Shen Dingzhu's fingertips grabbed Xu Shou's sleeve: "Eunuch Xu, send a carriage to take me to the palace. I want to see the prince!"
Xu Shou frowned and felt a little embarrassed: "Aunt Shen, it's not that the Za family won't help you. Today the Queen is hosting a banquet for all the princes and their families. If I send you to the palace at this time, wouldn't it be offending the prince?"
Shen Dingzhu's fingertips trembled. She glanced at Xu Shou and understood his dilemma.
After returning to the room, Shen Dingzhu took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, put on a piece of clothing alone, and left the palace while the sky was dark.
She didn't have a carriage, so it would take half an hour to walk from Prince Ning's Mansion to the Imperial Palace just by walking.
But Shen Dingzhu didn't care about anything. She only had the safety of her family in her heart. She relied on her memory and wanted to take a shortcut over a low mountain to the imperial city.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he crossed the low mountain, his foot was cut by a sharp barb bush.
A heartbreaking pain hit her. Shen Dingzhu quickly held on to the tree trunk next to her to catch her breath. She sweated on her greasy forehead.
However, she only took a short rest and continued walking towards the imperial city.
Along the way, she saw other people's lanterns and colorful decorations, and the hustle and bustle on the eve of the Hundred Flowers Banquet.
The liveliness and excitement of the others were completely separated from her ice-cold heart, becoming two separate worlds.
Suddenly, her foot slipped and she fell onto the fish stall nearby.
The stall owner was startled and hurriedly helped her up. Shen Dingzhu's skirt was stained with a faint fishy smell. She was already beautiful, but now her whole face was bloodless, which frightened the stall owner. It's not easy.
"Girl, are you okay?" the stall owner asked.
Shen Dingzhu just shook his head in despair and continued to walk forward quickly.
She was very tired, the discomfort all over her body came over again, and her strength gradually decreased.
Until Shen Dingzhu couldn't walk anymore and came to a strange neighborhood. She didn't recognize where it was at all.
The sky was dark, and there was unlit darkness everywhere.
Shen Dingzhu supported the wall, panting, and his vision was blurred by sweat.
At this moment, the sound of a carriage passed by outside the alley. Shen Dingzhu looked back and saw that it was Xiao Langyan's carriage!
"Your Majesty..." She opened her mouth and found that her voice was extremely weak!
The carriage didn't hear her call, and Shen Dingzhu staggered out to chase her, but fell to the ground.
"Hmm." She groaned and frowned.
Just when Shen Dingzhu felt pain, the carriage that had just left turned around and stopped at the entrance of the alley.
"Shen Dingzhu?" Xiao Langyan had already got off the carriage, "Why are you here?"
He thought he had heard wrongly and originally didn't want to look back, but after thinking about it, he asked Chen Heng to turn the car around.
But he discovered that the figure lying down in the alley was really Shen Dingzhu.
Seeing Xiao Langyan, Shen Dingzhu clutched his robe tightly and cried: "Ling Feng is back. My second brother fell off the cliff and disappeared without a trace. My lord, please save him!"
