Shen Dingzhu had been in confinement for almost twenty days, and Xiao Xincheng still had not been found. Xiao Langyan did not send anyone over, so Shen Dingzhu could only get some news from the court from her second brother.
I heard that the person who captured Xiao Xincheng was cornered by Xiao Langyan in the mountains. In order not to harm the child, Xiao Langyan had been negotiating with the other party and asked them to send the child out first. He would naturally abide by his promise and let him go. That young man.
But the other party disagreed, and the two sides were in a stalemate, and Xiao Langyan would not back down.
Because he knew in his heart that if the other party kept holding Xiao Xincheng, even if the young man returned safely, they would use the child to blackmail Xiao Langyan to arrange for them to leave Dajin quickly.
Shen Dingzhu asked Xiucui to find Chunxi several times and asked him to help spread the word. She wanted to see Xiao Langyan, but later she couldn't even see Chunxi.
As a result, Shen Dingzhu gave up asking for an appointment. She looked haggard and leaned on the bed with a pale face every day, crying all her tears.
When Father Shen and Mother Shen saw this, they became anxious and angry. They couldn't eat and couldn't sleep. Mother Shen was so anxious that she burst into tears. She grabbed Shen Dingzhu's hand and cried sadly: "It's us who have caused trouble for you..."
Shen Bi saw that she had become thinner and thinner after giving birth, and the jade bracelet on her wrist had almost slipped to her elbow.
She could only cry and persuade her: "My queen, even if you are not thinking about the emperor, you must also think about the princess. You can only help rescue the princess when you get better."
Although they were words of comfort, everyone knew that Xiao Xincheng was captured by the gangsters and would not be released easily, and there was even a risk of being killed. But these words did comfort Shen Dingzhu to become stronger and finally willing to cooperate. Enjoy your medicinal meal.
When Shen Dingzhu got better, Father Shen really couldn't bear to see his daughter tortured like this, even if he wanted her to see his youngest son. So, he took Shen Dingzhu's eldest and second brothers to risk their lives and went there. Kneeling outside the palace, he just wanted to see Xiao Langyan.
Shen's mother stayed in the house and worked with Shen Dingzhu's sister-in-law to liberate Shen Dingzhu.
Just before noon, guests came to the house. Since Shen's father and the others were not at home, Shen's mother took her daughter-in-law and Xiucui to greet them. The visitor turned out to be General Zhou's housekeeper, and he wanted to ask Mr. Shen for help.
"Our old general hasn't been back to his hometown for several days. He can't be found anywhere. I don't know what happened, so I want to ask, has he ever been to Mr. Shen?"
Mother Shen shook her head slowly, saying she didn't know. After asking around again, everyone said they had never seen General Zhou.
At this moment, the servants of the Shen Mansion came running with several servants of the General Mansion: "Master Butler, we have found Old General Zhou! Just now, the old General sent someone to send a message back to the Mansion. He discovered the whereabouts of the princess in the mountains. We have already sent someone to the palace to tell the emperor, Mrs. Shen, please send someone to follow us as soon as possible!"
Mrs. Shen panicked, but before she could say anything, Shen Bi hurriedly asked: "We found the princess, where is she?"
"It's near a ruined temple thirty miles away on the west mountain in the suburbs of Beijing. The general asked us to send more people there quickly. There are quite a few of them. If we alert the enemy, the princess's life may be in danger."
After the servant finished speaking, the housekeeper hurriedly followed, turning around and saying, "Mrs. Shen, I will go back to the house to help the general prepare. Please send someone as soon as possible!"
They left in a hurry, leaving Mrs. Shen and Mrs. Shen in embarrassment.
Where can the Shen family send someone now? Lei Chen and others from before have been evacuated, and now there are only a dozen servants left in the mansion, responsible for running errands and protecting the courtyard.
"Mother, what should I do? Do you want me to ask the maid to go outside the palace to call my father and husband back?" Sister-in-law Shen Dingzhu asked quickly.
Mrs. Shen nodded repeatedly: "Take the maid there in person, and be sure not to convey the wrong message."
Shen Qingshan, the son of Brother Shen Dingzhu, was hiding behind a pillar, watching everyone coming and going, busy. Recently, the house seemed to be shrouded in a cloud of sadness. His mother always cried secretly when talking about his sister Xiao Xincheng, and his father also sighed all the time. .
Now, it’s great news that my sister can be rescued!
Shen Qingshan immediately turned around and ran towards Shen Dingzhu's yard.
As soon as he left, Mrs. Shen called Shen Bi and told her, "Don't tell Zhuzhu about this yet. She has just recovered and has just given birth. If she finds out, I'm afraid she will go with her." But the situation is so dangerous, I’m afraid she won’t be able to bear it.”
Shen Bi nodded quickly: "Madam, don't worry. If you don't tell me, I can't tell you. It just so happens that I'm about to take medicine. I'll go to the kitchen to see how it's cooking."
Mrs. Shen let her go, then clasped her hands together and kept chanting God's blessing.
Chengcheng must return safely.
When Shen Qingshan ran into Shen Dingzhu's yard, Xiucui happened to come out. When she saw Shen Qingshan, she smiled and said, "Young master, are you here to see your empress?"
"Yes, Sister Xiucui, I would like to say a few words to my aunt, is that okay?" Normally, he was not allowed to disturb Shen Dingzhu.
Xiucui nodded: "Your Majesty has just gained a little appetite. I want to go to the kitchen to warm up some porridge. Then please ask the young master to accompany your Majesty and have a conversation. I will be back soon. Please don't leave until then. Okay. What?"
Shen Qingshan agreed immediately.
Xiucui left with peace of mind. When Shen Qingshan opened the door, he smelled the bitter aroma of medicine and frowned.
There are layers of gauze hanging inside the house, blocking only a ray of summer sunshine. The room is filled with dullness, making people feel like they can't breathe.
Shen Qingshan walked in with little feet, looked around with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and found a beauty lying on the couch, it was his aunt Shen Dingzhu.
Shen Dingzhu's black hair was spread on the pillow, her delicate figure was simply covered with a quilt, her right hand wearing a jade bracelet was slightly pressed on her head, and she was sleeping quietly.
She has become much thinner, her palm-sized face is now whiter, her red lips are no longer as red as before, but a light pink. When she sleeps, she looks like a quiet and beautiful painting.
Shen Qingshan couldn't help but run over and share the good news with her.
"Aunt, aunt, please don't sleep." Shen Qingshan pushed her gently, his eyes filled with childlike joy, "I tell you some good news. Just now, my grandfather's friend, General Zhou, sent someone to deliver a message. He has found Chengcheng and told Uncle Huang!"
Shen Dingzhu suddenly opened his eyes and sat up: "Really? Where is Chengcheng now?"
*
During a cup of tea, Xiucui returned to the yard with the hot porridge.
The haze that had been lingering in everyone's minds for many days was finally dispelled after they learned the good news that the princess was found.
Xiucui thought that she would wait until the emperor took the princess back to the palace before telling the empress the good news.
However, when she opened the door, she only saw Shen Qingshan sitting on the edge of the bed, his head lowered, looking a little distressed and remorseful.
Xiucui was startled and looked around the room: "Where is your Majesty?"
Shen Qingshan scratched his nose, not sure whether he should say anything, but after thinking about it, he still hesitated and said: "My aunt asked me about my location and wanted to find my sister in person. She said that otherwise the emperor's uncle would not let her see the child. , I, I tried to persuade her, but my aunt didn’t listen and has already left..."
Bang——
The porcelain bowl in Xiucui's hand fell to the ground, and her face turned pale.
"How long have you been gone?"
"It's been a while..." When Shen Qingshan saw her reaction, he felt that he had done the wrong thing with good intentions, and lowered his head even more uneasily.
Xiucui's feet felt weak. She hurriedly supported the wall, turned around and ran towards the main hall.
"Mrs. Shen, Mrs. Shen!" Xiucui shouted all the way, and happened to meet Shen Dingzhu's sister-in-law, who was panting and coming back with her maid, and was also reporting to Mrs. Shen.
"It turns out that the master and the others didn't kneel for long before the emperor summoned them into the palace. I'm afraid they are just talking right now, and the daughter-in-law didn't see her father or the others."
"What should I do!" Mrs. Shen's heart started to rise. In a blink of an eye, she saw Xiu Cui's anxious face: "Xiu Cui, what's wrong with you? But what's wrong with Zhu Zhu?"
Xiucui's face turned pale: "Sorry, Mrs. Shen, after your Majesty knew the whereabouts of the princess, she went there by herself while the slave was in the kitchen!"
Mrs. Shen suddenly felt her eyes darken and her ears started to buzz.
"Hurry up and chase her! She is fragile and can't go far!" She said, and she was about to stand up and chase Shen Dingzhu. However, she was too frightened and worried, stars appeared in front of her eyes, and she fell back into her chair.
"Mother!" "Mrs. Shen!"
There were shouts all around.
Mrs. Shen couldn't care less about herself, covering her forehead and waving her hands repeatedly: "Leave me alone, go and chase Zhuzhu back. How can you let her go alone? You all go find her, hurry!"
