Chapter 277 Xiu'er Slips
Mengxi also knew that this plan was feasible, but in this way, Xiao Jun would be in danger and face a near-death experience. She had already let him down too much, and she didn't want him to take risks for her anymore. Seeing that Cheng Yuan had stopped talking, she spoke:
"I disagree. We are short of manpower to begin with. Once we separate, we will be even more isolated and easily defeated by the King of Yan. If we stay together, we will always have someone to look after us. We just need ."
Why would Mengxi, who has always been smart, hold back at this time? Is she worried about herself?
Xiao Jun glanced at Meng Xi and said:
"It is precisely because we are so few in number that we resort to this desperate measure. If Xi'er can get to the south as soon as possible and cure the plague one day earlier, we can escape one day earlier. If you fall into the hands of King Yan again, you may not be so lucky. I am afraid that King Yan will definitely expose your identity. Not only Yichuntang but also the Xiao family will be convicted again in an instant, and the prince's great cause will also be ruined. Xi'er, at this time, you must put the overall situation first and never act on impulse."
"Second Master..."
"Xi'er, although the Xiao family has fallen, I still have a group of loyal warriors following me, and my martial arts are enough to protect myself. Just remember, the sooner you can reach the south, the sooner I can escape. Whether the Xiao family can be revived also depends on you and the prince curing the plague in time."
Ouyang Di also advised:
"Master, Brother Xiao is right. Only if you arrive in the south as soon as possible can we escape from the current predicament. This is not the time to act emotionally."
Seeing that everyone agreed with Xiao Jun, Meng Xi thought about it and said:
"That's fine, but you have to let the guards left by the crown prince follow you. I don't need too many people to disguise myself and sneak around. Too many people will easily attract attention. Only Ouyang Di and Cheng Yuan will be enough."
Everyone wanted to object, but seeing Meng Xi's decisive tone, they all fell silent and looked at Xiao Jun.
Xiao Jun pondered for a long time and said:
"Okay, Xier agreed, so it's settled."
Everyone discussed the details of the trip south and how to contact each other. It was almost time for the lights to turn on before Mengxi led the group away. When they were almost at the door, they saw Xiao Jun coming out. Mengxi stopped and said,
"Second Master has a severe cough. I think there is something wrong with his lungs. Mengxi will take a look at you and prescribe a prescription for you to use along the way."
Xiao Jun's expression froze for a moment, then he said:
"These are all caused by past injuries. I have consulted Doctor Li, who prescribed me some medicine. I am taking it all the time and there is nothing serious."
"It's been so long, but he hasn't gotten any stronger. Mengxi is worried..."
Xiao Jun has been coughing for so long and his condition hasn't gotten better at all. Mengxi is worried that Doctor Li may have misdiagnosed him, but he is the imperial physician after all, so she can't really say that.
"Don't worry, Xi'er. It's nothing serious. It's late now. Let's go to bed early. If you're still not feeling well when we get to the south, I'll go find Xi'er."
"Yeah... okay."
…
Finally freed from the control of King Yan and relaxed, Mengxi slept well that night. When he opened his eyes the next day, it was already dawn.
"Miss, are you awake? Did you sleep well?"
"What time is it?"
"It's just past noon."
When he heard that it was past noon, Mengxi sat up and said:
"What? It's so late, why didn't you wake me up? Has the Second Master left?"
"Miss, the Second Master left at 11:00 a.m. He knew you hadn't had enough rest these days and you were not in a hurry to travel, so he didn't ask us to wake you up. The Second Master said that we should leave at a different time from him, so we can leave two hours later."
Hearing that Xiao Jun had left, Mengxi felt lost for a moment. Just as she was about to speak, the door opened and Cheng Yuan came in with two sets of men's clothes. Seeing Mengxi sitting on the bed, she said briskly:
"Sister, let's dress up as men so that we can get around more easily. Yuan'er went out early this morning to find a few sets of men's clothes. These are for you and Zhiqiu. Sister, try them on to see if they fit you."
Mengxi's eyes lit up and she said happily:
"That's very thoughtful of you, sister. I'll prepare some potion later to turn your face black."
"Is there really such a medicine? Will it hurt the skin? Every time Yuan Er disguises herself as a man, she wipes her face with charcoal. It's very uncomfortable..."
"Don't worry, Miss Cheng. Miss's medicine will never hurt you."
As Zhiqiu was speaking, he had already helped Mengxi put on her clothes and started to get busy.
After everyone finished their meal and packed up, they came to the outside of the inn. Ouyang Di had already prepared the carriage and was waiting outside. Meng Xi and Cheng Yuan were about to get in the carriage when they suddenly saw eight guards standing beside the carriage. They were startled and looked at Ouyang Di and asked:
"Why didn't the Second Master take all the guards away?"
Ouyang Di heard this and said:
"These people were sent by Young Master Shangguan. Brother Xiao only brought the Xiao family and the prince's guards this morning, not them."
"Shangguan Jun? Yichuntang has no dealings with him. He sent someone last time."
"Master, Master Shangguan said that, firstly, he had received favors from the Yangzhou branch of Yichuntang, and secondly, he admired your name very much, so he sent people here when he heard that you were going south."
Mengxi heard this and asked doubtfully:
"Your Majesty has issued an edict to confirm that I am in the south, and only a few people know that I went south. How did Master Shangguan know?"
Ouyang Di was also stunned. The scene of Shangguan Heng hugging Xiao Jun flashed before his eyes. His body froze. He hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said:
"I don't know either. When the master arrives in the south, I will find a chance to visit Master Shangguan and ask him. I will know the answer."
After looking at Ouyang, Mengxi nodded and got on the carriage. Ouyang Di also climbed on the horse, and everyone hurriedly set out on the journey south.
Thanks to Xiao Jun's restraint, Mengxi and others disguised themselves and had a smooth journey. They heard that Xiao Jun had encountered King Yan twice and suffered heavy losses. Fortunately, Xiao Jun was safe and sound. In addition to being worried, Mengxi also traveled day and night. In less than 10 days, they passed Jiaozhou and headed south to the border of Chuzhou. As soon as the carriage entered Chuzhou, it was stopped by soldiers.
It turned out that the prince followed Mengxi's advice and set up an isolation zone and implemented military control here to prevent the spread of the plague. Chuzhou had already moved south and entered the epidemic area.
The group found an inn in Chuzhou. Mengxi sent someone to contact the prince, and at the same time sent someone to deliver a letter to Xiao Jun, who was still in Jiaozhou to contain King Yan, saying that she had arrived in Chuzhou safely and asked him to hide his whereabouts and not to get entangled with King Yan anymore.
…
The news that Prince Yan was kidnapped while marrying a concubine in the villa had already spread back to Prince Yan's Mansion. Princess Situ was shocked and secretly sad. The beauties in her family were almost catching up with the Emperor's harem, yet the prince had married a concubine without telling her.
Seeing that the prince had been sitting there with a dark face and no words since he entered the room, Princess Situ wanted to ask a few questions, but she didn't dare to mention Jinyang's matter. Seeing the maid bringing tea, she said softly:
"Your Majesty, you have worked hard on the journey. Have some tea and take a rest."
The King of Yan hummed, took a sip of tea, looked at the princess, hesitated, and asked after a moment of silence:
"Is Concubine Xiu back?"
Although Prince Yan was lustful, he still respected his first wife. He also knew that it was inappropriate to marry a concubine without telling her. He wanted to confirm whether Xiu'er had told the princess about the matter in Jinyang.
Seeing that the first thing the prince said when he came back was to ask about Concubine Xiu's situation, Princess Situ's eyes flashed with jealousy, but she instantly regained her composure, thought for a moment and said:
"Your Highness has been exhausted on the journey, so I shouldn't bother you with family matters, but it's not good to keep such a big thing to myself."
The King of Yan stood up straight, looked up at the Princess and asked:
"Whatever it is, just tell me, Xue'er."
"Look, the prince mentioned Concubine Xiu and she came back a few days ago. Aunt Liu said that Concubine Xiu broke the rules and angered you, and told me to discipline her. But I saw that Concubine Xiu was sick, so I couldn't bear to punish her. I only said a few words and hurried to invite a doctor for her. I didn't expect that Concubine Xiu was really good and was pregnant."
Seeing that the King of Yan's eyes lit up when he heard that Xiu'er was pregnant, the princess' heart sank, a hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes, she picked up the tea, took a sip, and continued:
"For more than two years, there has been no movement in the prince's backyard. When I heard about this, I was so happy that I sent all the pregnancy-preserving medicine and tonics to the prince. I was afraid that the young people would not be able to take good care of the child and something might happen to him. I also sent the experienced Nanny Zheng to take care of the child personally. I really hoped that Concubine Xiu could give the prince a child. As the mistress But who knew..."
When the princess spoke of this, she looked very sad and hesitated. The prince of Yan looked at her coldly and asked anxiously:
"What's wrong?"
"That day, when Concubine Xiu heard the doctor say she was pregnant, she was indifferent and showed no joy. I originally thought that she had just rushed back from Jinyang and was punished by you, so she must be a little tired. I didn't take it to heart. I just comforted her and let her go back to Bicui Garden to take good care of the baby. But the morning before yesterday, Concubine Xiu drank the pregnancy-maintaining medicine boiled by Bingxin, and she actually miscarried... I was shocked and asked the doctor to settle Concubine Xiu. Then I tied Bingxin up and asked her about it. At first, Bingxin didn't admit it and said that she boiled the pregnancy-maintaining medicine. Later, she couldn't stand my questioning and told the truth. It turns out, it turns out..."
"What happened?"
"I heard from Bingxin that before Xiufei got married, she lived in the Xiao Mansion for many years and was in love with her cousin Xiao Jun. The two of them often played chess, piano, calligraphy and painting in the same room. This news spread throughout the Xiao Mansion, but we outsiders didn't know. However, Xiao Jun had been engaged since he was a child. I heard that the new mistress of the house was not only stunningly beautiful, but also a powerful woman. She kept Xiao Jun under control and didn't allow him to take concubines. Xiufei gave up and married into our palace. Unexpectedly, she met Xiao Jun again in Jinyang this time. The two chatted on the street for a long time and fell in love again. She didn't want to give birth to a child for the prince, so she added a blister beetle to the pregnancy-preserving medicine that I sent, which caused her miscarriage..."
"Xiu'er met Xiao Jun in Jinyang!"
The Prince of Yan had always been worried about the secret leak from the other courtyard. When he heard the princess say that Xiu'er had met Xiao Jun in Jinyang, he immediately suspected that she was the one who did it. She was the only one who knew that Mengxi was the divorced wife of the Xiao family. Thinking of this, he felt his veins bulge and asked in a stern voice.
Seeing the King of Yan like this, Princess Situ secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued:
"God has eyes. If Aunt Liu hadn't said that Concubine Xiu and the second wife of the Xiao family mentioned in the other courtyard that she was determined to marry Xiao Jun, and had a secret meeting with Xiao Jun on the way back, I would have been more cautious and personally interrogated Bingxin. I'm afraid I really can't defend myself this time. Prince, I have been with you for many years, and you know my character. I love your flesh and blood so much, how could I bear to harm you? Besides, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have time to hide, so why would I personally deliver the pregnancy-preserving medicine? Aunt Liu, Bingxin and other witnesses are all in my custody, and you will know once you ask."
Marrying a concubine secretly is always wrong. When the furious Prince Yan heard the princess mention Mengxi, he felt sorry and suppressed his anger, comforting her:
"Don't be alarmed, Xue'er. I believe in you. You've worked hard these days. Take a rest first. I'll go to Bicui Garden and come over in the evening..."
"Your Highness, you are in need of help right now, so you shouldn't offend Censor Zhang. Xiu'er is young and ignorant, and she is weak, so you should try to comfort her first. This matter won't happen easily now. You should know what's going on, and I will try to persuade her more in the future..."
Two updates today.
