Chapter 71

"Auntie, let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the house hand in hand, while Xiaoju stood guard at the door, keeping an eye on the entrance to the courtyard.

"Auntie, you're feeling much better," Shen Qingnian said, pleased to see Auntie Liu looking much better.

It seems that the pills Xiaoju brought were all effective.

Aunt Liu nodded and smiled, "My appetite has improved a lot these days, and I'm sure it won't be long before I fully recover."

She hadn't felt this healthy in a long time; she felt physically comfortable and her mood had improved considerably.

“Aunt, my wedding is in three days. After that, I will be in the Eastern Palace and will not be able to visit you often. You must take good care of your health and wait for me to come and take you away,” Shen Qingnian said softly.

Once she entered the Eastern Palace, it would be difficult for her to find opportunities to take care of her concubine. If anything happened, her concubine would have to rely on herself...

She couldn't help but be a little worried. Her aunt was very gentle, and she was afraid that if something happened, her aunt wouldn't be able to handle it alone.

Upon hearing Shen Qingnian's words, Aunt Liu immediately became anxious and grasped Shen Qingnian's hand: "Qingnian, are you really going to marry into the Crown Prince's palace? Can we really leave the capital safely...?"

She spent her entire life serving others in the inner quarters of the house. She was terrified of even leaving the inner quarters, let alone leaving the capital.

Qingnian had told her before that after she became the Crown Princess and gave birth to the eldest son, her master would send them out of the capital, which she had always thought was impossible.

But now Qingnian is getting closer and closer to the plan, which surprises her and makes her more worried. She is even more concerned about Qingnian's safety.

But she couldn't bring herself to tell Qing Nian to stop. She understood how much effort the other party had put in, and all she could do was wait patiently.

Shen Qingnian grasped Aunt Liu's hand tightly: "Aunt, if I don't take this path, I will lose my usefulness to Shen Zheng, and he will never let us go."

"While I'm in the Eastern Palace, you should take good care of your health and keep all the silver notes I sent you safe; we'll need them later!"

Her aunt must be safe.

Her aunt had protected her for the first half of her life, and she was determined to protect her aunt for the second half!

Aunt Liu nodded vigorously, tears welling in her eyes: "Qing Nian, Aunt will listen to you, Aunt will definitely listen to you. You must take good care of yourself in the palace. Aunt will wait for you here, waiting for you to leave the capital together!"

Shen Qingnian's eyes also welled up with tears. She couldn't help but step forward and hug Aunt Liu: "I've bribed a maid named Qingzhu. If anything happens to me in the palace, I'll find a way to send Qingzhu to deliver a message."

Qingzhu was Madam Shen's maid, who was being coerced by her into drugging Madam Shen. Qingzhu and Madam Shen were now in cahoots.

If she truly had an emergency in the palace, she could send a message to Qingzhu. Of course, Qingzhu was not as loyal as Xiaoju, and she would not use Qingzhu unless absolutely necessary.

Aunt Liu nodded in agreement.

Shen Qingnian did not stay long this time. She left quickly. Before leaving the courtyard, she had composed herself and her face returned to its usual gentle expression.

She was helped into the carriage by Xiaoju, and the steward rode away. A figure in sky blue emerged unsteadily from the corner of the wall.

Ye Lingzhou, unshaven and reeking of alcohol, held a wine jug in his hand. Looking in the direction the carriage had gone, he said with a puzzled expression, "Just now... just now I think I saw Miss Chen..."

Ever since Shen Qingnian was betrothed to the Crown Prince, Ye Lingzhou has been very sad. He often drowns his sorrows in alcohol and reminisces about his lost love.