Chapter 45 Confession 2 (V three consecutive updates) ◇

When Zhu Xi heard Zhou Zelin's unfriendly tone, he suddenly remembered that it was his grandfather who had sentenced Zhou Ge Lao to death. He became embarrassed and said to Zhou Zelin with an apologetic look:

"Uncle Zhou, it was all because of my ignorance that Elder Zhou died because of me! I, I really regret it! If I had known that everything he did was for me, I, I would never have disobeyed him..."

As she spoke, she thought of all the kindness the old scholar had shown her over the years, and her eyes reddened as tears began to flow again...

Zhou Zelin's eyes also turned red when he saw this. Seeing that Zhu Xi's eyes were swollen from crying in the grass, and now he started crying again when he mentioned his father, he felt that his father's love for this kid was not in vain, and this kid still had some conscience!

Seeing that the boy couldn't stop crying, he wiped his eyes, raised his hand and patted Zhu Xi's shoulder, and said sincerely:

"It's none of your business. Everything is my father's own choice. Our Zhou family owes you..."

"No, you only owe my grandfather, not me, Zhu Xi. Lord Zhou died for me, repaying my grandfather's kindness. What I, Zhu Xi, owe him is what I, Zhu Xi, owe him. Although I cannot repay him now, I will definitely remember it in my heart and will repay him when I have the chance in the future!"

Zhu Xi said sincerely with a stern face that was red and swollen from crying.

Seeing the boy in front of him making promises with red eyes, Zhou Zelin couldn't help but be moved. He thought, no wonder his father still likes this child so much no matter how this boy torments him. This child is really as his father said. Although he looks naughty on the surface, he is kind and grateful in his heart.

Unable to bear the thought of the child being caught between his grandfather and his father, Zhou Zelin skipped the topic and continued,

"Then why did you leave Beijing later?"

Zhu Xi wiped away her tears and continued speaking.

"I was so angry with my grandfather at the time that I didn't want to stay in the palace for a moment. I wanted to escape from the palace immediately so that my grandfather could never find me again. In the future, he can let him like whichever grandson he wants. If he doesn't like me, I don't like him anymore!

But I definitely couldn't escape from the palace, so I could only plan to escape outside the palace.

It just so happened that I often went to Gratitude Temple on behalf of my father to pray for my mother and elder brother, so I became familiar with the young monks in the temple. I also learned from them that there was a very secret path in the back mountain of Gratitude Temple that led directly to the outside of the city. No one else knew about this path except those young monks.

So, while I was applying the medicine to my butt, I secretly told my brother to help me prepare the things for escape, and when he was done, he should go meet me outside the city... I would find a way to get out of the city by then...

I obediently followed the people sent by my grandfather to Gratitude Temple. In the middle of the night, when the guards were not paying attention, I secretly ran to the back mountain, found the small path, and successfully escaped from the city to meet up with my brother...

After meeting up with my grandma, we were planning to go to Huizhou to find my grandmother, but before we got very far, we were blocked by a group of men in black who attacked us whenever they saw us. Thanks to my grandma's kung fu skills, he managed to fight his way out with me...

After escaping from that group of people, we didn’t dare to go to Huizhou anymore, nor did we dare to go back to Beijing, fearing that the group of men in black would be waiting for us on the way back to Beijing.

My grandfather suggested that we go to Liaodong to seek refuge with my great uncle. I thought that those men in black would never think that we would dare to run so far. Besides, I had long wanted to learn how to lead troops and fight from my great uncle. Once I learned it and made meritorious service, my grandfather would also look up to me. So I followed my grandfather's advice and fled to Liaodong!

This time, the journey was uneventful, but after finally finding my uncle's house, he was quite shocked when he saw me. Although he comforted me on the surface and agreed to let me stay in Liaodong, I could see that his brow was furrowed. After settling me down, he immediately went to the outer courtyard...

I became cautious and pretended to go into the bedroom to rest, but actually asked my uncle to take me to the outer courtyard. Sure enough, after a while, my uncle sent a group of soldiers to surround the courtyard where I lived. I also heard him instruct the leader of the pair of soldiers to send this little ancestor back at dawn!

I didn't want to go back, so I asked my grandpa to take me out. Unexpectedly, we were seen by the guards from my uncle's house, so my grandpa took me and hid in the woods.

We walked through the woods for a day and a night before finally emerging from them. We wanted to find a place to rest, but soon after we emerged from the woods, we encountered another group of men in black. Later, my grandfather lost contact with me while trying to distract them.

I originally wanted to wait for him in Baili Town, but I waited for two days and no one showed up. The silver I had on me was also stolen. I was so hungry that I wanted to pawn the jade pendant my mother left me for some money, and then redeem it when my grandfather arrived. However, I ran into a black shop and naturally didn't pawn the jade pendant.

It was Zhou Jin who saved me that time. After he dragged me out of the black shop, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to catch up with him and ask him to take me in for two days, but before I could catch up, I saw another group of people coming over.

Although the group of people were dressed like ordinary people, the boots they wore were exactly the same as those of the soldiers in my uncle's mansion. I knew they were sent by my uncle to arrest me, so I wanted to escape quickly. Unexpectedly, they found me and chased me...

In a panic, I ran to the mountain near Baili Town, and then ran deeper and deeper into the forest. As a result, I escaped the team of soldiers, but I also got lost and couldn't find a way out... Later, I was bitten by a snake...

Then, I was rescued and brought to your home..."

Zhu Xi told Zhou Zelin everything about why he appeared in Liaodong. The more Zhou Zelin listened, the deeper his brows furrowed. He couldn't help but ask:

"Your Highness, you said you encountered a group of men in black right after leaving Kyoto? And then you encountered another group outside Baili Town? Is it possible that these two groups of men in black are the same group?"

"No," Zhu Xi said affirmatively after hearing this, "According to my observation, although the first group of black-clad men looked numerous, most of them were fighting on their own, and their martial arts skills were mediocre. One of them tried to capture me, but he tripped himself and almost killed me... no... I was so amused. That group of people didn't look like they were trained at all, but more like a group of people who were temporarily recruited.

But even though the second group only had five people, they were extremely ruthless and coordinated well. Every move seemed to be aimed at killing us. Even with my excellent martial arts skills, I couldn't withstand them. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let me go first...

But the second group seemed particularly afraid of being seen, and they chose a remote, deserted place to ambush us. After my brother held them back and let me go first, they initially sent two men in black to chase me. But when I ran to the edge of the city, I looked back and saw that the two men had already disappeared. They were completely gone!

Zhu Xi and Zhou Zelin analyzed them one by one.

Zhou Zelin didn't expect that the Fifth Prince, who had always been considered unlearned, could actually be so attentive. He could analyze so many things based on just a few encounters. He couldn't help but look forward to it.

"Then your highness, do you know where these two gangs of black-clad men came from?"

"How would I know? I just like observing people, not solving cases!" Zhu Xi sighed, "But I think one of them must be the Crown Princess's men, because she has wanted to kill me for a long time!"

Well, it was wrong of him to have expectations for this guy... Zhou Zelin sighed and asked thoughtfully:

"Your Highness just said that it was Guard Jing who suggested you come to Liaodong after you encountered the first group of men in black?"

Given the extent to which Lord Zhou paid attention to the Fifth Prince, Zhou Zelin, as Lord Zhou's eldest son, certainly knew that Zhu Xi's personal bodyguard was the eldest son of Zhu Xi's wet nurse, and also Zhu Xi's foster brother - Jing Li.

Zhu Xi's wet nurse was personally arranged by the late Crown Princess. Logically, her family should all be General Chang's people, but why is it the other way around...

"Well, my grandma said that since we have been targeted, it is not safe for us to return to Beijing or go to Huizhou. It is better for us to come to my uncle. My uncle now commands hundreds of thousands of troops. Even my grandfather has to give him face. With his protection, I will be safe!" Zhu Xi replied.

As expected! Zhou Zelin complained inwardly and asked again:

"Then were Guard Jing also responsible for the household registration documents you used to escape? Did you tell anyone besides Guard Jing about your escape from Gratitude Temple?"

"No, I haven't told anyone except my grandma! He has a few people left behind by my mother, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to handle household registration documents." Zhu Xi replied. Seeing Zhou Zelin kept asking him about his grandma, he asked in surprise, "Could it be that Uncle Zhou suspects my grandma? He's someone my mother left behind. There's no way he'd betray me!"

Zhou Zelin shook his finger and smiled.

"Your Highness, nothing is absolute in this world! If Guard Jing is fine, there are so many people around Kyoto who can take you in. For example, the eldest princess's manor and the Xiping County Prince's manor. These two have lived in the manor all year round. They are also your legitimate relatives and can speak to the emperor.

Instead of going to such a safe place, Guard Jing urged you to travel thousands of miles to Liaodong to seek refuge with your uncle? Think about it yourself, is this reasonable?

Zhu Xi… well, it certainly didn't make sense. He had actually sensed something was amiss on the way there, but he simply didn't believe his brother would harm him. Plus, he was so fascinated by the military camp that he just let it go…

"Although this matter is a little hard to explain, I still feel that my grandma brother will not betray me!"

Zhu Xi still couldn't believe that his brother would betray him.

Since his mother and elder brother passed away one after another, his foster brother has become the person closest to him. He has always respected him as his own brother. Zhu Xi could not believe that he would betray him.

Moreover, in the jungle outside Baili Town, his uncle had risked his life several times to protect him, and his whereabouts were still unknown even after he tried to distract the five men in black. Zhu Xi had witnessed all of this with his own eyes. His uncle had risked his life for him. How could such a person possibly betray him?!

"Your humble servant, oh, no, I am not saying that Guard Jing will definitely betray you, I just think he might be one of the emperor's men."

Zhou Zelin frowned, feeling a little annoyed that he always forgot that he was now a commoner.

"Uncle Zhou, please don't call yourself that. In my heart, Lord Zhou is like my grandfather, and you are my uncle. The entire Zhou family is guilty because of me. If you keep calling yourself that, I, your nephew, will have no choice but to find a hole to hide in!"

Zhu Xi heard this and said hurriedly,

"Why don't you just call me by my name from now on, and I'll call you Uncle Lin! It'll be more intimate!"

"Okay, let's address each other like this from now on!" Zhou Zelin nodded and said with a smile, "It also saves revealing your identity as the prince."

"Haha, Uncle Lin, don't forget that your nephew is now called Chang Sanlang, not Zhu Xi. Don't call him the wrong name!" Zhu Xi also said with a smile.

Chang Sanlang? Haha, surname Chang, the third child in the family?

Zhou Zelin laughed and shook his head. He was too careless. Look at the pseudonym? It was obviously referring to the fifth grandson of the emperor!

The author has something to say:

This book has been released. Please don't buy it again if you have read it! Thank you to my readers and friends who like and accompany me. The author will definitely work hard to update! Still asking for collection! Please comment! Please give me flowers!