Chapter 43 Thinking about it this way, I felt he was increasingly...

Hengbo really wanted to ask him if he could pretend he didn't see her, but the answer would obviously disappoint her, so she chose to slowly finish her porridge.

After finishing her porridge, seeing that he still had no intention of taking her away, Hengbo followed the crowd and helped with some rough work at the porridge stall.

Little did she know that while she was muttering to herself about why this person hadn't made a move yet, and whether she should resist in the street after he did, Chang Sheng almost burst into tears as he looked at Heng Bo, who was still wiping the table with bandages wrapped around his body.

The princess is so skilled at her work; she must have endured a lot of hardship over the years!

After Hengbo had practically taken care of all the work at the soup kitchen and there was really nothing left to do, she finally realized that she couldn't delay any longer and walked dejectedly toward Changsheng.

Before she could turn herself in, the man said with a pained expression, "You've suffered so much!"

Hengbo sensed the politeness in his words and felt quite strange. Hesitantly, he waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing.

Chang Sheng, however, didn't see it that way. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, lowered his voice, and choked out, "You were a princess, so noble and privileged. If it weren't for those years..." He paused, not continuing, and instead said, "You should have been enjoying your retirement..."

He kept rambling on and on, but Hengbo couldn't hear anything anymore. She finally understood where this overwhelming sense of familiarity came from.

It turned out that it was indeed an old friend returning.

Chang Sheng's incessant lament finally ended, and Heng Bo had already gleaned a message from his words: the soup kitchen opened by Feng Liang Gu Si was actually an intelligence base for the old party.

Chang Sheng slapped his forehead. "Look how happy I am! Princess, what are your orders?"

Hengbo arrived by pure chance, unaware of the existence of the old party beforehand, so he had no instructions whatsoever.

However, just as she was about to shake her head, she suddenly remembered something. That's right, she hadn't given any instructions before, but now she could.

Wasn't she looking for the Second Prince's whereabouts? This was truly a godsend. Hengbo's gaze towards Chang Sheng suddenly held a hint of admiration, and she beckoned him closer.

Chang Sheng looked flattered and stepped forward. He saw Heng Bo make a "two" gesture and point in the direction of the palace. Chang Sheng thought for a moment and understood. "You are asking about the Second Prince?"

Hengbo nodded mysteriously and then made a "three" gesture.

Chang Sheng frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked uncertainly, "Could it be that you want to know what the Second Prince has been doing these past three days?"

Hengbo frowned, nodded, and then shook her head.

Chang Sheng was so anxious he was practically scratching his head, desperately wanting Hengbo to speak. However, the princess must have her reasons for remaining silent!

He continued to guess, "So you want to know his plans for the next three days?"

Yokobo finally nodded in satisfaction, giving him a look that said, "You're a promising young man."

Chang Sheng seemed encouraged. "Wait here, I'll go check for you right away."

Watching Chang Sheng enter the grain store, Heng Bo couldn't sit still any longer and started running around helping the people at the soup kitchen. It was as if an inexhaustible energy suddenly surged through his body, a sense of belonging that arose spontaneously from the bottom of his heart.

Little did she know that her busy figure, her flying hair, and even the barely suppressed smile in her eyes were all captured by a pair of eyes on the second floor of Gu Si, who had never left her from beginning to end.

Chang Sheng hurriedly entered the grain store. On the first floor, some young beggar children were helping to sort and distribute grain, while the slightly older ones were crushing and hulling it. Further in, there were even teachers teaching these beggar children to write!

It should be noted that even in the most prosperous city of Yujing, not all people could afford to send their children to school or private school.

Yet in this small valley shop, even beggars could read and write.

And this is only a part of what's on the surface in the courtyard.

Chang Sheng went up to the second floor, turned left and right, and finally stopped in front of a room. He knocked on the door and whispered, "It's me, Lao Chang."

The door was opened from the inside, and the two men inside looked him up and down before laughing, "What brings you here? The master is inside, please come in."

Chang Sheng exchanged a few pleasantries with the two of them before entering the inner room, where a man was sitting in front of a long table, writing fluently on paper.

The man was around thirty years old, dressed in a white coarse cloth robe with his chest slightly open. His long hair was loosely tied up with a white cloth strip of the same material as his clothes. He looked more like an unruly swordsman than a gentleman.

Beside him, one boy served him with pen and ink, while the other unfolded various pieces of information from a tray and placed them on the table.

It turned out that the man's right sleeve was empty, and he was holding the pen with his left hand.

Chang Sheng seemed to have known him for many years. As soon as he entered, he sat down on the floor in front of him without any regard for his image. "Zan Ying, how have you been lately?"

The man named Zan Ying put down his brush, raised his bright, star-like black eyes, and smiled, "Young master doesn't mind my uselessness and lets me be an accountant, what could be wrong with me?"

Chang Sheng saw that the worry between his brows had lessened considerably over the years and was genuinely happy for him. "In that case, I have more good news to tell you. I have finally found the princess."

Zan Ying paused, her gaze subtly shifting towards the railing behind the screen.

Chang Sheng, however, was only focused on sharing his joy with him. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally remembered what Heng Bo had asked him to do: "The princess wants to know the Second Prince's plans for the next three days. Do we have any information on our end?"

Zan Ying frowned, her intuition telling her that the princess must have some ulterior motive: "Did the princess tell you why she was looking for the Second Prince?"

After he asked this question, Chang Sheng realized that Heng Bo had never said what her plans were from beginning to end.

"This, this..." Chang Sheng's head, which had been feverish with surprise, finally calmed down. "So, Zan Ying, you mean the princess might risk her life?!"

He immediately said, "That won't do. I have to go and stop the princess." As he spoke, he got up and started to walk out.

At this moment, a tall, slender figure emerged from behind the screen. "Tell the princess that the Second Prince is hosting a banquet at Mingcui Tower tonight."

Chang Sheng was taken aback by Wen Tinglan's presence. "Young Master, you've come today too?" He cast an incredulous glance at Zan Ying, who looked as if he had been betrayed, but Zan Ying pretended not to see anything.

Wen Tinglan didn't mind their subtle exchange and said slowly, "I just happened to be passing by today, so I came up and sat for a while."

Zan Ying was a little worried and wanted to persuade Wen Tinglan again, but he said, "It's alright, I will go and watch over her."

Seeing this, Zan Ying said no more. Wen Tinglan then said to Chang Sheng, "There's no need to tell the princess that I will also go."

Chang Sheng: "Huh? Oh, oh." Although he really wanted to ask why, his sudden survival instinct told him that it was best to keep quiet for now.

When Hengbo learned from Changsheng that the Second Prince was at Mingcui Tower tonight instead of in the palace, her little schemes instantly resurfaced.

"Princess, why don't I go with you?" Although Chang Sheng knew that Wen Tinglan would be safe with her around, he still couldn't help feeling nervous.

Hengbo waved her hand coldly. She was going to kill someone, not fight. Besides, she had to deal with the big brother who had been following her around for most of the day.

...

"So, you waited outside the clothing store for fifteen minutes before realizing something was wrong?" Black Wind found it somewhat unbelievable.

The brother who was sent to track Hengbo felt slightly aggrieved, "How was I supposed to know that I had already been exposed?"

He thought Hengbo had really gone to buy clothes, and besides, the second floor of the clothing store was full of women, so it wasn't appropriate for a grown man like him to go up there. It wasn't until a quarter of an hour later, when he could no longer find Hengbo, that he realized he had lost her and hurried back to report.

Shen Guitang rubbed his throbbing temples. Given the little princess's stubborn nature, who knew what earth-shattering things she might do?

“Oh, right,” the man suddenly remembered, “before that girl disappeared, she went to that porridge stall in the west of the city and had some porridge. She must have run into someone she knew and chatted with them for a bit.”

Shen Guitang suddenly looked directly at him: "Is that person male or female? How old are they? What do they look like?"

The young man was startled by his sharp gaze and then honestly replied, "He's a man, about forty years old, and looks... he's big and burly and not very noticeable."

Shen Guitang secretly breathed a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't Wen Jie. Although he disliked Wen Jie, Shen Guitang had to admit that, at least in appearance, Wen Jie was no less handsome than him.

Thinking about it this way, I found him even more annoying.

However, Shen Guitang raised an eyebrow; he probably knew where the little princess had run off to.

"Black Wind, go and find out where the Second Prince is tonight." He emphasized, "Do it immediately."

"Yes, young master."

Meanwhile, Hengbo, still believing he was all alone, was dressed as a servant and idly enjoying the singing and dancing of beauties in the Second Prince's private room.

While keeping a close eye on the needs of the distinguished guests, she also admired the scantily clad beauties on the field.

Alas, if it weren't for the Second Prince's unique taste in only Hu women, Hengbo would have chosen to disguise herself as a dancer only two or three steps away from the main seat, instead of being a disliked and obstructive servant who could only stand guard by the door.

Just as Hengbo was worrying about how to get close to the Second Prince, a noise suddenly came from the door. Then, the door was opened from the outside, and a cold and aloof young man walked in, led by someone.

As soon as he entered, all the light in the room seemed to be drawn away by his captivating face, and Hengbo, naturally, couldn't help but cast his gaze towards him as well.

With just that one glance, a sense of familiarity from the depths of her soul rose in her heart. However, before that name could fully surface in her mind, a voice from the head of the table calling out "Lord Wen" pulled her back to her senses.

Yes, he is no longer the brother A-Jie who accompanied him in his childhood, but the powerful and influential Lord Wen of the current dynasty.

Hengbo lowered her eyelashes, so she didn't notice the extremely restrained gaze that swept over her.

The second prince came over from his seat, a smile plastered on his face, which softened his slightly gloomy expression. He spoke very politely: "Lord Wen, you've finally arrived. I thought you wouldn't be attending the banquet today."