Chapter 45

After seeing off his friends, Chu Miaomiao did not rush out of the city to return home, but instead took a carriage to Cangming Lake.

The chill of spring had faded, and now everything was vibrant and vibrant. Green willows framed the shores of Cangming Lake, and visitors flocked in. Chu Miaomiao strolled along the lakeside, the laughter of children chasing each other filled her ears, and the aroma of food wafting from the street vendors lingered in her nostrils.

What a lively atmosphere.

Estimating that it was about time, Chu Miaomiao and her servant turned into the Hongtai Teahouse by the lake, booked a private room with a lake view, and ordered a pot of tea and two or three snacks.

"A young master named Jin will be here soon. Just lead him up."

After receiving Chu Miaomiao's instructions, the waiter responded and left on his own accord. Only Chu Miaomiao and her servant were left in the private room.

"Half a day has passed. I wonder where my brother and sister-in-law have gone." Chu Miaomiao looked worried and murmured, "Is it time to get there?"

Chu He comforted her, "Don't worry too much, Princess. The farmhouse you bought is not far from the manor. They must have settled down now."

"I hope so."

As the two were talking, the door of the private room was pushed open and Jin Ji came in with a package. He threw the package in front of Chu Miaomiao, picked up the teapot and poured water before he sat down, then raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

"Why are you so thirsty?"

"In order to help you exchange more money, I went to several pawnshops and my lips were almost worn out. How could I not be thirsty?" Jin Jilian drank several cups before he felt less thirsty.

Chu Miaomiao opened the bundle, and the interlaced light of gold and silver was actually a bit dazzling.

"Some of it was exchanged for silver notes, but most of it was exchanged for gold and silver," Jin Ji explained. "Gold and silver are a bit heavier, but when you need money, you don't have to take the silver notes to the bank to exchange them. It's safer."

"Thank you very much."

Chu Miaomiao thanked him from the bottom of her heart and told Jin Ji what happened at Guangyunju today.

"They are all very interested. Let's discuss it after you have made the samples." Chu Miaomiao said with a smile, "They are all noble ladies I know in the capital. With their help, you should be able to gain a foothold in the capital soon."

Jin Ji also became more serious when talking about business: "Then I will go to make samples as soon as possible, and I will contact you when it is ready."

Starting today, Jin Ji planned to rent a small courtyard in the city and temporarily live there. Yesterday, Chu Miaomiao left Jin Ji at the Chu Family Manor to discuss business matters and to ask Jin Ji to help her pawn the antiques and paintings in the warehouse.

Chu Miaomiao hadn't intended to trouble Jin Ji, but out of caution, she had always asked a different servant to pawn her items. The Chu family manor had few servants, and after several visits, she felt it was inconvenient to ask them to go again, fearing that the pawnshop staff would remember their faces.

She had considered going herself, but when she first arrived in Beijing, she spent all day hanging out with the playboys and had gained some fame, so it was not convenient for her to go in person. Her brother and sister-in-law had gone once, but due to their lack of experience, the pawnshop owner had driven them down too far.

After much thought, she decided that the most suitable person to help her with the pawning was Jin Ji. It was perfectly normal for Jin Ji to pawn some antiques and calligraphy and paintings to raise some capital, as he had just arrived in Beijing to start a business.

The two exchanged a few more words, and after Jin Ji left the address of the inn where they were staying temporarily, they parted ways. Chu Miaomiao then took a carriage out of the city and returned home.

Today's three major events have been settled, and Chu Miaomiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After learning from Jin Ji yesterday that Pingzhou was not at peace, the Chu family had discussed it. A rebellion in Pingzhou was only a matter of time. As soon as there was any movement over there, they in the capital would be sacrificed.

No one would remain indifferent when facing the threat of death. Even a sickly person like Chu Canglang, who had been taking medicine since birth, would not give up any hope of life when he was about to become a father.

Fortunately, when Chu Miaomiao bought this manor, he also bought a secluded farmhouse in a nearby village, which was just right for them to use as a temporary place to stay.

However, the Crown Princess is pregnant and is not suitable for long journeys, so she can only walk slowly. Leaving the capital and heading east, it should only take half a day to travel each day, which should be fine.

As for what will happen next, we can only take a gamble with God.

"Chuhe."

After returning home, Chu Miaomiao took out Chu He's indenture and a land deed from the bottom of the box and handed them to Chu He. "This is your indenture, and this is the deed to the thirty acres of land I bought from a farm in the suburbs of Pingzhou City. You must keep them safe."

Chu He immediately understood what Chu Miaomiao meant and subconsciously pushed the thing back: "Princess!"

"Don't refuse. Just be quiet and listen to me."

Chu Miaomiao held Chu He's hand, looked into her eyes seriously, and spoke word by word.

"Although you've been by my side since childhood as a slave, in my heart you're no different from my own sister. The fall of the Chu Palace is inevitable. My surname is Chu, and I'm the child of the King of Chu. It's my inevitable fate to disappear from the world along with the Chu Palace. However, you're innocent in this matter. There's no need to pay with your life for a sin that's not yours."

Chu Miaomiao's starry eyes were clear, and Chu He could even see her own dazed look in those eyes.

She knew that the princess had always treated her well, and she was treated almost like a deputy lady when serving the princess. The princess never cared if she was occasionally rude, so she was willing to repay the princess with her lifelong loyalty.

But when she heard the princess's inner thoughts with her own ears, she was still greatly shocked. Hot tears gradually welled up in her eyes and her lips trembled unconsciously.

"Chu He." Chu Miaomiao held Chu He's hand tighter, "At least you have to live, you have to live well."

Chu Miaomiao's earnest words reached her ears, and Chu He could no longer suppress her sobs: "Princess..."

"Pack your bags and leave tonight."

Chu He shook her head repeatedly, sniffed, and said quickly: "No, I can't leave. I am the one who serves the princess personally. If I leave too, won't it make people more suspicious?"

"That's true, but every day you stay here means more danger. Aren't you afraid?"

Chu He trembled slightly: "Of course I am afraid. Sometimes I am awakened by nightmares when I think about the possibility of death."

Chu Miaomiao was speechless: "If you are so scared, why are you still being stubborn?"

"But!" Chu He suddenly raised her voice. There was a master-servant relationship between them, and this was the first time she spoke to Chu Miaomiao in such a loud voice.

Realizing her own transgression, Chu He lowered her voice again, "Just like the princess doesn't want me to die, I don't want to watch the princess die. I want to live, but I don't want to live on the princess's corpse!"

"Chu He..." Chu Miaomiao looked at Chu He in surprise and was speechless for a moment.

Chu Miaomiao stammered, wanting to say something, but repeatedly swallowed it back. It wasn't that she couldn't speak, but she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would burst into tears before she could even utter a word. But tears continued to fall from the corners of her eyes, and her nose grew increasingly sore.

She was moved by Chu He's loyalty, but even Chu He, who had no blood relationship with her, was worried about her life and death, and her father, who was related to her by blood, treated her as an abandoned child.

What on earth are blood ties?

"Princess, please don't mention asking me to leave anymore." Chu He said tearfully, "No matter what, I will be with you."

Chu Miaomiao grew up in neglect. She never imagined that the sense of security she once longed for from her parents would be given to her by the girl who grew up with her.

It was as if someone was standing behind Chu Miaomiao in her childhood, gently caressing her as she cried, and telling her with his actions not to be afraid, because someone was supporting her and caring about her.

Tears burst out, Chu Miaomiao could no longer hold back and threw herself towards Chu He, crying loudly.

That’s great, that’s great, at least she still has Chuhe by her side.

In order to survive, Chu Miaomiao, who stayed in the capital, racked his brains and was extremely anxious. Meanwhile, in Pingzhou City, the King of Chu and his son joined forces with the Pingzhou Governor to assemble the Pingzhou Army. The uprising was imminent!

The night was as black as ink. Both the stars and the bright moon were obscured by dark clouds, leaving only the silent darkness in the world.

But the human world has its own way of illuminating darkness. Burning torches illuminate the night like day. A large army assembled at the gate of Pingzhou City. The King of Chu, his son, and the Pingzhou Governor stood on the gate.

The massive armored troops exuded an inviolable majesty, which pleased the King of Chu very much. He cleared his throat and began the pre-war mobilization.

"Fellow villagers of Pingzhou, we were born and raised in Pingzhou. Pingzhou is our eternal home! Yet, the imperial court shows no concern for the lives of the people of Pingzhou. Layer upon layer of exorbitant taxes and levies have crushed us. Every autumn, even the hard-earned harvest goes into taxes, leaving us with only a small amount of food and money. Some families have even lost their property and homes, becoming refugees! All of this is due to the injustice of the imperial court!"

The King of Chu finished his words and glanced at the Governor. The Governor of Pingzhou understood and stepped forward to continue his mobilization. "My fellow countrymen, even I can no longer stand idly by while the imperial court places such a heavy burden on the people of Pingzhou. Year after year, the imperial court has imposed heavy taxes on Pingzhou, forcing countless people into despair and forcing countless others to flee their homes. As the governor of Pingzhou, how can I bear this?"

When the army below the city heard this, some of them murmured, while others were indignant.

It was no exaggeration to say that Pingzhou's taxes were extremely heavy; they were indeed true. However, the vast majority of these taxes went into the King of Chu's account, becoming capital for his recruitment of troops.

But the people of Pingzhou did not understand this. They only knew that it was the imperial court that forced them to lose their livelihoods and live in hardship. Therefore, the King of Chu's few words stirred up the anger that had been pent up in their hearts for a long time.

"If the dog emperor doesn't give us a way to live, we have to fight for our own survival!"

The men the King of Chu had arranged early in the morning stirred up the emotions of the troops, and soon the entire army was shouting a unified slogan: "Kill the emperor! Fight for survival!"

Waves of noise came one after another, mixed with the anger of the people of Pingzhou, forming an overwhelming force.

The sharp sword of Pingzhou points directly at the capital!