After Qingming Festival, Chang'an in March swept away the gloom of the death of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and returned to its former bustling state.

Inside the East Palace.

Ye Wanhe dismissed the palace maids and servants and knocked on the secret door of the underground palace.

Ah Hong walked out from the secret door of the underground palace, "Sister."

Ye Wanhe said, "You should flee quickly. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be returning to Chang'an soon. You should flee Chang'an as quickly as possible. The farther you run, the better."

Ah Hong frowned and said, "Sister, let's run away together."

Ye Wanhe shook her head and said, "I have committed a serious crime. If I escape now, you will only implicate my family. I will have to die once more. You should escape now before anyone knows that you helped me. The farther you can run, the better."

Ah Hong grabbed Ye Wanhe's sleeve.

Ye Wanhe smiled softly at Ah Hong, "Let's go. You have to go and see the scenery of Dasheng for your dear sister and me. The three mountains and five peaks, the Gobi desert, the vast grasslands. These are scenes that I can only see in poems and paintings. I hope you can go and see them for me."

Ye Wanhe gave all the banknotes in her hand to Ah Hong and said, "Let's go."

Ah Hong whispered, "Sister...I won't leave."

Ye Wanhe said, "You have to go. If you don't leave, I won't be at peace. Don't worry, I will live well. In a few years, you can come to Fangqiao Town in Yongxing City to find me."

Upon hearing this, Ah Hong knelt down and kowtowed to Ye Wanhe before leaving.

Ah Hong went down the tunnel and was about to leave, but he turned back and went to the Princess's Mansion.

In Youlan Residence, Ah Hong heard the girl's sweet voice, "Mom, do you miss Daddy?"

Xie Zhixuan smiled lightly and said, "How could I, an old married couple, miss him? I'm thinking of you. You're almost seventeen, and I can't keep you here any longer. I have to find you a good marriage.

Previously, Madam Lin had intended for you to marry Bo Lan's brother, but your father felt that marrying into the Lin family was inappropriate. However, among all the young men in Chang'an, the sons of the Lin family are considered the best..."

Gu Jingyu said, "Mother, I don't want to marry an official. I want to marry a man who can accompany me to travel around and practice medicine, to spread the reputation of our Renyuan Pharmacy throughout Dasheng."

Xie Zhixuan said, "How can mother be at ease if you want to travel here?"

Gu Jingyu said, "Mother, if I told you that the only person I wanted to marry was a secret guard, would you agree?"

Xie Zhixuan frowned slightly and said, "Which bold guard seduced you? This is absolutely unacceptable!"

Gu Jingyu whispered, "Why not? It's just that the person I like happens to be a secret guard. Do you also think that Sister Wanhe, as a palace maid, seduced the Crown Prince?"

Xie Zhixuan said, "Of course not. You are innocent by nature, so don't be fooled by men who want to get close to you."

Gu Jingyu said: "He didn't lie to me. I like him, but I never told him my feelings because I was afraid he wouldn't like me."

Xie Zhixuan smiled and said, "How dare he not like you? If he marries you, he'll be able to ascend to heaven overnight. Don't believe the sweet words of that guard.

If he wants to marry you, he should join the army to suppress bandits, make meritorious contributions, and become famous before he can marry you."

Gu Jingyu whispered, "Mother, what I lack the most is a successful husband. In this world, even my brother's achievements may not be greater than my father's. Mother, do you also value family background?"

Xie Zhixuan said, "I don't value background, but rather ability and character. If he wants to marry you to get ahead overnight, then his character is extremely unethical and utilitarian. That's why mother wants him to achieve success in his career before marrying you."

Gu Jingyu said: "But I don't even know if he likes me."

Xie Zhixuan touched Gu Jingyu's head and said, "Tell mother which secret guard it is?"

Gu Jingyu whispered, "I haven't seen him since I recovered. He hasn't come to see me much since he recovered from his muteness. I don't know if I'll have the chance to see him again."

Xie Zhixuan smiled faintly and said, "He is a man who knows himself."

Gu Jingyu talked with Xie Zhixuan for a long time.

At night, when Xie Zhixuan left.

Gu Jingyu returned to the room and lit a candle. She looked at the treetops outside, and her eyes lit up.

Ah Hong caught Gu Jingyu's eye, jumped down from the tree, walked to Gu Jingyu's side and said, "I..."

Gu Jingyu looked at the red dot between the boy's eyebrows and asked, "When did you come?"

Ah Hong said, "I arrived a little later than Her Royal Highness the Princess."

Gu Jingyu said: "Then you heard everything..."

Gu Jingyu raised her eyes and looked at Ah Hong, "You are not allowed to say that you don't like me! If you say that you don't like me, I will make you deaf and dumb again."

Ah Hong whispered, "I don't dislike you, I just don't dare to like you, and I'm not worthy of liking you. I committed the heinous crime of Ling Chi. I helped the Crown Princess give His Royal Highness the Crown Prince a drug to fake his death. Now I can only flee to the ends of the earth. You'd better forget me."

Gu Jingyu reached out and held Ah Hong's hand and said, "I will go and plead with my uncle. Since you are not the mastermind, you will definitely not be sentenced to the serious crime of lingchi."

"I have also committed the unforgivable sin of betraying my master. I am your highness's slave." Ah Hong lowered his eyes and said, "Have you forgotten that I am not worthy of your love?"

After saying this, Ah Hong wanted to turn around and leave.

Gu Jingyu held Ah Hong's hand tightly and said, "You should join the army. I will get you an identity. You can gain honor and merit by joining the army. Then I will plead for you to make amends for your mistakes. My mother will also agree to marry me to you."

Ah Hong smiled faintly at Gu Jingyu and said, "Okay."

Gu Jingyu looked at the boy's smile and threw herself into his arms.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!