Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Another strange dream poached me

After returning to his yard, Qi Shang immediately went to find Zhao Mingzhu.

Since their last unpleasant parting, Zhao Mingzhu hadn't seen Qi Shang for a long time. The prince's courtyard was large and small, and Zhao Mingzhu couldn't even see Qi Shang every day, but she would occasionally hear news about which of the prince's rooms had been. Only then did she realize that she was not the only woman by the prince's side.

She was furious, yet helpless. The servants had originally assumed she would be the Crown Prince's principal wife, and had treated her with respect. But now that they heard she was merely a concubine, they naturally weren't as concerned as before.

In addition, she is only a concubine in name only, and can only be officially accepted as such after the principal wife enters the house. Now her status in the mansion is very embarrassing. Even a favored concubine can show off in front of her, and the attitude of the servants in the yard is also much more neglectful.

Zhao Mingzhu had already lost her temper several times over this, but she couldn't even see Qi Shang, and she couldn't confide in him, no matter how much she was suffering. She finally realized that she still had to rely on Qi Shang in this courtyard.

Now that she finally met Qi Shang, Zhao Mingzhu put away all her temper and was about to be gentle and considerate to him, but Qi Shang came forward with a flattering smile, as if the previous cold war had never happened, and took out a pair of jade bracelets from his arms.

"I bought this from Yubaozhai at a high price. Do you like it?"

Zhao Mingzhu was flattered. She picked up the bracelets and examined them carefully in the sunlight. The fine mutton-fat jade shone with a white glow in the sunlight, and its texture felt delicate and soft to the touch.

Zhao Mingzhu put the bracelet on her white wrist. It looked so pretty. She couldn't help but curl her red lips slightly and raised her eyebrows slightly. "Why did you think of giving me a bracelet?"

Qi Shang smiled and held her in his arms, "A treasure goes well with a beauty. I was right. Look how beautiful you look in it."

Zhao Mingzhu was happy in her heart, but pretended to refuse.

"Then why don't you give it to Qin'er in the west courtyard?"

Qin'er, who lived in the west courtyard, was Qi Shang's concubine. Zhao Mingzhu had happened to see her in the garden a while ago. The concubine wasn't one to be outdone, not even offering courtesy. She took advantage of the fact that the prince had been staying at her place for the past few days, and her nose was practically up in the air.

There are really no rules at all!

Qin'er was an old employee in the courtyard, and the maids around her were all big and strong. The maids around Zhao Mingzhu were all new, and if they fought, nothing good would happen. She had no choice but to swallow her anger, but she held a grudge against her in her heart.

Now that I have the opportunity, I naturally have to persuade them.

Hearing her suddenly mention Qin'er, Qi Shang immediately realized that Zhao Mingzhu was jealous. He was secretly delighted. He was the most experienced in dealing with jealous women. He needed Zhao Mingzhu's help now, so how could he still remember the good things about another woman and speak disparagingly?

"How can she compare to you? You are the apple of my eye. He is nothing. He is not even one ten-thousandth as beautiful as you. How can he be worthy of such a good thing!"

They were still entangled yesterday, but today he could say these words to another woman without batting an eyelid. This man was so heartless and ungrateful. But Zhao Mingzhu didn't see any of this. She was only focused on admiring the jade bracelet on her wrist. Her heart was filled with joy at his words, and she completely forgot his previous cold treatment.

Zhao Mingzhu snorted lightly, forgiving his coldness these days.

Seeing that Zhao Mingzhu's attitude had softened, Qi Shang was secretly happy but did not show it on his face.

He ordered people to bring wine and food.

After three rounds of drinking, Zhao Mingzhu was slightly tipsy and her speech was a little unclear. Qi Shang then revealed the purpose of his visit.

He asked tentatively, "Mingzhu, didn't you say before that you knew a lot of other secrets? Do you know King Heng's secret?"

Zhao Mingzhu drank a few glasses of warm wine, and now her head was a little dizzy. She said without any precautions:

"Prince Heng? Of course I know. I heard he was poisoned by a strange poison and won't live more than three years."

This was naturally what Zhao Mingzhu learned from her memories of her previous life.

Qi Shang's eyes darkened. Only a very few people knew about Yan Zhuo's poisoning, and he was one of them. Although he didn't know why Zhao Mingzhu, a woman raised in seclusion, knew so many secrets, this also proved that what she said was true.

"By the way! It seems that he won't live for many days." Zhao Mingzhu said with a thick tongue.

Qi Shang looked at her in shock. After all, there was still a long time before three years.

"Why do you say that?"

Zhao Mingzhu tried to recall, "A plague had spread in Yanzhou, and Prince Heng was not spared. The conditions there were backward, and there were no doctors or medicines to treat him in time, so he could only wait to die."

These were all things she had heard from others in her previous life. The events in Yanzhou had caused a sensation in the entire capital. When the emperor heard that his brother had died in Yanzhou, he became so grief-stricken that he fell ill and his health deteriorated.

Qi Shang was skeptical about her words.

He had never been able to understand how this woman knew the news that even his father could not get. But this did not stop him from using this woman to get some information.

When he wanted to ask something else, he found that the woman in front of him had fallen asleep on the table without him knowing when.

Qi Shang tried to push her, but she slapped him away, clearly quite drunk. He felt a bit regretful, as if he had known she couldn't drink so much, he wouldn't have forced her to drink so much.

But there was nothing he could do now. With Zhao Mingzhu in this state, he was afraid he wouldn't get any useful information if he continued asking. Although he felt the news was a bit suspicious, but thinking that everything she had said before was true, Qi Shang took it as the truth for the time being.

If the plague really spread in Yanzhou, there would be a reason why the officials under my father did not reply to the letter. They must be too busy dealing with the plague to care about it. If Prince Heng really died there, it would be God's help!

Qi Shang had originally planned to go to Yanzhou in person, but now he hesitated. What if he was infected with the plague when he went there?

It would be better to wait and see. Once the news of Yan Zhuo's death from illness in Yanzhou comes, it will not be too late for him to take action.

Qi Shang was very satisfied with his decision.

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After returning from Lingyin Temple that day, Zhao Mingsheng was thinking about leaving. Her grandmother's health was improving day by day at the Marquis' Mansion, and there wasn't much for her to do any longer. She might as well go back soon. There were still a lot of things waiting for her back in Qingshan Village.

Before leaving, she went to see Zhong Cui.

Zhong Cui, Zhao Mingjing's maid, is usually a busy person in the yard. Zhao Mingsheng went there twice before she showed up.

Zhong Cui was about to pass by the courtyard gate with something in her hand. Zhao Mingsheng saw her and called her softly from outside the courtyard.

"Zhong Cui!"

Hearing someone calling her, Zhong Cui turned her head and was stunned when she saw it was Zhao Mingsheng.

She knew Zhao Mingsheng had returned, but due to the busy affairs in the courtyard, the two had not been able to run into each other. Today was the last time they had truly met. The former master and servant met again, and before they even opened their mouths, Zhong Cui's eyes were red.

"Fifth Lady, you have suffered."

Zhao Mingsheng shook his head and was about to say that he had not suffered much, but he heard Zhong Cui choking.

"I've heard from Zhong Yuan that you now have to not only cook but also farm. How can we let you do such hard and tiring work..."

As he spoke, tears began to flow.

Zhao Mingsheng could only help her wipe her tears, feeling both amused and helpless. He said helplessly, "Whether it's cooking or farming, I do it with pleasure. It's not tiring at all, really."

"You say you're not tired, but look at how thin you are, young lady."

However, Zhong Cui obviously didn't believe what she said. She looked left and right and felt that Zhao Mingsheng was very thin, and her tears fell even more violently.

Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help but touch his face and pinch his waist. In fact, he just lost some baby fat, so he looked thinner, but it wasn't as exaggerated as Zhong Cui said.

"If you cry any more, you'll really turn into a little cat."

Zhao Mingsheng took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears on her face. Thinking of the purpose of this trip, she said, "I plan to go back tomorrow. If you are willing to come with me, I will ask my grandmother for your birth certificate."

"Zhong Yuan and I have already discussed this. After I take you away, you will no longer be servants. Whatever you want to do, whether it's getting married or starting a small business, I will support you."

Zhong Cui's sobbing suddenly stopped, and she looked at the girl in front of her with wide eyes in some surprise.

"...Leave, Marquis Mansion?"

She was sold to the Marquis's mansion at the age of seven and lost contact with her family. Ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Zhong Cui once thought that the Marquis's mansion was her final destination, but now, Wu Niangzi tells her that there is another way out.

It would be a lie to say she didn't yearn for the life outside the mansion, but Zhong Cui was also filled with fear. She could never forget the days when she was a child, eating coarse grains and having no food to eat. If she wasn't so poor, who would be willing to sell their daughter?

Although Zhong Cui didn't appreciate her parents' kindness, she never resented them. Although they sold her, they sold her to a good family, not to a brothel for more money. After arriving at the Marquis's mansion, at least she no longer had to starve, and she had warm clothes to wear in the winter, something she had never dared to imagine before.

As for the parents who sold her for money, after taking the money, perhaps out of guilt, they never appeared in front of her again, so her life after entering the Marquis' Mansion was like heaven and earth compared to before.

For a moment, Zhong Cui found it hard to imagine what life would be like after leaving the Marquis' Mansion.

"Well, Zhong Yuan and I have already discussed these things. After I take you away, you will no longer be maids. Whatever you want to do, whether it's getting married or starting a small business, I will support you."

Seeing Zhong Cui's tangled expression, Zhao Mingsheng gently patted the back of her hand with his bare hands and smiled softly: "You don't have to reply to me now. It's up to you whether you are willing or not. But I should be leaving tomorrow. If you have made up your mind before then, come and find me."

Zhong Cui finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, I'll think about it carefully."

Just as she was about to say something, a scream suddenly came from behind the wall.

"Ahhhh! Zhong Cui, come help me, the spider has crawled onto my shoulder!"

The two of them hurried around the low wall and saw Zhao Mingjing standing stiffly beside a pearl bush with a pale face, not daring to move. A spider the size of a fingernail was lying on her shoulder, which must have accidentally fallen from the pearl bush onto her shoulder.

Knowing that Zhao Mingjing was afraid of these little bugs, Zhong Cui hurried over, brushed the spider off her shoulder with a handkerchief, and said softly:

"All right, Miss Three. The spider is gone."

"Really?"

After confirming again and again that she could not see the spider, Zhao Mingjing finally relaxed. She patted her chest in shock, her face still flushed from the shock.

"That really scared me to death."

Zhao Mingsheng found it a little funny and deliberately asked, "This place is backed by plants, so there are naturally a lot of mosquitoes. What are you doing here?"

What else could she do? Of course, she couldn't help but come over to eavesdrop when she saw Zhao Mingsheng suddenly call Zhong Cui away!

But of course Zhao Mingjing couldn't tell her so directly. To hide her guilty conscience, she made an excuse: "I'm here... Yes, I'm here to enjoy the flowers!"

Zhao Mingsheng glanced at the bare pearl bushes behind her. This wasn't flowering season at all. There were only green leaves and brown branches, so it was a wonder they could even bloom. She didn't try to expose her, but simply glared at Zhao Mingjing with a curled lip.

Zhao Mingjing realized she had made a mistake after she finished speaking. After staring at each other for a while, she gave up and said dejectedly, "Okay, I'm just curious about what you two were talking about." At this point, her tone changed and she became more confident. "I didn't expect you to steal my girl. What should I do if Zhong Cui leaves?"

Zhao Mingsheng: ???

When she heard the word "poaching", she felt a little amused but couldn't refute it. Zhong Cui was indeed a capable maid in front of Zhao Mingjing.

Just as Zhao Mingsheng was about to explain that he was not poaching, he heard Zhao Mingjing say:

"Forget it, I was just kidding." She turned around and looked at Zhong Cui seriously. "If you want to leave, then go ahead. Can't you find a maid for me in such a huge mansion?"

She lowered her head and said in a self-deprecating manner, "I admit that I am sometimes willful. It must be very hard for you to serve me. I wasn't very kind to you before, so I won't say anything if you want to leave."

Zhao Mingjing said as she walked towards the yard.

"Third Lady! Wait a minute!"

Zhong Cui called her back.

"I've made up my mind. I'll stay in the Marquis' Mansion."

Zhong Cui knew that she would be able to live a good life if she followed the Fifth Lady out of the mansion, but her personality preferred a more stable life. Over the years, the Marquis's Mansion had become like her home.

Zhao Mingjing looked at her blankly, but Zhao Mingsheng didn't seem surprised by Zhong Cui's decision, as if he had expected it.

"Okay, I understand. If you regret it, you can come to me before I leave tomorrow." Zhao Mingsheng nodded at her, indicating that he understood and giving her another chance to regret.

After saying this, he went back.

Zhao Mingjing, who was still standing there, hadn't reacted yet. "You...why don't you leave?"

"I never said I wanted to leave," Zhong Cui chuckled. "Or do you want to drive me away, Miss San?"

Zhao Mingjing quickly waved her hands and drove her away. Where could she find another Zhong Cui?

"Let's go. Didn't you say that I would teach you how to make lace?" Zhong Cui raised the silk thread in her hand.

"Well! Let's go back and make silk lace!" Zhao Mingjing smiled and responded with a slight curve of her lips.

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Just when everything was ready and they were about to return the next day, Zhao Mingsheng had another strange dream.

In the dream, people were crying and bodies covered with white cloth were scattered all over the ground. She saw people praying. They had just survived hunger and hardship, but they could not resist the invasion of disease. Life was so fragile at this moment.

The hellish scene on earth startled Zhao Mingsheng awake. She was unable to recover for a long time after waking up.