Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Never escape from his sight.

It wasn't like he was asking, it was more like questioning, asking why she was here.

But it was clearly the maid at home who came to find her. How could she have wanted to come? Seeing the people around her taking such good care of her elder sister, wouldn't she feel uncomfortable?

Zhu Yinluan opened her lips slightly, a feeling of discomfort surged up, and her nose tip felt very sore, but she hadn't finished speaking yet.

The maid beside Madam Zhu came out hurriedly and said that Lord Zhu asked Wei Ruzhuo to come over.

Wei Ruzhuo ignored her and left.

Zhu Yinluan looked at the man's hurried back as he walked away. Her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably many times, her vision gradually became blurred, and she felt uncomfortable as if she was weak all over.

"Miss..." Mingya stepped forward and supported her.

The people from the Luo family left, the people who came to witness the incident left, and the people from the Zhu family ignored her.

The hall, which was crowded just now, now became extremely solemn and empty. Zhu Yinluan only felt that she was trapped in cold shackles and was sweating all over.

"Miss, we want to..."

"Let's go back." Zhu Yinluan withdrew her gaze and left silently with Mingya.

On the way back, in the carriage, she couldn't help but shed tears.

I could clearly hold it in, and it got much better in the past few days, but now I don't know what's wrong.

Perhaps it was because of the medicine she had taken, she could not hold back her tears. She could not hold them back once they started to fall.

She clearly didn't want to come, but her family insisted on asking her to go. Was it her mother's instruction or her sister's intention? She wanted to go and see Wei Ruzhuo fighting for the Zhu family, no, for her sister.

But she couldn't help crying for some reason. She cried harder than ever before.

Mingya had been paying attention to Zhu Yinluan. Although Zhu Yinluan tried to endure it, Mingya still heard some sobbing sounds in the silent alley.

She lifted the curtain and saw the girl curled up in a ball in the corner of the carriage.

Darkness enveloped her, her little face was tilted so that her expression could not be seen clearly, and her thin shoulders were shaking from time to time, which made people feel nervous.

Mingya quickly stopped the carriage, went up to accompany her and comfort her.

Seeing Zhu Yinluan’s tear-stained face, she couldn’t help but cry too.

As someone who has accompanied Zhu Yinluan all the way, no one knows better than Mingya how wronged and lonely she has felt, and how difficult it has been for her over the years.

Zhu Yinluan cried until she was almost collapsed. If she went back now and was seen by the servants, it might get to Pang Shi's ears, which would be too much trouble.

Seeing that she looked unwell, Mingya asked the driver to find a clinic.

The driver thought he was going to the clinic he had visited during the day, so he drove his horse straight there.

After stopping, Mingya asked where this was.

Zhu Yinluan didn't cry anymore, but her tears kept flowing and her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

She looked at the alley and thought of the market that Jiaohui had told her about. There were mostly outsiders there and no one should pay attention to her, so she got off the carriage and took Mingya for a stroll around the alley.

At first, Mingya was a little scared when she saw this alley, but when she saw Zhu Yinluan taking her through it, she began to wonder how she knew that.

Zhu Yinluan was in a bad mood and didn't say anything.

The alley was quiet during the day and even quieter at night. However, without the patrolmen from the Beijing Inspection Office, many stalls with tables, chairs and benches had been set up on the street, selling snacks such as glutinous rice balls, as well as rice cakes and noodles.

"Miss, you didn't eat much for dinner. Do you want something now?" Before they reached the corner, Mingya naturally didn't see the clinic.

She saw Zhu Yinluan looking at a spicy noodle soup stall and asked her if she wanted to eat it.

Zhu Yinluan looked at it for a long time, then walked over with a sniff.

Mingya hurriedly followed and when she saw Zhu Yinluan sitting down, she asked the store owner for some snacks.

When the spicy noodle soup was served, Mingya was worried that she couldn't finish it because she usually ate light food, so she offered to scoop out the red soup for her. But Zhu Yinluan said no, took the wooden chopsticks, lowered her head and ate slowly, with her whole face almost buried in the bowl.

Mingya couldn't see her expression clearly, but she saw her tears falling into the bowl.

Mingya took a handkerchief from the side and gave it to her, but she refused to take it.

It was getting late, and the place gradually became deserted.

Zhu Yinluan looked up and told Mingya that there was a clinic around the corner and asked her to go and help get some medicine as she was worried that she would have stomach discomfort tomorrow. Mingya was worried about her being alone here, but she couldn't persuade her, so she had to go.

After a while, someone sat down next to her. Zhu Yinluan thought it was Ming Ya who had returned, but the person next to her seemed very tall, almost completely covering the light and shadow of the lantern and candle. She had to look up, and saw a handsome profile.

"……?"

The other person hadn't noticed her yet, his eyes were fixed on the noodles that the stall owner was kneading. It was only when he noticed her gaze that he turned around, "Ms. Zhu?" he asked.

Seeing the doubt and surprise in the man's eyes, Zhu Yinluan also knew why.

She was in a miserable state at the moment, her eyes were swollen and her lips were stinging, so she looked ugly.

It’s hard for the other party to recognize it.

But she had no idea that in the eyes of men, she looked like a bullied rabbit, not ugly but extremely pitiful.

"Why is Madam Zhu here?" the man asked.

As if he was afraid that she would be embarrassed, he used humor and liveliness to resolve her embarrassment.

"I've heard that the spicy noodle soup made by the stall owner here is very good. My wife cried with joy after tasting it. I think I should try it today."

As the man finished his words, his follower was tactful enough to ask the stall owner for a bowl, saying he wanted the same one as Zhu Yinluan.

Zhu Yinluan was amused by his words and indeed did not feel so helpless and embarrassed. She shrugged her nose and pulled her cloak closer.

Only then did he remember to ask, "Why is the prince here?"

In just one day, I met Shen Jingzhan twice.

At this moment, Zhu Yinluan had no intention of caring about any coincidence, and she had no intention of delving into it further.

"My grandmother is ill, and the medicine she ordered today is missing an ingredient. I came here to get it just now, and my younger sister kept talking about food, so I decided to bring some back for her."

"Just now I saw a young girl sitting here eating noodles. I thought the food was delicious, but I didn't expect that it was my wife."

He had explained it clearly, and the doubts that had not yet arisen in Zhu Yinluan's mind disappeared. She nodded, "I see."

After these words fell, neither of them spoke.

Zhu Yinluan was prepared that Shen Jingzhan might ask her why she came out without anyone around, but Shen Jingzhan didn't ask.

Perhaps he had seen through her difficulties, so he did not ask.

She couldn't help but sigh in her heart once again that this Master Shen was truly considerate and very sensible.

After the spicy noodle soup was served, he took the wooden chopsticks and lowered his head to taste it.

Zhu Yinluan saw that he moved slowly and his gestures were elegant and beautiful.

But when he was eating, his brows were slightly frowned, and it seemed that he couldn't eat spicy food.

She said, "If the prince feels uncomfortable with the spicy taste, he can drink that."

She pointed to the scallion soup with spicy noodles next to her. Zhu Yinluan had just eaten it and thought it was very good, mainly because it helped to relieve the spiciness.

Shen Jingzhan listened to her and picked it up and drank it.

"It's really good." The man's brows relaxed and his thin lips pursed.

It's rare to see him eating awkwardly, it's really novel.

Zhu Yinluan wanted to laugh a little, but how could she laugh in front of others? So she didn't show any emotion.

After this episode, she felt much better. After coming back to her senses, she felt that there were differences between men and women. Although this place was quiet and sparsely populated, Shen Jingzhan was too famous in the capital. What if someone saw him starting out and caused endless trouble?

So Zhu Yinluan thought of an excuse and said to Shen Jingzhan, "My maid went to get medicine and hasn't come back yet. I've finished eating, so I'll go check it out. The prince is behind..."

But Shen Jingzhan said, “It just so happens that the servant I sent hasn’t come back yet, so I’ll ask someone around me to go check it out.”

Zhu Yinluan didn't say anything. She didn't believe that Shen Jingzhan couldn't see that she meant to resign, but he spoke up to stop her.

Before she could say anything else, the man had already explained, "My lady, you may not know that the capital has been in turmoil recently. Although there are patrols from the Inspection Department, you still have to be careful when it's late at night."

"When my people bring back your maid, I will send someone to secretly escort you back to the Wei Mansion. This will be better."

Zhu Yinluan secretly felt that he was doing a good job, but she also felt that she owed him too much. She hesitated and said, "The Wei family's carriage is nearby, so it should be fine. I won't bother you, my Lord."

"Having said that, it is still best to ensure safety. Don't worry, my people will not show up."

"The prince is like this..."

"I know what you are going to say. If you feel that you owe me something, I hope you can lend me a helping hand in return if I need you in the future."

"That being said, I am of humble origin, how can I be of any help to the prince..."

What kind of help could she provide to Shen Jingzhan? What was her use?

She couldn't help but think of the slander she had received over the years from Pang Shi about her inability to have children, and the neglect and ridicule she had received from her family members, and her mood became depressed again.

"There is always a use for people living in this world. My wife is a smart person. Why do you have to trouble yourself because of other people's eyes? Isn't that asking for trouble?"

When Zhu Yinluan heard this, she couldn't help but look up at the man.

His voice was gentle, and his expression seemed gentle under the candlelight. Apart from that, she felt... familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where.

"Why distinguish between big and small uses? In my opinion, as long as it is useful, it is good."

"For example, the bag of ambergris, my wife always worries about it. Although it is extremely valuable, it is just a spice and medicinal ingredient. It is good if it can cure diseases and save lives. Otherwise, it would be a waste to leave it there."

This was the second time the man said this.

He smiled faintly, "Human life is of paramount importance, how can it be measured with money?"

"I'm not saying this to lecture you, madam. I just think you're in a bad mood, so I want to try to comfort you. If I'm offended, please forgive me."

"How could that be?" Zhu Yinluan said, "The prince is a good man."

Shen Jingzhan looked at her lowered face, and for some reason he chuckled when he heard these words, “…Yeah.”

Hearing the man's muffled laughter, Zhu Yinluan couldn't help but hum along. She clenched her fingers, "..."

At this time, Ming Ya also came back with Shen Jingzhan's entourage. Apparently, the entourage said something, but Ming Ya did not show any surprise when she saw Shen Jingzhan.

The two of them didn't say anything else, but before they parted, Shen Jingzhan gave her a small box of cakes, saying that he brought them from the palace. His younger sister at home didn't like them, but it would be a pity to throw them away. If she didn't mind, she could try them.

He had just said such a thing, and Zhu Yinluan couldn't refuse it, otherwise it would be rejecting his meaning, so she thanked him and took it.

On the way back, she looked back.

Zhu Yinluan only thought that Shen Jingzhan had sent someone to escort her, but she didn't know that it was the man himself who was protecting her.

He was in the darkness not far away, his deep eyes fixed firmly on the carriage, his gaze revealed a gloomy determination that would never allow her to escape his control.