Chapter 78 Princess Consort, please return with me.
Chapter Seventy-Eight: Princess Consort, please return with me.
With a household registration, things would be much easier, and Shen Tang hurriedly headed to the dock.
Shen Tang chose a cargo ship. Although the overall environment of the ship was not good, the ship was mainly used for carrying cargo. In order to supplement the ship's expenses, the ship owner would also take some people along.
The household registration verification process for these ships is not as strict as that for passenger ships, and they are also cheaper than passenger ships.
Slightly apprehensive, Shen Tang handed the household registration book to the inspector. Sure enough, the inspector glanced at it briefly and let her in.
There were probably twenty or thirty people in the cabin, men, women, young and old. When they saw her come in, they all looked up at her, and then went back to doing what they were doing.
Shen Tang looked around and then sat down next to a woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties and had a kind face.
The woman was a warm-hearted person. After seeing her sit down, she asked, "Where are you going, young lady?"
Shen Tang replied, "To Changzhou."
"Changzhou, that's very far away. Why are you going to such a far place?"
As soon as the woman asked that question, several curious glances turned to look at her.
Shen Tang disliked the feeling of being the center of attention. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke with a hint of sorrow: "Let's go and seek refuge with relatives."
“My husband just passed away, and I have no children. My brother-in-law has been trying to seize my family’s property. How can I, a mere woman, possibly compete with him?”
"I was kicked out by him. I had nowhere else to go but to go to Changzhou to seek refuge with relatives and find a place to stay."
When you're out in the world, you give yourself your own identity.
As Shen Tang spoke, she even forced out a few tears to maintain the authenticity of the story.
The woman never expected that her casual question would touch upon her painful past.
Seeing Shen Tang with her head down and tears streaming down her face, she was instantly at a loss for what to do: "Oh dear, little sister, I didn't mean to."
Shen Tang wiped away her tears with a handkerchief: "It's alright, I'm fine."
The woman quickly took out two steamed buns from her pocket and handed them to Shen Tang: "You're a pitiful person too. This is a little something from your aunt. Please take it."
Shen Tang didn't refuse and reached out to take it.
After this incident, the woman didn't dare to ask any more questions and shut up.
The few curious glances around him all turned away after hearing Shen Tang's words.
Shen Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that their attention was no longer on her.
*
Meanwhile, in Qingyang...
Although Cang Ye's martial arts skills were high, the strength of the Shadow Guards should not be underestimated, especially when dozens of them took turns fighting.
By the end, Cangye had many wounds on his body. When Qingyang stabbed him in the back with his sword, Cangye finally collapsed to the ground with a "bang" due to exhaustion.
Just as Qingyang was about to step forward and finish him off, Cangye swiftly dodged and ran away using his lightness skill.
One of the shadow guards quickly stepped forward and asked, "Sir, should we give chase?"
Qingyang shook his head: "Finding the young master is the priority, let's go quickly."
Qingyang quickly led his men to search in the direction Shen Tang had just left.
Upon seeing a long, obvious drag mark on the road, Qingyang quickly dismounted and spotted the prince where the mark disappeared.
Seeing the young master leaning against the large rock, silent and still, Qingyang cried out in fear, "Young master!" and quickly squatted down to check Meng Huaiyan's breath.
Thank goodness! It's still breathing!
Qingyang breathed a sigh of relief, quickly took out some medicine from his pocket to protect Meng Huaiyan's heart, and fed it to him. He then instructed the Shadow Guards to help the young master onto his horse.
Qingyang was startled by the Crown Prince's silent appearance, but now that she has calmed down, she was surprised to find that the Crown Princess was nowhere to be seen.
He quickly asked Tingsong, "Have you found any trace of the Crown Princess?"
Tingsong shook his head: "No."
The area was deserted and sparsely populated. He looked around but did not see the Crown Princess.
Qingyang and Tingsong couldn't help but frown.
But the prince's injury could not be delayed any longer, and Qingyang made a decision in an instant.
"I will take half the troops and escort the Crown Prince back to the capital first. You will stay here to search for the Crown Princess. If there is any emergency, send a signal immediately."
Ting Song: "Yes!"
After Qingyang left with the prince, Tingsong hurriedly led the remaining Shadow Guards to search for Shentang's figure in the forest.
Although the guards that Prince An brought were all killed by their people, and Cangye was also seriously injured, it was unlikely that he could take the Crown Princess away again.
But it's impossible for a person to just disappear without a reason.
Tingsong couldn't help but feel a little worried. Had any of Prince An's spies escaped and come after them? Had the Crown Princess met with misfortune while trying to distract them?
Thinking about this, Tingsong couldn't help but feel anxious and uneasy.
Fortunately, this time the person wasn't as cautious and troublesome as Cang Ye, and they didn't deliberately leave any deceptive traces in their movements.
The Shadow Guards quickly located the nearby town by following the hoofprints.
Song described the Crown Princess's appearance to the locals and inquired about the situation. The town was not big, and Shen Tang was beautiful and leading a horse, so it was hard not to leave a deep impression.
Hearing that the man said he had seen Shen Tang, Ting Song was overjoyed, but when the old man said that the Crown Princess was alone, he couldn't help but frown.
Are you sure it's just her? No one else?
When the old man saw Tingsong's face darken instantly after his earlier joyful expression, he became frightened and stammered, "It's...it's just one young lady. So many people here saw it. If you don't believe me, you can ask them."
Upon hearing this, those around her echoed that they had only seen her all alone.
Tingsong didn't want to make malicious assumptions about the Crown Princess, but he gradually discovered that she had sold her horse, bought inconspicuous clothes to disguise herself, and even ran to Ding County overnight.
The worry that had been building instantly turned into resentment.
He thought she had met with misfortune while trying to distract the guards, and he was very worried. But he never expected that this woman would be so ruthless.
The prince treats her so well every day, afraid that she might get hurt or bump into anything, and she is always on his mind.
This time, the crown prince was seriously injured and on the verge of death while saving her.
This woman not only doesn't know how to be grateful, but she also abandoned the prince in the freezing cold at this crucial moment!
At this moment, Tingsong felt a deep resentment and anger towards Shen Tang, and also felt sorry for the Crown Prince!
He suppressed his anger and quickly led the Shadow Guard to Ding County.
After discovering that the Crown Princess had bought a fake spy and gone to the dock, they immediately followed her there.
*
The boat moved steadily on the river. At first, there were quiet conversations in the cabin, but later, everyone seemed to be getting tired and closed their eyes to rest.
Since Shen Tang didn't know anyone, to avoid embarrassment, she leaned against the boat and closed her eyes to pretend to sleep.
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the cabin, with boatmen shouting, "Sir, this is a small business, a legitimate business with government permits. How could we be harboring fugitives?"
"Whether we're hiding anyone or not isn't up to you to decide; we'll have to investigate to find out! Search for us!"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Shen Tang's face instantly turned pale. How could they have found us so quickly...?
Shen Tang quickly loosened her hair to try and hide her face, and discreetly hid behind the woman.
Several people quickly found the location of the cabin. Shen Tang glanced at their scanning eyes out of the corner of her eye and felt her heart was about to jump out of her throat.
"Has it been found?"
After listening to Song's inspection of other areas and finding nothing, he came over to inquire about their situation.
One of them quickly replied, "We didn't find anything."
Tingsong nodded: "Then let's go."
Before Shen Tang could even feel happy after hearing him leave, she suddenly heard Ting Song say, "Wait a moment."
Footsteps slowly approached her direction, and Shen Tang was so frightened that she lowered her head even further, praying in her heart that they wouldn't recognize her.
But the next second, she heard Tingsong's somewhat cold and resentful voice ring out above her head.
"Princess Consort, please return with me."
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