Chapter 92 Extra: Outside the Palace Walls (Part Two)
Chapter 92 Extra Chapter: Outside the Palace Walls (Part Two)
The cold moonlight shone on the crossroads. Sure enough, two figures stood in the middle of the road, one in front of the other, both men.
The person in front was dressed in dark casual clothes, with a tall and straight posture, standing with his hands behind his back. Although his face could not be seen, he had a calm and composed demeanor.
The young man slightly behind him was even more wiry and lean, his hand on the sword at his waist, his eyes sharp as he warily scanned the shadows of the surrounding woods.
Not far behind them, under the shade of a tree, several men who appeared to be servants were quietly waiting, leading horses and remaining silent.
This formation doesn't resemble that of ordinary highway robbers; it's more like... they've come here specifically to wait.
Su Su frowned, pondering whether it was a blessing or a curse, whether to flaunt the Empress Dowager's ordination certificate as a show of force, or to have the coachman force their way through—
The man, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, suddenly took two steps forward and entered the area that the moonlight could clearly illuminate.
He raised his head, his gaze fixed precisely on the direction of the carriage window.
The moonlight illuminated his face.
It was a face so familiar that it made Su Su's soul tremble—it had weathered some storms and gained a few wrinkles, but those eyes, which always held wisdom and gentleness, were now looking at her, surging with indescribable excitement, worry, and deep affection.
"Father...?" Su Su's voice choked in her throat, almost a whisper. She couldn't believe her eyes, and her hands instinctively lifted more of the carriage curtain.
"Su'er!"
Almost simultaneously, the young man with his hand on his sword also stepped forward quickly, his handsome face full of urgency, his voice choked with suppressed sobs: "Susu!"
It's my older brother! Su Jizhi!
The enormous impact stunned Su Su for a moment, and then a surge of hot liquid rushed to her eyes.
She pushed open the carriage door abruptly, and before she could even put down her footstool, she staggered and jumped off the carriage.
"Father! Brother!" Her voice trembled as she lifted her skirt and ran forward, forgetting all about the demeanor of a noble consort and the rules of the palace.
At this moment, she is just a child who has been away from home for many years, suffered countless grievances, and is finally seeing her loved ones again.
Su Mufeng opened his arms and caught his daughter as she lunged at him.
Feeling his daughter's real body and her slight trembling in his arms, this usually calm and composed father's eyes quickly welled up with tears.
He hugged Su Su tightly for a moment, then quickly let go, looked her up and down, and said in a hoarse voice, "My Su'er... let your father see, you've lost weight and look haggard..." All his words were just the simplest expression of heartache.
Su Jizhi stood to the side, his fists clenching and unclenching. Looking at his sister's pale face and simple clothes, and thinking of all that she had experienced in the palace, his heart ached unbearably. He could only call out heavily, "Susu!" Everything was understood without words.
Su Su looked up, her vision already blurred with tears. She tried to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed. Her voice choked with sobs, "Father, brother... Su Su misses you so much... so much..."
"Father misses Su Su too, he thinks about her day and night." Su Mufeng stroked the top of his daughter's head, the movement as gentle as if he were touching a fragile treasure.
How could he not know how much suffering his daughter had endured in the palace? Each letter she wrote to report that she was safe and sound was written in neater and calmer handwriting than the last, yet each letter also tore his heart apart.
His Susu was supposed to be the precious jewel that he and Wanqing would cherish and pamper for a lifetime.
"Father, what are you doing here?" Su Su calmed herself down a little, and doubt welled up in her heart.
She had not informed her family before leaving the palace tonight. How did her father and brother find out and intercept her so precisely?
Su Mufeng didn't answer immediately, but instead cautiously looked around. The night was deep, the woods were silent, and only the rustling of the wind through the leaves could be heard.
He lowered his voice: "This place is not safe to stay. Ji Zhi—"
Su Jizhi understood and immediately walked towards the coachman.
He took a heavy brocade bag from his pocket and stuffed it into the driver's hand, his tone steady yet carrying an undeniable authority.
"Thank you for your hard work. Take these and leave the capital immediately. Find a safe place in the south to stay for a while, and come back when things have completely calmed down. Remember, tonight you only delivered people to the foot of Puning Temple Mountain. You have never seen us or been here before."
The driver took the brocade bag, which was quite heavy. He looked up at Su Mufeng, then at Su Jizhi, and finally glanced at Su Su, whose eyes were slightly red. He nodded solemnly.
"Master, young master, rest assured, I understand. Tonight, I was only ordered to escort the distinguished guest to his destination and then return. I know nothing else."
Having said that, he deftly turned his horse around, drove the green-canopied carriage, and quickly disappeared at the end of another path.
As Su Su watched the carriage depart, she glanced at her father and brother's meticulous arrangements. A thought flashed through her mind, and she asked in surprise, "Father, that coachman... was he one of your men?"
Su Mufeng nodded slightly, a calculating glint in his eyes: "From the moment I learned of your intention to leave the palace, I began to make arrangements. There are many spies in and out of the palace, and the Empress Dowager's intentions are also unpredictable. Taking the main road may not be safe. This coachman is a reliable person, and he was originally one of the fallback options prepared in case of emergency."
He held Su Su's arm, his tone becoming urgent, "Su'er, get in the carriage first. If the people in the palace realize what's happening, they might change their minds and come after us. We must leave immediately."
Su Su felt a chill run down her spine, knowing that her father was thoughtful and not just worrying unnecessarily.
Without asking any more questions, she quickly boarded another carriage prepared by her father and brothers, with the help of Chunlan and Qiuju.
The car's exterior remains simple, but the interior is much more spacious and comfortable, with thick, soft cushions, tea and snacks, and even two clean, thin blankets.
Chunlan helped Su Su sit up, her face filled with the joy of surviving a disaster. She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Miss, are Master and Young Master here to take us home? Can we go back to the Su residence now?"
Upon hearing this, Su Su slowly shook her head, a bitter smile playing on her lips.
Going home? The grand Su family mansion is probably inaccessible now.
"Chunlan, leaving the palace is not easy, but for a concubine to leave the palace or even flee without imperial permission is a serious crime. The lightest punishment is being demoted to commoner status and imprisoned for life; the heaviest is..."
She paused, not continuing, but Chunlan and Qiuju both turned pale.
They understood what was left unsaid—it could cost them their lives, or even bring ruin to their families. If the charge of "escaping from the palace and disobeying imperial orders" were proven, it would be a heinous crime punishable by the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire clan.
Under the escort of Su Jizhi and several capable servants, the carriage quickly left the side road and took a detour along a secluded path.
The wheels flew swiftly, leaving the shadows of the trees under the moonlight trailing behind. After traveling for an unknown amount of time, the carriage finally stopped for a short rest in a more secluded mountain hollow.
Su Mufeng boarded the carriage, while Su Jizhi stood guard outside with his sword, his eyes scanning every corner like a hawk.
"Father, where are we going?" Su Su handed her father a glass of warm water and asked softly.
Having left the planned route to Puning Temple, the road ahead was uncertain, and she was not without apprehension.
Su Mufeng held his daughter's slightly cool hand, his warm and strong palm conveying a comforting power.
“Go to Jiangnan. Your mother has a private property there, which is her dowry left to her by her grandmother. Even the elders in the clan may not know about it. It is the safest and most secretive place. Once you get there, the Zhuang family will definitely not be able to find you for a while.”
Jiangnan? Su Su was slightly taken aback. It was indeed a good place to escape the troubles of the capital. But…
“Father, why can’t we go to Puning Temple first? After all, I have the Empress Dowager’s ordination certificate, so I can go to pray for blessings legitimately. After some time has passed and no one in the palace is paying attention to me anymore, wouldn’t it be safer to leave quietly?”
She raised her doubts.
Su Mufeng's expression grew even more serious. He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Su'er, you're oversimplifying things. Zhuang Shijie is a vengeful and ruthless man. His daughter has been at odds with you in the palace, so the Zhuang family will definitely be watching you and the Su family as well. Your open trip to Puning Temple only gives them an easier opportunity to strike. The Buddhist temple is a place of tranquility, but it can't keep out wolves in sheep's clothing. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."
He paused, looked into his daughter's eyes, and lowered his voice to express a deeper worry: "Furthermore... the Emperor's thoughts are unpredictable. He may have allowed you to leave the palace today, but who knows if he will change his mind tomorrow? A single thought of the Emperor can turn the world upside down. If he suddenly remembers you one day and summons you back with an imperial edict, then it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven for you to leave! I cannot take that risk. I must seize this opportunity to send you to a place that no one can think of or find."
Her father's words struck Su Su like a thunderbolt. She had somewhat anticipated the Zhuang family's retaliation; but Li Qianche... that unfathomable emperor, he could indeed do such a thing.
The taste of poisoned wine from my past life in the cold palace seemed to rise in my throat again, icy and bone-chilling.
Her father was right; she could no longer put herself in any possible danger or under anyone's control.
“Father’s considerations are thorough; it is Su’er’s shallow opinion that is wrong.” Su Su nodded, looking at her father with reliance, “Su’er will follow Father’s arrangements.”
Seeing his daughter's obedient yet exhausted appearance, Su Mufeng felt a pang of tenderness in his heart. He gently stroked Su Su's hair, just as he had done when she was a child.
"Don't be afraid when you get to Jiangnan. Your father and mother will find a chance to visit you. Your father has already arranged for several skilled and discreet guards to escort you south. They will stay by your side and serve you. Once you get there, everything will be taken care of by reliable people."
After saying this, Su Mufeng got up to get out of the car.
Time was of the essence, and they had to separate as soon as possible and go their separate ways in order to conceal their whereabouts as much as possible.
"Father!" Su Su suddenly reached out and grabbed her father's sleeve.
We just reunited, and now we have to part again. This parting will be long and uncertain, and we don't know when we will meet again.
Her throat tightened, and her eyes instantly reddened. A thousand words stuck in her chest, turning into a heartfelt cry filled with reluctance.
Su Mufeng paused and turned around. His eyes were also red and he was trying hard to suppress his emotions.
This father, who was used to weathering storms in the court and was as steady as a mountain, was now just an ordinary father who felt heartache and reluctance to part with his beloved daughter who was about to leave for a distant place to avoid disaster.
“Good boy,” his voice was a little hoarse, but he tried his best to keep it steady, “Su’er, be good, you have to get on your way quickly, you can’t delay any longer. Father… will come to see you soon.”
He spoke this promise with such conviction, as if he could always keep it once he made it.
Looking into her father's eyes, which were brimming with tears, Su Su nodded emphatically and released his hand. She couldn't be willful; she couldn't let her father's painstaking arrangements fall apart because of her reluctance.
Su Mufeng looked at his daughter deeply, as if trying to etch her image into his heart, then turned around and got out of the car, whispering a few instructions to Su Jizhi.
The carriage started moving again, slowly driving out of the valley, gradually increasing its speed.
Su Su couldn't help but lift the curtain of the car window and look back.
Su Jizhi, mounted on his horse, stood beside his father and waved vigorously at her.
The morning breeze ruffled his clothes, and the young man's handsome face was full of concern. He raised his voice, which was carried by the wind: "Susu—! Take care of yourself! Your brother will definitely come to see you! Be good—!"
Su Su's tears finally burst forth, blurring the gradually shrinking figures of her brother and father.
She nodded vigorously and waved, even though she knew they might not be able to see her anymore.
As the carriage rounded the mountain bend, the two figures, standing tall like pine trees and sheltering her from the elements, completely disappeared from her sight.
The wheels rolled on, carrying her toward the unknown south, toward the refuge her father had arranged for her, a place far removed from all court intrigue and conspiracy.
The shadows of the palace walls gradually faded behind us, and ahead, the morning light would slowly spread across the mountains.
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