Chapter 257: Ending Part 2
Xia Jinghe wandered outside the Changting Palace for a long time, not knowing whether to go in or leave.
"What are you doing here, Your Highness?"
Suddenly he heard the sound of a woman knocking on ice and jade, and his whole body froze, standing there awkwardly. He turned around and saw Nanxing standing at the palace gate in a light blue palace dress and a snow-white fox fur cloak. When he met her pale eyes, his heart suddenly began to beat like a drum.
Nanxing is now over the age of marriage, and her appearance is very outstanding. Her facial features are deeper and more three-dimensional than those of Xuancang. Her eyebrows are thick and natural, her eyelashes are thick and curled, her eyes are slightly narrow and long, the tails of her eyes are slightly upturned, her nose is small and tall, and her lips are red and slightly curled. She looks like an elegant and noble beauty from an exotic country.
It took Xia Jinghe a long time to find her voice again: "I...I will leave for South City tomorrow. My mother asked me to come and tell you something."
Nanxing nodded: "I understand."
Xia Jinghe was still waiting for her next words, but she just stood there with her hands folded in front of her, looking dignified and cold, without saying a word.
He frowned: "Don't you have anything else to say?"
Nan Xing didn't understand what was going on, so she blinked, then as if she had figured it out, she said, "Oh, does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince need me to see him off?"
Xia Jinghe looked at her expressionless face, and suddenly felt an inexplicable irritation in his heart.
His tone turned cold: "No need, I am just following the Queen Mother's wishes to inform you, just pass on the message."
Having said that, he turned around and was about to leave.
Nan Xing was puzzled. "Why bother sending a palace maid to deliver such a small matter? Why bother His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come here in person?"
Xia Jinghe paused, took a deep breath, and said in a cold voice: "I am just idle!"
She pursed her lips: "I see."
"Uh..." Xia Jinghe was really mad at her.
Without saying anything else, he turned around and strode towards the East Palace.
Nan Xing stared at his back, frowned slightly, and sighed: "His temper is becoming more and more unpredictable now."
…
The next morning, Jiang Muyu took Sheng'er to the palace gate to see Xia Jinghe off.
The luggage had been packed and loaded onto the carriage. The weather was cold and there was a light snow. Xia Jinghe said goodbye to his mother and brother, then turned around and got on the carriage.
Xia Jingsheng waved her hands at him and shouted, "Brother, please come back safely."
Xia Jinghe lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Just send it here. It's freezing cold. Mother and brother should go back to the palace as soon as possible."
"I will watch you leave before I come back." Jiang Muyu also waved at him.
Xia Jinghe had no choice but to give the order to set off.
Jiang Muyu stared at the team that was moving further and further away, exhaled slowly, and then walked back holding his youngest son's hand.
Xia Jinghe has become more stable in recent years.
Xia Qingchen named him the crown prince as soon as he ascended the throne. Over the past few years, in addition to taking care of the things he was supposed to learn, he also began to learn how to manage the government.
Previously, Xuan Cang's regent king was given the title of a king of a different surname and voluntarily handed over his military power. In recent years, he has been less and less involved in state affairs and has completely become a leisurely prince.
Now that the political situation is stable and the treasury is gradually filled, there is a trend of peace and stability among the Three Kingdoms. Only within the court there are occasional disputes, but Xia Jinghe can always handle them well.
This son is so outstanding, so outstanding that Jiang Muyu sometimes even feels that he lacks some popularity and is more like a machine with a set program. Only when facing Nanxing does he become a little different.
That's why she intentionally or unintentionally let Xia Jinghe have more contact with Nanxing. Perhaps Nanxing is his breakthrough.
On this side, Xia Jinghe rode in a carriage along the winding mountain road and arrived at a small town just before dark. He found an inn to stay temporarily and planned to set off again tomorrow.
"Your Highness, will dinner be served in your room or in the lobby downstairs?"
Xia Jinghe stood by the window, looking at the snow falling all over the sky, and said without moving, "In the room."
"Yes." The guard went downstairs to prepare.
Xia Jinghe stood there for a while, until he felt the coolness seeping into his body through his clothes and shivered, then he closed the window. A few flakes of snow fell on his eyelashes, and he was ready to ask someone to fetch a basin of water to wash his face first.
As soon as he walked out of the room, he bumped into someone. The woman ran up to him and threw herself into his arms.
"Please save me, sir. We can't let them take me back!"
Xia Jinghe saw several burly men walking towards him not far away. They had cold faces and domineering auras, and they didn't look like good people.
He usually didn't like to meddle in other people's business, but today, for some reason, his body pulled the woman into the room faster than his brain.
He didn't look at the woman beside him, but said to the guards outside who were trying to stop them, "Don't let anyone in."
"yes."
The guards were ordered to stand by the door.
Xia Jinghe closed the door, then turned around to look at the woman who was staring at him in a daze, and was stunned.
The girl in front of him was wearing dirty clothes, with messy hair, a petite figure, and a stunning appearance. She had a tender face, round eyes, a pretty nose, and cherry lips, with the gentle and graceful charm of a Jiangnan water town.
He seemed to have seen this person somewhere before...
The woman came to her senses and immediately knelt down to pay her respects, her voice as sweet as an oriole's: "I, Shen Qingxi, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
When Xia Jinghe heard the name for the first time, he finally remembered: "Are you the daughter of the Shen family in Hangzhou?"
"Exactly."
He frowned, puzzled: "Shouldn't you be in Tiangan? Why are you here?"
Speaking of this, Shen Qingxi immediately burst into tears and sobbed as she told the whole story.
It turned out that three years ago, with Shen Mofeng's official transfer and the expansion of the Shen family's business, the Shen family moved to the capital.
Prime Minister Zhao was old, and his family business was inherited by Zhao Jichang. In addition, Mrs. Zhong suddenly passed away due to illness, so Shen Ruxue suddenly became the mistress of the Zhao Mansion, and the Shen family also benefited from it.
Shen Mofeng has made great achievements as an official in the court, and now he has even been promoted to the second rank. It is said that if one person succeeds, his family will benefit greatly, and the Shen family is already very wealthy, so they have a place in the capital.
Shen Qingxi, who had just come of age, naturally became a hot commodity. Moreover, she was so beautiful and had a reputation as a talented woman. People who wanted to propose marriage to her almost broke down the doorstep of the Shen family.
The grandson of the Prime Minister, Zhao Qifeng, and the grandson of the Duke of Zhenguo, Xie Beiran, were both her suitors.
Their identities and status are much higher than those of the Shen family, and Shen Qingxi can't afford to offend any of them.
Originally, it would have been nothing if it was just a fight between the two of them, but Xie Beiran was not a gentleman, and in order to get her, he bribed someone to kidnap her, wanting to make it a done deal. So in a hurry, she accidentally injured Xie Beiran and escaped.
As if things didn't come alone, she met a carriage on her way to escape. A woman saw that she was pitiful and said she would give her a ride back to Beijing. She originally thought that she was saved and was grateful to them, but she didn't expect that they were actually a group of human traffickers. They took her directly to Xuan Cang Kingdom and prepared to sell her to a kiln. Today, she escaped because she had a stomachache and went to the bathroom when the defense was slack.