Shen Mianmian chuckled, "Of course, but I can't go find you right away. After all, if you 'die,' I'll 'die' too, and it'll be easy to give myself away."
He paused, then said, "Wait a minute, it seems plausible that I would commit suicide after you 'die.' However, with the Prince of Jin preparing your props, it will take some time to study my 'reasonable way of dying.'"
Bai Qingzhou's smile deepened after hearing this, "It's good that you don't leave me."
Shen Mianmian suddenly felt guilty because... she was still clinging to a sliver of hope, waiting to see if the male and female leads would spark a romance.
However, my expectations now are different from those before.
In the past, people would relentlessly hope that the male and female protagonists would be together.
Now, it's all up to fate—if they're together, she'll go home; if they're not, she'll stay here and continue to be a pair of brilliant and compatible lovers with Prince Bai.
Otherwise, what else can we do?
If you can't beat them, join them.
The plan to escape was thus finalized. Since Prince Jin had already made a plan, it was not difficult to carry out; the only difference was that the target was changed from Prince Jin to Prince Bai.
Once the decision was made, everyone had to perform their respective duties.
Princess Ruian and Prince Jin worked together, with the former going to the palace to appease the emperor and the latter arranging for the escape.
Seeing that the lady was heartbroken, Shen Mianmian asked Bai Shizi to stay and comfort the lady and the marquis. He could comfort them if he could, and if he couldn't, he could stay with them for a while.
She left quietly, leaving her precious time for the family of three who had suffered many misfortunes.
...
Leaving the hall with its doors and windows tightly shut,
As soon as I came out, it felt like I had been transported to another world. It was as if the Emperor’s fondness for Prince Jin and his summons of the Crown Prince were all part of a nightmare.
When he woke up from the dream, he returned to his peaceful and warm life: the heir continued to take the imperial examinations, the wife continued to be pregnant, and the marquis continued to go to work and come home to pamper his wife.
After a while, the dreamlike feeling in my mind disappeared, and I had to face the bleak reality again.
When Chen Mianmian looked up, she saw Princess Ruian and Prince Jin talking in hushed tones in the center of the courtyard. Princess Ruian was speaking, and Prince Jin was listening.
Perhaps it was because the Prince of Jin sensed the woman's gaze that he looked at Princess Ruian while listening attentively to her words.
Liu Xiangning leaned closer and whispered, "Master, be careful. Prince Jin still has his eye on you. I'm not mistaken."
"..." Shen Mianmian's lips twitched.
Princess Ryan quickly finished giving her instructions and left in a hurry.
After a moment's thought, Shen Mianmian said, "Your Highness, please wait."
When the King of Jin saw the woman calling out to him, he was surprised and stopped.
Chen Mianmian jogged over and asked cautiously, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I know time is of the essence. I only have one question, and it's very important to me. Could we speak in private for a moment?"
"Wait a moment," Prince Jin whispered a few words to his attendant, who obeyed and left. Then, he said gently to the woman, "Regarding the matter of the Crown Prince, I have already arranged for my men to handle it. There's no rush. Shall we talk somewhere?"
Chen Mianmian pointed to a corner of the yard, "That's fine."
It was visibly that the King of Jin's expression stiffened for a moment.
Liu Xiangning, standing to the side, thought to herself, "Men, at this crucial moment, are you still fantasizing? Last time we met, Master brought so many stewards, just for the sake of being in the public eye; this time you think you can meet with him alone? Dream on! Even a fool could guess that Master would definitely want to talk to you in broad daylight."
Although Prince Jin felt regretful, he still condescended to come to the corner of the courtyard as the woman requested.
Seeing that no one was around, Chen Mianmian mustered her courage and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, if you give the substitute to the Crown Prince, what will you do then?"
She wasn't worried about Prince Jin, but rather wanted to know if he would rebel like in the original story.
Prince Jin's expression hardened, and he said coldly, "My elder sister says you're smart, but if you're truly smart, you should know that there are some questions you shouldn't ask. Knowing too much won't do you any good."
Shen Mianmian nodded immediately, "Thank you, Your Highness. I have learned a lot! I will not ask any more questions in the future!"
"?" Prince Jin—I've learned something? But the woman's eyes clearly showed that she had received an answer.
Chen Mianmian knelt down and sincerely said, "I am grateful to Your Highness for what happened to the Crown Prince. I believe Your Highness will surely turn misfortune into good fortune and have your wishes fulfilled. I will take my leave now."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Prince Jin stared at the woman's retreating figure, stunned for a long time.
Only after the woman and her maid left the main courtyard did he turn his gaze away, sighing, "What a wonderful person, what a pity."
On the other side.
As soon as Shen Mianmian stepped out of the main courtyard, someone rushed up to her. "This servant greets Madam Shen. Madam, do you have time now? Our young lady hopes you can come over. If you don't want to come, just set a place and our young lady will come to find you!"
Moaning, who was deep in thought, was startled and looked up to see that it was the first snow.
Liu Xiangning stood in front of her master, "What are you yelling about? Can't you see my master is deep in thought? If you frighten her, can you take responsibility? Is this how your young lady teaches you? You have no manners at all!"
“You…” Chu Xue glared angrily at Liu Xiangning, knowing she was in the wrong but not knowing how to refute it.
Shen Mianmian pulled Liu Xiangning aside, looked at Chuxue with an anxious expression, and asked, "What happened to the young mistress?"
Chu Xue thought of the skinny girl in front of her, whom she used to look down on, but now she had to lower herself to ask her for a favor, and she felt embarrassed. "Reporting to Aunt, Miss is fine, she's just been restless for a while."
"She knew that the princess and Prince Jin were coming to the Marquis's residence?"
"I know," Chu Xue hurriedly explained, afraid that Aunt Chen would misunderstand. "Aunt, please don't misunderstand. It was Sister Chu Yu who saw it by chance. We absolutely did not bribe any servants in the Marquis's mansion. I can swear a solemn oath."
Shen Mianmian nodded and said in a deep voice, "I know, is the young mistress in the Peony Courtyard? I'll go there right away."
"Yes, Auntie, this way please." Chu Xue immediately led the way.
Liu Xiangning, who was at the back, rolled her eyes many times, but in the end she still followed.
...
Peony Courtyard.
Amid the greetings of the servants, Chen Mianmian crossed the courtyard, entered the room, and saw Jiang Yinjin.
Whether it was psychological or something else, she felt that the female lead seemed to have lost some weight and her demeanor had changed.
The previous female lead always had a calm and dignified smile on her face, but her eyes were cold and even a little fierce. At first glance, she seemed very gentle, but after spending a long time with her, the aura she exuded was chilling.
Many servants had complained to Xiang Ning about this before. Outsiders didn't know the reason, but Chen Mianmian did.
But this time when I saw the female lead, her fierce aura was significantly reduced; her brows were furrowed, and her face showed anxiety and worry.
Upon seeing Aunt Shen arrive, Jiang Yinjin's eyes flashed with embarrassment and awkwardness, but she quickly suppressed the feeling of defeat and said in a low voice, "You're here? Come in and talk."
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