Shen Jiadai had already guessed the general idea: Song He'er must have used some tricks to blow up the prison cell and then took the opportunity to escape.
“Such a big thing happened in this prison, and it is indeed necessary to report it to the King. But right now, the most important thing is not this. The matter of Yangyue Palace is the priority. You all know what is more important, right? What does it matter if a prisoner escapes? He might have been burned to death just now. Is it worth making a fuss about?”
"Little princess, but what about things in prison..."
"I'll keep an eye on things here. You all go to Yangyue Palace to help out and take care of things, so that we don't run out of anything and can't get it out in time."
The soldiers looked him over from left to right, and finally nodded. "Yes, little princess."
Having received the order, the group left with their swords, leaving only a few incompetent young soldiers to clean outside the prison.
Shen Jiadai entered the prison cell and quietly headed towards the last one.
As Shen Jiadai approached the prison gate, she smelled a pungent odor. Although the soldiers of Xizhou were brave and skilled in battle and had developed some fireballs that could blow up walls in earlier years, judging from the scene, it was not a fireball that had blown it up, but something special, and the smell was quite strange.
"This is unbelievable! What's this girl's background? How come she has so many lousy tricks up her sleeve, and the things she carries are really strange..."
Shen Jiadai muttered to herself for a moment, and seeing that there was indeed no one in the last cell, nor any bloodstains, she figured that Song He'er had really escaped.
Shen Jiadai couldn't linger here to avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion. She had to hurry back to Yangyue Palace to cooperate with Jiang Huaifu in putting on this act.
......
Outside the palace, a broken bridge.
Panting, Song He'er ran to the bottom of the bridge and, using the faint moonlight, hid in a patch of grass to rest.
Although she didn't know what had happened at Yangyue Palace, based on her understanding of Jiang Huaifu, she judged that he must be using trickery again, and escaping first was the clearest choice!
After tossing and turning for three days and two nights without closing her eyes, Song He'er felt extremely tired and, in a daze, actually fell asleep.
Whether it was a dream or reality, Song He'er felt that the grass beneath her was warm and even a little soft, like a layer of cloud.
"Um....."
"Are you awake?"
A magnetic voice came from behind, and Song He'er felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly sat up straight.
Somehow, the surrounding environment changed from a vast, open mountain wilderness to a luxurious carriage.
The person in front of her wasn't a soldier chasing her, but a pale-faced scholar...
Song He'er felt that this person looked familiar, very familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on who it was...
"You don't recognize me after I dress up a little?"
The familiar voice, the same teasing tone—there was no one else in the world but Jiang Huaifu.
"Why...why are you dressed like this?"
"I haven't even asked you how you blew up the cell, and now you're asking me."
Song He'er stared at the face in front of her that resembled Jiang Huaifu's yet was impossible to find any flaws in, and couldn't help but exclaim, "You know the art of disguise?"
Jiang Huaifu twitched the corner of his mouth and replied indifferently, "What? Is my disguise not convincing?"
"It looks...very much like it! So, you...you put a fake corpse in there? You have some nerve!"
"Even if you're incredibly bold, you're not as bold as someone who blew up a prison cell, are you?"
"Am I supposed to just wait there to die? Your mother has already issued the imperial decree ordering my death. If I wait any longer, what you'll see now is just a corpse!"
"......"
Jiang Huaifu didn't speak, he just kept looking outside.
Before we knew it, it was already broad daylight.
After being taken back to Xiaoyangzhuang, Song He'er lingered in the car for a long time before getting off.
Jiang Huaifu knew what she wanted to ask, so before she could speak, he replied directly, "The funeral has already been held at the palace. Everyone in the entire Western Continent knows that His Highness the Prince has died suddenly. From now on, no one will come to inquire about my whereabouts anymore. You can rest assured..."
Song He'er was skeptical. After all, no secret can stay hidden forever, and even the most meticulous plan can't withstand scrutiny. If this plan were discovered, it would be condemned by the whole world.
Song He'er couldn't understand what was so good about her that made him want to give up his whole life for her.
"From now on, you will live in anonymity in Nanzhao. Do you think it's worth it?"
"Whatever you want to do is worth doing. Don't have any doubts. I left the palace not for my own selfish interests. My mother is easily swayed by those treacherous officials. If I, her son, were by her side, she would never be able to settle down and would only want to participate in the court's intrigues. If I were no longer her hope, she would no longer scheme so hard and might live a freer life in the second half of her life."
Song He'er felt that what he said made some sense, but even if the Queen stopped interfering in court affairs, she probably wouldn't have a good life in the future...
"Your father has many concubines, and they also have children born out of wedlock, which means your half-siblings. Although their status is far inferior to yours, they are still of royal blood. If one day your half-brother, who has a grudge against you, ascends the throne and takes the opportunity to take revenge on your mother, wouldn't it be too late to regret it?"
"In our Western Continent, we have always chosen the virtuous over the eldest son, let alone those born of concubines or legitimate sons. If the throne is inherited by the virtuous and capable, the world will naturally be at peace. But if someone is mediocre, even if you give him a chair, he won't sit there for long, let alone be afraid."
Song He'er breathed a sigh of relief, "Yes, it's good that you know what's going on."
However, just as she was about to get out of the car, the person behind her suddenly spoke up again: "Although I have been locked up in Xizhou these past few days, I have done a lot of things. I asked my grandma to find a good piece of land in Jiangningcheng and build a very nice house. It is surrounded by mountains to the north, faces the bustling city to the east, and has a small lake to the south. It is very suitable for your family to live in. After you have rested, I will take you to see it."
"Such a nice place must have cost a lot of money, right?"
"The money has already been withdrawn from the silkworm farm's accounts. It's yours, not mine."
Song He'er rolled her eyes, thinking that he said it on purpose so that she wouldn't have to use some polite words to brush him off.
"Didn't Zhao Ru say that she was planning to open a silk shop? Has she already started doing it?"
Jiang Huaifu pondered for a long time but did not give a definite answer.
“I haven’t asked about these things these past few days. Let’s go and take a look together tomorrow. Once the house is built, your whole family can move to Jiangning. Fortunately, Song Xiaoqi’s matter has been resolved, and no one will bother you anymore.”
“Our household registration documents are all fake. If we really settle down there, will there be any problems?”
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