Zhang Xiue looked at her in surprise, "What's your idea?"
“There are soldiers on night watch outside the young prince’s Yangyue Palace. Stealing a few clothes shouldn’t be a problem. His Highness said I don’t have to keep watch tonight, so it’ll be easier to do these things…”
Qin Xiaoniang hesitated for a moment, "But stealing isn't in line with everyone's rules..."
Zhang Xiue wished she could punch her awake. "I say, little lady, what kind of situation are we in now? Why are you still worrying about who's family or not! Besides, we're no longer the masters of the General's Mansion. We're fugitives!"
"Shh! Third Aunt, keep your voice down."
Zhang Xiue immediately shut her mouth and stopped making a sound.
“There’s a little princess in this palace who’s always picking on me. If she’s scheming and has someone watching us, speaking so loudly is unacceptable. If she discovers our secret, she’ll definitely find a way to tip off the border guards, and then we’ll all be finished…”
"Yes, yes, it was Third Aunt's fault."
Song He'er breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more.
She glanced at the food on the table and suddenly felt very hungry. She picked up a piece of glutinous rice cake and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Hmm... the cooks in this palace make really delicious food, almost as good as our own kitchen!"
Qin Xiaoniang loved her daughter dearly, and seeing that her daughter liked to eat, she kept piling food into her bowl.
"You're by that young prince's side, can't you eat? Why are you looking like a starving wolf?"
While stuffing food into her mouth, Song He'er replied, "Mother, you don't know, that little prince has a very strange temper. Sometimes he is very nice, and sometimes he is very scary. But he did not mistreat me and gave me food. I just think that although the food in his palace is exquisite, it is not as delicious as this."
Qin Xiaoniang smiled with relief, "As long as it's delicious, then eat more. You've suffered for all of us."
Song He'er didn't say anything and continued to wolf down her food.
After Li Qiang's wife finished eating, she put down her chopsticks and stared at Song He'er, looking her up and down.
"However, I do have a question."
"You may speak, Madam Zhou."
"Why did His Highness specifically request you to serve him? This vast palace surely has enough people for one more person?"
Song He'er smiled and took a sip of the white fungus soup in her bowl. "Madam Tian always gets to the heart of the matter. I just learned from A'miao, a maidservant of the Queen, that this young prince used to have a girl he liked, who was apparently some kind of noblewoman, but the Queen didn't like her and had her executed. So the young prince has always held a grudge. Maybe I look a bit like her, so the young prince is just trying to comfort himself..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaoniang began to worry again.
"You look like her? That's terrible! What if the young prince falls for you, and the queen doesn't like you? Won't you be executed too? No, no! We have to leave! We have to leave tonight!"
Seeing her stepmother's anxious appearance, Song He'er couldn't help but laugh and said, "Third Aunt, look at my mother, she's always so impatient."
"Alright, stop joking. Speaking of stealing clothes, how are we supposed to do it? How about your aunt helps you?"
Song He'er shook her head. "No need. It would be more convenient for me to go by myself. Besides, His Highness doesn't allow you to move around freely, so it's better not to trouble yourself."
Zhang Xiu'e was a decisive and intelligent person who usually didn't procrastinate on trivial matters. Hearing Song He'er's advice, she nodded in agreement.
Su Yu's wife was still acting strangely, sitting in the corner holding the child and swaying back and forth, as if she were sick.
Song He'er pulled Qin Xiaoniang aside and asked in a low voice, "Mother, is Madam Zhou alright?"
Qin Xiaoniang frowned. "Since she came in, she hasn't had a drop of water or a bite to eat. I even had to feed the child myself. I think she's probably suffering from a mental illness or something."
"Heartache? What heartache? Is it because of that incident with Lady Tian last time?"
"Yes, I originally thought it wasn't worth it, but it's also our fault for not trying to persuade her properly. She's timid and has a lot of worries, and before long, she got sick!"
Song He'er was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.
If this disease were in modern times, it would probably be defined as depression, right?
But there is no medicine to treat this disease, so Su Yu's wife can only suffer in silence.
"Mother, let's not think about that for now. I need to find a way to sneak into the soldiers' quarters and find some clothes that fit. Third Aunt, you go to the small kitchen and find some unused boxes. We need to carry the children out tonight!"
Zhang Xiue nodded, "Yes, I understand. I'll go now."
Qin Xiaoniang watched her leave the room, then turned and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Mother?"
"No need. You and your fourth and fifth aunts should take good care of comforting the children! After all, it will be dark when we travel at night, and the boxes will be stuffy. Most importantly, they can't make a sound!"
"Alright, alright, I'll take care of these. Huan-ge'er will get sleepy at night and won't make a sound once he falls asleep. The other older ones can understand what we're saying, so we'll just remind them gently."
Song He'er nodded in relief. It was still afternoon, and there were still several hours until dark.
But she couldn't stay here forever; she still needed to go out and familiarize herself with the route, figuring out how to cleverly avoid the patrolling soldiers.
With that, Song He'er left the post station and began walking towards the garden.
The royal palace's back garden and the Yangyue Palace are connected, so there are many soldiers there. Song He'er calculated that they change shifts roughly every two hours, around 9 PM, when a large group of people will change shifts, which should be when there are the fewest soldiers.
If you choose that opportunity to enter the secret passage, no one should notice; at most, you'll just have to deal with the soldiers at the exit.
Having figured out the whole story, Song He'er returned to Yangyue Palace.
Jiang Huaifu remained inside and did not come out, while the soldiers stood guard outside obediently.
After a while, a pretty maid came over and bowed to Song He'er.
"girl."
"We are both maids, there's no need for such formalities."
"His Highness said you didn't need to keep watch tonight, so why are you back now? Is something the matter?"
"Ah... I'm fine, I just forgot something..."
"Then let me help you look for it? His Highness is not feeling well today, so let's not disturb him. Let's resolve this privately."
uncomfortable?
Is there really such a coincidence?
Isn't this heaven helping her?
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