The other party just sneered,
"Don't worry, the girl went to the well to fetch water in the evening, her foot slipped, and she accidentally fell in. By now, she must have been swollen."
Shen Ningzhu felt her scalp tingling instantly.
I knew that Madam Li was not an easy person to deal with, but I didn't expect her to be so cruel.
Soon, with the help of Madam Li, Shen Ningzhu successfully left the county magistrate's mansion. However, it was too late now, the city gate was closed, and she could not get out.
Mrs. Li actually planned to have someone escort her out of the city, but she refused.
On the surface, she said she was afraid of causing trouble for Madam Li, but in fact, it was because she knew that Jiang Yanche would deal with Jiang Xuanyan at the city gate tomorrow.
It seems that by this time, a tight net had already been laid near the city gate. If she went there, not only would she not be able to leave, but she would also fall into the trap.
So, she planned to find a place to hide first and see what happens after tomorrow.
However, they didn’t know that at this moment, a group of people in the capital broke through the night and galloped out of the city.
The leader had a stern expression, and the coldness in his eyes was even stronger than the night.
Mrs. Li was very generous and gave her ten taels of silver for travel expenses, some cakes and snacks, a kettle filled with hot water, and a few coarse clothes for the servants.
With these, Chen Ningzhu could get by for one night even without staying in a hotel.
So, she decided to find a place with few people, preferably a dilapidated temple or something.
After walking for a long time, she finally found it.
Only when I went in did I find that there was another person inside.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Ningzhu screamed in fear, her eyes almost running away. To be precise, that person was no longer a human being.
The forehead is convex and the eye sockets are deep.
There is almost no flesh on his cheeks, making him look like an alien.
His whole body looked withered, except for his pair of peach blossom eyes, which were particularly beautiful, clear and bright. However, his gaze was a little dull, as if he had experienced countless hardships and vicissitudes.
When the man heard the noise, his sharp eyes instantly looked at her vigilantly. When they saw clearly, they were both stunned.
"you……"
"you……"
They both spoke at the same time and then stopped.
After being stunned for a long time, Chen Ningzhu remembered in the cold moonlight that the man was Chu Xiong, the legitimate son of the Prime Minister's Mansion, whom she had met once three years ago.
Three years ago, I heard that the Prime Minister's Mansion was raided, but I didn't expect to meet him here. Looking at his ragged appearance, if it weren't for his really outstanding eyes, Shen Ningzhu would have mistaken him for a beggar.
How could such a proud son of heaven fall to this point?
Shen Ningzhu was so shocked that she couldn't speak, and she sighed in her heart.
"What brings you here?"
Chu Xiong's voice was hoarse, no longer as clear as before. He seemed to have been weathered and very old. He asked softly.
Chen Ningzhu didn't know whether he was an enemy or a friend, so she made up a few random things and asked,
"What about you? How did you become like this?"
Chu Xiong saw that she was far away and saw the wariness in her eyes, and smiled bitterly.
"Don't be afraid. My legs are crippled and it's difficult for me to move. I won't cause you any harm."
Shen Ningzhu was shocked, her eyes slowly moved down to his legs with strange curves, and she immediately believed his words.
But she didn't ask the specific reason, but found a clean place to sit down. Chu Xiong didn't ask her why she was here either.
At this time, he slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
It was very cold at night and the dilapidated temple was drafty on all sides. Chen Ningzhu felt a little cold, so she opened her package and took out two pieces of clothing to cover herself.
But after a while, she found that these could not block much, and she was still shivering with cold.
Chu Xiong heard that she was uneasy, so he slowly opened his tired eyes and said in a deep voice,
"There's some firewood in the corner over there. Go get some. I have some tinder here. Use it to start a fire. Once it's lit, it won't be so cold anymore."
Shen Ningzhu glanced at him and did as he was told.
In the dim night light, she found that there was a lot of firewood piled there, all neatly stacked in the corner, with a lot of hay placed on the side for ignition.
He immediately looked at Chu Xiong in surprise.
Soon, the fire was lit and the temple became bright. Shen Ningzhu warmed her hands, feeling the warmth spread through her fingertips and spread to all parts of her body. Her stiff limbs finally felt much better.
When he turned around, he saw Chu Xiong hugging his shoulders tightly, curled up in the corner with his eyes closed. After thinking for a while, he said thank you.
The other party just said "hmm" and didn't respond.
Chen Ningzhu found some thick firewood, added more to the fire, and returned to her seat to sleep.
With something on her mind, she did not sleep well that night. She added firewood several times and finally made it to dawn.
When I opened my eyes, Chuxiong was gone.
Chen Ningzhu didn't care about anything else. She went out to find a stream, washed her face quickly, and returned to the dilapidated temple. She took out the pancakes and started to eat them slowly.
The temple was quite far from the city gate, and she had no idea what was happening there. She didn't dare go out and ask around, fearing she'd be caught again.
As long as she is not a hostage, Jiang Yanche is no match for Jiang Xuanyan.
Just as he was thinking this, a subtle sound came from the door. Shen Ningzhu paused in chewing, picked up his bag, and quickly hid behind the statue.
Through the gap, I secretly looked at what was happening outside.
It turned out that the person who came in was Chu Xiong. He supported himself with his hands and crawled forward bit by bit on the ground, with a bundle of firewood and a hatchet tied to his back.
His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.
When he came in, he found that there was no one there, so he didn't take it seriously. He slowly moved to the place where firewood was piled, took off the firewood on his back with his back hand, and began to stack it bit by bit.
Shen Ningzhu slowly walked out after seeing that there was no one else around.
Chu Xiong was stunned for a moment, then he smiled slowly and continued with his work.
After finishing his work, he took out a few washed wild fruits from his sleeve, handed a few to Chen Ningzhu, and kept a few for himself.
Shen Ningzhu took it in a daze, and seeing that he had already wolfed it down, she couldn't help but move her lips.
But in the end, I didn't ask.
I also followed Chuxiong's example and started eating wild fruits.
However, Chen Ningzhu had never seen that fruit before, so he didn't dare to eat too much and only ate a small piece symbolically.
Then he took out a pancake from the package and handed it to Chu Xiong. Seeing him looking at him in confusion, he suddenly said awkwardly,
"Thank you for taking me in last night and letting me use all your firewood."
"Oh, and... the wild fruits just now were delicious too. Thank you. This pancake is a thank you gift. I hope you won't refuse it."
Chu Xiong looked at the wild fruit in his hand, then looked at Chen Ningzhu, and smiled faintly.
After more than three years of not seeing her, she still doesn't lie.
Only she could describe this bitter and astringent wild fruit as delicious.
Chuxiong didn't take the cake, but asked the first question since they met for so long.
"Are you in trouble? Temporary or permanent?"
Chen Ningzhu said, "It's temporary. I estimate that the results will be known in a few days at most. By then, I can go home."
Chu Xiong glanced at her package.
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