Chapter 372 Escaping the Palace
Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
"Your Highness, please slow down."
It was a hot summer afternoon, and a large group of palace servants were running after a small figure, sweating profusely.
But the little figure was incredibly agile. "Nephew, look what I brought you!"
Crown Prince Murong Yuanzhou presented two large crickets to the child standing under the pavilion, as if showing off a treasure.
Lin Mingqian, with his exquisitely handsome features, looked like a child from a painting. He took a step back and looked at the Crown Prince with a serious expression. "Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, you should be more composed."
The two are about the same age, about the same height, and even look very much like brothers.
The crown prince pouted, "How am I not steady? Besides, it's enough that only you are steady. It's no fun if both of us are steady."
"May we go to the Inviting Moon Pavilion today?"
Lin Mingqian lowered his voice, "Your Highness, have you finished your studies?"
Murong Yuanzhou also lowered his voice, "The Grand Tutor is making me write an essay again. I'm only three years old. What kind of essay can I write? Isn't this deliberately making things difficult for me? Can you write it for me?"
Then he stared longingly at Lin Mingqian.
Lin Mingqian said seriously, "...I don't know either, let's go."
The green ivy, pretending to be invisible, stands nearby: ...
The two sneaked out of the palace gate, and the guards and servants pretended not to know and followed them.
Those two are too powerful for anyone to mess with.
The two children hadn't gone far when the Crown Prince spoke up, "Good nephew, I can't walk any further."
"Your Highness, please don't call me nephew when we're out and about, it'll make people guess my identity." Lin Mingqian took out a handkerchief and handed it to the Crown Prince to wipe his sweat. "Let's take the carriage."
He then clapped his hands, and the guards went to prepare the carriage.
Murong Yuanzhou: "You're so smart. No wonder Father always praises you."
Lin Mingqian: Is it possible that he always praises me because he treats me like a son and a grandson?
It looked like an ordinary carriage from the outside, but the two children had plenty of room to sit in it. The leader of the secret guards, disguised, personally drove the carriage.
The two walked through the bustling city, finding everything fascinating.
Murong Yuanzhou leaned out the window and looked out. "Qian-ge'er, why don't they sell candied hawthorns in the summer? I want to eat candied hawthorns!"
"Because it's too hot, the sugar will melt. You can have the palace servants make it and put it on ice." Lin Mingqian slowly took an apricot out of the table drawer.
As expected, the emperor loves fruit; there was fruit on every carriage he rode in.
"What's the point of eating in the palace? Food outside always tastes better."
Lin Mingqian took a bite of an apricot, his brows furrowing at the sourness. "My mother said that some vendors outside pick their noses and feet and then start preparing food without washing their hands, so she told me to eat less of them."
Murong Yuanzhou: "Ugh..."
"Stop talking, I'm going to throw up. What should we eat?"
After Murong Yuanzhou finished speaking, he suddenly asked, "Qian-ge'er, look over there, isn't that your father?"
Lin Mingqian slowly put the apricot back. "Your Highness, to avoid being recognized, how about you call me Brother Qian and I call you Brother Zhou when we're out?"
Murong Yuanzhou nodded, "Okay, Brother Qian, is he your father?"
Then he pointed to the person in front of him who was wearing a moon-white dress embroidered with bamboo patterns.
There aren't many people in the entire capital who dress like this, and even fewer who can dress this well.
Lin Mingqian smiled, climbed to the window, glanced at it, and immediately stopped smiling. "It's my dad."
Murong Yuanzhou's eyes widened with excitement. "Good heavens, he's attracting attention over there. I'm going to tell my sister-in-law."
He knew from a young age that Lin Anyuan was his stepbrother, Ye Wan was his sister-in-law, and Lin Mingqian, who was the same age as him, was his nephew.
"Don't go yet, let's stay here and watch for a while."
Lin Mingqian grabbed Murong Yuanzhou, thoroughly enjoying watching his father's spectacle.
"Your Highness, please accept me after all my sincerity." Zheng Xiaodie's tears flowed uncontrollably.
Over the years, she had been so lovesick that she was almost sick. Today, on her way back from the villa, she unexpectedly saw Lin Anyuan on the street and chased after him without hesitation.
Lin Anyuan said expressionlessly, "The number of women who have liked me over the years could circle the capital twice. If I were to take them all in, the Princess's residence would be overflowing with people."
"Lord Lin, I'm different. As long as I can see you every day, I'll absolutely not ruin your relationship with Lord Ye. Lord Ye can treat me like a little cat or dog. I beg you!"
The maid beside her was so anxious that she cried. "Miss has really gone mad. Shouting these words in the street, she's going to be beaten to death when she gets back."
“Girl, how can you treat a living person like a cat or dog? I’m not that kind. You should wake up.” Lin Anyuan said, turning away and not looking at Zheng Xiaodie again.
He recently stumbled upon a human trafficking den and chased after them there, only to be thwarted by Zheng Xiaodie.
Zheng Xiaodie cried until she was almost out of breath.
"Oh dear, you're really something, girl. Who doesn't like Lord Lin? I like him too. If everyone were like you, Lord Lin wouldn't be able to marry them all!" said Liu Niangzi, who sells hairpins on the street.
"Only a woman like Lady Ye is worthy of Lord Lin. We're happy just to admire him from afar!"
"That's right, you don't even look at yourself and see what advantages you have compared to Lord Ye. All you do is try to kill yourself. Your parents have raised you for nothing."
"That's right, think about your mother! She carried you for ten months and gave birth to you, not so you could be dying for a man. If you really have nothing to do, go work at the sales hall, it's out of kindness!"
Several elderly women pulled Zheng Xiaodie up, scolding her while comforting her.
No one said anything too malicious; they all understood that they liked Lord Lin.
These days, which woman doesn't like Lord Lin? Anyone who has met him loves him. Even women of their age like him.
Don't get stuck on a single detail!
"Oh no, oh no! Why is your dad coming over here? Did he find us? Let's go!"
Murong Yuanzhou, who was peering through the carriage window, immediately shrank back, trying to hide under the table, but the table inside the carriage was too small to fit.
"Oh no, it's here."
Lin Mingqian remained calm. "Father."
Lin Anyuan lifted the carriage curtain and saw his son and the Crown Prince. He frowned. "Why did you leave the palace?"
"You two skipped class?"
"Um, let me explain..." The crown prince stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Lin Mingqian said in a serious tone, "I didn't skip class. It's normal lunch break time. Your Highness and I came out of the palace for a stroll."
Lin Anyuan raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going to play?"
Lin Mingqian said, "Go to the eldest sister's place. Your Highness wants to see how the children study."
"Be careful." Lin Anyuan lowered the curtain.
The crown prince puffed out his cheeks and turned to look at Lin Mingqian, "Didn't we agree to go to Yaoyue Tower? Why are we going to read books again?"
Lin Mingqian said, "Your Highness, my father is not easily fooled. If you want to go, you can go now."
"I'm going to see my older sister anyway."
Murong Yuanzhou turned his head and decided to go too.
Lin Anyuan is such a cunning and treacherous man, practically a villain. And his father is so easily swayed by others.
"Dean Lin, two very good-looking children have come to the door. They say they are your younger brothers."
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