Chapter 93 Her Back Was Numb (Part 2)
The room was still dark, with the lights off. Pei Xingju, dressed in black, sat in the shadows, and only half of his face could be seen.
Neither of them spoke. The attendant signaled to go in, light the candle, and then quickly left.
It seemed like just a moment, and Lingxiaoyuan became quiet as if isolated from the world.
After a moment, Pei Xingju said, "Come in."
Zhuang Wan stepped in.
She hesitated for a moment and said, "Have you had dinner yet? I made some and brought it to you."
The two hadn't seen each other for three days, and when they met again, they felt a little strange. Zhuang Wan even felt uncomfortable talking.
She opened the lunch box, took out the food inside and placed it on the table.
It was still a sumptuous dinner, with crystal pork trotter, red bean soup, osmanthus fish, Dongpo tofu, whitebait jerky, etc., beautifully presented and full of fragrance.
After doing all this, she said, "Eat it while it's hot. It won't taste good if it gets cold."
After waiting for a while, seeing that Pei Xingju didn't speak, she pursed her lips, bowed slightly, and prepared to leave.
When she reached the door, Pei Xingju suddenly called her.
"Zhuang Wan!"
Zhuang Wan stopped.
"Don't you want to redress the injustice done to your banker?"
It was as if an electric current flowed through Zhuang Wan, making her head numb and her heart pounding.
She understood what Pei Xingju was saying.
He asked her if she wanted to clear the Zhuang family's name. He knew that Mr. Zhuang was wrongly accused, and the Zhuang family was innocent. If Zhuang Wan stayed, he would help her investigate the Zhuang family case, clear her name, and give her freedom.
To be honest, Zhuang Wan thought.
Unfortunately, she wasn't her original self, and she had deceived Pei Xingju. While his ignorance at this point might have cleared the Zhuang family's name, if he remembered, how could Pei Xingju let him go?
After a while, Zhuang Wan smiled bitterly.
"Thank you, Master Pei." She turned sideways and bowed: "The food is still hot, please enjoy it while it's hot."
After saying that, she stepped out of the door.
.
Back in the courtyard, it was completely dark. Zhuang Wan looked at the sky and saw that it was almost the agreed time of night, so she went inside.
Qiu Tan was sorting out the dried clothes. Seeing her come back, she asked, "Do you want to wear this dress tomorrow? If you do, I'll iron it tonight."
Zhuang Wan took a glance and saw that the dress was gorgeous and was bought at Jinxiu Pavilion before.
She smiled faintly and said, "No need. Please help me see if Sister Jiang is here. If she is, come back and tell me."
"Okay." Qiu Tan didn't doubt him and immediately put down his things and went out.
Zhuang Wan watched her back disappear at the moon gate in the courtyard. His eyes were blank for a moment, then he walked into the inner room, took out his luggage from the closet, and sneaked to the kitchen in the West Garden in the dark.
It was already past dinner time, and only a few people were left cleaning the kitchen. Zhuang Wan walked along the corridor to the back corner door, where someone was harnessing a carriage.
Seeing her coming, they looked at her strangely for a few seconds, then continued to work with their heads down.
Zhuang Wan stood by the corner gate waiting.
Who knows how long they waited, the night was getting darker and darker. Just as Zhuang Wan was waiting anxiously, a carriage finally came along the corridor.
Soon, two people got off the carriage. One of them was Uncle Li, and the other should be the Master Cheng he mentioned.
Uncle Li saw Zhuang Wan and said to Master Cheng with a wry smile, "This is Miss Zhuang. She wants to go out for a walk, but she wants to keep Master Pei in the dark."
Cheng De squinted his eyes and looked at Zhuang Wan.
Zhuang Wan walked over, bowed, and then pulled out a silver note she had prepared long ago from her sleeve and handed it over: "Thank you for troubling Master Cheng."
Cheng De glanced at the bundle in her arms, took the banknote without asking, and smiled: "So you are the female relatives of Lord Pei's family. Not bad, not bad. I will take Miss Zhuang to visit the county town."
"Thank you, Master Cheng."
"Well, what's there to thank me for? Miss Zhuang is really sorry to have to squeeze in with us." He pointed at the carriages and said, "These are used to transport fruits and vegetables. They are delicious. Miss Zhuang, don't mind, right?"
Zhuang Wan shook her head. "How could I dislike it? I'd also like to thank Master Cheng for taking the risk to give me a ride."
Cheng De smiled and said, "Then please get in the car, Miss Zhuang."
Zhuang Wan nodded and got into the carriage with her luggage.
Soon, the carriage slowly started moving. Sitting in the simple carriage, Zhuang Wan listened to the clattering sound of the wheels on the bluestone floor. At this moment, emotions surged.
She hugged her bag tightly, feeling determined and excited to escape.
The night was quiet, and lights were on everywhere in the palace. It was a prosperous place, but from tonight, she was about to leave and start her new life.
.
Not long after, the carriage drove out of the palace and the ground became bumpy, and Zhuang Wan was swaying in the carriage.
The lights of the palace were getting farther and farther away behind him, and the surroundings were quiet and dark. Fortunately, there was a lampshade next to the coachman.
Zhuang Wan stared at the dim firelight and gradually became absent-minded.
She had inquired about the nearby He County, which was quite prosperous, with inns and escort agencies. Furthermore, the county town faced a river to the south, and merchant ships often sailed south. If she was lucky, she might be able to find a ship heading south tonight.
Thinking of this, she breathed a sigh of relief and began to look forward to everything that was to come.
After traveling for about half an hour, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Zhuang Wan came to her senses and asked the driver, "What happened?"
The driver said, "My girl, the carriage is broken. I can't take you there anymore. You should walk."
Zhuang Wan was surprised and turned to look for Cheng De, but she found that the carriages following behind her had disappeared without a trace. At this moment, her carriage was the only one on the road.
"Where is Lord Cheng?" Zhuang Wan asked.
The driver didn't answer, but got off the carriage to feed the horses.
He said casually, "Don't ask, young lady. Master Cheng has to fetch wine for His Majesty tonight, so how could he have the time to send you off?"
Zhuang Wan frowned, slowly realizing that something was wrong.
"Who ordered you to do this?" she asked. "Is it Pei Xingju?"
On second thought, it shouldn't be the case. Pei Xingju wouldn't be so tasteless.
She continued, "You don't have to tell me who that person is. I know you are from the imperial palace, and you're paid to do things for them. How much did that person give you? How about I give you double? You can take me to He County."
"Miss Zhuang, I dare not take your money. My life is in the hands of Master Cheng."
"Then do you know who Lord Cheng obeys? I'll tell you the truth. I'm sure you know I'm a member of Pei Xingju's family. No matter who Lord Cheng obeys, that person can't be more powerful than Pei Xingju. If you help me tonight, I will definitely reward you in return."
When the man heard this, he began to hesitate.
Zhuang Wan pressed on, "Think it over carefully. You left me here in the wilderness. If anything happened to me, could you possibly escape?"
"Miss Zhuang, don't scare me. Miss Wei said that as long as she throws you in..." He suddenly covered his mouth: "I was wrong. I didn't say anything, nothing."
"Don't make things difficult for me. I have no other choice. I only follow the orders of Master Cheng. If Master Cheng lives, I live. If Master Cheng dies, I die too."
After saying this, he untied the reins of the carriage and rode away.
Zhuang Wan staggered along with the carriage.
Looking around, there is nothing but a vast wilderness and a few stars in the sky.
She hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
The wilderness was chilly at night, and the cool breeze rustled the tattered curtains of the carriage. Fortunately, the driver had left a lantern behind when he left, and in its dim light, she sat by the carriage door.
I don’t know the direction at the moment and I don’t dare to walk around rashly. I can only wait until dawn to make plans.
Zhuang Wan leaned against the car door, thinking, and her eyelids became heavier.
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