Zheng Yuanyuan looked at the city gate from afar. As usual, a group of guards stood at the city gate, and people came and went. However, Zheng Yuanyuan had a feeling that someone was waiting for her at the city gate.
Zheng Yuanyuan leaned against a tree, her mind racing. Should she go in or not? If she didn't go in, she wouldn't be able to get in once the city gates closed. Going to Shen Mingwan's villa now was also unsafe. Most importantly, she couldn't just sit and wait to die; she had to find a way to save herself.
Seeing someone driving a horse-drawn cart loaded with goods in the distance, Zheng Yuanyuan quickly ran over and said to the old man driving the cart, "Grandpa, I need to go into the city, but I really can't walk anymore. Could I take a ride with you?"
The old man was very kind and said with a smile, "Young lady, if you don't mind that my cart is dirty, you can sit on the shaft."
The old man pulled Zheng Yuanyuan to sit on the cart shaft, and she asked with a smile, "Grandpa, what are you transporting?"
The old man cracked his whip and urged the horse to continue pulling the cart forward. He said to Zheng Yuanyuan, "I deliver grain to the restaurants in the city. Our village has contracts with several restaurants in the city. We deliver every three months, and it's all top-quality rice."
Thinking of the Rouge Rice grown on the estate of the Dowager Lady of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, Zheng Yuanyuan said with a smile, "Our lady's family is the Yongning Marquis's Mansion. They grow rice on their estate in the suburbs of the capital. I heard that it was our lady's brother who invited a master craftsman from the south to bring new rice seeds to plant it."
Upon hearing this, the old man smiled and said, "We are from the estate of the Marquis of Yongning. May I ask which family you are from, young lady? We have nine ladies in our household."
Zheng Yuanyuan was surprised to find that it really was someone from the Yongning Marquis's mansion. Suppressing her excitement, she said in a low voice, "I am your ninth aunt, Zheng. The carriage broke down halfway, and I thought it was getting late, so I decided to walk back."
After listening to Zheng Yuanyuan's words, the old man carefully looked her over, nodded, and said, "If anyone asks you later, just say that you are going to work for the Yongning Marquis's mansion and that you grew up in our village."
With tears in her eyes, Zheng Yuanyuan nodded to the old man. The old man sighed softly. It was Zheng Yuanyuan's good luck that she happened to meet the head of the old lady's estate. He knew that she was a young lady from Xu Zhi's family. This young lady was obviously the mistress of the house. He wondered what difficulties she had encountered. However, it must not be a good thing for a young lady to come to the city alone.
The old man noticed that Zheng Yuanyuan's cloak had a hood, so he told her to put it on. He then drove the carriage toward the city gate. When they reached the gate, the old man jumped off the carriage and smiled at the guards standing there, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, officers."
One of the constables smiled and said, "Oh, it's Uncle Li! I'm flattered by your hard work. Are you delivering grain to the city?"
Grandpa Li chuckled and said, "Yes, our grandpa signed a contract with the city, and my old man delivers it every three months."
Someone nearby came over and asked, "Why is there another girl on the bus?"
Grandpa Li said with a smile, "Our great-grandmother sent it over. From now on, we'll serve her in her courtyard. It's getting late, and I have to go deliver some grain to the restaurant first, so I'll be going now."
After saying goodbye to the constables, Grandpa Li drove the carriage for a while. Zheng Yuanyuan originally thought that she would get off the carriage when it reached the bamboo paper shop, but Grandpa Li whispered to her that someone was following behind. Zheng Yuanyuan thought that it would be safer to go with Grandpa Li to the Yongning Marquis's mansion. Who knew that the carriage would break down not far away.
Grandpa Li stopped the car, sighed, and said to Zheng Yuanyuan, "Girl, it seems someone has recognized you. Our carriage was tampered with at the city gate. Don't panic or be afraid. Listen to me, get out of the car quickly and find a place to hide."
Zheng Yuanyuan was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes. At this moment, finding a way to escape was the best option. If she continued to wait here for someone to rescue her, the people who had captured her might catch up with her very soon.
Zheng Yuanyuan looked around, then got off the carriage and untied the cloak. After standing in front of the carriage, she took off the cloak and put it on the carriage. She then crouched down and squeezed into an alleyway by the roadside.
Seeing Zheng Yuanyuan's actions, Grandpa Li sighed slightly, put the carriage aside, untied the horse pulling the carriage, mounted the horse, and headed towards the Yongning Marquis's residence.
Zheng Yuanyuan had already checked; to get to the bamboo paper shop, she had to pass through several alleys. She had taken off her cloak and was now wearing a dark green silk jacket. Since she was visiting Shen Mingwan today, she didn't need to be too particular about her attire; comfort was key. So, she felt quite comfortable running and jumping in her current outfit. Zheng Yuanyuan didn't dare appear flustered. She had already removed her expensive jewelry. Seeing a small shop selling ready-made clothes, she hesitated for a moment, then noticed a bucket half-filled with icy water. Ignoring the freezing cold, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, splashed the water on her clothes, and entered the shop. A middle-aged woman was minding the shop. Zheng Yuanyuan smiled and said, "Sister, I accidentally got my clothes wet. It doesn't look good on the street. I'd like to buy something I can wear to change into."
The shopkeeper was naturally pleased to hear this and helped Zheng Yuanyuan choose a gray dress. Zheng Yuanyuan didn't haggle. The shopkeeper gave Zheng Yuanyuan a cloth to wrap the original dress. Zheng Yuanyuan also bought a headscarf, which many women wear nowadays. After wrapping her head, she picked up the bundle and left the clothing store.
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