Chapter 94 Zhi Ning, just bear with it.
Zhou Zhining didn't have it so easy.
These days, she is restless and finds it even harder to get through than when she was at the Wang family's house.
At the Wang family, she was only being beaten by Wang Xuan. Once he got tired of beating her, the pain would pass, and Zhan Xingzhuo would come to rescue her. After that, she would have a sweet and comfortable period of time.
Seeing that Yao Qingling disliked her but had to endure the pain of taking care of her, Zhou Zhining felt that the beatings she suffered were nothing.
There has to be someone who is suffering more than her.
Zhou Zhining thought Yao Qingling would endure this for the sake of her love for Zhan Xingzhuo, until the day she died; she did not expect Yao Qingling's methods to be so vicious.
She was driven to the brink of despair, but luckily she had Zhan Xingzhuo.
Zhan Xingzhuo will never give up on her under any circumstances.
When Zhou Zhining first arrived at Hengwu Villa, she lived quite well. Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were no worse than before, except that she couldn't go out.
He played the zither and composed poems, waiting for the storm to pass, while at the same time thinking about how to get revenge on Yao Qingling, his hatred growing wildly like weeds.
Yao Qingling gained fame and what she had wanted but lost.
Yao Qingling has brought the Zhou family's case back into the spotlight; the Zhou family wants to return to the capital, but the road ahead is becoming increasingly difficult!
There were people watching at the entrance of the villa, so she couldn't get out; every day people shouted outside the courtyard wall, cursing that Duke Shen was protecting criminals and demanding that Duke Shen hand her over.
She was caught in a dilemma.
Madam Tao grew increasingly impatient with her and even dismissed all the servants, forbidding anyone to serve her.
Tao Weixian was also imprisoned by the Duchess; and as for Prince Xin, whether he was coaxing her or not, he made no move at all.
She didn't know when the people outside would rush in, or when the authorities would arrest her.
Zhou Zhining is so suspicious every day that she's almost driven crazy.
She could only keep writing to Zhan Xingzhuo, telling him that her situation was very bad and that she was very anxious, asking him to think of another way. But Zhan Xingzhuo's reply was only to tell her to wait patiently for the right opportunity.
She had already broken the strings.
Every painting she created reflected her increasingly broken heart.
Finally, the day when the storm had passed came.
Zhiyun ran over and told her, "Girl, those people outside have dispersed."
Zhan Xingzhuo is right. Those people have waited for so long, and when no one comes out, they will think that there is no one hiding in the villa.
Zhou Zhining's face lit up with joy, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, could finally relax.
Afterwards, several magnificent carriages stopped at the entrance of the villa.
A man dressed in a purple brocade robe embroidered with a four-clawed golden dragon stepped down from the carriage.
The fifth son of the Duke of Shen, dressed in brocade, came out to greet them.
Several sons of officials, dressed in brocade, alighted from the other carriages.
They escorted the man in the purple brocade robe, chatting and laughing as they entered the room.
As he entered, the man in the purple brocade robe glanced at the vendors dozing off against their stalls outside and frowned slightly.
One of his attendants walked over, kicked over the vendor's fruit stand, scattered a handful of coins, and told him to get lost.
Tell people that King Xin cannot bear to see the poor, and these copper coins are a reward for him.
The vendor, with the coins in his hand and tears in his eyes, packed up his stall and left.
Seeing this, the other vendors, not daring to get in the way, hurriedly grabbed their goods and ran away before being chased away.
The powerful and wealthy laughed heartily, and some mocked Tao Wu Gongzi: "Only you spoil those dogs. Do we use such coarse things? In my opinion, there should be a sign at the entrance of East Street that says no lower-class people are allowed to enter, so as not to dirty this good place."
The group entered the door laughing and joking.
The courtesans of Tianxiang Tower, the geishas of the Jiaofangsi, the actors of the brothels, the opera troupes, and the brothel ladies... came and went like a flowing stream.
Later people learned that the son of the Duke of Shen was celebrating the birthday of Prince Xin.
Everyone knows that Prince Xin is a leisurely prince who loves to indulge in romance and is therefore quite extravagant and dissolute.
Those sons of officials were on good terms with Prince Xin, indulging in music and revelry day and night at the villa of the Duke of Shen.
This Hengwu Villa is nothing more than a place for the powerful and wealthy to indulge in their sordid entertainment. How could Zhou Zhining, who is so proud, hide in such a place?
Inside the villa, Zhou Zhining looked at Prince Xin with a resentful expression.
He held the courtesan who clung to him and served him wine and women in confinement in contempt.
Prince Xin waved his hand, and the courtesan tactfully withdrew.
Lian Chengtai smiled at her: "I made such a big sacrifice to help you, and you're still not happy?"
Zhou Zhining said resentfully, "You want me to dress up as a prostitute, and I'm supposed to be happy about it?"
She was once a renowned talented woman in the capital, but now she has to disguise herself as a courtesan and escape from here... This grievance is like a thorn stuck in her heart.
No, it wasn't just one thorn, it was countless thorns pricking her.
Tao Weixian sighed: "Zhi Ning, just bear with it."
Zhou Zhining glanced at him, bit her lip, and held back her tears.
Lian Chengtai's expression turned sinister in an instant, and his fingers, resting on his knees, tapped absently.
Who is relentlessly pursuing us from behind?
Is it Yao Qingling?
From the current perspective, Yao Qingling has been hiding in the Hou Mansion since her divorce.
According to his understanding, the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion is not harmonious, and Yao Qingling will not be able to live a peaceful life after returning.
Zhan Xingzhuo's letter also stated that Yao Qingling did not have that much power; at most, she had the ability to stir up trouble. However, since Zhou Zhining was hiding in the villa and not coming out, Yao Qingling could not possibly know about her.
So who wrote the words on the gate?
These days, Lien Cheng-tai has been thinking about this issue.
After thinking it over, he ordered someone to keep an eye on Yao Qingling.
Seeing her frequently entering and leaving the Marquis's residence these days, it seems she's actually going to do business, and she's planning to make a big splash.
His men bribed the servants of the Marquis's mansion to find out inside information that Yao Qingling and the old lady had made a pledge to make a lot of money; even the Marquis's wife couldn't do anything about her.
Is Yao Qingling so focused on making money that she has no time to pay attention to other people and things?
"It must be her!" Zhou Zhining said bitterly.
She hasn't even gotten her revenge yet, but Yao Qingling is chasing and bullying her. She will definitely settle this score with her!
At dawn, as the sky began to lighten, Huan Yu Lou's carriage stopped at the entrance of the villa.
Several women, wriggling uncomfortably, were helped into the carriage by their maids.
The carriage set off and disappeared into the morning mist.
Another woman, dressed in a silk skirt and cloak, stepped out of the door, her back slightly hunched, and she seemed to be holding a pipa in her arms. She carefully boarded the carriage.
The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage clattered along.
Suddenly, a group of soldiers rushed out of the alley and blocked the carriage.
The commander, holding a token, demanded a search of the carriage!
Sitting in the carriage, Zhou Zhining, disguised as a courtesan, panicked.
how so!
...
At this moment, Yao Qingling was lying on the roof, watching the confrontation in the alley.
We've finally waited for this moment!
She listened to Lin Shiyuan and dismissed the spies surrounding the villa one by one, pretending to be impatient.
Prince Xin and Tao Weixian were also clever; they managed to turn the villa into a place for indulging in music and song.
Once the guard was down, they moved Zhou Zhining, who was in disguise, out.
Princess Deyang did indeed make a move.
No wonder he came from the inner court and experienced the struggles of three dynasties.
Princess Deyang was a master strategist; the methods of Prince Xin and his ilk were merely expected in her eyes.
She doesn't need to actually show her face; she only needs to subtly remind the Prefect of the Capital from behind the scenes, and the Prefect will know what to do.
Today, the carriage was stopped near the Duke of Shen's villa, and I personally saw the woman in the carriage coming out of the villa gate.
The people in the carriage went back to the villa to fetch reinforcements, while Prince Xin came out with a dark face and confronted the Prefect of the Capital.
The Prefect of the Capital coldly addressed the person in the carriage: "Zhou, you were divorced by the Wang family, and now you've become a prostitute?"
He glanced at the emblem of Huanyu Tower and then at Prince Xin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
