Chapter 243
08
The fifth prince counted the money in his hand overnight, exchanged the money for silver bills in batches, packed some clothes, and planned his departure date.
He couldn't tell Cheng Zhao in advance, so he could only leave secretly, and he couldn't stay in the capital after leaving.
He specifically asked someone to find a national map for him to study to see which place was more suitable for living.
The winter in the north is too cold. It was okay for him to live in the palace because the house was warm, but he would not have such good treatment if he moved out. When he lived in the royal temple before, he would get frostbite every winter and the skin on his hands and feet would crack. He didn't want to live that kind of life anymore.
He looked at the map and thought it would be better to go to the south, as the winter there would not be so cold. He was afraid of the cold, so he deliberately chose the southernmost place on the map. He also planned to ask people or look for some books to see if there was any description of this place.
Recently, railways have been opened all over the country. The construction of the railway started before Cheng Yeran left, but the technology was not advanced enough at that time and the implementation was slow. Later, Cheng Zhao selected many talents to study together, and this year the train was finally opened. Although it has not yet been opened to all parts of the country, he can take the train for a while and then transfer to a horse carriage or ride a horse.
The fifth prince felt troubled at the thought of riding a horse. He didn't know how to ride a horse yet, and he probably wouldn't be able to learn it in a short time. He was also timid and afraid of falling off the horse.
But maybe riding a bicycle would work. Bicycles are now popular all over the country. He just needs to get off the bike and buy another one, then he can continue his journey.
He went over his plan in his mind and felt it was perfect. The difficulty now was to learn how to ride a bike so that he could set off.
He was feeling excited when he heard someone announce that Cheng Zhao was coming.
Before he could put the map away, Cheng Zhao came in.
Cheng Zhao heard people say that he was reading in the study. Normally, the Fifth Prince didn't like to read and would only study with the help of his father-in-law. But today he was actually working in the study by himself. He found it curious and ran over to take a look.
"Are you looking at the map?" Cheng Zhao asked him.
"Ah, yes, I want to know." The fifth prince lied awkwardly and wanted to put the map away quickly.
"What do you want to know?" Cheng Zhao asked him.
"There's nothing special I want to know, just take a look." The fifth prince was about to fold up the map when Cheng Zhao sat down next to him.
"What you hate most on weekdays is studying. It shouldn't be for studying, but for going out to play?" Cheng Zhao asked him.
The fifth prince twitched his lips, a little annoyed, "Why aren't you with Qiao Ayun today?"
Qiao Ayun is the name of the top student girl. Cheng Zhao is very close to her on weekdays and they are almost inseparable during class.
"She went out shopping with her brother today and was not in the palace." Cheng Zhao said.
"Why didn't you go with them? Help carry things, pay the bills, etc." The Fifth Prince's tone was a little unhappy. He didn't know why he was unhappy. He had obviously thought it through and was ready to leave. Why did he feel so uncomfortable?
"It's a day off today and I don't have classes. Why should I help them get their things and pay for them?" Cheng Zhao didn't understand his logic.
"You are so cold, be careful not to hurt the girl's heart. Even if it is not class time, so what? You should go to see her more often." The fifth prince thought that Cheng Zhao was too unromantic. But he was right, he was the emperor, so he naturally did not need to please others.
But during holidays, you should spend more time with the people you love, why are you running to me?
Cheng Zhao didn't understand his logic. Why would Qiao Ayun be sad if he didn't accompany her to go shopping?
On weekdays, he and Qiao Ayun would discuss study together, but they had no contact in other aspects of life. "She doesn't need me to accompany her."
"So you came to my place?" The fifth prince sighed, "I don't want you to accompany me either."
"I want you to accompany me, are you free?" Cheng Zhao asked him.
The Fifth Prince became even angrier when he heard this. If she doesn’t let you accompany her, then you want me to accompany you, right? Have I become the second best substitute?
He wanted to say directly that he didn't want to accompany you either, but after all, Cheng Zhao was the emperor, so he had to patiently say, "I haven't been feeling well recently. I think it's because of my previous illness that I'm weak. I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany the emperor in the future."
He wanted to hint to Cheng Zhao that he would not be able to become the queen in the future because he was weak and might not even have difficulty giving birth to children. In this way, Cheng Zhao might abolish his status as the future queen. Anyway, Cheng Zhao would be twenty years old in a little over a year and could get married soon.
When he is twenty years old, Cheng Zhao can marry Qiao Ayun as his queen, and he can leave the palace and live a stable life with enough food to eat every day.
Cheng Zhao heard him say that he was not feeling well, "You exercise every day and have a regular schedule. I don't see any weakness in your body."
“I was just trying hard.” The fifth prince did not dare to pretend to faint this time. He just covered his chest and pretended to cough.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Zhao asked someone to call the imperial physician over. The imperial physician felt the Fifth Prince's pulse and found him to be full of energy, not at all sick. However, seeing that the Fifth Prince was trying hard to perform, he guessed that the two of them were having some quarrel, so he prescribed some supplements. He controlled the dosage very well, so that the patient would not die or suffer any harm, so he just took it as his duty.
But Cheng Zhao felt that it was not enough. Since he was so weak, how could he just take these medicines? He asked Chi Fang to make more delicious food to nourish the Fifth Prince.
The fifth prince was happy now, and he ate and drank to his heart's content every day. However, he was busy with schoolwork, and he had to exercise every day, so he did not gain weight, but just maintained a normal body shape.
In addition to attending classes and exercising with Cheng Zhao every day, he also stayed up late every day to plan his escape route. Once, when Cheng Zhao took people out hunting, he pretended to be sick and sneaked out of the palace after everyone left.
He changed into ordinary people's clothes, went out and hired a car to go to the train station.
He had never been to a train station before, and he didn't expect that he would need an ID card to buy a ticket. This ID card was a policy introduced after Cheng Yeran ascended the throne, so that people no longer needed a pass when traveling, but only needed to register with their ID cards. It also had an anti-counterfeiting mark for easy inspection.
However, it was still possible to get a fake ID card, but the Fifth Prince didn't know that, so he foolishly used his own ID card to buy a sleeper ticket.
Their train was not as fast as the ones in the future, so the fifth prince prepared a lot of food and got on the train.
It was his first time to take a train and he was very excited. After getting on the train, he couldn't help looking around. When the train started, he leaned against the window to look out, feeling it was magical.
After watching the car move, he was not so excited anymore. His heart was filled with strong reluctance, making him want to jump out of the car right now and go back to the palace to find Cheng Zhao.
His mind was filled with every little detail of his time with Cheng Zhao over the years, and he couldn't help but want to cry.
He ate something, climbed onto the middle bed and covered himself with the quilt, thinking that he would not want to go back after falling asleep. Since he had decided to leave, there was no turning back.
He got on the train in the afternoon and woke up when it was dark. He thought he would not be able to sleep in an unfamiliar environment, but the shaking of the train made him sleep so deeply that he didn't even notice that the train stopped at a station.
He had eaten before going to bed and was hungry again. He got out of bed to eat and found that the box on the table was missing. This box was given to him by Cheng Zhao. The material of the box was very strange and had never been seen in this era. It was said that it was brought back from heaven. He had always cherished it, and he took the box with him when he left this time.
He not only took the box, but also some gadgets given to him by Cheng Zhao. He cherished everything Cheng Zhao gave him. He didn't expect that the things would be lost as soon as he went out, and his banknotes were also in the box.
Before going out, he was afraid that the money would be lost if he kept it on him, so he put half of it in the box and the other half on him. He reached out to touch the money on his body and found that his purse was also missing!
He had been living in the palace before and had never seen a thief. Even when he went out of the palace, the people outside were very polite and friendly to him because of his status as the future queen. He thought that thieves only existed when his father was in power and the world was in chaos. After Cheng Zhao became emperor, the world was peaceful and everyone could live a comfortable life with their own hands. No one would steal things. He didn't expect that after just a night's sleep, all the money on him was gone.
He hurried to find the conductor to explain the situation. There were always thieves on the train, and they would use fake ID cards to buy tickets. Moreover, there were no cameras, so it was difficult to catch the thieves after they stole things.
The train stopped at a station when he fell asleep just now, and the thief had already got off. It is very likely that he took another train after getting off. There were so many people that it was difficult for him to find the thief.
When the Fifth Prince heard the conductor's words, it was as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. He had originally imagined a very beautiful life when he was leaving. After getting off the train, he would buy a carriage, take the carriage to the destination city, buy a house, decorate the house, and then hire two servants, one to serve him and the other to cook for him, and then he would enjoy his life.
But after only a few hours of leaving the house, he was penniless, and most importantly, he also lost many precious memories related to Cheng Zhao.
He now really wanted to hug Cheng Zhao and cry, asking Cheng Zhao to help him get the box back and teach the thief a lesson.
But now he was alone, as if he had returned to the painful and dark time of his childhood.
The train attendants felt sorry for him and said they would help him contact the railway constable, who would help him find his luggage and purse, and gave him some food to fill his stomach.
But he eats so much that this little bit is just a drop in the bucket for him.
He wanted to tear the thief to pieces. It would have been fine if he had just stolen the money and the box, but why did he also steal his food? Is this an attempt to kill him?
He thought about it and realized that it would take five days to reach the destination and he might starve to death before reaching the destination, so it would be better to take a bus back.
But I didn’t even have the money for the return ticket, and I couldn’t just run back along the railway tracks.
He glanced out the window and decided that it would be better to get off the bus early tomorrow morning, then find a job and earn enough money to buy a ticket back.
But when he returned and Cheng Zhao asked him where he had been, what should he say? Why not find a long-term job and settle down?
Cheng Zhao has a new love, so she may not come back to find him. She might even be happy that he left tactfully.
He changed his plan, got off the bus at dawn, found a job, and ensured his own food and clothing.
He touched his arms and found a jade pendant that had not been stolen. This jade pendant was given to him by Cheng Zhao before he left Beijing when he was a child.
If he sold it, he could probably get a few thousand taels of silver, but he was reluctant to sell it. Moreover, with the previous experience of losing money, he felt that this world must be a dark place. He didn't dare to hold so much money again, for fear of losing it again by accident.
After daybreak, he got off the train and registered at the train station. He would come over from time to time to ask if anyone had found his suitcase. If he had, he wouldn't have to suffer in the future.
He walked out of the train station and looked at the unfamiliar scene, feeling very confused. The outside of the station was crowded with people, some were hiring cars, some were looking for people to stay in hotels and eat, and some were recruiting workers.
As soon as he saw the job openings, he immediately became excited and went over to strike up a conversation. He discovered that it was all physical work, either carrying cement or sacks, and these jobs didn't require men.
An old lady looked him up and down and asked him, "Can you read? Have you ever been to school?"
The fifth prince nodded, and the aunt asked him again: "There is a job as a teacher for children from rich families. Would you like to do it? It pays two taels of silver per month."
"Two taels of silver?" The fifth prince thought that he could not earn that much from the physical work he did in a month, and immediately nodded excitedly, "Let's do it."
The aunt was about to pull him towards the carriage, but before he could get on, the aunt was caught by the constable at the train station entrance. It was said that she was a human trafficker and often picked up innocent boys and girls like them at the train station entrance, tricking them into getting on the carriage with the promise of high-paying jobs, and then taking them to the mountains to be sold and made into wives and children for others.
When the Fifth Prince heard this, he turned pale with fright, especially when he heard that the woman had sold more than a dozen of her brothers. He was so frightened that he was speechless.
He just lost his money and now he was almost sold to the mountains. Why is the world outside the palace so terrible!
He felt that if he went back, even if he became an unpopular queen, it would be better than being harmed by others outside.
But now he is penniless and has no way back, so he can only bite the bullet and go out to find a job.
He was timid to begin with, and now he was even more timid. If someone talked to him on the road, even if they were just asking for directions, he would run away quickly for fear of being cheated again.
He walked around the city and saw a woolen mill.
The woolen mill was built recently and produces wool yarn, which can be used to make sweaters.
The fifth prince likes to wear sweaters because they are warm and not heavy.
He is quite curious about how wool is made and how sweaters are knitted. He can go in and work and learn these skills at the same time.
These big factories are state-owned, so there will definitely be no scammers. He walked in boldly and asked about recruitment matters.
The people in the factory took a look at him. Seeing that he was fair-skinned, well-dressed, and behaved like a rich young master, they said, "The country has a policy recently that the factory should recruit more female workers and men."
When the Fifth Prince heard him say this, he was very happy. After all, he was his younger brother. If he said this, it meant he was going to recruit him.
The next thing he heard was the man asking him, "Are you a local? Where do you live? Fill out the form and go home to wait for notification."
The fifth prince shook his head, "I'm not a local."
After he said this, the man was about to hand him the form, but he took it back in an instant, "Local people have to fight hard to get into the factory, and you, an outsider, still want to get in?"
His words confused the Fifth Prince, "I am an outsider, so I cannot enter? Why is there such a rule?"
"This is the existing rule. It's useless for you to disagree." The man drove him out.
When he got out, he ran into a few young men who were also looking dejected. They told him, "Local people who want to work in the factory need connections and gifts. You, an outsider, have no chance."
The Fifth Prince became angry when he heard this. Why is this kind of custom so prevalent everywhere? One has to give gifts and use backdoors to get a job? Do you pay to work?
He felt that these guys were not bad people, so he asked about the locations of their other factories. The guys told him not to go there, as it would be the same if he went.
"You won't know until you see it." The fifth prince thought to himself that there was no turning back and he could only try his best.
The young men were quite enthusiastic and said they would take him there. However, after losing his money last night and almost being abducted just now, the Fifth Prince was extremely cautious. He did not dare to ask them to take him there, but asked them to help show him the way.
And while they were talking, he had to stand in the factory. It was a state-owned factory with people coming and going, so he was not afraid of being suddenly pulled away by them.
Those people enthusiastically drew a map for him, wrote down their home addresses, and told the Fifth Prince that if he had any difficulties, he could go to their home and ask for help.
Although they were good people, they also had some improper desires because of the good looks of the Fifth Prince. These improper desires were not to force the Fifth Prince, but to help him, to move his heart, and to make him fall in love with one of them. Then they would have husbands.
But the Fifth Prince didn’t know what they were thinking, so he just took the map and left.
He is now very hungry and has no money to eat, and is even more anxious to find a job quickly.
He went to the next factory and the same thing happened. Someone at that factory told him that most of the people in the factory were relatives of the leaders, and local people like them who had no connections could not enter the factory, let alone him, an outsider.
The fifth prince felt extremely disappointed. He asked all five factories in the city, but got the same result.
He was almost fainting from hunger. Standing on the busy street, he wanted to just die. He had no money, no place to live, and no food to eat. This was completely different from the wonderful life he had imagined of lying down!
He can't even find a job now. Is he supposed to beg for food?
As he was thinking this, he really saw beggars on the roadside.
Isn't it said that we live in a peaceful and prosperous age now, and everyone can have enough food to eat? Why are there still beggars begging for food?
He touched his belly. Maybe everyone has their own helplessness.
He stood shyly and awkwardly on the roadside, next to the beggars who were begging for food.
The beggars looked up at him and held out their bowls to ask him for money. He quickly waved his hands and said, "Don't look at me. I'm begging for food too."
The beggars were shocked when they heard him say this. "You are so delicate and tender, but you want to beg for food? To experience life?"
The Fifth Prince wanted to explain something, but his stomach started to growl.
The fifth prince: “…”
Beggars begging for food: "..."
"I really want to eat. I lost my wallet and can't find a job, so I have the only choice but to beg for food." The Fifth Prince was so hungry that he wanted to cry. Although he was hungry during the period when he was losing weight, he still had meals to eat every day, but he could only eat half full and had no snacks. But now, let alone snacks, he would be thankful if he could eat until he was three-quarters full.
At this moment, he missed the life in the palace so much. If it were normal times, he would have finished his meal, read a book, or played for a while, and then lay down in the warm and soft bed. But now he couldn't even solve the problem of eating, and where to sleep at night became a huge problem.
The beggars felt sorry for him and kindly lent him a broken bowl so that he could beg beside them.
The fifth prince was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears. He had met so many bad people and hit so many walls along the way, but he didn't expect that the beggar on the street was the best.
The beggars even told him, "If you have no place to stay at night, you can stay with us in the dilapidated temple."
The fifth prince thought to himself that he had no money left and had fallen to the point of begging, so how could he be cheated? They, the beggars, were also miserable people. He and those beggars had a feeling of sympathy and felt that these big brothers would definitely not cheat him.
But he didn't look carefully. These brothers have hands and feet and are not old. If they go out to work, they will definitely be able to earn money.
But it is not right that they are begging on the roadside.
These people are all lazy men in the family. One of them squandered all his family property and was unwilling to work, so he came out to beg. Several others were kicked out by their families because their families were too poor to support lazy men. The Fifth Prince thought that these miserable people were all good-for-nothings who thought about getting something for nothing all day long. After discovering that they could earn more by begging than by working, they became beggars with a clear conscience.
They lent the Fifth Prince a bowl and said they would take him to live in a dilapidated temple, not because they were kind, but because they saw that the Fifth Prince was handsome, with fair skin, and was the kind of handsome guy they had never dared to dream of in their lifetime. Now that he was right in front of them, they had to take advantage of him.
The fifth prince sat next to them foolishly and asked them about their begging experiences.
They asked the Fifth Prince if he could write, so that he could write down his experience of losing money in front of him, and then say that he borrowed money to buy a ticket home, and there would definitely be many kind people who would help him.
The fifth prince had never thought of this. He had encountered a thief in the car before, and met a human trafficker after getting off the car. He felt that the whole world was dark. He no longer trusted anyone and didn't think that there would be any kind-hearted person to help him.
Since those big brothers have told him the method, he can give it a try. Even if he doesn't get any money, at least he can get some steamed buns.
He briefly wrote in front of himself about his experience of losing money and asked for help with tickets or dinner.
In the past, when few people could read, there might not be anyone to help him write. But now, children have to go to school, and adults working in factories are required to read and write. After he finishes writing, many people gather in front of him to watch, and some even give him money.
After a while, he had received a bowl full of copper coins and some steamed buns given by kind people, which made the big brothers nearby very envious.
Several older brothers said they couldn't write and asked the fifth prince to help them write something similar.
The fifth prince frowned, "You didn't lose any money, how can you cheat people?"
Several people hurriedly said: "I lost money, he has sick parents, he has no food to eat because of poverty, each of us is different, but we are all pitiful."
When the Fifth Prince heard this, he couldn't help but feel sorry for them. "Okay, I'll help you write after I finish eating these buns."
The fifth prince held a paper bag in his hand and ate a bun while thinking that there were still many good people in this world. When he became rich in the future, he would definitely repay the people who had just given him money and food.
When he was eating happily, he looked up and saw a familiar figure.
Cheng Zhao stood in front of him without him knowing. The Fifth Prince was so frightened that his eyes widened and he even forgot to eat his buns.
The Fifth Prince looked at Cheng Zhao. Cheng Zhao stared at the Fifth Prince who was sitting on the ground begging for food. The air around them seemed to be frozen. The scene was very awkward for a while.
After a long while, Cheng Zhao finally spoke: "I haven't seen you for two days. Have you fallen to the point of begging for food?"
The fifth prince hiccupped in fear and wanted to defend himself, but a huge wave of grievance surged in his heart. He stood up, cried and threw himself into Cheng Zhao’s arms, “You don’t know what I’ve been through in the past two days. Didn’t you say that now it’s a peaceful and prosperous time, and the people live and work in peace and contentment? You liar! Wuuuuuu…”
"You rubbed the oil on me," Cheng Zhao said, but he patted his back gently and took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears. "Don't cry, let's go home."
When the fifth prince heard the word "go home", he cried even harder, "My legs are numb, I can't walk."
Cheng Zhao sighed, "I'll carry you."
The fifth prince lay on his back. They were obviously the same age, but unknowingly, Cheng Zhao had grown into a man taller and stronger than him. His back gave people a sense of security and assurance. It was as if I had nothing to fear as long as I lay on his back.
He didn't dare to ask Cheng Zhao why he came to find him and how he came to find him. He was afraid that Cheng Zhao would say that he was passing by and saw him by chance. Then Qiao Ayun would come out and say that she and Cheng Zhao were out for fun together and saw him begging outside.
It was embarrassing enough for him if only Cheng Zhao saw it, and he didn't want Qiao Ayun to see it as well.
He put his face on Cheng Zhao's shoulder with grievance, not saying a word and not asking any questions, for fear of hearing an answer he didn't want to hear.
If Cheng Zhao said nothing and asked nothing, and continued to go back to be the queen-to-be, and became the queen next year, that would be fine too.
Every emperor has several concubines, and it is impossible for Cheng Zhao to be loyal to him alone. As long as he can have enough food in the palace, that's enough.
But when he was silent, he heard Cheng Zhao ask him, "Why did you run away from home?"
This question broke the Fifth Prince's defense again. He lay on Cheng Zhao's back and cried, "It's okay. Nothing happened."
"When you were looking at the map that day, did you intend to leave?" Cheng Zhao carried him all the way to the car in the distance. Even after getting on the car, the Fifth Prince did not let him go and continued to cry on his back.
The number of cars was still very small, and only the military and the emperor had cars. When they got into the cars, they attracted a lot of onlookers, and everyone was guessing their identities.
The fifth prince felt it was embarrassing to be stared at by a group of people. He also felt wronged that Cheng Zhao fell in love with someone else, so he cried non-stop.
Cheng Zhao asked someone to drive the car and did not ask him what was going on. It was already late. Cheng Zhao originally wanted to stay here for a while and find an inn to stay in, but the Fifth Prince said he wanted to go home and go home immediately.
They drove back overnight, and the Fifth Prince was so tired that he fell asleep on his back.
After Cheng Zhao waited until he fell asleep, he carried him over and let him sleep with his head resting on his lap.
Looking at the fifth prince's red eyes and pink nose, he must have suffered a great injustice, and it seemed that he was the one who caused it.
When it was daybreak, the fifth prince opened his eyes and found that he was back in his soft and warm bed, covered with a fluffy quilt. He felt that he had never been so happy in his life.
And the next moment, he felt that things were not going well.
He saw Cheng Zhao sitting beside his bed, and the area below was filled with people, all of whom were palace maids, eunuchs, and nannies who were taking care of him.
In fact, when they first learned that the fifth prince was missing, they all felt that they were finished and were going to die.
This morning, they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the emperor coming back holding the fifth prince. But then the emperor called them all over and asked them why the fifth prince ran away from home. They were frightened by Cheng Zhao's expression and wanted to kneel down and beg for mercy, but Cheng Zhao said that the kneeling ceremony had been abolished long ago and forbade them to kneel.
They couldn't kneel, and standing was uncomfortable, for fear that Cheng Zhao would drag them out and chop them up in the next second.
How would they know why the fifth prince ran away from home? She lives a life of luxury in the palace, and has everything she wants. The emperor cares about her so much, and every day he either accompanies her running or studying. He sends her any new and interesting things. She is about to become the queen, so why would she run away from home at this time? He came back in a mess.
One of the palace maids cautiously guessed, "Is the Fifth Prince going to get married soon? He is a little scared and wants to go out and relax?"
Cheng Zhao had indeed heard of the term "fear of marriage". So the Fifth Prince was afraid of marriage?
When the others saw Cheng Zhao pondering the palace maid's words, they all agreed and said that the Fifth Prince must be nervous about getting married and wanted to go out for some fresh air.
After they finished talking, they saw that Cheng Zhao didn't say anything and was frowning in thought. They became worried and scared. What if Cheng Zhao felt that the Fifth Prince was unwilling to marry him and got angry with the Fifth Prince, and implicated them?
The group of people shut their mouths in fear again and lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
They remained in this state until the fifth prince woke up.
When the Fifth Prince woke up and saw this scene, he became frightened. Would Cheng Zhao be angry because he left without telling him? What if he punished him?
It's impossible to kill him. If I wanted to kill him, I shouldn't have brought him back yesterday. What would be the punishment then? No pocket money for him? Punish him to copy books?
Thinking of this, the Fifth Prince felt aggrieved again, and tears began to fall from his eyes.
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