Mo Yunjing strode away from Tingyuxuan and headed straight for the palace gate with his men. On the way, he sent someone to tell Mo Yanye about Shen Muqing's good deeds.
No wonder I felt uneasy last night. Ah He, I hope you won't let me down.
The entire Eastern Palace was filled with fear. It was fine for the Crown Princess to go out, but it would be a big problem if the Consort went out.
Upon seeing Mo Yunjing, the gatekeeper greeted him, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Open the door and bring me a horse."
"yes."
Mo Yunjing mounted his horse and galloped quickly toward the city gate, not wasting a single second. He knew Song Jinhe's personality all too well; she would definitely run away at this opportunity.
A large group of people rode swiftly through the capital, and the common people, thinking something had happened, whispered among themselves in discussion.
Shen Muqing had just come out of the inn when she slapped her forehead, realizing she had overslept and didn't know where Ahe was.
When asked, the waiter only said that the girl had gone out early in the morning and hadn't returned.
A bad thought took root in her mind: Could it be that Ahe had run away? Why didn't she take her with her? If she returned to the palace, she would definitely wake her up, so there was only one possibility.
Shen Muqing was in a complete mess. What should she do now?
She hurried back to the palace gate, deciding to get back to the palace first, but just as she was about to go in, she saw Mo Yanye come out with a dark face, leading a large group of guards in a grand manner.
"Greetings, Fifth Prince."
Mo Yanye didn't even glance at them before stepping out and saying to the people behind him, "Search the entire city. Don't come back if you can't find the Crown Princess."
"yes."
Mo Yanye was just about to go to the military camp to check on the soldiers' training when he received a message from Mo Yunjing's personal guard that Shen Muqing had escaped, using his black jade to leave the palace.
His eyes were cold; it seemed he had been too good to her, which had emboldened her.
Shen Muqing felt a chill on the back of her neck. Should she go back directly or take this opportunity to escape the capital like Song Jinhe?
At this moment, she was more than ten meters away from Mo Yanye. She had only one thought: if he caught her, she might never see the sun rise again. She turned around and ran.
Little did she know that her actions were quite abrupt at the door. Mo Yanye, who was over eight feet tall, stood out from the crowd. He was the only one walking against the flow of people, and his gaze immediately locked onto Shen Muqing's petite figure in the crowd.
Without much thought, Mo Yanye took off after her. Shen Muqing weaved through the alley and stopped, panting. There was no way anyone could find her in such a secluded place.
Before she could rest for even a few minutes, a voice that sounded like it came from hell rang out behind her, "Qingqing."
Shen Muqing paused, her mind blank. She slowly turned her head and forced a smile. "What a coincidence."
"Heh." Mo Yanye stood in the alleyway's exit, blocking out all the light, leaving Shen Muqing in his shadow.
"Come back with me."
"Would you believe me if I said I was just out having fun?"
Shen Muqing said weakly, tilting her head up to look him in the eye sincerely, "I was just about to go back."
"Then why did you run away just now?" Mo Yanye asked, his face showing an enigmatic smile against the light.
"Subconscious bodily reactions."
"Let's go back."
"good."
A carriage was already waiting outside the alley. Shen Muqing got on with a nervous heart. The carriage was spacious, but it seemed crowded as soon as Mo Yanye entered.
"Where's the jade pendant?"
Mo Yanye took out some exquisite pastries from a hidden compartment and placed them in front of Shen Muqing, gesturing for her to eat.
Shen Muqing was indeed a little hungry. He grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, while his other hand groped in his clothes for a long time but couldn't find it.
"It fell." She ate a little too quickly, and Mo Yanye handed her a cup of tea.
She observed Mo Yanye's expression, unable to discern whether it was good or bad; the jade pendant was indeed not on her.
"Um."
Huh? What does "huh" mean? Shen Muqing didn't understand and waited for him to continue, but then he didn't say anything more.
The two remained silent until they reached Tingyu Pavilion, where Mo Yanye escorted her inside and then left.
Upon seeing her young mistress, Zhu Qiu exclaimed as if she had seen a savior, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess, you're finally back!"
"You have no idea how furious the Crown Prince was this morning."
"Who cares? Zhuqiu wants to take a bath."
Shen Muqing was very tired and had no strength left to speak. All she wanted to do now was lie in bed and rest.
Song Jinhe had been walking for an hour and a half to cover the thirty li outside the capital. She had been walking fast and had tripped over pebbles a few times, but she was used to it.
Back when I used to go up the mountain to collect herbs in the village, the road was much more difficult to travel than it is now.
Song Jinhe dared not stop, even though she was a little tired. She looked around and found that she was in a bamboo forest. According to the passerby she had just met, there was a small village beyond the bamboo forest where she could rest.
But she felt some tremors in the ground, as if caused by a fast horse. A bad thought arose in her mind: she couldn't be caught and taken back. If she was caught and taken back, she would have no chance to escape next time.
She ran into the nearby bamboo grove in a panic, using the dense bamboo to conceal herself.
Before long, a dozen fast horses galloped over, and just when she thought they would leave immediately, they suddenly stopped.
The one leading the group was Mo Yunjing. He stopped the horse by the reins. Judging by his pace, Ahe should be nearby. He spoke expressionlessly:
"Search the bamboo forest."
The dozen or so attendants who dismounted answered loudly, "Yes."
As the person drew closer, Song Jinhe trembled. Was she going to be taken back like this?
“Ahe, I know you’re nearby. As long as you come out obediently, I can pretend this never happened.”
Mo Yunjing's sharp gaze swept across the bamboo forest, his voice gentle. Those who knew him well knew this was a sign of impending anger. If His Highness the Crown Prince was truly as gentle and refined as people said, then he would not be able to hold onto his position as Crown Prince.
“Ahe, I don’t want to take action against the people of Yongle Village.”
Song Jinhe's calm expression cracked slightly. This man knew what she cared about and was deliberately using those very things to threaten her.
She didn't know how she got out of the bamboo forest, she only knew that she now hated Mo Yunjing to the core.
“Ahe, I knew you would always be kind.”
Mo Yunjing dismounted and strode towards Song Jinhe, pulling her into a tight embrace. Their bodies were pressed together, leaving no gap between them.
"Let's go back." Song Jinhe was exhausted. She looked at Mo Yunjing with disgust and hatred in her eyes.
"Ahe, I don't like you looking at me like that."
His voice trembled slightly. He didn't want things to be like this either. It was Ah He's fault for always wanting to escape from him. It didn't matter if he hated her, as long as she was by his side.
Mo Yunjing and Song Jinhe rode back to the capital together. As soon as they arrived at the East Palace, Mo Yunjing ordered the guards of Luoxia Pavilion to be strengthened and forbade Song Jinhe from going out. He made her stay obediently in Luoxia Pavilion.
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