get rid of
In a town a dozen miles away from Wu County, there was an inn. The inn was small, but it was a mixed bag of people, and most of those who stayed there were merchants and travelers from the north and south.
"Sir, your breakfast is ready." The waiter knocked on the door twice, but when there was no response, he put down his breakfast, gave a few careful instructions, and then turned to go downstairs.
A moment later, the door creaked open, and a dark hand reached out from the crack, took away the breakfast, and then closed the door again.
Breakfast consisted of hard, dry biscuits, a bowl of still-warm multigrain porridge, and an egg. Mei Sheng held the bowl in both hands, trying to feel the remaining warmth and hoping it would make her feel better.
The winter wind was biting, and the blankets in the inn were thin, so she didn't sleep well.
He had been lingering in bed for a while before coming out. After Mei Sheng finished eating a piece of bread and a mouthful of warm porridge, he rubbed his hands together and took out a thin piece of paper from his bundle.
He took a short piece of charcoal from the dying embers of the brazier on the ground, pondered for a moment, and then lightly sketched it on a piece of paper. In no time, he had drawn the approximate route from Wu County to Anhe Town.
These road conditions roughly correspond to Mei Sheng's basic understanding of her movements over the past few months. Once she leaves Wu County, she will definitely go to the black market to buy a rough map to supplement it with more specific locations.
Anhe County is above Yanjing. Mei Sheng took a long time to travel from Yanjing to Wu County. Now, it will take at least half a month longer to travel from Wu County to Anhe County.
In front of the bronze mirror, she picked up a wooden hairpin from the small wooden table, used it to hold her hair in place, and then tucked her long hair into her hat to keep it secure.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, it was already mid-morning. Mei Sheng finished packing and then picked up her bundle, peering down several times before daring to go downstairs.
Upon reaching the first floor, there was a lot of noise and disturbance. One person, with an extremely loud voice, seemed to be drunk and shouted, "Do you know how I left the city last night?"
"The scene was amazing. People were lining up one after another, and when it was my turn, the inspection was incredibly thorough."
"What happened? Why are you all so nervous?" The other three or four people chimed in, their faces showing surprise and doubt.
The man, holding a wine jug, sneered, "I heard that a concubine from a wealthy family has gone missing, and they're looking for her. Tch, a little girl, and they're making such a fuss about it."
"Really? Which household could afford to do this for a concubine?"
At this point, the man looked around and muttered a few words in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, the group was greatly alarmed.
As Mei Sheng passed by, a man crawled out from the corner and waved at her: "Stone, why are you so slow today? You're acting like a girl."
The man, with a full beard and broad shoulders, exuded an imposing aura with just a casual glance.
Mei Sheng immediately stopped, her forehead clenched. Had this person not left yet?
Seeing the man staggering towards Mei Sheng, the distance between them closing rapidly, Mei Sheng couldn't help but panic. What if they were discovered...?
She turned her head, and just as she opened her mouth, she saw the man's eyes change. At that moment, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the door. The horses were very fast and hurried, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived. Several people surrounded the two people inside and rushed towards the second floor.
These people were in a hurry, and Mei Sheng didn't even get a good look at them before being jostled back a few steps. She was observant; although the ground was covered with dark coarse cloth, she could still see some bloodstains on it.
A sense of tension and fear gradually appeared on the faces of everyone in the inn.
Before the innkeeper could even step forward, he was so intimidated by this imposing manner that he stammered, "And you, esteemed guests, are...?"
These casually dressed men in black were incredibly arrogant. As soon as they entered, they barred the door shut, ignoring the innkeeper's words. They shouted twice to warn everyone: "Anyone who dares to step out of this door today, don't blame me for this knife in my hand."
The black-clad swordsman who spoke trembled, and the thick blade fell onto the wooden table in front of Mei Sheng. Mei Sheng was startled. No matter how sturdy the table was, it could not withstand the force, and the table almost cracked.
Perhaps it was this sharp, immediate impact that suppressed the thoughts of the various people on the first floor, most of whom only dared to lower their heads and not cause trouble.
"Everyone, go stay over there."
As soon as the domineering words were spoken, the cowardly and afraid people all followed the swordsman's finger and went in that direction, but there were also barbarians walking on the road who loudly retorted.
"I've never been afraid of anyone, Stone, go!" The burly man not far away spat, rubbed his hands together, and charged forward with ruthless intent.
Mei Sheng's eyelids twitched. She turned aside to avoid the man, then quietly took a few steps back. Sure enough, the man was kicked to the ground and rolled into a corner, where he remained motionless for a long time, seemingly unconscious.
Mei Sheng paused slightly, and before the swordsman's gaze swept over her, she lowered her eyes and retreated until she had nowhere left to go.
The black-clad swordsman paced anxiously on the first floor. He was in a bad mood, and those of them who were confined were naturally not allowed to make a sound. Even after Mei Sheng's legs went numb from standing, there was still no movement from upstairs.
From noon to afternoon, a sound finally came from the second floor of the inn. A person came downstairs and said calmly, "Your master is no longer in danger."
After Bai Jiu finished speaking, having completed his mission, he should leave.
The swordsman hurried upstairs, and after a while, when he came down again, his expression had clearly calmed down. He frowned as he looked into the room, as if he was considering whether to keep these people or kill them.
Bai Jiu didn't stop walking. He looked at the old, weak, women and children in the house, and thought of his stupid apprentice. He added, "Your master is not well yet, so it's best to avoid killing."
The swordsman clearly respected this person; after hearing this, his expression relaxed, and he immediately said, "Get lost, get lost, get lost."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Jiu pushed open the door, and many people followed him out, including Mei Sheng. However, before Mei Sheng could take a few steps, someone called out to her: "You! Come here."
Mei Sheng had a strong sixth sense, and upon hearing this, she had no choice but to turn around reluctantly. The swordsman raised his head, pointed at the person in the corner, and said, "Take him away, he's in the way."
Mei Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly stepped forward, gripping the man's clothes tightly with both hands and starting to exert force. She thought to herself: I also feel unlucky.
Despite her efforts, she was still very slow. The couple who had been close to Mei Sheng earlier, seeing how thin she was, also came to help.
A short while later, the inn door closed again.
Mei Sheng moved away from the gate, squatted down on the outside, wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve, and after a few breaths, just as she was about to stand up, she heard a chilling voice behind her: "All done?"
At this moment, Mei Sheng's heart felt as if it were hanging on a knife's edge.
He is fine.
The sound drifted away and grew farther and farther away. Mei Sheng squatted down as she did so. Only when the man hurriedly pulled her back did Mei Sheng come to her senses and nod to the stranger couple to thank them.
"Young man, let's hurry up and leave. This is not a place to stay."
Mei Sheng nodded again, gesturing and fiddling with the objects a few times: Okay.
Seeing that Mei Sheng remained silent, the couple looked puzzled but said nothing. The man quickly brought over a small donkey cart and called his wife to get on. Seeing that Mei Sheng had no cart, they kindly invited her to get on as well.
The road was muddy and full of puddles. The donkey cart lurched and swayed, and seeing the woman about to fall, Mei Sheng instinctively reached out to help her. However, the woman was very stubborn and refused Mei Sheng's kindness, preferring to bruise her wrist rather than accept his offer.
Mei Sheng took a deep breath. She had almost forgotten that she was dressed as a man. In this era, the separation of men and women was more important than life itself.
Mei Sheng moved a little further away, then took out the box of ointment from her sleeve and handed it over, making a motion as if applying medicine. After thinking for a moment, she turned her hand slightly and handed it to the man driving in front.
The man politely accepted the gift, thanked him, and tucked it into his sleeve. Mei Sheng realized that he should wipe it when he got home.
The wind howled, and Mei Sheng couldn't help but think of what happened last night. After Pei Jue left last night, another group of people came to the Pei residence. She didn't know who they were, but Mei Sheng had changed rooms and had already changed into another set of clothes.
The bandits were vulgar and had terrifying appearances, but Mei Sheng couldn't remember who she had offended.
Mei Sheng wouldn't get too caught up in things she couldn't figure out, after all, her heart wasn't in them.
At this moment, all Mei Sheng wanted was to go home.
Perhaps it was fate that was on his side. After a thin bandit died, Mei Sheng found another identity document among the items on his body.
Although it's unclear whether it's true or not, since this person successfully entered the city, he must have been useful.
Taking advantage of the manor's weak defenses, Mei Sheng slipped out and found a secluded corner where she changed her appearance and attire. After living there for so many days, Mei Sheng had a general understanding of the streets of Wu County and where she could hide at night.
To feign silence, Mei Sheng endured the cold wind all night, and her voice became hoarse as she wished.
I remember when she was at home, she had this problem. When other people caught a cold, they would have a runny nose and feel dizzy, but every time, she would have a sore throat. If it got worse, she would lose her voice temporarily.
It seems that Mei Sheng's illness hasn't changed even though she's in a different place.
Unfortunately, Mei Sheng had just changed and came out of the alley when she ran into the man. The two talked, and taking advantage of the man's flustered state, Mei Sheng reacted cleverly and managed to leave the city safely.
Now, finally, I'm free from all of that.
Pei Mansion Gate
Inside the carriage, Ling Yu cried pitifully, "I don't know what I did wrong that Master wants to send me back."
Outside the carriage, Han Zhou cupped his hands and said, "This is the master's intention; the Crown Princess needs you more."
One sentence shattered all of Ling Yu's hopes.
"I understand."
Yanjing, the Crown Princess—she huddled tightly in a ball, a deep fear gripping her at the mere thought of those three words.
Thinking of the past, her memory flooded back, and in an instant, Mei Sheng's face overlapped with that of the Crown Princess.
They even look three times alike!
Mei Sheng was always gentle and kind to people. Even though Ling Yu had met her two or three times, she never made any connection between the two.
Pei Jue, is he still thinking about the Crown Princess?
Many years ago, when she was still a child, she saw the backs of the Zhou Prime Minister's eldest daughter and the Pei family's heir, who were the envy of everyone in Yanjing, walking hand in hand. They were such a perfect match.
Unfortunately, the Pei family suffered a great calamity and was stripped of their titles, while the eldest daughter of the Zhou family was betrothed to the Crown Prince by imperial decree and became the Crown Princess.
Since Pei Jue gained power, no one has mentioned the past between the two of them anymore.
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