Chapter 49. And he actually fell for her trick!
Gu Zhan turned his head to the side and met the woman's pleading eyes.
Her illness was not completely cured. Her fever had finally subsided in the last two days, but her face was still pale. She sat obediently beside him. Even though she had been eating and taking her medicine well under his care in the last two days, her body was still as thin as a sheet of Xuan paper.
Seeing that she seemed to be refusing, she loosened her grip on his sleeve, lowered her eyes, and said, "It is my request that is too much..."
Her eyelashes were still trembling, and her tone was somewhat disappointed.
Gu Zhan's heart skipped a beat, and the words of refusal stuck in his throat.
He took her hand in his own with one hand, and wrapped his other arm around her waist, gesturing for her to move closer to him, saying, "I won't refuse you."
The woman paused for a moment before looking up at him in astonishment, as if trying to ascertain the truth of his words.
Gu Zhan cupped her hands in his, leaned down and breathed warm air into her palms. "Why are your hands so cold? Wear more clothes when you go out tonight, okay?"
Shen Mi never expected Gu Zhan to agree so easily. She had prepared many gentle words to try to persuade him, but before she could even think about it, Gu Zhan agreed. She was momentarily stunned.
After a long pause, she finally said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Gu Zhan gently squeezed her fingers and added, "Just one thing: you're not allowed to run around. Stay close to me."
Then he heard the woman reply softly, "I've remembered it."
With Gu Zhan agreeing to the temple fair, the next important thing for Chen Mi was obtaining her travel permit and household registration documents. Even though Runzhou was holding a temple fair for the next two days, with markets open at night and city gate checks being lenient, once she left Runzhou and headed north, she would still have to pass through Yangzhou, Yingtian, Xuzhou, and other places before reaching Jizhou, the fiefdom of the King of Wei. There would be no shortage of checks along the way, and without these two documents, she would be unable to move an inch.
So after returning to Huaxi Lane, Shen Mi said to Gu Zhan, "Your Highness will be setting off back to Bianjing tomorrow. I still have some chores to settle at home, such as this vegetable garden where vegetables are still growing, and the unused ingredients and seasonings in the kitchen. I have to clean them all up, either to throw them away or to give them to the neighbors. I can't let them spoil in the house."
She thought that Gu Zhan had enjoyed the most exquisite offerings from the imperial family for the first twenty-odd years of his life, and would definitely not be able to endure such rough work. But to her surprise, Gu Zhan did not let go of her hand, but instead said, "It's alright, I will stay with Zhi Niang."
Shen Mi knew that this man had not completely let down his guard against her, but she had hidden the travel permit and household registration documents in the rice jar in the kitchen and could not take them out in front of Gu Zhan. Just as she was thinking of a plan to deal with Gu Zhan, the little tabby cat she had previously adopted climbed into the kitchen from its den in the yard.
With a worried look on her face, she looked at Gu Zhan and said, "And that little tabby cat. I took it in because I felt sorry for it. Now that I have returned to Bianjing with Your Highness, I am afraid that it will be left unattended and wandering in the wild again. I have to take it out and give it to Sister Xu next door."
She knew that Gu Zhan didn't like the tabby cat she had adopted, because he was very disgusted by the cat hair on his body. If she hadn't pleaded with him beforehand, the tabby cat would probably have been kicked out of the house by him.
Gu Zhan frowned and released her hand as expected. "Alright, go and hug it. I'll wait for you outside the door."
Shen Mi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not show it on her face. She bowed to Gu Zhan and turned to enter the kitchen.
She didn't have much time left, so she pretended to call out to Little Tabby in the kitchen while moving to the rice bin.
The rice jar was in the corner of the kitchen, not visible from the outside. Shen Mi seized the opportunity, gently lifted the lid of the rice jar, and took out the travel permit and household registration documents that she had hidden a few days ago. Fortunately, the two items were not large, and she quickly stuffed them into the inner pocket of her clothes, closed the lid of the rice jar, picked up the little tabby cat rubbing against her ankle from her feet, and left the kitchen.
Gu Zhan stood outside the door and saw her holding the little tabby cat in her arms. His brows furrowed even more. He took two steps to the side and then followed her out the door.
Two days ago, after being persuaded by Gu Zhan, Madam Xu was safely escorted back from Suzhou by Gu Zhan's men and is still living next door.
She was holding the cat when Yang Qing knocked on Xu Niangzi's door and soon heard the woman's hurried footsteps.
When Madam Xu opened the door, she saw Shen Mi standing outside. She was about to greet her, but when she saw Gu Zhan with a gloomy face behind her, she swallowed back all the words she wanted to say.
This was the first time she had seen Shen Mi since she returned, and Shen Mi looked thinner than before.
Sometimes, a bitter smell of medicine would waft over from the neighboring yard, and she guessed that Shen Mi was sick. She had made some nourishing soup to send to Shen Mi, but the person guarding outside Shen Mi's house politely declined her offer to come back.
She remembered what Shen Mi had told her before, that she had offended someone she couldn't afford to offend, and that was why she had asked her to take Yao'er to Hangzhou to avoid trouble. Later, she was inexplicably stopped in Suzhou, and a few days later she was sent back by a group of people. On the day she returned, she bumped into Qian, the prefect of Runzhou, at the gate.
Prefect Qian repeatedly told her to suppress her curiosity and not to inquire about the man in Shen Mi's courtyard. She kept this in mind and, apart from that one time when she went to deliver soup, she never dared to go there again.
Seeing Shen Mi now, she was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
Shen Mi handed the kitten to Madam Xu and said, "Sister Xu, I will be leaving Runzhou and returning to Bianjing tomorrow. I may not be able to take care of this kitten. You are the person I trust the most in Huaxi Lane, so I entrust it to you."
Yao-jie followed Madam Xu out and immediately spotted the little tabby cat in Madam Xu's arms. She laughed heartily, "It's a kitten!"
When she got close enough, she saw Shen Mi and called out in a clear, bright voice, "Mother!"
Even though Gu Zhan now knows that the little girl is not Shen Mi and Su Xingjian's illegitimate daughter, he still feels somewhat uncomfortable when he hears her call Shen Mi "mother," and his face grows darker.
Although Shen Mi did not turn around, she sensed the emotions of the person behind her. Looking at Madam Xu, she shook her head apologetically.
Madam Xu understood, squatted down and covered Yao'er's mouth, put the little tabby cat back in her own yard, and sent Yao'er away first.
As they parted, she realized she had so much to say to Shen Mi, but she didn't know where to begin. They looked at each other in silence for a long time before she finally said, "Have a safe journey and take good care of yourself."
Shen Mi choked up for a moment, then thanked Madam Xu.
Only after the door closed in front of her did she turn around, feeling somewhat lost.
Gu Zhan noticed the woman's slightly lowered eyes and asked, "Are you unhappy about returning to Bianjing with me?"
Shen Mi dared not tell the truth, but she did not want to go against her conscience, so she changed the subject, saying, "I have lived here for four years, and I am a little reluctant to leave."
Seeing that she was in low spirits, Gu Zhan wanted to take her hand, but the woman withdrew her hand the moment he was about to touch it.
Shen Mi looked up at Gu Zhan and said, "My hands and clothes are covered in cat hair. Your Highness may not like it. I will serve Your Highness again after I go back and change my clothes."
Gu Zhan noticed the cat hair on her sleeve, hummed in response, and said nothing more.
After returning home, Shen Mi used the excuse of changing clothes to move the travel permit and household registration documents that she had hastily hidden in her bosom to a more concealed place, so that even if Gu Zhan hugged or held her, he would not find the two pieces of paper.
But while travel permits and household registration documents were important, gold and silver valuables were equally important. However, since she was taking advantage of the crowds at the temple fair to escape, she couldn't carry money directly, as that would make her too conspicuous. Thinking of this, after changing her clothes, Shen Mi sat in front of her dressing table and began to do her makeup in front of the bronze mirror.
Gu Zhan stood behind her, raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked, "Why are you in the mood for all this today?"
Shen Mi paused in her action of taking out the rouge, but replied without changing her expression, "It is said that women dress up for those who appreciate them. This is my first time going to a temple fair with Your Highness, and I also want to dress up brightly to cover up my illness."
After she finished speaking, she seemed to be dabbing at the rouge with her fingertips, but in reality, she was using the mirror to peek at Zhan's expression.
Seeing Gu Zhan's seemingly pleased expression and the slight curve of his lips, her heart finally calmed down.
Unexpectedly, the person behind her leaned forward again, half-encircling her from behind, placing his hands on the table in front of her, looking at the gold jewelry she had displayed, and clicked his tongue softly, "Don't wear these gold jewelry."
Shen Mi glanced at the gold ornaments in front of her dressing case. They were all bought for her by Gu Zhan after he came to Runzhou. They were of excellent quality and exquisite craftsmanship, and they did not have any official marks. If she were to pawn or sell them later, they would be easy to get cash and would not easily cause trouble. That's why she took out these gold hairpins. However, she did not expect Gu Zhan to reject her first.
She couldn't help but feel nervous. Had Gu Zhan discovered her little secret?
Shen Mi barely managed to control her emotions and said, "These were all gifts from Your Highness, and I thought I shouldn't let Your Highness's kindness go to waste."
Gu Zhan picked up one of the gold hairpins, compared it to her hair, and whispered in her ear, "It's too bright and doesn't match your clothes today. I don't like it."
Shen Mi lowered her head and realized that she was wearing a lotus-root colored jacket with a light blue undershirt, which was indeed not suitable for wearing gold jewelry.
Gu Zhan casually took a jade hairpin from her dressing case and pushed it in front of her, saying, "This jade hairpin is very suitable."
Shen Mi looked at the jade hairpin, the one she wore when she escaped from Bianjing. It had the official kiln mark on it, so she hadn't worn it much since coming to Runzhou. It was locked away in the innermost part of her dressing case, and she had almost forgotten about it. She didn't know when Gu Zhan had found it in the innermost part of her dressing case.
With an official seal, it's difficult to sell. Unless you find some shady shops and let them drive down the price, there might be a chance of selling it. After all, selling official artifacts privately is a serious crime in the current dynasty. Even those who run pawn shops don't dare to break this taboo. Jade is not like gold and silver. Gold and silver can be melted down and made into other things, but once jade is damaged, its value is far less than that of a whole piece, and it's even more difficult to pawn it for money.
But since Gu Zhan had made such a request, she couldn't refuse. Moreover, his reason was too justifiable. If she insisted on refusing, it might cause more trouble. So she could only agree to Gu Zhan's request and think about whether she had any earrings or other items without an official seal, but she couldn't find any.
Well, she could only take it one step at a time. Escaping Gu Zhan's sight was more important. She could find another way to get the money. She remembered that there were ornaments for sale when she went to the temple fair in previous years. She could coax Gu Zhan to buy one then.
Seeing that she obediently put away the gold jewelry and only put on a simple jade hairpin as he asked, Gu Zhan was even more pleased. He couldn't help but gently kiss her earlobe.
A shiver ran down Shen Mi's back, but she didn't dare to flinch.
As autumn approached, the colors darkened early, and it got dark soon after Shen Mi finished dressing.
When Shen Mi went out, she saw a large group of people following Yang Qing behind her and felt a little scared.
With so many people around, how is she going to get away?
So she took Gu Zhan's hand and pretended to be shy. "Since Your Highness has agreed to spend one night as a normal husband and wife, it's quite uncomfortable with so many people following us." She recalled that when she was in the Eastern Palace, she had tried to escape with the same excuse, and added, "I know Your Highness is worried about my safety, but I have Your Highness protecting me, so nothing will happen. If it really doesn't work, could you ask them to follow me further away? I don't really want my private conversations to be overheard by men." After she finished speaking, she lowered her eyes, looking completely troubled.
Gu Zhan saw the woman's rosy lips and slightly flushed ears, and chuckled softly, "Zhi Niang has become much more obedient lately."
Shen Mi didn't know what he meant, so she could only go along with him and say, "These days, Your Highness has been very considerate to me, and I have come to understand."
Gu Zhan wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's good that you've figured it out. You should continue to be obedient like this from now on."
Shen Mi responded softly.
Gu Zhan waved his hand, signaling Yang Qing to lead his men to follow further away.
The temple fair was bustling with people, almost shoulder to shoulder. Gu Zhan held her tightly in his arms the whole time, their bodies pressed close together through their thin clothes, and he was unwilling to let go of her even a little.
At this moment, Shen Mi couldn't help but feel fortunate. Fortunately, Cuiwei was someone who loved to join in the fun. A few years ago, she always pestered her to go to the temple fair, which is how she became familiar with the layout of the temple fair. So she pretended to casually lead Gu Zhan towards the city gate. Afraid that he would notice, she would sometimes deliberately take a detour of two streets. After all, she had lived in Runzhou City for four years. Gu Zhan was no more familiar with which alley led directly to the main street and how to turn to get to the city gate than she was.
However, the jewelry stalls at this year's temple fair seemed to have changed locations from their usual spots. She searched several streets but couldn't find them, and she started to get anxious.
This is a time when there are many people. Once you run away, you can quickly avoid them while the crowd is dense. After a while, when the crowd thins out, you will be a more obvious target when you escape.
Gu Zhan suddenly whispered in her ear, "Zhi Niang is walking a little fast."
Shen Mi's breath hitched, and she made up a story: "I do remember there was an interesting stall at the temple fair, and I wanted to take Your Highness to see it, but it seems we're lost, so I'm a little anxious."
Her heart pounded after she finished speaking. She didn't dare look at Gu Zhan, nor did she know if he believed her. She only heard him ask, "What kind of stall?"
"It's a secret for now. His Highness will find out when we arrive." After saying that, she suppressed her inner panic, raised her face, and smiled at Gu Zhan with her eyes crinkling.
Seeing that Gu Zhan's expression was normal, she turned her gaze back and looked around for some unique stalls.
Fortunately, after walking a few steps forward, she found a place.
The stall was run by an old man, and various small gold beads were displayed on the stall. The workmanship was quite exquisite. On the other side was a red rope, which looked like it was used to string the gold beads together.
Shen Mi pulled Gu Zhan to stop in front of the stall and said, "You can find the exact same gold beads here. Just string them together with a red thread and wear them on your wrist. This will symbolize your love and grow old together."
Hearing her say that, Gu Zhan became interested and softly said, "Oh?"
The old man was a shrewd businessman. He knew that the young woman in front of him wanted to coax her husband into buying this thing for her. He was more than happy to make money, so he went along with her and said, "That's right. This red thread with gold beads has always been the most popular item among lovers at temple fairs. Why don't you buy one for your wife, sir?"
He didn't care about two gold beads, and simply said, "Zhi Niang, please choose."
Then he watched as the woman carefully picked through a pile of gold beads, finally selecting two identical beads, each the size of a fingernail, with patterns resembling twin lotus blossoms. She presented them to him, smiling as she looked up at him, "How about these two?"
Gu Zhan didn't like wearing jewelry, but since Shen Mi had chosen it, and he wasn't short of money, he casually took out a piece of gold from his pouch, which was much heavier than the two hollow gold beads, and tossed it to his father-in-law.
The old man happily accepted it, saying auspicious words as he did so.
Shen Mi took a red string from the side, strung one of the gold beads on it, and handed it to Gu Zhan, changing her words, "This concubine will put it on for my lord."
Gu Zhan looked at her expectant eyes, stretched out his wrist, and let her put the red string with gold beads on his wrist. Then he took her wrist and tied another bead on her wrist.
He'll only wear it for a couple of days; he'll have to take it off when he goes to court in Bianjing. Otherwise, how could the Crown Prince wear such a stingy ornament? Right now, he's just trying to appease Shen Mi.
Shen Mi composed herself, still pondering in her mind.
Before leaving home today, she took the opportunity while changing her clothes to tell Cuiwei that Gu Zhan would definitely bring many guards before leaving with her that night, and there wouldn't be many people at home. She told Cuiwei to take the opportunity to leave first, gave Cuiwei some money, and arranged to meet her in Yingtian later.
She now has her travel permit and household registration certificate. The gold beads she tricked Gu Zhan into buying were civilian-made gold ornaments. After she escapes, she can easily exchange them for money at any pawnshop. Although it won't be a lot, gold is expensive, and it will be enough to support her journey from Runzhou to Jizhou.
The only thing lacking now is an opportunity to escape.
After walking for a short while, she spotted a sugar figurine stall, tugged at Gu Zhan's sleeve, and pointed in that direction.
Gu Zhan understood what she meant and asked, "Want it?"
Shen Mi nodded.
Gu Zhan did not refuse, and looked at Shen Mi's gentle eyebrows and eyes, and smiled.
This woman is far too easy to fool. All he needs to do is spend some money and say a few sweet words to appease her, and she will obediently go back with him.
He accompanied Shen Mi to the stall, watched as she pointed to a rabbit-shaped sugar figurine, and paid for it without saying a word.
Before long, the sugar figurine was finished. Shen Mi took it, held it in her hand, and gently turned the bamboo stick.
In truth, she didn't want to act coquettishly, but she knew that Gu Zhan liked her this way, so it wouldn't hurt to put on an act.
Not long after she got the sugar figurine, Shen Mi suddenly threw it away.
Gu Zhan saw the sugar figurine on the ground, turned his head to look at Shen Mi, and saw that the woman's face was pale and she looked terrified.
He frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Mi pursed her lips. "There was a bug just now, which gave me quite a fright. It's just a pity about this sugar figurine, which I had just gotten my hands on."
Gu Zhan didn't care about any of that. He patted her on the back and said, "It's alright, we can just buy another one."
Shen Mi took a deep breath and followed him toward the candy stall.
She didn't get too close to Gu Zhan. When Gu Zhan paid, she seized the opportunity, pretending to be bumped by a passerby, to move away from Gu Zhan, and then quickly darted into the crowd.
The temple fair was packed with people, and her figure was not very noticeable. Once she squeezed into the crowd, she quickly disappeared from sight.
She was very familiar with the streets and alleys of Runzhou City. After turning two corners, she was completely out of Gu Zhan's sight.
She used the few copper coins from her sleeve to buy a veiled hat, put it on her hair, and headed towards the city gate.
While large crowds can indeed make things confusing, there's a downside: long queues of people waiting to have their travel permits checked when leaving the city.
Shen Mi clutched the guide in her hand tightly, constantly tiptoeing and looking ahead, wondering when it would be her turn.
She didn't have much time. She estimated that Gu Zhan would notice she was missing shortly after she left, and she had to leave the city before his men caught up with her.
She dared not imagine how furious Gu Zhanru would be if he discovered that she had been feigning affection for him all these days.
Therefore, she absolutely cannot afford to fail again this time.
However, a dispute seemed to have broken out ahead, with someone arguing with the officers and soldiers conducting the inspection, causing the procession to stall. Shen Mi was extremely anxious about this.
Fortunately, the conflict at the front was resolved smoothly, and there was still no unusual activity at the city gate. Soon it was Shen Mi's turn.
The officers checking her took the slightly crumpled travel permit from her hand, stared at her for a moment, and said, "Put your hat up."
Shen Mi did as she was told. The soldiers looked at her face and the portrait on the travel permit again and again, and after confirming that the official seal on it was correct, they impatiently urged her to hurry up and not delay the people behind her.
Shen Mi accepted her travel permit and household registration documents, thanked the soldiers, and hurriedly left the city.
Although the most convenient way to reach the fiefdom of the King of Wei was to go through Yangzhou to Yingtian and then to Jizhou, Shen Mi did not do so.
She chose to take a side path around the village, heading directly north to cross the river to Yingtian, bypassing Yangzhou.
Once Gu Zhan discovers she's missing, given his suspicious nature, he'll definitely suspect she went to Yangzhou and is hiding behind Su Xingjian. Going to Yangzhou would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den; not only would Gu Zhan's men find her quickly, but it would also implicate Su Xingjian. And she already kept this trip a secret from Su Xingjian; she can't let her few friends get involved.
On the other side, Gu Zhan took out some money and put it on the candy stall. He reached out his hand but didn't find the familiar hand. When he turned around, the woman beside him had already disappeared.
Beside me was a bustling crowd, all crammed together, a sea of heads stretching as far as the eye could see.
When Gu Zhan saw the red string with gold beads tied to his wrist, he instantly understood everything.
She has never liked gold jewelry, but today she is unusually wearing a gold hairpin and buying gold beads. Isn't this a sign that she is planning to escape?
All that talk about being docile and obedient was just a way to deceive him!
And he actually fell for her trick!
He prided himself on his deep cunning and shrewdness, but he never expected to be fooled by Shen Mi right under his nose. Anger surged to his head, and he couldn't tell whether it was because he had given his heart to the wrong person or because he had been fooled.
Since he doesn't learn his lesson, once he catches him again, he'll definitely teach Shen Mi a lesson she'll learn.
He didn't take the finished sugar figurine, but instead called Yang Qing over: "Go find Qian Zhen and tell him to immediately take people to all the city gates of Runzhou to check who was allowed to pass today. Pay special attention to women dressed in green, and once found, bring them back immediately."
Yang Qing accepted the order and instructed his men to carry it out.
Gu Zhan tried to remove the red string from his wrist, but he couldn't figure out how Shen Mi had tied it and couldn't remove it. So he ignored it and said to Yang Qing, "Take the men out of the city."
Yang Qing was unsure of Gu Zhan's meaning. "Are you going to Yangzhou?"
Gu Zhan snorted coldly: "She will not go to Yangzhou."
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