Chapter 31 (Bonus Chapter) No matter what lies ahead, she...
Behind the bamboo grove of Fangjue Temple—
After changing her clothes, Yunzhu, panting, squeezed through the crowd by the koi pond and hurried down the mountain.
Her heart pounded with anxiety as she ran, constantly looking back, wondering when the guards of the Prince's Palace would catch up with her.
She didn't dare to stop for a moment until she saw Ah Yan waiting for her at the foot of the mountain, and only then did she finally have a chance to catch her breath.
"Ayan!" Yunzhu strode up to the back of the red-maned horse and said, "Quick! Let's go!"
Ayan glanced behind Yunzhu and nodded in unison with her.
"They'll realize something's wrong in half an hour at most. We absolutely must leave Yunzhou's territory within that half hour!" Yunzhu, lying on her horse, spurred it into a gallop without further ado.
Ayan followed closely behind her, firmly guarding her.
A gentle breeze from the mountain temple ruffled the tips of their hair.
Today's trip to Fangjue Temple was the safest escape that Yunzhu and Ayan had planned after discussing it for two whole days.
Xiao Mingzhang was now almost completely unguarded around her. After he left that day, Yunzhu spent a long time studying the map of Yunzhou in his study. Fangjue Temple was located in the eastern suburbs of Yunzhou City. Although it wasn't the best starting point for Yunzhu and Ayan's journey back to the Western Regions, it was the easiest route for them to escape.
Firstly, Fangjue Temple is located outside Yunzhou City. In any city, the defense outside the city and the defense inside the city are completely different.
Secondly, there is a large number of disaster victims now. Qingzhou is located to the east of Yunzhou City. From the east gate of Yunzhou, the road is full of disaster victims who have fled from Qingzhou and Jizhou. If they really can't escape in time, changing into the clothes of disaster victims and sneaking in quietly is also a good way.
Thirdly... there's Xiao Ming'an. Yunzhu needs to use Xiao Ming'an to cover for her, and Fangjue Temple is an excellent place for that.
"Let's go from Yunzhou to Luozhou first, and then detour back to the grassland from Luozhou."
This is Yunzhu's plan for her and Ayan's future.
Luozhou belongs neither to the Huan Prince's Mansion nor the Sui Prince's Mansion. It is a region governed solely by a governor appointed by the imperial court. Once in Luozhou, no matter how capable Xiao Mingzhang is, he cannot control everything.
Yunzhu had initially held a slight prejudice against Luozhou. Because Luozhou straddled Yunzhou and Jizhou, and was not under the jurisdiction of any prince, it was clearly a natural barrier set up by the emperor to prevent his two sons from colluding.
She once complained that the emperor was stingy because of this.
Unexpectedly, it was precisely because of his stinginess that she was given a chance to escape.
If Luozhou truly belongs to either King Huan or King Sui, then Yunzhu will likely have to find another way to leave today.
Ayan had no objections to Yunzhu's plans. When it came to studying and planning, her mind could never keep up with her princess. All she could be sure of now was that she had to follow the princess closely and protect her firmly.
The two sped along the mountain road outside the eastern suburbs of the city, barely exchanging a word to save time.
When they finally arrived at the border between Yunzhou and Luozhou, it took much less time than they had imagined.
With Luozhou's territory just ahead, Yunzhu rode her horse around and was finally able to turn back to take another look at the land of Yunzhou.
This is the border between Yunzhou and Luozhou, and it's also the farthest place she's ever been during her three years in Yunzhou.
What once seemed like an insurmountable barrier to her can now be easily crossed by her on horseback.
For a moment, Yunzhu was confused about what she had been doing in Yunzhou for the past three years.
Is it for the peace of the nation? Or for the genuine feelings that one thought one would have?
She was a princess from a foreign land sent for a political marriage. According to worldly norms, she and Xiao Mingzhang represented harmony between the two countries. Without the permission of the emperor of the Central Plains, she was absolutely forbidden from divorcing Xiao Mingzhang, and she was absolutely forbidden from leaving Yunzhou without authorization.
But Yunzhu didn't care about all that. She was a princess of the grasslands. When she got married, her mother told her that if she ever suffered any injustice, she should never hold back and should do whatever she wanted.
Yunzhu has always been very independent and does things her own way.
She thought that if she could marry someone she had never met for the sake of the people of the Western Regions, then she also believed that the people of the Western Regions must also hope that their princess could gain respect and happiness.
The Huan Prince's mansion can no longer give her what she wants, and even wants to kill her, so it is only natural for her to leave.
But Xiao Mingzhang...
Yunzhu still held a sliver of hope for Xiao Mingzhang from the past.
Xiao Mingzhang, whom she once trusted so much, whom she once longed for so much... She thought they would have a happy and harmonious life together...
Why did it take her so long to realize this? She placed all her hopes on Xiao Mingzhang, but in reality, Xiao Mingzhang would have been even better off without her...
"Princess!" Yunzhu had only lingered for a few more moments when Ayan couldn't help but urge her on.
Yunzhu immediately turned around, took the reins, and nodded to Ayan.
She and Ayan continued riding their horses towards the city of Luozhou ahead.
That was a place Yunzhu had never been before, just like Yunzhou back then; for her, it was a completely new and unknown beginning.
Unfortunately, Yunzhou did not give her a perfect ending in the end.
But it doesn't matter, no matter what the situation is in Luozhou, Yunzhu will continue on its path.
She will walk her own path; she will never, and absolutely never, entrust her life to someone else in vain.
No one is worth it for her to do that.
—
Xiao Ming'an returned to the palace in a daze, his youthful face streaked with tears.
Xiao Mingzhang received the message she sent back and had already returned from the government office. He was waiting at the Prince's Mansion. As soon as he saw Xiao Ming'an, he immediately asked, "What exactly happened? Weren't you going to Fangjue Temple today? Why did someone report that Yunzhu is missing?"
“Brother, brother…” Xiao Ming’an shook her head helplessly. She didn’t know, she didn’t know what was going on. She had only accompanied Yunzhu to the temple. She didn’t know why Yunzhu disappeared. She just disappeared like that.
"There was only her clothes in the temple's meditation room. Brother, I really didn't know she was leaving. I really didn't know..." Xiao Ming'an had already cried once on the way, and now, facing Xiao Mingzhang, he was filled with fear and anxiety.
Xiao Mingzhang stared silently at his younger sister, generally believing that she was unaware of the situation, but he was also completely baffled.
Why did Yunzhu run away secretly? Why did Yunzhu leave Yunzhou?
"Brother, do you think she will come back after leaving today? Or is it possible that she just went to relax in the counties below because she was having fun?" Xiao Ming'an was lost in thought. Ever since she learned about Yunzhu's disappearance, she had been unable to calm herself down.
Xiao Mingzhang's brows furrowed into a deep frown. While comforting Xiao Ming'an, he said, "Don't worry, think carefully about what Yunzhu has said and done to you today, no, these past few days!"
"What have we been doing these past few days...?" Following Xiao Mingzhang's guidance, Xiao Ming'an finally began to recall what he and Yunzhu had been doing these past few days.
"But besides distributing porridge, there really isn't anything else!" Xiao Ming'an thought and thought, but apart from distributing porridge, he really couldn't think of anything else that he and Yunzhu had done recently.
She murmured, "The only other person is her maternal grandfather. She said he is seriously ill and she is going to the temple to burn incense."
As Xiao Ming'an pondered, he suddenly said, "By the way, brother, could it be that she wants to go back to the grasslands to see her maternal grandfather because she's worried about him?"
Why did you leave without saying goodbye to them when you returned to the grasslands?
Xiao Mingzhang glanced at Xiao Ming'an, who then stammered, "Perhaps she's afraid we won't agree to her leaving?"
No, that's impossible.
Although Xiao Mingzhang didn't speak, he immediately rejected Xiao Ming'an's guess in his heart.
He knew that Yunzhu was not that kind of person.
Why did she disappear without any apparent reason?
Suddenly, Xiao Mingzhang thought of the night of Yunzhu's birthday.
That night, he returned to the palace, bringing back the flower crown she had longed for most. However, Yunzhu was not happy at all, and even became quite distant from him...
Could it be that she actually overheard their conversation in the government office study that day?
Xiao Mingzhang's pupils shrank instantly. Without thinking twice, he summoned all the guards who had accompanied Yunzhu that day and questioned them about Yunzhu's situation that day.
It's all his fault. He's been too busy lately, so busy that he hasn't had time to keep track of what Yunzhu is doing every day. He usually checks Yunzhu's correspondence with the Western Regions secretly, but he's been busy with the disaster relief efforts lately, so he hasn't been able to read Yunzhu's letters much. He doesn't know if the excuse she gave Xiao Ming'an is true or not...
The guards received Xiao Mingzhang's questioning and recounted the events of that day to him one by one.
Upon hearing the guards confirm that the Crown Princess had indeed visited the government office that day, Xiao Mingzhang's thoughts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
He fell into an abyss without warning.
Yunzhu heard it.
Yunzhu must have heard their conversation at the government office that day.
She heard them say they wanted to kill her, heard his hesitation and uncertainty... so she left, wounded and scarred.
Xiao Mingzhang was almost certain of it.
"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Xiao Ming'an asked anxiously, seeing Xiao Mingzhang lost in thought again. "What do we do now? Where should we send people to search? I already ordered people to block all the official roads below when I was on the mountain, but it seems too late. They may have already left Yunzhou..."
Her small mouth, though seemingly delicate, could become quite talkative once she started muttering.
Xiao Mingzhang's face darkened, and he didn't reply to her again.
Xiao Ming'an talked on and on until his throat was dry. He glanced at his older brother and realized that his brother hadn't listened to a single word he said.
"Brother!" Xiao Ming'an shouted.
"..." Xiao Mingzhang then glanced at her. Just as he was about to speak, he saw someone striding towards them from the gate of the Prince's Mansion not far away.
The imposing figure clad in silver armor was none other than his and Xiao Ming'an's father, Prince Huan, Xiao Shao.
Xiao Shao walked straight up to Xiao Mingzhang and his sister without pausing. Seeing their expressions, he was absolutely certain of his guess about them.
Xiao Shao said, "I already know about the matter of that woman from the Western Regions. I think you don't need to rush. Since she wants to leave, isn't that perfect? It gives us an opportunity to announce to the public that she has passed away from illness?"
He looked meaningfully at his two children, especially Xiao Mingzhang, and said, "In my opinion, this is the best opportunity possible. We don't need to look for her anymore."
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Author's Note: Here it comes! I originally planned to post this in the morning, but I fell asleep while writing last night, and I just couldn't stay awake during the day, so I took a nap and this chapter is now taking forever! I'm so sorry! This chapter is an extra update, and there will be a regular update tonight as usual. [Let me see...]
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