Chapter 275 The Plan to Escape
Mu Xi coldly replied, "If it were Shen Pingting who strongly opposed it, would your uncle still be so cautious and methodical?"
“Of course.” Shen Lun replied without hesitation. “If you’re worried about the fact that we were promised to Pingting beforehand, then there’s no need to worry. I was careless before, but in retrospect, given Pingting’s arrogant nature, she might not be a good match for that military governor. As for you, because of your status, if you marry that military governor and have a child, you can leave Yansheng and go to his hometown in Jiuyou. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Mu Xi was too exhausted to argue any further: "I cannot agree with what my uncle thinks is 'good'. Even if I never marry in this life, I will never agree to marry some Nine Gardens Military Commissioner. Even if I die, let me die with my identity as the Prince of Jin Fang. Don't even think that I will obey."
"You're threatening me with death?" Shen Lun's expression suddenly changed, but he remained unmoved. "You are currently just Shen Zhixi, the unmarried second young lady of the Marquis's mansion. You have nothing else. Even if you die, it won't be so easy."
Mu Xi shuddered, unsure whether it was anger or helplessness.
If she was somewhat prepared to be imprisoned or even used by Shen Lun, she never imagined that she would be used like this. But now she has walked right into his trap, what else can she do?
Shen Lun showed no mercy and gave a final warning: "I've said everything I needed to say. As long as you behave, your uncle will not mistreat you and will give you a grand wedding. As for those inappropriate thoughts you had before because you got used to dressing as a man, just put them away."
Mu Xi was speechless.
Shen Lun didn't wait for Mu Xi's reply and directly served tea to see the guest out.
Mu Xi left the study in a daze. Cao Pan'er, who had accompanied her outside, was startled when she saw that Mu Xi's expression was not right: "Young Master, what's wrong with you?"
Without saying a word, Mu Xi dragged her extremely heavy steps back to the courtyard.
Once inside the room, she threw herself onto the bed, waved to dismiss the three women, including Granny Yan, who had followed her in, and then grabbed Cao Pan'er's wrist: "We must leave immediately."
"What happened?" Cao Pan'er sensed the gravity of the matter and unconsciously lowered her voice, kneeling down in front of Mu Xi.
Mu Xi briefly recounted her conversation with Shen Lun in the study to Cao Pan'er.
Upon hearing this, Cao Pan'er was also greatly shocked: "Would Lord Shen really force the young master? After all, the young master is not..."
“It is now too.” Mu Xi knew what Cao Pan’er was going to say. “After all, if everyone really thought that ‘Prince Jin Fang’ was dead, then the only one who would survive would be Shen Zhixi.”
Cao Pan frowned: "This servant still doesn't understand. How can the young master's status lead to his sudden death? The so-called 'see him alive or dead' is just empty talk. Who would believe it?"
"Believe it or not, the identity of the heir apparent isn't the main issue. Although I didn't ask in detail at the time, the most this Marquis Shen could do was find an unknown corpse, arrange for it to be placed somewhere and labeled 'Heir Apparent Jin Fang,' and thus pronounce him dead. He did this not primarily to deal with me, but mainly to collude with Mu Heng." Mu Xi had been thrown into a daze by the news of the marriage in the study and hadn't had time to think it through. Now that he had told Cao Pan'er about it again, some things were gradually becoming clearer to him.
Cao Pan'er nodded, but also hesitated: "If what you say is true, then we really can't stay in this mansion any longer. However, marriage is not something that can be decided overnight, so there's no need for you to rush. You should plan carefully. After all, I heard a couple of days ago that the city of Moyang is under lockdown due to the impending war. Even if you leave this mansion now, it might not be easy for you to find the Second Young Master."
"We can't wait." Mu Xi had only thought about this one thing on her way back to the courtyard. "In the heat of the moment in the study, I spoke recklessly and threatened to kill myself. With Lord Shen's wisdom and shrewdness, he will not only be concerned about my escape but also about my suicide attempt. It will be much more difficult to leave then."
“But now…” Cao Pan’er glanced out the window.
It was not yet noon, but the sky was already bright. How could they escape?
"Let's take a gamble." As soon as Mu Xi returned to the courtyard and saw Granny Yan and the other two, she made up her mind. "Now we can only gamble that Lord Shen will not be on guard against me so quickly, and that he will not expect that I can escape overnight without hesitation."
Cao Pan'er naturally didn't understand, but she still expressed her determination: "Since Your Highness has made a decision, this servant has nothing to say and will simply follow Your Highness's lead."
Mu Xi nodded, then instructed, "What about the men's clothing we put away earlier? Change into it tonight. You should pack some light and valuable clothes in advance and keep them close to your body. We'll still need the cooperation of Granny Yan and the other two for this matter. I'll make the arrangements later."
"Yes," Cao Pan'er agreed and withdrew.
The two split up to prepare.
Mu Xi summoned Granny Yan and the other two, and bluntly explained the situation and her plans all at once.
The three of them had been serving Mu Xi during this time, which meant they had regained their "normal status" and were no longer as restrained as before. They could even move around inside and outside the mansion without having to hide, and their lives were getting better and better.
Everyone was shocked to hear that Mu Xi wanted to run away from the arranged marriage.
Mu Xi didn't explain, but asked for help again after the three of them calmed down.
She asked the three men to help cover for her.
During the years when the three of them lived in seclusion in Yunding Temple, Chaolu was assigned by Shen Lun to impersonate Shen Zhixi because her figure was somewhat similar to Muxi's.
Now, Mu Xi followed the same method, having Chao Lu put on her clothes and impersonate her again. This time, however, Chao Lu was to pretend to be "suicidal," and then Granny Yan and Xi Xia would scream in panic to attract everyone's attention. At this time, Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er could take advantage of the chaos to slip away through the back door of the mansion.
In order to avoid implicating the three of them afterward, Mu Xi even wrote a letter by hand for Shen Lun.
The letter half-truthfully revealed her relationship with Princess Qingyang, and mentioned that she would try to contact former officials of the Yan family through the "Golden Box". Finally, she said that it was not easy for Granny Yan and the other two to "serve" Shen Zhixi for so many years, and she earnestly hoped that Shen Lun would not blame her. She said that when she returned to see her, she would definitely bring the three of them back to her side.
The letter contained both threats and pleas, and was a desperate measure.
This plan is crude and may not even work.
But this was the fastest and easiest method that Mu Xi could think of, so she had no choice but to take the risk and try it.
Although the three women, including Granny Yan, looked bewildered and reluctant, they couldn't resist Mu Xi's persistent pleading and all agreed.
Therefore, during dinner, she deliberately made things difficult, ordering the kitchen to prepare several delicious dishes and also requesting fine wine.
This action will inevitably alarm Zhang Mao and will also reach Shen Lun's ears.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
