Chapter 88: Domineering White Moonlight 7 This is far from enough
In the capital city, the market was bustling and the shops were wide open.
Street vendors hawked their wares along the streets, carrying candied haws wrapped in glittering sugar on their shoulders, making passing children tug at the sleeves of adults with envy; caravans with all kinds of faces slowly made their way through the crowd, camels and horses pulling heavy goods, bells on their necks jingling all the way; the storyteller in the teahouse won applause from the whole room with a clap of his wake-up stick.
This was Ali's first time walking alone in the capital, and everything seemed new to him.
She put Xie Jingchuan's purse in her pocket and walked briskly through the streets. Soon her hands were full of food, drinks and toys.
The secret guards sent by Xie Jingchuan followed her closely. Seeing her moving around the streets, they could easily lose her if they lost sight of her, so they did not dare to relax for a moment.
Ali took a bite of the sweet sugar cake and seemed to be wandering aimlessly, but in fact he slowly returned to the vicinity of Yurongzhai again.
The streets were crowded with people, and she was bumped into several times by passers-by, and the things she was holding fell to the ground.
The secret guards who were following from a distance saw that the princess's face seemed to darken in an instant, and she gave up on herself and stuffed all the things she had just bought to the beggars on the roadside, and then stared at her dirty hands and skirt with a depressed look on her face.
Then she looked around and walked into Yurongzhai nearby.
They followed immediately, but due to their status and clothing, they were unable to show up and go in.
At this moment of hesitation, the princess had already started arguing with someone in Yurongzhai. Before they could react, the princess was forcibly taken to the back hall by the servants in the pavilion. I don't know what the situation is now.
The secret guards looked at each other, and one of them flew towards the palace gate, while the rest continued to guard near Yurongzhai, trying to hide their bodies and follow in.
In the back hall, the servants who had been holding Ali tightly loosened their grip and retreated quietly.
Ali didn't look panicked. He straightened his clothes that were torn by them, and when he looked up, he saw a beautiful woman sitting in the room.
The woman looked at Ali curiously, seemingly without any ill intention.
Feeling that familiar breath again, this time the feeling was particularly strong. Ali restrained his expression and walked forward: "Are you Madam Rouge? Do you recognize me?"
The woman nodded and pointed to the chair in front of her: "Sit down and talk."
After an incense stick of time, Ali walked out of Yurongzhai, looking a little dazed.
She walked back a few steps, slowly sat down on the steps of a house, and buried her head in her arms.
This conversation with Madam Rouge contained too much information, and Ali found it difficult to accept it for a while.
She originally wanted to avoid the plot in the original book and find other ways to survive. In addition to conquering Xie Jingchuan, she also had to provide herself with a stronger layer of protection.
But all under heaven belongs to the king. With her current status and Xie Jingchuan's desire to control her, no matter where she runs, Xie Jingchuan will bring her back.
If human methods don’t work, we can only use the methods of demons.
All Ali could think of was to recover the magic and past memories that were sealed by an accident, so that no matter what happened in the future, she would have the power to protect herself and could escape at any time.
But Madam Yanzhi told her that there was only one way to achieve this goal.
This road is the one that Chen Li took in the book.
But if we really follow this path, we will end up back in a dead end, and the outcome will not change at all.
This is a vicious cycle.
Before Ali could figure it out, Xie Jingchuan hurried to her side.
In the setting sun, his eyes were filled with anxiety, and his originally meticulous clothes were messed up. He took a deep breath and squatted in front of her: "What happened?"
Ah Li looked up at the sound and without warning, hugged his neck, muttering unconvincedly, "I had a fight with someone and got kicked out."
She didn't dare let Xie Jingchuan see her face, for fear that he would notice something.
Xie Jingchuan was a little dazed and even forgot to push her away. The setting sun stretched their shadows out.
"Are you hurt?" He hugged her loosely, thinking she was frightened, and asked with concern.
Ali shook his head, his voice muffled: "No, I revealed my identity, they didn't dare to do anything."
Xie Jingchuan frowned slightly and patted her back soothingly: "It's okay now."
Ali obediently lay on his shoulder. Where Xie Jingchuan couldn't see, she slowly opened her clenched left hand. The mole on the palm of her hand was a light red and would disappear easily.
This is far from enough.
She doesn't want to die.
*
Soon, this matter that had worried Ali day and night seemed to have taken a turn for the better.
News spread among the palace ladies that the time for the spring hunt in April had arrived.
Originally, the spring hunt should be held in March every year, but after the spring began, the imperial concubine fell ill, and the emperor was very worried. Not only did he live and eat with the imperial concubine and take care of her daily life personally, he also postponed the date of the spring hunt.
Now, the imperial concubine's health has improved a lot, and the spring hunt can finally be prepared.
The spring hunting in Jin State was somewhat different from that in previous dynasties. It aimed to demonstrate the emperor's power and virtue by hunting wild beasts, to enhance the prestige of the country, and to test the equestrian skills of the princes and sons of nobles.
The Ministry of War, the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Household Department, which were responsible for this matter, quickly prepared all the necessary matters and waited for the emperor to set off.
Naturally, the imperial concubine, the crown prince, and the princesses in the palace would all go on this spring hunt. The rest of the princes and officials also submitted their names of the accompanying people in advance. According to the records of the Inner Court Office, a rough estimate showed that the traveling team numbered about several thousand people.
At three quarters past three in the morning, the bluestone imperial road outside the imperial palace gate had been cleared of all idle people. The sky was still dark, and only the gilded palace lanterns on both sides emitted a clear yellow light in the morning mist.
Suddenly, there was a sharp whip sound, followed by the neat sound of horse hooves, like muffled thunder.
Leading the way were three hundred imperial cavalrymen, wearing black armor with red tassels and bows hanging from their saddles. Following them were the flag bearers in charge of the ceremonial guard, with sixteen scarlet flags fluttering in the wind, looking extremely majestic.
Under the guard of hundreds of imperial guards, the carriage of the emperor and the imperial concubine slowly drove out of the city gate. The carriage was pulled by eight dark black horses, and a bright yellow curtain with twelve chapter patterns hung on the roof. Behind the carriage followed a five-colored ceremonial guard, stretching for half a mile. Further behind it were the carriages of the crown prince and princes and officials.
As the sun rose, the loess official road outside the city gate had been trampled into dust, and a team of thousands of people marched towards Cangshan Mountain.
I got up too early today, and Ali was already fast asleep in the carriage.
She only brought Lan Xin with her on this trip. Seeing that she fell asleep, Lan Xin carefully covered her with a thin blanket and looked outside the carriage to see if there was anyone who wanted to see the princess.
Cangshan is three hours away from the capital, and Ali slept for two hours before waking up slowly.
She opened her eyes while lying on the soft couch. Lan Xin had already come forward, bringing her a cup of tea at just the right temperature. "Did you sleep well, Princess?"
Ah Li drank the entire cup from her hand, then sat up from the couch and asked, "How long will it take to get there?"
"I asked the palace servant who was driving the car not long ago, and he said we will reach Cangshan in about an hour." Lan Xin replied.
Ali stretched and couldn't sit still in the carriage. Seeing several officials' sons riding horses galloping past outside the carriage, he asked Lan Xin to ask someone to bring her horse over.
Ali has been good at nothing since elementary school, except for riding skills, which she has mastered to perfection. Even Xie Jingchuan cannot compare with her.
She was wearing a crabapple-red riding suit with narrow sleeves and a fitted waist, a black rhino horn belt around her waist, a gilded quiver hanging on her left side, and a scimitar from Persia on her right. Her long hair was raised high, tied only with a small hair crown inlaid with five-colored gems. She took a few strands of her black hair and braided them into thin braids with gold ribbons, which hung down behind her, making her lips and teeth look even more rosy and her heroic appearance even more vigorous.
Ali put one hand on the saddle, tapped the stirrup with his toes, and then he jumped into the air and sat steadily on the horse's back.
Then she squeezed the horse's belly and galloped forward gracefully.
Chen Yizi and his colleagues were riding back from the front of the team to check for suspicious situations on the road when they suddenly saw a man riding a horse not far away, passing by them in the blink of an eye.
Chen Yizi couldn't help but look over. Such good riding skills were rare in the army. He wondered which young man it was. He had never seen such a young man before.
Just as he was thinking about it, the man stopped beside the prince's carriage in front. After a moment, he turned his horse around and ran back, this time stopping directly in front of him.
Chen Yizi saw the face of the person coming and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Princess! It's you!"
Ali pulled the reins, and the gold and black strands of her braid rose up, brushing across her proud face. "Why? Are you surprised to see me like this?"
Chen Yizi touched his nose embarrassedly: "It is my humble knowledge that is shallow."
After returning that day, he heard a lot about the princess. He might not have paid attention to her before, but after getting to know her, Chen Yizi realized that the princess seemed to be very famous in the capital.
Everyone said that she was domineering and moody. Not only was she uneducated, but she also loved luxury and was extravagant. When you looked closely, there was nothing good about her.
His sister Chen Danzhi hated her even more. She told him about the insult she suffered at the flower viewing banquet and cried in particular.
After hearing this, although Chen Yizi knew that his sister had spoken inappropriately, he couldn't help but have some complaints about the princess's arrogant behavior. However, after talking with the princess that day, he felt that the princess was not an unreasonable person.
When Chen Yizi met A-Li for the first time today, he was still a little upset, but her words dispelled all his worries.
He looked at the spirited Ali, and suddenly noticed that the saddle under her was a little worn. Just as he was about to speak, Ali had already ridden away, as if she had just come to say hello to him.
The figure on the pure white horse was heroic and looked like he had no regrets.
Ali had wanted to look for Xie Jingchuan just now, but he was not in the carriage. The palace servant said that the emperor had called the prince to go, so Ali gave up the idea of looking for him.
She rode her horse back to her carriage, but saw Xie Jingchuan riding there, seemingly asking Lan Xin where she had been.
He was also wearing a silver-white riding suit today, outlining his tall and straight pine-like figure. Dark cloud patterns flowed faintly as he moved, which was very different from his usual self.
Ali suddenly became happy, and came to Xie Jingchuan with a delicate cry: "Thank you——"
The name that came out of her mouth was swallowed back. Her face was flushed red by the wind, and her heart and eyes were full of him.
Xie Jingchuan's steady heartbeat inexplicably skipped a beat. His clear, gentle eyes curved into a smile as he leaned closer to her and teased, "You almost forgot again."
The two of them had agreed that she could call his name at will when no one was around.
Ali shook his head indifferently and swung the whip in his hand: "Even if I told you, what would it matter? Is His Royal Highness going to punish me?"
"How dare I be angry with the princess?" Xie Jingchuan pulled the reins and rode side by side with her. "Did you go looking for me just now?"
Ali nodded: "In the end, it was all in vain."
Xie Jingchuan lowered his eyes to look at her, his features tinged with tenderness. "Just now, my father called me in to discuss something. When I came out, I thought you might be restless in the carriage, so I thought of going horseback riding with you."
"Then we really have the same idea," Ali raised his chin slightly and looked ahead, "We're not far from Cangshan Mountain here. How about we make a bet to see who can reach the foot of Cangshan Mountain first?"
Xie Jingchuan straightened up, his eyebrows relaxed: "I'll accompany you to the end."
Ah Li suddenly stopped and looked into his eyes: "From childhood to adulthood, you are the only one who is willing to play with me like this."
Not understanding why she brought this up, Xie Jingchuan was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously brushed away the loose hair from her temples: "Actually, you've always been with me."
This action was extremely unusual for the prince, who always strictly abided by etiquette.
Almost at the moment he reached out his hand, Xie Jingchuan told himself that he shouldn't do this.
But Ali did not give him a chance to regret. Not only did he not dodge, but he gently rubbed his palm.
Xie Jingchuan watched her movements, his ears gradually turned red, and his heart beat like a drum.
Weiliang's fingers moved, and just as he was about to take a step forward, Ali pulled away with malicious intentions, spurred his horse and galloped away.
"Xie Jingchuan! You're doomed to lose!"
Her excited voice, wrapped in the annoying spring breeze, drifted into his ears.
Xie Jingchuan pulled the reins and followed her figure, but he did not miss Chen Yizi who was also watching her not far away.
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