Chapter 4 Going Home I thought I had found someone, but unexpectedly…
They had initially thought they had found the person, but now they were lost in the vast sea of people. Zhao Linzhang rubbed his throbbing forehead and said to Xiao Zheng, who was waiting for orders, "Continue to search in secret!"
He knew in his heart that no one knew where they had gone to stay with relatives, and that they were probably lost forever.
"Yes!" Xiao Zheng accepted the order. It was difficult to find a woman openly, let alone in secret. This job was extremely difficult.
After Xiao Zheng left, Zhao Linzhang felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he slumped into a chair. Liu Hu, seeing this, wanted to offer some words of comfort. Although the prince had not said why he had chosen a woman, it must be related to his unconsciousness in the cave that day.
But this wasn't something a servant like him should ask. The prince was naked that day, with only an outer garment covering his lower body. He didn't know whether he had been violated or whether he had violated someone. This was something he couldn't say.
Zhao Linzhang asked for silence, and Liu Hu slowly withdrew.
After Zheng Zhuer finished her household chores, Shen Yunrong mustered up the courage to ask Granny Li for a day off, and to her surprise, Granny Li quickly agreed.
Overjoyed, Shen Yunrong collected several old clothes that her young master was too small to wear. Granny Li said she was going to throw them away, but she couldn't bear to part with them and shamelessly asked for them back. Her young master was a boy, and he was very slender, while her daughter was a petite girl, and the clothes fit perfectly.
Emerging from the side gate of the Prince's mansion, she was momentarily at a loss for which way to go. As she hesitated, she heard the clatter of a carriage behind her and quickly stepped aside to avoid it.
Unexpectedly, the carriage stopped beside her, and the driver was none other than Liu Hu.
"Miss Chen, are you going home?"
"Brother Liu, yes, is this the way?" Shen Yunrong was wondering who to ask for directions.
"It's so far, are you going to walk back?" It would take Liu Hu half an hour to ride back on horseback, and it would take her most of the day to walk back. Because of the master in the carriage, he didn't dare to offer to take her.
"If I walk faster, I can get back before dark." Liu Hu brought Shen Yunrong here last time, so she can barely remember the way.
"Get in!" A deep, cold voice rang out, startling Shen Yunrong, who was caught off guard by the presence of someone else in the car. When she realized who the voice belonged to, her legs went weak with fear.
"Liu Hu, see her off." Zhao Linzhang lifted the carriage curtain, his face as serious as ever.
"Your Highness, no, no need, I, this servant can walk back." Shen Yunrong was so frightened that she almost bit her tongue. She wouldn't dare to ride in the same carriage as the prince even if she had ten times the courage.
“You live next door to Liu Hu, and it just so happens that I’m going the same way.”
If Zhao Linzhang said that, it would be ungrateful for Shen Yunrong to refuse again.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
She carefully and shakily climbed onto the carriage. Liu Hu had to put down a low stool for her to step on to get on, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to climb up at all.
The carriage was simple in design, but once inside, one could tell that its owner was of high status. The interior was covered with a thick layer of deerskin carpet, and there was even a small table with a hollowed-out incense burner on it, from which white smoke rose in wisps, the fragrance of which was similar to the sachets she used to make herself.
Perhaps it was the familiar scent that made her feel more relaxed. She didn't dare to sit face to face with Zhao Linzhang, but no matter how understated and luxurious the carriage was, the space was limited, and she didn't even have a place to stand.
She only dared to sit in a corner of the carriage, and before she could even thank Zhao Linzhang, the carriage lurched and she almost fell off.
Zhao Linzhang leaned back on the soft couch in the carriage, looked up at her, and asked, "Are you afraid of me?"
"Your Highness is so handsome, this servant dares not offend you." Shen Yunrong's heart, which had just been relieved, jumped to her throat. Why would the prince ask her if she was afraid of him?
"We are all born of parents and eat grains, so what's the difference between heaven and man!" Zhao Linzhang seemed to be in a good mood today, and put down the book in his hand.
Shen Yunrong hadn't expected Zhao Linzhang to say such a thing, and her previously reserved body slowly relaxed: "Your Highness is of noble status, how could you be the same!"
"Who else is in your family?" Zhao Linzhang changed the subject. To this wet nurse, he was indeed a high-ranking prince, and the two were of vastly different statuses.
“My family consists of my late husband’s daughter and my mother,” Shen Yunrong said truthfully, lowering her eyes.
"Deceased husband?" Zhao Linzhang really couldn't connect her with the image of a widow.
"Her deceased husband suddenly fell seriously ill." Since they were all from the same village, Shen Yunrong naturally knew why Rongniang's husband had died.
Zhao Linzhang nodded. "Beauty is often envied by heaven; life is unpredictable."
The carriage fell silent for a moment, and the sound of the wheels rolling over the dust could be heard. Shen Yunrong felt like she was sitting on pins and needles, wishing she could get home as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, what you fear most is what happens. The carriage suddenly lurched violently, and Shen Yunrong, caught off guard, was about to be thrown out when Zhao Linzhang caught her with lightning speed.
Still shaken, she nestled in Zhao Linzhang's arms, his cold breath brushing against her ear, and only then did she realize the enormity of her mistake.
The more nervous she became, the more flustered she became as she tried to get out of Zhao Linzhang's arms. She was so anxious that she was about to cry: "Your Highness, I didn't mean to!"
"Hmm!" Zhao Linzhang was very reluctant to get close to women. He couldn't stand the strong scent of rouge on them, but this little wet nurse didn't have any rouge scent at all, only the fragrance of milk.
The warmth and fragrance in his arms made him reluctant to let go. Just as he was wondering why he had such strange feelings for a wet nurse, Shen Yunrong finally struggled to get up and knelt in the cramped carriage, her body trembling.
"Your Highness, I didn't mean to." If she had known she would be riding in the same carriage as the prince, she would rather not have asked for leave to go home.
"It's not your fault, get up!" His arms felt empty, just like his empty heart. Zhao Linzhang thought he was really sick. He would have all sorts of fantasies whenever he met a wet nurse who smelled similar to that girl.
He could easily have gotten the wet nurse, but she was not the girl he wanted. He sighed and said, "The road is bumpy, so sit tight."
Shen Yunrong, who thought she could escape death but not punishment, stared blankly at Zhao Linzhang. Who said that Prince Zhuang was the most unapproachable and imposing, and that no one could get close to him? She was forgiven just like that.
Zhao Linzhang knew he felt a little strange towards this wet nurse. He coughed lightly and said, "Siliang seems to like you very much. Take good care of him, and I will reward you handsomely."
He must be suffering from an imbalance of yin and yang, and has been having absurd dreams for a long time, which is why he treated the child's wet nurse like that. After sending this woman home, I need to find the imperial physician to prescribe some medicine to reduce her internal heat.
Shen Yunrong was surprised, and it took her a moment to regain her voice: "It is my duty to take care of the young master. Your Highness, please rest assured, I will do my best."
Zhao Linzhang remained silent this time and picked up the book he had been reading again.
Seeing this, Shen Yunrong dared not make a sound again. However, following Zhao Linzhang's words, she sat up straighter, not daring to fall into the prince's arms again.
It felt like half a lifetime had passed in a flash. The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Liu Hu called out from outside, "Your Highness, we've arrived!"
Zhao Linzhang finally looked up from the book he had been reading for so long without turning a page: "Go!"
The most beautiful words Shen Yunrong had ever heard in her life were these words. She quickly thanked him again, carefully got off the carriage, thanked Liu Hu, and then ran home.
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