She had not lost her memory, nor had she ever appeared in Wanliu Town. On that day, she drove her carriage forward, pursued by countless men. She knew she could not escape.
Upon seeing the river by the roadside, she drove the carriage directly into the river, intending to sneak away through the water, hoping there might still be a chance of survival.
But she was exhausted at that time, and it was too dark. She was really unlucky and was bitten by a snake, and then she fainted.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a deadly snake, and after she fainted, she remembered clinging tightly to a piece of driftwood and drifting downstream.
...She was rescued by fishermen, but she was seriously injured. The fishermen had gone to great lengths to save her. After she woke up, they made her work to pay for her work.
Dongbai immediately asked, "Since you care so much about medical expenses, why did you spend money to save me?"
The person replied, "You can die somewhere else, but you can't die in front of me. I can't bear to see someone still breathing die in front of me."
Therefore, people should be saved, but losses should not be tolerated!
Dongbai had no money, and no one would let her go. Even when she offered to have the fishermen take her back to the capital to get money from the Crown Prince's residence, they didn't believe her and thought she was lying.
The Crown Prince's residence—what a prestigious and powerful place that is!
They've never experienced it, they dare not even imagine it; it's too far away, like ascending to heaven to become an immortal.
Dongbai's injuries have not fully healed, and since this family has saved her life, she cannot knock them unconscious and run away. So she has been working for them until now, while also recuperating from her injuries.
Until a few days ago, news of a large sum of money being spent to search for her in Wanliu Town accidentally reached her village, along with her portrait. After the family there found out, they fell silent.
She wanted to ride a horse back, but the village was too poor; no one had horses, only cows and donkeys, and even those were very rare.
She borrowed a donkey and ran back. The family was afraid that if she ran away, they would not send money again, so after discussing it, they hired an oxcart and let the brother and sister come with her.
She ran too fast and was stopped several times by the brother and sister, who were afraid she would shake them off.
Otherwise, given Dongbai's speed, he would probably have run that donkey to death by now.
On her way back, she also heard about the collapse of the Qinglan Gorge Tunnel, the prince being buried alive, and the fact that his body was lost after the second collapse.
Then I heard that the Crown Princess went mad, killed the guards of the Prime Minister's residence on the spot, and then ran away and disappeared without a trace.
It is said that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had treacherous intentions, which is why the Crown Prince suffered this misfortune; it is a punishment sent down by Heaven.
Fearing being implicated, the Crown Princess killed the guards of the Prime Minister's residence and fled for her life.
The Emperor is currently sending troops everywhere to capture the Crown Princess!
Dong Bai grew increasingly panicked. Having followed Ye Qingxue back to the capital for so long and experienced all sorts of battles, even someone as simple-minded as her used to know that the situation was definitely not as the rumors outside were.
The Crown Princess is in trouble and needs her; she must rush back as soon as possible!
So this is how the scene came about: she was riding a donkey ahead, while the brother and sister were driving an oxcart behind.
Whether it's a donkey or an ox, they're both panting heavily and can't run anymore.
Dongbai was extremely anxious. Just as she was about to speed up again, the donkey beneath her collapsed in front of her.
Dongbai: "..."
The brother and sister's oxcart was parked not far behind her. The oxen couldn't move anymore, and the older brother ran over and said, "You have to pay for this donkey!"
"Alright, I'll go. Don't stick too close to me. I'm from the Crown Prince's residence, and I might bring you to your deaths."
"Here's what we'll do: three days from now, go directly to the Crown Prince's residence and ask me for the money. If I'm alive, I'll give it to you."
"If I die, go to the Jingzhou estate to collect the money. This is my personal jade pendant. With this pendant, you won't suffer any losses!"
Dongbai placed the jade pendant into her elder brother's hand.
"Now, I'm going to run back. You can't outrun me, so take your time and don't kill the oxen too." Dongbai said and ran off.
After the eldest brother realized what had happened, all he had left in his hand was Dongbai's jade pendant; Dongbai was nowhere to be seen. He was stunned.
...
Ye Qingxue walked up the stairs step by step, the wooden staircase creaking under her feet as she reached the top.
As she stepped onto the last step, she suddenly stopped, her whole body stiffening abruptly, because the first thing she saw was a figure hanging from the door frame.
The man was wearing a white undergarment with bloodstains on it, and his wrists were tied with rope and he was hanging on either side of the door frame.
Her head drooped, and her blood-stained hair hung down, obscuring most of her face.
It was actually Dongbai!
Dongbai was unconscious; if it weren't for the rope around her wrist, she would have collapsed to the ground.
Ye Qingxue's breath hitched, and she instinctively walked towards Dong Bai, but a sudden sound from the house next door stopped her in her tracks.
"It's been a long time, Crown Princess." The man said as he walked out from the next room, his gaze falling on Ye Qingxue's face before sliding down to her abdomen. He chuckled, "Your belly has grown quite a bit. You'll be giving birth in another month, won't you?"
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