Chapter 123 Old Acquaintance
PS: Thank you June Qingyi for the pink vote, and thank you Yuhua Feixian for the pink vote and reward. Qingqing saw your message. I’m sorry that I’m a little busy during this period, so I will try to update twice a day if I have time. Thank you again for your support.
………………………………
After sending Xi'er and Ziyan away, Zhong Min turned directly to Luo Jiaxing for help. She felt that if Luo Jiaxing was willing to help, perhaps leaving Prince Mu's mansion would be less troublesome. Luo Jiaxing was a shrewd man. Seeing Zhong Min send everyone away, he guessed she must be hiding something, but he was still a little surprised when he heard what she was saying.
"You mean you mentioned the agreement with the prince and asked him to let you out of the mansion?" Zhong Min mentioned this matter a few days ago before returning to the mansion, but at that time she wanted to find a suitable opportunity to test the prince's tone first. Luo Jiaxing didn't expect that this girl couldn't wait so soon, and she said it immediately after the prince just returned to the mansion.
"Yes, but he said that I have fulfilled the agreement. From now on, I am no longer a maid in Prince Mu's Mansion. I am a free person." Zhong Min pouted, looking unhappy.
Luo Jiaxing was a little confused when he heard this and said, "If that's the case, then you should be happy. Why do you look so depressed?"
Zhong Min snorted softly, "If it were just this, it would be fine, but the prince insisted that I not leave Prince Mu's mansion for the time being. He wants me to wait until things are peaceful outside, and until the secret organization of the court and that lousy young master stop paying so much attention to me. He said it's for my safety."
"Your Highness has considered everything carefully. If you leave the palace now, those people will certainly not let you go easily." Only now did Luo Jiaxing truly understand why Zhong Min was unhappy.
"What? I can't just stay here like a coward forever. Besides, how long do I have to stay here? Who can give me a time limit?" Zhong Min seemed very depressed. "Actually, if they just let me go, I can find a way to avoid those people and go far away. No one can find me, so who can bother me? The prince is clearly just taking revenge!"
"Revenge? Is there still some grudge between the prince and you?" Luo Jiaxing was confused again. Why did this all bring up the prince's personal revenge? The prince had indeed had a dark face just now, as if he was very unhappy about something. Could it be that this girl had done something to offend or anger the prince again?
Zhong Min hesitated for a moment before looking at Luo Jiaxing and saying, "Well, I don't know if this is revenge, but I must have offended him."
This must have been the first time Xiao Mingzheng had ever been so ruthlessly rejected. A man as proud as him, he was the only one who said no to others, never the other person. Zhong Min thought, Xiao Mingzheng's powerful pride must have been severely damaged, so he deliberately found excuses to prevent her from leaving. If he went crazy and imprisoned her in Prince Mu's mansion for the rest of her life, wouldn't she be without freedom forever?
"So what did you do to offend the prince?" Luo Jiaxing was naturally anxious. The prince wasn't one to care about trivial matters. Besides, Zhong Min had just made such a great contribution. If it wasn't something particularly serious, why would the prince be angry? This girl was really too bold and always did things that people didn't expect. I guess it must be something serious.
"I...I..." Zhong Min snorted twice, and then said helplessly: "It's nothing, it's just that the prince is petty. He just told me that he wanted to marry me as a concubine, and I..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw that Luo Jiaxing almost lost his grip on the teacup lid, and it hit the cup with a bang. Fortunately, it did not fall and break, but the cup of tea was almost spilled.
"Are you okay? Why are you so careless?" Seeing this, Zhong Min quickly took the teacup for Luo Jiaxing and put it away. After searching for a long time, he smiled dryly and said, "Well, find something to wipe it yourself. I never carry handkerchiefs or anything like that."
Luo Jiaxing came to his senses overnight, took out a handkerchief from his arms and wiped it casually a few times: "It's okay, just a little water mark, it will dry in a while."
He didn't want Zhong Min to notice his previous misstep, so he smiled and said, "You're a girl, how can you be more casual than a man? You don't even have a handkerchief on you. If you can't embroider, just ask the two maids outside to do it for you."
"That's not a big deal," Zhong Min continued. "The prince wanted to marry me as a concubine, but I naturally refused, so I turned him down. I guess he's never been rejected before, so his pride must have been a bit off, so I guess I offended him."
"Since the prince likes you, why don't you agree?" Luo Jiaxing asked tentatively: "Could it be that you have someone else in your heart?"
"That's not the case." Zhong Min shook his head, as if that was not the reason.
Hearing this answer, Luo Jiaxing felt a little disappointed, but soon he became much more cheerful. Since she didn't have anyone she liked, but was unwilling to marry the prince, it at least meant that Zhong Min was not completely in love with the prince, so there would always be other possibilities in the future.
"In that case, the prince will definitely ask you why you don't want to get married. How did you answer him? He was so angry, it shouldn't be just because you said you didn't want to, right?" Luo Jiaxing was of course meticulous and quickly got to the point.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Min stopped trying to hide her feelings and spilled the beans, speaking in one breath, "It's nothing, really. I just told him that no matter who he marries in the future, I don't seek wealth or fame, I just want to know, love, and cherish each other, and be together for life." He was upset when he heard that, but this is a matter of principle for me, and it's impossible to change it no matter what. I don't want to lie to anyone, let alone myself. The prince and I are not from the same world at all, so how could we be happy together? So for his sake, and even more for my own, I clearly rejected him. There's no benefit in forcing things like this. The prince is so smart, he naturally understood, and I guess he just couldn't let go of his pride, so he..."
After saying all this, Luo Jiaxing remained silent, looking lost in thought. Zhong Min then turned to him and said, "Brother Luo, tell me, did I do anything wrong? I was just telling the truth and doing what I wanted."
"You certainly didn't do anything wrong." Luo Jiaxing smiled slightly and looked at Zhong Min. "It's just that matters of the heart can't be simply distinguished by right or wrong. The prince has never cared much about anyone emotionally, but this time he must be truly interested in you. You rejected him, and I think he must be a little unhappy. However, the prince is a man who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters. It's unlikely that he won't let you leave the Mu Palace out of revenge."
"I heard the secret organization has been very active recently, and those men in black last time also wanted to capture you. If you leave Prince Mu's mansion now, you will lose all protection and will definitely be in great danger." Luo Jiaxing analyzed objectively: "The prince is also doing this for your own good. Maybe he wants you to wait until the storm has died down before letting you go. If that's the case, you should stay here for now. After all, he has said that you are no longer Prince Mu's maid, but a free person. There will always be a time when you will be truly free."
To be honest, Luo Jiaxing selfishly didn't want Zhong Min to leave now. If she left like this, he might never see her again in this life.
"Originally, I wanted to ask you to plead with the prince to let me go now. After hearing what you said, I guess you will definitely not agree?" Zhong Min looked a little disappointed. In fact, in her opinion, if Luo Jiaxing was willing to say it, Xiao Mingzheng would more or less listen.
But Luo Jiaxing didn't see it that way. After hearing Zhong Min's words, he patiently explained, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but for your safety, it's best for you to stay in Prince Mu's Mansion right now. Besides, you must have understood the prince's temperament for so long. How can I change his decision with just a few words?"
"But don't worry. After a few days when the storm has died down, if the prince still refuses to let you go, I will definitely help you. Also, you are a free man now. If you feel bored staying in the mansion on weekdays, I will take you out for a walk. How about that?" Although Luo Jiaxing was trying to comfort Zhong Min, every word he said was true.
Zhong Min thought for a long time after hearing this, but there was no other way, so he nodded. However, he was still very grateful to Luo Jiaxing in his heart. The two chatted for a few more words, and Luo Jiaxing didn't want to stay any longer, so he stood up and said goodbye.
The next day, after breakfast, Xi'er suddenly ran in excitedly, saying that something new had happened in Prince Mu's mansion. Zhong Min was bored, so he asked Xi'er to tell him some gossip she had heard to cheer him up.
Who would have thought that this was big news if it hadn't been told? Someone from the imperial court had arrived, saying that the emperor had sent a lot of rewards to appease Xiao Mingzheng after he was assassinated in the capital. Furthermore, in recognition of Xiao Mingzheng's achievements in defending the northwest, he had also sent a woman to Xiao Mingzheng.
"You don't know, that woman is incredibly beautiful. I just took a sneak peek and it's the first time I've ever seen someone so beautiful. I guess there aren't many people in this world who are prettier than her."
Xier sighed, "Also, beauty isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is that I heard that this woman and our prince are old acquaintances from ten years ago. I don't know how the emperor knew this, but he specially ordered people to search for her for a long time before finding her and immediately sent her to our prince."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
