Chapter 241 Have you looked for her?
Zhong Min knew that with Xier as their insider, Asan and his men could only successfully capture her. However, Xiaowu and Xiaoliu would definitely discover her disappearance in the first place, and would immediately close the city gates and search for her throughout the city. Therefore, it was impossible for Asan and his men to transport her out of the city in such a short time before the city gates were closed, and to leave Muzhou safely.
If someone could help Ah San and the others get her through the layers of blockades and inspections, and evade the soldiers' frantic pursuit, there must be someone else. Xier's ability was completely impossible to do so. And this person must be of high status and ability in Muzhou, otherwise it would be impossible for him to do it so secretly.
Although she wasn't sure Xi'er knew, she could only ask Xi'er about the last remaining doubt in her heart. Xi'er didn't think much of it after hearing it, and quickly told Zhong Min that she did know a little bit about this matter, but she didn't know much about it. She only knew that it was related to the expelled concubine Liu from the Prince Mu's Mansion. Liu's brother was a general under Xiao Mingzheng, and he probably wanted to avenge his sister, so he agreed to cooperate with Ning Zhiyuan and secretly opened up a channel for Ah San and others to successfully take Zhong Min out of the city and leave Muzhou.
After hearing this, Zhong Min suddenly realized that if what Xier said was true, then there was absolutely no problem at all. Liu had always been jealous of her, and she must have been even more resentful when she had asked her to return to Prince Mu's Mansion in the teahouse and was rejected by her.
When she left, Liu had threatened to make her regret it, but she hadn't expected her jealousy to lead her to such disregard for the consequences. Liu's brother was unlikely to escape punishment this time. With Xiao Mingzheng's abilities, he would surely discover it later. Liu had probably sacrificed her brother in vain.
Zhong Min sighed and stopped thinking about it. Now that things had come to this, it seemed too late to find out who was responsible. The only thing she could do now was to remain firm in her faith and wait for Xiao Mingzheng to come and save her.
"Xier, please go out first. I want to be alone." She sat down and didn't look at Xier again. As for Xier, it seemed that she really needed some time to think carefully about how to face the future.
Xi'er was deeply saddened by Zhong Min's words. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat, unable to come out. She sighed inwardly, thinking that perhaps it would be better for Zhong Min to be alone at this time.
She nodded, looked at Zhong Min again, said sorry silently, and turned to walk out. When she was almost at the door, she heard Zhong Min say quietly behind her, "Don't tell anyone what we just said. Just pretend that I don't know about it and you haven't exposed it, okay? Otherwise, I'm afraid it will be bad for you."
When Xier heard this, her nose felt sore and she felt relieved. She nodded repeatedly, said thank you, and ran out as if she was escaping for her life.
She knew that Zhong Min was doing this for her own good. She felt incredibly ashamed that Zhong Min was still worried about her at this time. She ran back to her own place, closed the door, and burst into tears. After crying, Xier vowed to herself that from now on, no matter what, she would never do anything to disappoint Zhong Min again.
The next day, Ning Zhiyuan went to see Zhong Min again and then hurried back to the capital. Although Zhong Min knew nothing, she was inadvertently relieved that Ning Zhiyuan had left.
In the following month, Ning Zhiyuan only came three or four times. Each time he came, he just talked to Zhong Min and looked at her, but he did not do anything excessive.
"Is it boring staying in this house?" Ning Zhiyuan walked slowly beside Zhong Min in the garden. Xiao Qiao said that in the past month, Zhong Min was very quiet every day, spoke very little, rarely left the house, and even seldom walked around in the yard. So today he forced her to take a walk in the garden, wanting her to take a stroll and relax.
"As a prisoner, do I have the right to feel bored?" Zhong Min replied lazily, without looking at Ning Zhiyuan, and continued walking aimlessly.
Ning Zhiyuan could naturally hear the self-deprecating tone in Zhong Min's words, but he didn't care. Instead, he smiled and said to himself, "Don't worry, we'll be able to leave here together soon and go to a paradise. When the time comes, no matter where you want to go, I'll accompany you. I will definitely not let you stay in this boring yard anymore. Just be patient for a little while longer, okay?"
"A paradise on earth?" Zhong Min couldn't help but laugh. He stopped and looked at Ning Zhiyuan and said, "It's just a change from this cage to another. Does it make any difference to me?"
"Min'er, don't be like this. I know you won't understand what I do now, but one day you will understand! Now, everything I do is to prepare for our future. It won't be long before we can live our own lives in our own kingdom. No one can disturb us, and no one can destroy us." Ning Zhiyuan said as he reached out to touch Zhong Min's cheek, but Zhong Min dodged it nimbly, and in the end his fingers only touched a wisp of black hair.
"No, I will never understand, and I don't want to understand. Ning Zhiyuan, no matter what you do, it's useless. I can never like you, let alone fall in love with you. You can lock me up, but you can't force me to fall in love with you! As for that beautiful kingdom, I'm not interested in it at all. Even if it's the whole world, so what? To me, it's only yours and will never have anything to do with me!"
"Min'er is obviously not such a heartless person, but she always says such hurtful words." Ning Zhiyuan shook his head slightly, with a hurt expression, and said: "Fortunately, I have a strong psychological endurance, otherwise I would be heartbroken."
Seeing Ning Zhiyuan still saying such things at this time, Zhong Min was very dissatisfied. She sighed and said, "Ning Zhiyuan, I beg you not to do this, okay? There is really no possibility between us, why do you have to force it? Feelings are different from anything else, they are different, they can't be forced! Besides, there are so many good girls in this world, and there are so many good girls who like you. Why don't you find someone else? Why do you have to waste your time and energy on me?"
"Because they are not you!" Ning Zhiyuan interrupted Zhong Min's complaint and spoke every word seriously. The smile on his face disappeared, and he looked at Zhong Min with such deep affection and determination, without any deviation.
Zhong Min was completely stifled by this. She was extremely annoyed and shouted, "Me? What's so good about me? I think you're really obsessed! No matter who is in this world, the earth will still turn as usual, and life will go on as usual. Please, can you wake up? You are such a smart person, why do you have to be so stupid?"
"It's worth it!" Ning Zhiyuan didn't get angry but laughed instead, saying the three words in a sonorous and powerful voice without any hesitation.
How could he control some things? He loved her, for no particular reason, nor did he know exactly when it all started. He just knew that no one in his life had ever been able to enter his heart like this. Even if she didn't love him now, knowing that she was by his side made him feel incredibly happy, a happiness he had never felt before!
Seeing this, Zhong Min didn't know what to say for a moment. She could only turn around angrily and walk back, not wanting to pay any more attention to Ning Zhiyuan. Sometimes, she really wanted to just lock herself in the room and not see or pay attention to anyone, to avoid such annoyance.
Fortunately, Ning Zhiyuan was quickly called away by the person who came hurriedly to report the news. Seeing him saying goodbye to her anxiously, Zhong Min didn't feel anything at all and wished he would leave here quickly.
Counting the time, it had been almost fifty days since she'd been arrested, and Zhong Min was gradually growing anxious. Imprisoned here, she had no way of knowing what was happening outside. She had no idea how Xiao Mingzheng was doing, or if he'd found out where she was. Every day, she had too much time to think about anything, and her heart was becoming increasingly depressed.
During dinner, Xier came over and, while Xiaoqiao wasn't paying attention, quietly told her that she had something important to tell her. Seeing this, Zhong Min found an excuse to send Xiaoqiao out after dinner, leaving Xier alone in the room with her.
"What's the matter?" Over the past few days, the relationship between Zhong Min and Xier has been reconciled. After untangling their knots, they no longer worry too much about it.
Xi'er glanced outside, and after confirming that nothing was wrong, she whispered to Zhong Min, "Min'er, I heard the people in the kitchen whispering today. They said that the prince has united with the four rebellious princes and is leading an army of 300,000 all the way to the capital. It seems that he is going to take the capital in one fell swoop and officially overthrow the court!"
"Is everything you said true?" Zhong Min was stunned when he heard it. If that was the case, then Xiao Mingzheng should have been busy attacking the capital these days?
She suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in her heart. Although she knew that this was what Xiao Mingzheng was supposed to do, it seemed that he had no time to care about her or look for her?
"It's all true. The people in the kitchen say that Prince Bu Mu's army is invincible. In just a short period of time, they have already captured several counties along the way. At this rate, I'm afraid it won't be long before they can reach the capital."
As Xi'er spoke, she noticed that Zhong Min looked a little off. After a pause, she seemed to understand something and comforted him, "Min'er, don't overthink it. I think the prince must still be looking for you everywhere, but he just hasn't found you yet. As for attacking the capital, he can't keep delaying the opportunity."
PS: Thanks to Xiaoyu for the peach blossom fan. It’s been a while since I saw a tip from you. Haha:)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
