"Miss, what's going on?"
The voice of Zhuxing came from outside. Shen Qing quickly regained her senses, picked up the memorial, and tried to calm herself down, making her voice sound less flustered. "I'm fine. Don't come in."
The sound of Zhuxing's footsteps faded away, but Shen Qing's heart was still pounding so hard that it seemed about to jump out of her chest.
The content on the memorial that she had accidentally seen just now flashed through her mind.
The phoenix destiny...
The Imperial Astronomical Bureau had actually submitted such a memorial to Ji Junye!
Shen Qing read the memorial carefully again. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. How could the Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculate such a thing?
What about Ji Junye? Had he seen it?
The date on this memorial was several days ago, and there was a folded corner. It seemed that he hadn't read it.
Right. If he had known, things definitely wouldn't be like this now.
Shen Qing felt a bit relieved.
But since the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had already submitted the memorial, how long could it be before Ji Junye found out?
This memorial was like a sword hanging over Shen Qing's neck. She didn't know when it would fall.
Shen Qing was in a complete mess. She seemed to have developed feelings for Ji Junye. If he were to kill her child like in her previous life, how could she possibly accept such an outcome?
She had originally planned to leave after avenging her previous life's grievances, but now it seemed that she couldn't delay any longer.
She could confess everything to Ji Junye, but she didn't dare to take the risk, didn't dare to bet her child's life and her own future.
The royal bloodline couldn't be left outside the palace. If she wanted to keep the child, there was only one way for her, and that was to enter the palace.
Once she entered the palace, there would be no turning back.
She didn't want to tie the rest of her life to a man, only to be happy when he was happy and sad when he was sad.
Even if she were to take a step back, that man was an emperor. How long could an emperor's love last? If one day she fell out of favor, she would end up like in her previous life.
Shen Qing's mood couldn't calm down for a long time.
No, she couldn't wait any longer. She had to leave quickly!
Shen Qing hid the memorial in her sleeve, opened the door, and told Zhuxing, "Go back to the Marquis Mansion."
Zhuxing was surprised. "Back to the Marquis Mansion? Now?"
Just now, the miss had said that she would go back later.
Shen Qing's tone left no room for doubt. "Go back right now."
Since the rain wasn't heavy anyway, Shen Qing took a carriage back to the Marquis Mansion. As soon as she got back, she locked herself in the study and told everyone not to come in.
Zhuxing thought that Shen Qing was acting a bit strange today. Had the emperor done something to make the miss angry again?
Zhuxing didn't dare to ask, scratched her head, and left.
The first thing Shen Qing did when she got back was to hide the memorial in a place where no one would know.
All the previous plans had to be scrapped and redone. She took out the map and started to plan a new route.
If she was to plan a new route, then the best time for her to leave... would be during the autumn hunt!
Shen Qing now only hoped that the Imperial Astronomical Bureau wouldn't be so troublesome and submit another memorial. Ji Junye had been too busy to notice this one, but he might see the next one.
Shen Qing busied herself for the whole morning and didn't even have time for lunch. When it was quiet at night, she asked Yingxiu to secretly find someone to handle some things.
Yingxiu was shocked. "Miss, where are we... going?"
"I don't know." Shen Qing rubbed her temples to relieve the tiredness. "Let's leave the capital first. Once we're out of the capital, we can go anywhere."
"Miss, what happened?" Yingxiu hesitated. This was all so sudden.
"It's hard to explain in a short time. You go and handle it first. Remember to tell them to be quiet and not to expose anything. If we're exposed, we won't be able to leave."
Ji Junye was so sharp that he would catch up with her if there was even the slightest clue.
Yingxiu made a zipping motion over her mouth. "Miss, don't worry. I'm always very careful. Those people are good at this. They'll make sure everything is perfect."
After Yingxiu left, Shen Qing had a nightmare that night, which was rare for her. She dreamed that she was caught by Ji Junye while trying to escape. Just like in her previous life, he chained her ankle with a golden chain and imprisoned her on the bed in the small courtyard.
"Run? Do you think you can escape?"
"You're leaving me for a child?"
"Fine. You won't be able to leave this bed until this child is born!"
She backed away in horror and begged him to let her go, but all she got was rougher treatment.
"Shen Qing, you're the one who forced me!"
"No!"
Shen Qing woke up from the nightmare with a start. She suddenly sat up in bed and subconsciously lifted the quilt to look at her foot.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Zhuxing thought something had happened and rushed in immediately.
When Shen Qing saw that she was still in her own room and there was no golden chain on her foot, she felt a bit relieved, but she was still shaken.
"It's okay. I had a nightmare. Pour me a glass of water."
Zhuxing poured a glass of warm water for Shen Qing. Only then did Shen Qing feel that her limbs were warming up again. She realized that her back was soaked.
"Is the miss okay? Do you want me to stay with you?" Zhuxing asked with concern.
"No." Shen Qing shook her head gently. "Go back to sleep."
Seeing that Shen Qing really seemed okay, Zhuxing felt relieved and left.
The despair and suffocation in the dream still seemed vivid, which strengthened Shen Qing's determination to leave and not be caught.
Shen Yan's studies were on the right track, so Jiang Shi sent someone to find Shen Qing to discuss setting the date for the adoption and holding a banquet to let everyone know that the Duke Protector's Mansion had a successor.
Shen Qing naturally agreed. Since Jiang Shi also liked Shen Yan very much, they invited the clan elders to discuss for several days and set the date for September 21st.
Shen Qing was good at hiding her feelings. After that day, she never had another nightmare and didn't show any abnormalities in front of Ji Junye. It was as if nothing had happened, as if she had no intention of leaving and hadn't seen the memorial.
Ji Junye's whole heart was on her, so he naturally didn't notice anything.
On September 21st, Shen Qing and Shen Mian went back early. The Duke Protector's Mansion was full of guests. It was bustling with activity. For a moment, it made Shen Qing recall the past.
If her grandfather and father hadn't died in that war, the Duke Protector's Mansion would probably be as popular as this every day.
Two days ago, Shen Yan's name had been written in the family genealogy by the great-uncle himself. Today's banquet was Shen Yan's first appearance in front of the noble families in the capital.
"Why are there so many people? Were there that many invitations sent out?" Shen Yan was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. They were all dressed in expensive clothes. They all looked intimidating.
Shen Yan had never seen so many people of high status before.
Shen Qing stroked his head. "The emperor has given his tacit approval to the adoption of the Duke Protector's Mansion. Coupled with the fact that the Shen family army is on the border, there are naturally many people who want to curry favor..."
Shen Qing changed the subject. "But most of them probably want to see what kind of successor the Duke Protector's Mansion has chosen. They'll all be looking at you later. Are you scared?"
Shen Yan wrinkled his face. "A bit. Sister, what if I offend some important person?"
He was already worried about offending people at such a young age.
Shen Qing laughed without mercy. "It's okay. As long as it's not a member of the royal family, our Duke Protector's Mansion isn't afraid."
But there wouldn't be any royal family members here today. It was almost like there were none.