Shen Lingyun's gaze fell on the letter in her hand. The wax seal on the envelope had been broken. Presumably, it was Xiao Tianye who had done it.
She pulled out the paper and asked Biwu to light a fire fold. By the light, she carefully read the letter.
Apart from truthfully informing about the marching direction and progress of the troop, there was nothing else in this letter. Based solely on this one letter, it was difficult to determine if there was any improper relationship between her and Xiao Tianchi.
However, Xiao Tianye was extremely suspicious. Back then, he had schemed and forced Shen Lingyun to marry him, so he was already guilty. Even if there was nothing between her and Xiao Tianchi, he wouldn't believe they were innocent.
What Xiao Tianye didn't know was that Xiao Tianchi had hidden a secret code in this letter that only Shen Lingyun would recognize. With their years of understanding, Shen Lingyun spotted it at a glance.
Shen Lingyun subconsciously sat up straight, clutching the letter tightly. The next moment, her fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.
[The cause of the Crown Prince's death is suspicious. Wait for my return. Please take good care of yourself.]
"Miss, what's wrong with you?" Biwu asked worriedly, steadying her, thinking that she was feeling unwell again.
Shen Lingyun tightly grasped her hand, put the letter on the fire fold, and burned it to ashes.
"Biwu, I must, must survive."
An owl circled above the imperial palace. The vast imperial city seemed even more desolate and eerie.
In a corner unnoticed by anyone, a carrier pigeon took off into the sky and flew out of the capital.
In the opposite direction of the carrier pigeon, a black - clothed man left the capital under the cover of night and rode south on his horse.
...
Dongli Town.
After leaving the market, Ye Wanmian took Xiao Jingcheng to the tavern where she had ordered thirty roast chickens last time. The business of this tavern was not as prosperous as that of Liuxiang Tower. The chef mainly cooked home - style dishes, but the taste was quite good. Ye Wanmian had been there a few times.
"Welcome, esteemed guests! Do you want to dine in or take away?" the waiter greeted them enthusiastically.
"Take away. There are five people in my family. Do you have any stewed pork knuckles today?" Ye Wanmian asked.
"Yes, yes. The pig was just slaughtered this morning. The meat is still fresh. Would you like one?" the waiter replied.
Ye Wanmian nodded. She said to the waiter, "One more roast chicken, a dish of scallions with tofu, a sweet - and - sour fish, and..."
She was ordering the dishes skillfully when Xiao Jingcheng interrupted, "I don't eat fish."
Ye Wanmian was interrupted. She turned back and glanced at him.
Didn't eat fish?
Last time when she ordered a squirrel - shaped mandarin fish, he had eaten it with gusto.
She wondered what new trick he was up to.
Thinking of the IOU for three thousand taels, Ye Wanmian held back her annoyance and asked with a smile, "Then what would Big Brother Jing like to eat?"
"Do you have stuffed oranges with crab meat and jadeite shrimp cups?" Xiao Jingcheng asked.
The waiter scratched his head, "Sorry, sir. Our small shop only has home - style dishes. I've never even heard of these."
Ye Wanmian stepped on his foot and whispered angrily beside him, "That's enough. This is just a small town. If you want to eat delicacies from land and sea, go back to the capital."
Xiao Jingcheng grimaced in pain. Ye Wanmian turned to the waiter with a smile, "Ignore him. Do you have any river shrimps?"
"Yes, yes. We not only have river shrimps but also loaches," the waiter replied.
"Then one more dish of stir - fried river shrimps with chives and deep - fried loaches," Ye Wanmian said.
Loaches? What was that?
Seeing Xiao Jingcheng looking blank, Ye Wanmian rarely explained, "Loaches are small fish that live in mud. They're about as big as one of your fingers."
Xiao Jingcheng's face immediately changed, "Live in mud?"
Wouldn't that be very dirty? How could such a dirty thing be eaten?
Ye Wanmian guessed what he was thinking from his expression. The high - and - mighty Crown Prince had probably never come into contact with such things.
Trying not to laugh, she said, "Don't worry. After the common people catch the loaches, they will keep them in clean water for a few days so that the loaches can spit out all the mud before sending them to the tavern."
Xiao Jingcheng's complexion improved a bit.
Looking at her, he asked, "How do you know all this?"
Ye Wanmian paused and said casually, "After offending Your Highness and being kicked out of the Ye family, I had no choice but to become a commoner again."
She didn't want to talk to him more and turned around to look at the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall of the tavern.
Looking at her back, Xiao Jingcheng recalled what Qi Wen had told him today.
[Back then, Lady Jiang offended His Highness. Her family forced her to marry an old man as his second wife. That man had a penchant for abusing people. In order to save her life, Lady Jiang eloped. After experiencing untold hardships, she finally managed to hide in Dongli Town and changed her name...]
Presumably, after eloping, in order to avoid being hunted down, she had to change from a delicate official's daughter to what she was now.
He couldn't help but wonder, if...
If he could never return to the capital and lost his qualification to be the Crown Prince forever, what would he become?
Xiao Jingcheng didn't argue with her. He just sat there quietly, which made Ye Wanmian a bit unaccustomed.
She played with the pendant on her money bag and looked at the silent Xiao Jingcheng. She couldn't help but wonder if he had really forgotten all the memories of when he was "Goudan".
He was the same person, but how could there be such a big difference?
It was already dusk when Xiao Jingcheng and Ye Wanmian returned to Huichun Hall with a lot of hot food. The pottery such as bowls, dishes, and teacups that Ye Wanmian had bought in the market were also delivered to her.
"Thank you, esteemed guest. If you need anything in the future, please take care of our business," the pottery vendor said with a beaming smile after receiving the balance. Then he turned around and left.
Ye Wanmian had bought a lot of pottery today. Stacked together, they looked quite imposing. She had to hold them with both hands to lift them.
After closing the door, she bent down, holding the pottery basin with both hands, intending to pick it up.
Xiao Jingcheng was holding two large food boxes and couldn't spare his hands to help for the moment. Just then, Mo Zhizhang heard the noise and walked out of the room. He was surprised, "Niece, put it down quickly."
Mo Zhizhang walked over quickly and took the pottery basin from Ye Wanmian's hands, "Such heavy things are better left to me."
Xiao Jingcheng frowned. His gaze was so intense that it seemed to bore two holes through Mo Zhizhang.
Humph, this guy sure knows how to find an opportunity to butter people up!
Ye Wanmian didn't pay attention to such details. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and said with a smile, "Thank you, Uncle. Just put the things beside the well. They need to be washed before use."
Mo Zhizhang said, "Of course. Leave the washing to me."
"How can that be? Uncle, you've come from afar. You're our honored guest. I should take good care of you."
"Am I just a guest? Niece, you're being too polite."
Then he rolled up his sleeves and squatted down to start washing.
Seeing the two of them walking side by side to the well, with their heads close together. After fetching water, Ye Wanmian even rolled up her sleeves, revealing half of her arm. A strange feeling welled up in Xiao Jingcheng's chest. He almost gritted his back teeth!