Traveling through ancient times: daily life on the run

Chapter 349 Don’t Consume Yourself

Two days later, Zhu Jinyou was summoned into the palace by the Empress Dowager again.

It turned out that Prince Beijing came back and wanted to talk to the Queen Mother about the marriage of his little daughter Hua Shuqing.

Zhu Jinyou smiled throughout the whole process. It seems that without absolute authority, even a prince cannot make his own decisions in marriage.

In the end, he compromised.

"I heard from Miss Xia, who summoned the dragon, that the dragon will reappear at noon on the ninth day of next month. After that day, my Ning Wang Mansion will definitely marry the little princess with the three letters and six ceremonies."

Prince Beijing was very happy after hearing this.

The Queen Mother smiled even more meaningfully, praising him repeatedly: "My son has grown up and will not cause me any worries anymore."

Zhu Jinyou felt a huge weight lifted off his chest. He didn't know whether Miss Xia's calculations were accurate or not. But regardless of whether they were accurate or not, the Queen Mother would take action, right?

Fortunately, Hua Shuqing is going to live with her father back in Prince Beijing's Mansion, and Miss Luo Qie should be able to come back and live there too.

After Prince Beijing left, the Queen Mother saw that Zhu Jinyou seemed to be in a better mood and said with a smile, "It seems that You'er really doesn't like the little princess anymore?"

Zhu Jinyou did not answer directly, but turned the topic to the maids.

"I will ask a few maids to teach the little princess some proper etiquette."

"That's true. The little princess has been spoiled since she was little. She doesn't know the rules and regulations and really needs to be taught. Unlike a certain girl who came from the palace, she still has some basic rules and regulations to follow."

Zhu Jinyou was completely stunned.

It turns out that the Queen Mother knew everything. So how clear was she?

"I don't understand what you are saying, mother."

"You'er, your mother doesn't mean to embarrass you. It's just that Madam Zhang thought Miss Luo Yu looked familiar and said she had seen her in the palace, so she sent someone to ask for directions. In the end, do you know what Madam Zhang found out?"

Zhu Jinyou was in turmoil inside, but he pretended to be calm on the surface.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that Miss Luo Yu escaped from the palace?"

"Could it be that You'er really doesn't know?"

Zhu Jinyou was in a dilemma. Seeing the Queen Mother staring at him with seemingly gentle eyes without saying a word, he endured for a long time before sighing softly and saying:

"Ms. Luo Yu did tell me that she was a maid who escaped from the palace, but I was afraid that the Queen Mother would be unhappy if she knew. Escaping a maid is always a capital crime, so I concealed it for her."

"Oh, it seems I'm not so confused. I know you're smart and kind, and you won't be easily deceived by others. I've been overly worried about you."

She took a sip of tea, sighed softly, and continued,

"It seems that You'er really likes this Miss Luo Yu. If you marry the little princess, you can take her as a concubine after a while, which will be considered as giving her a status."

"The kid knows."

Things have come to this point, and Zhu Jinyou doesn't want to argue anymore. A few days ago, he said that he would let Miss Luo Hong be a concubine. Now that he knows that she escaped from the palace, he will immediately demote her to a concubine. I wonder what Miss Luo Hong will think after hearing this?

It's really tricky.

Just as he was about to leave, the Empress Dowager reminded him, "I heard that this Miss Luo Yu was the Empress's former maid, recruited into the palace by the eunuch in charge of the palace affairs. Madam Zhang found out that the girl they wanted to recruit had committed suicide by jumping into the river, and they happened to meet a refugee on the road, so they used her identity. Do you know anything about this?"

"I checked her identity. Luo Yu is her real name."

"Her former name wasn't Qin Luoyu. Her name was Helian Naling, a foreign surname."

Zhu Jinyou: ...

Did she never tell the truth? But her ability to speak the southwestern Baipu dialect certainly didn't seem fake, except for the surname Helian, which was more like a northwestern nomadic surname.

"You'er, I know you truly love this girl, but the prerequisite for liking her is that she should also treat you wholeheartedly. She won't allow even the slightest deception, nor will she be allowed to use your identity to seek any personal gain. It's not good for a woman to have too many thoughts."

"Yes, I know."

Zhu Jinyou couldn't express how he felt. The marriage they had originally agreed upon was just a temporary solution to exploit each other. He shouldn't have felt bad hearing this. But now, he realized he didn't even know who she really was. How could he have exploited her? It was all just a lie!

It's funny, she has so many identities that she probably doesn't even know who she is. So, she doesn't feel any psychological burden every time she tells a lie?

Zhu Jinyou was so distraught that he didn't know how he walked out of the Cifu Palace, how he walked out of the palace, and how he returned to the palace...

He only remembered that the trees, flowers and plants on the road were lifeless due to the strong sunlight, and everyone's face was stained with strange indifference.

**

Xia Liang would eat and drink his fill every day and then lie down and stare blankly.

She never thought that a girl named Ye Wenting would come to her door in person.

The ancients were really interesting. With just a verbal agreement, a child's lifelong affairs were determined.

Ye Wenting is tall and slim, with fair skin. Not to mention her facial features, which are particularly delicate and beautiful, she looks like a beauty who has lived a peaceful life.

As soon as Xia Liang took the first look, he couldn't help but feel a little inferior in his heart.

She touched her belly and realized that she had gained some weight since she hadn't exercised much recently.

Starting tomorrow, she will exercise with Erya and Sanya every day.

Otherwise, Yan Xuan would be infatuated with this grown-up beauty.

Qin Luoqi and Qin Bingrui went out of the city to watch a circus performance.

Xia Liang was the only one left. He jumped up from the couch and said to the beauty, "Xiao Mei, are you looking for me?"

The girl was stunned, and her arrogant look turned into anger.

"I'm not Xiaomei, why did you give me a random name?"

"Then what are you doing here at my place?"

"I, I just passed by and stopped by to take a look."

Only then did Ye Wenting carefully look at the woman in front of her who didn't know how to sit or stand properly, with a look of suspicion on her face. Is this really the girl that Second Young Master Yan likes?

Xia Liang was not idle either. He ran to the door and asked the guards: "Why did you let people in so casually? Don't you know that this is a secret military base? No outsiders are allowed in casually."

The guard at the gate stammered, "This is Miss Ye, the cousin of Ye Chengshi."

"Oh, you're related!" Xia Liang said meaningfully, "Then you have to ask for my opinion before letting them in from now on, do you understand? Otherwise, I won't be able to summon the dragon, and I will report you to Master Yao for neglecting your duties and affecting my magic power."

After hearing what Xia Liang said, Ye Wenting snorted softly: "It's obviously your own lack of strength, and you're blaming others."

Xia Liang didn't want to argue with her, so he simply avoided the topic and asked her: "Why did you look for me? You don't want to see what Yan Xuan's future wife looks like?"

Miss Ye's eyes swept up and down, and her words were even more vicious: "I thought you were a young lady from an aristocratic family, talented in both literature and martial arts, but I never thought you were really a country girl with little talent and knowledge."

Xia Liang was curious: "How did you know I was a country girl? I thought I had a pretty good aura!"

Miss Ye's face suddenly turned ugly. She said such harsh words, but Miss Xia was not angry. This made her seem petty.

"Is Miss Xia really, as others say, a nameless, powerless, and ordinary country girl from a humble family?"

"Yeah, that's about right. What's wrong?"

"Why would Yan Xuan like you when you're like this?"

Xia Liang narrowed his eyes and thought carefully, then looked at himself and asked her cautiously: "Do I really look that bad? But Sister Luo Yu always says I'm cute."

Ye Wenting wanted to be sarcastic, but she didn't know how to start. She could only cough dryly and said awkwardly,

"No, no, I didn't say you're bad. It's just that you're not that good. Why would Yan Xuan like you? He recently rejected our engagement to our Ye family."

"Oh, you're looking for trouble with me because you're angry that he broke up your engagement, right?"

"Of course not. He and I don't have a real engagement. We haven't even made an offer of marriage. It doesn't really count. I just wanted to come and see..."

She suddenly stopped talking.

"I understand. I understand that you want to come and see what charm I have that is worthy of him resisting the marriage arranged by the elders of the Yan family, right? I didn't expect that Yan Xuan is such a good kid. I am not blind."

Xia Liang chuckled twice and his mood suddenly improved.

"Actually, you're not very attractive."

Killing someone is like destroying their heart. Killing someone is like destroying their heart!

The corners of Xia Liang's grin gradually narrowed.

"Yes, you are very charming, so go and seduce him, don't bother me. Miss, let me tell you, there is really no need to exhaust yourself for a man. He didn't choose you not because you are not good enough or not pretty enough, but because he just doesn't like your type. Besides, you haven't seen what he will look like when he grows up, so why are you thinking of marrying him?"

Ye Wenting didn't expect that this country girl was so talkative and didn't say a word to belittle her. Thinking of this, she sighed and told her the truth.

"Actually, I wasn't angry. It was just that I saw him riding past on the road that day. He looked so heroic and so different from when he was a child. It instantly touched my heart. I told the elders at home about seeing him. You know, girls from wealthy families like ours are arranged by their parents and matchmakers. Instead of marrying someone I've never met and don't like, it's better..."

"Oh, Miss Ye really has personality. This idea is right. Instead of marrying someone you don't know whether he is a human or a ghost, it's better to find someone you are familiar with."

"..."