I lifted the curtain and looked out, it was too far away from the city, and it would take a long time to drive to find Lang Zhong, so I had to go to the neighborhood to find herbs first. He glanced back at Zhu Gaoxu, leaned closer to his ear and said, "Axu, I'll go find medicine, you stay here and wait for me." He was blindfolded and had no strength to speak, so I turned around and got out of the car without hesitation.

Thanks to his previous experience, he was able to distinguish the herbs for healing injuries, and it was relatively easy for Lin Zhong to produce herbs, so he quickly found them and returned to the carriage, but seeing that Zhu Gaoxu's wound was full of bloodstains, and there was no water to be found in the carriage, he had to put down the herbs and go to find water. After walking a long way this time, I finally found a small stream, tore off a piece of cloth and got wet, and filled some water with large leaves, but when I came to the same place, my whole body froze.

The carriage is gone!

I was sure that I was on the wrong path, but after looking around and finding even the place where I had picked the herbs, I couldn't find the carriage, and I found signs of grass being crushed by the wheels.

I repeatedly made sure that there were no traces of fighting around, and stood in the moment in a daze, regretting inexplicably, why did I leave Zhu Gaoxu alone in the carriage to find water? At this time, he couldn't beat even a farmer. I wanted to follow the mark of the axle, but I suddenly raised my head before I took a step and fixed my gaze.

A foot in front of me, a foot away, hung a rope with a cloth bag tied to its end. That cloth bag is no stranger, it is the one that Zhu Gaoxu used to wrap jerky before.

I stepped forward step by step, and the hand that went to untie the rope was trembling, and I didn't untie it for a long time, but the tears rolled down first.

Zhu Gaoxu drove away by himself, and he left the dried meat for me, but left alone in the carriage. Why did he do it? Is it because you feel that you are too injured to bother me? He has his reasons, but I can't help but be sad.

When the cloth bag was finally untied, he opened the knot and stared at a neatly folded white piece of paper inside the cloth bag. I had a faint premonition in my heart, and when I opened the white paper, a few lines of slightly scribbled and simple words appeared on the paper:

Xiaolan, I'm leaving, don't worry about me, I'll be fine with the herbs you picked yourself. Actually, I lied to you, this forest is the one we came out of the secret passage, and the secret passage entrance is also nearby, you just need to look carefully.

Forgive me for not wanting to part with you too soon, and forgive me for not saying goodbye.

I don't need me here anymore, I should go back to Beiping.

From now on, take care—

I was stunned, he said that he lied to me, this forest is the one from the palace? Looking around in a daze, looking in a hurry, where is the secret passage? When I saw Yan Qi again, there was a string in my brain that tightened and broke.

Yan Qi was standing calmly, wasn't it the secret passage we escaped? He saw me kneeling on one knee and called out respectfully, "See the Queen." "I've known him for almost two years, and he's never treated me with such a gift.

"What's going on?" I heard myself asking.

Yan Qi raised his head, "Niangniang, go back to the palace with me." ”

Back to the palace? Can the palace go back? Isn't the Queen Mother still controlling the government and manipulating the harem? Did Ah Ping wake up? Countless questions passed through my mind, but they suddenly fixed on a sentence in Zhu Gaoxu's letter - "I am no longer needed here, I should go back to Beiping." "He once said that if I am not safe, I will never return to Beiping, so now that he is leaving alone, it means that he is safe?

Yan Qi had already gotten up by himself, and turned around to open the mechanism of the secret passage, but was stopped by me: "Yan Qi, you explain to me clearly first." He paused and turned his head, his eyes still clear: "What do you want to know?" ”

I asked, "Do you know that Zhu Gaoxu is gone?" ”

He nodded and replied, "Yes." ”

I asked again, "When did you come?" ”

He was silent for a moment, "Last night. ”

With a heavy shock in his heart, he said that he had been here last night! Still unconvinced, he asked, "What time was last night?" You make it clear. He didn't hide it: "When you were chased by the black-clothed killers, and Zhu Gaoxu fought with those three masters, I finally arrived in time to save him." ”

I couldn't believe my ears and blurted out, "Why didn't you show up until now when you arrived to save us last night?" But when the words came out, I felt that the answer was already clear to me, and I heard him say: "Zhu Gaoxu was stabbed into the waist by the killer's dagger at that time, he was not in a hurry to pull out the dagger, but first asked me to give him another day, I respected him as a man and agreed, and I will go to the prince to confess this matter after returning to the palace." ”

My heart skipped a beat, I didn't want to speculate why Zhu Gaoxu asked Yan Qi to give him another day, and I didn't want to ask about that person, I just wanted to know: "Did you agree to meet in this wood?" ”

"Well, before the evening at the latest, otherwise I won't be able to explain to my son."

"Aren't you afraid that we will leave the capital and go to a place where you can't find it?"

Yan Qi: "From the suburbs of Beijing to the neighboring cities, they have been guarded, and if you disappear, you won't be able to get out of this area." You don't have to worry about Zhu Gaoxu, I gave him Jinchuang medicine when he left. ”

I laughed suddenly, the corners of my mouth pulled up a sarcastic arc, it turned out that all worries and concerns were superfluous, like a clown, cooperating with other people's performances, but just pleasing others.

"Don't blame Childe, he can't help himself."

Yan Qi's words broke my heart defense and made me emotional: "I can't help myself? That's his reasoning? Who is he when I am? Yes? Where the hell did he put me? "I ended up yelling.

Seeing that I was so excited, Yan Qi's eyes flashed with panic, and he was eager to defend: "No, Childe, he wants to ......"

"Shut up!" I cut him off, "Take me to him!" ”

Yan Qi's eyes shrank, sighed, turned around and walked into the secret passage, and I followed with a heavy face. When I first walked this dark secret passage, I felt that the road ahead was boundless, but when I came back, I felt full of mockery. There is an oil lamp on the two walls of the secret passage a few feet away, but because of the depth of the secret passage, it cannot illuminate the inside very brightly, and it is still dark and dark.

Wait until the stone gate is turned Yan Qi paused, turn the mechanism on the wall to open the stone door. Originally, I couldn't see his expression when he turned his back to me, but after seeing him walk into the stone gate, he paused and called softly: "Childe." ”

The heartstrings were plucked, and my hand hanging at my side couldn't help but clench into a fist.

Even if I didn't move forward, I couldn't change it, and I bit my lower lip hard and walked away when I felt the pain. Step by step to the stone gate, the line of sight from the outside to the inside, in the dim light and shadow under the oil lamp, a plain white figure slowly turned, the four eyes were opposite, faint and cold, clear and far away.

As soon as he stepped in, the stone door behind him rumbled and slowly fell.

The shallow voice seemed to come from far and near: "Xiao Qi, you should step back first." ”

Yan Qi answered the call and left through another stone door, leaving only the two of us in the secret room. The eyes that stared at me were full of tenderness, but I didn't feel warm, because my heart was already cold in the depths of the pool. He walked towards me, and when he approached, he reached out to touch my head, but I dodged it backwards, his hand paused in mid-air, his dark eyes were clear, locked my eyes, and suddenly silently asked: "Lan, let me hug you." ”

And didn't give me a chance to refuse, he directly dragged me into his arms and hugged me tightly.

My head was pressed against his chest, my ears could hear his heart beating, my nose could smell the familiar breath, I should have been happy to see him standing here safely, but what was the soreness and sadness in my heart?

The palace in front of me is like Pandora's box, and if you walk in, you will encounter intrigue and calculation, and I don't want to go back.

"Ah Ping," I whispered his name, "let me go." ”

As soon as he said this, he felt that the palm around me suddenly tightened, and he didn't make a sound, but his breath became heavy. I tugged at the corners of my mouth and said, "If you are merciful, give me Xiao Yuan'er and my brother." "It's incredibly unlikely, but I still have to say it.

Yuan'er was canonized as the crown prince of the dynasty, and if he really left with me, it would cause an uproar. However, with this person's scheming, the city government also has its own ability to come through, and I don't need to worry about the heir problem in the future.

I felt him lean over my ear and spit out the words between his teeth: "Don't you think! ”

I smiled and nodded: "It's really my fool's dream, if you really don't agree, let Yuan'er stay, how can he also be your eldest son, I hope you can treat it well in the future." But my brother, you don't have to hold on to it, he is not suitable for life in the palace, so let me take him back to the countryside to live an ordinary life. ”

He took a long breath, pulled me out of his arms, lifted my chin so that I looked at him, and said word by word, "When I say don't want to go, you don't want to leave!" ”

"You don't trust me anymore, what's the point of forcing me to stay around?" I asked him in a whisper.

He frowned, not in the same hurry to explain to me as he used to, but stared at me gloomily. Suddenly, I realized that something had changed, but I covered my eyes and always assumed that the person in front of me was the same as before.

I thought of him as Ah Ping in Ginkgo Village, but I didn't know that he was already Zhu Yunwen who had ascended the throne and became the emperor. He knew how to circumvent my vision and let me live in an ivory tower he had built for me, and if it weren't for this incident that exceeded his expectations, he would have continued to hide me completely.

He came and shook my hand and pulled me to leave, "Follow me back to the palace." ”

I stopped and refused, I was wrapped around my waist by him and wanted to be forcibly taken away, and I was angry and scolded: "Zhu Yunwen, you let go of me!" But he ignored me, and picked me up, and when he came to the stone door, he had to let me down and turn the mechanism to open the door. I bit down on his wrist with a hard blow, and I heard the top of my head gasping in pain, but I didn't come to break free, and let me bite.

Yan Qi's exclamation came from behind the stone gate: "Childe! ”

I shook my head and couldn't help but let go of my mouth, and when I raised my eyes, I saw Yan Qi staring at us in shock, obviously I didn't expect it to be such a picture. Then what I didn't expect was that the person behind me suddenly ordered: "Xiao Qi, tie her up and bring her back." ”

Not to mention me, even Yan Qi was stunned, doubting his ears: "Tie it back?" ”