Three days later, the newly elected ladies left home and moved into the East Garden, and the courtyard where the maids lived outside the second gate was full of sad and mournful weeping. Although the family was glad that their daughter had chosen a daughter, and it was a decent thing to go to the compound to show off, they were still reluctant to say goodbye.

Each family has prepared clothes for the four seasons, but they are afraid that they will be insufficient. Although the daughter raised in such a small family is not expensive, she is also the love meat of her father's heart, and the thought of not seeing her own flesh and blood from now on makes her grief unbearable. When the wives saw their parents sad, they felt even more desolate and frightened.

The family of the maid who should be chosen received a reward of five taels of gold, and the contract of sale was read several times, and the handprints were silently drawn. The father and mother were holding a small piece of yellow and clear gold, and their hands were trembling, and the daughter who had raised them for more than ten years sold the death deed in this way. If you meet a good-hearted adult, you may be able to enjoy wealth and nobility until you are old, if you are ruthless and kill at will, then you will be like the life and death of the two worlds of yin and yang, and there will never be a day when you will never meet.

In a simple and simple hut, Zi Ning sat on the edge of the bed in a daze, wearing only half-worn clothes, packing up a small bag of thin linen, her brows were deeply furrowed, and her sloppy eyes could not hide her heart.

There were two close-fitting clothes stacked in the baggage, a set of white satin underwear left by the benefactor, and a jade flower head silver hairpin was the only precious thing that Lin Niang had, and Lin Niang was reluctant to wear it, so she asked Zi Ning to take it away. That's all she has.

It rained all night last night, and the leaves of the trees were covered with rain and dew, and the tiles of the eaves were also damp and cold, revealing a chilly air.

The room was also extremely cold, like the indescribable bitter taste in Zi Ning's heart, holding the burden tightly in his hand, he secretly took the folding fan, and carefully wrapped it in the burden. The jade pendant on the folding fan was heavy, with a coldness in the warmth, all of which she hid tightly.

She knew in her heart that if such a man's thing was turned out by Ligu and them, it would be a capital crime.

Lin Niang's face was yellow and thin, half-crooked on the bed, one hand on the couch, her eyes were full of tears, and she muttered in her mouth: "Ning'er, my mother is sorry for you......" The injuries on her body healed slowly, and she got up hard, but she hurt her muscles and bones, and she couldn't get out of bed and move around at will.

Zi Ning Qiang smiled and said: "Ah Niang, the ginseng bird's nest sent by the eldest princess is boiled into a paste and sealed in a coarse porcelain jar, these are rare good things, remember to eat some from time to time to nourish your body." Lin Niang's eyes looked at the girl's contract of sale, whimpered for a moment, and couldn't say a word for a while.

Zi Ning sighed secretly, Lin Niang in her memory loved her all kinds of love, although she did not have brocade clothes and jade food, but she tried her best to spoil her, like the pearl of the rich and noble. I thought that Lin Niang was a lonely and poor woman, how much suffering did she have to endure to raise her from childhood to adulthood alone?

Lin Niang sobbed, grabbed Zi Ning's hand, and said in a voice: "Ning'er, A-Niang also wants to go to the eldest princess, but the people in the inner mansion don't let you see it, it's A-Niang who can't stand you." As he spoke, tears flowed down in strings.

Zi Ning took Lin Niang's hand and comforted: "Ah Niang, you didn't stand up to me, choosing a maid for Master Su is the top priority of the palace, and the chosen maid is registered, and the eldest princess knows it." Since the eldest princess didn't stop her, I'm afraid this is also what she meant, so we can only accept our fate. ”

The choice of the woman is ultimately decided by the eldest princess, Zi Ning looked forward to it day and night, and waited for three days, but she didn't see the eldest princess send someone over, and she couldn't help but feel sad in her heart.

She sighed faintly and thought to herself: "Aunt Xu said that the eldest princess thinks about me, and it is safer to be Lord Su's concubine, but how do they know my heart? It's a pity that I can't say anything about this matter, and I can't ask the eldest princess to make decisions for me." She asked me to choose a wife, thinking that she was protecting me, but in fact she hurt me. ”

Lin Niang shook her head and said: "No, the eldest princess will never treat us like this, there must be some last resort, but A-Niang really can't guess it......"

Seeing her expectant eyes, Zi Ning exhaled and said: "A-Niang, you are the personal slave brought into the palace by the eldest princess, we have lived in the palace all these years and have not suffered, and the eldest princess has treated us with kindness and righteousness." Now I have chosen a concubine, although I don't like it, but the eldest princess must have decided that it was a good place to go. A-Niang didn't want to complain about the eldest princess in her heart. ”

Lin Niang cried: "I just feel sorry for you, where do you dare to complain about the eldest princess......"

The mother and daughter held hands, as if they had a lot to say, but they were silent for a while, only looking at each other, tears rippling.

There was a soft sound of "pop", and the green ring lifted the door curtain and came in, dressed in plain clothes, his eyes were slightly red, and his expression was full of sadness, and said, "Ning'er can you pack up? Let's go together." Zi Ning saw that she only brought a small cloth bag, which was carried to her shoulders, and she had no clothes for the four seasons, and the dress she was wearing was also old, and she didn't have a hairpin on her head, and she only tied her hair with a hairband.

Zi Ning's heart couldn't help but feel sour, her eyes turned red, and the outfit of the green ring actually had a kind of determination to go to the place of death.

She stretched out her hand and pulled the green ring to sit down, and said softly: "Don't you bring those bright clothes you wear on weekdays, you can wear them so simply, you don't even wear a hairpin." It's only been three days, and the green ring's face has become haggard, and his body has lost a whole circle, and he looks even more thin and pitiful.

Luhuan turned his head to look at her, smiled sadly, and said, "Those clothes and hairpins are all left to the little maid in the dining room." I went to Dongyuan as a maid, I will never come back here, my parents died when I was a child, although I have an aunt, I can't see it all year round. It's those little girls who pester me sweetly all day long, calling me Sister Greenring. Now that I'm gone, what do I do with those clothes, I might as well leave them all, but I can think about it. ”

Zi Ning nodded slightly and asked, "I went to the Inner Mansion yesterday, don't say goodbye to your aunt?"

Luhuan's face turned pale, he was silent for a moment, nodded and said: "Auntie is doing well, there is no shortage of food and clothing in the inner house, and I don't have to worry about it in the future." ”

As he spoke, he took out a small piece of gold from his sleeve, put it in Lin Niang's hand, and said earnestly: "I have been taken care of by Lin Niang all these years, and I can't use the five taels of reward gold for selling my body, so Lin Niang will take it." In the future, the body will be more healthy, and don't let the green ring and Ning'er worry. ”

Lin Niang had already cried with tears on her face, and she couldn't speak, and the small gold ingot was held in her hand, as if it was heavy with a thousand catties.

Zi Ning couldn't bear it, reached out and grabbed the hands of Luhuan and Lin Niang tightly, and cried: "This is the money to sell a life, a living woman, her life is not as good as this gold." "My heart was full of sorrow, and bead-like tears rolled down in strings.

Lin Niang stuffed the gold back into the hand of the green ring, suddenly opened her eyes wide, and said urgently: "Green ring, you can escape with Ning'er." Before the grandmothers came to the door, you took the gold, and then fled from the palace, and never came back when you left. ”

Zi Ning was startled, and her heart jumped wildly, she also thought about escaping, but the world is so big, where is she going to escape?

With tears on her face, she turned her head to look at the green ring, only to see the green ring shaking her head vigorously, and whimpered: "Lin Niang, we can't escape, Yan'er escaped with someone yesterday, and let the nursing home arrest her overnight, her parents and parents were implicated, and she was dying with a stick, I'm afraid she won't survive today." and the man who eloped, who had been cut in two with a straw knife early this morning. If Ning'er and I escape, Lin Niang and my aunt, none of you will survive. ”

When Zi Ning heard this, she was stunned, her eyes blurred, her breath was full of bitterness, and she only had despair for a while, and she didn't know what to do, "Luhuan, are we just resigned to our fate?" I am not willing to be the wife of Lord Su, I still want to go to him......"

Green Ring hurriedly covered her mouth and said in horror: "Are you crazy, don't talk to him, just keep those nonsense in your heart, never say it." He looked out of the window in a panic, and said in a deep voice: "Ning'er, I didn't want to tell you, but if you don't say it, I'm afraid you can't stop thinking about him in your heart." ”

Seeing the expression on her face, Zi Ningdeng's eyes widened and he asked anxiously, "What are you going to tell me, is it his business?"

Lin Niang's face was full of confusion, her eyes looked at Zi Ning, as if she had thought of something, and asked in a trembling voice: "Ning'er, who is he you talking about?"

Zi Ning didn't have time to answer Lin Niang, she only shook the green ring vigorously, and asked urgently: "Green ring, tell me quickly...... If she knew his identity, everything was hopeful, and she believed that he would rescue her at the most critical moment like the previous times.

Luhuan's face turned pale, he bit his lip, stared at Zi Ning, and said slowly for a while: "Ning'er, you have to listen carefully, the benefactor who saved you is none other than today's crown prince." He lives in the deep palace, and you will be Lord Su's concubine in the future, and you will neither see the prince nor think about him, you know?"

"Prince?" Zi Ning suddenly became in a trance, and muttered in his mouth: "How can it be the prince, how can it be?"

She grabbed the folding fan in the bag, as if she saw a bright white and gold-inlaid figure, standing in front of her with a fan, and called softly: "Zi Ning, Zi Ning-"

Luhuan said: "I went to visit my aunt in the inner mansion yesterday, and met the mother-in-law who was waiting in the courtyard, saying that the prince came to the mansion that day, and because the mother-in-law Yan contradicted the eldest princess, she ordered her subordinates to slap the mouth board and execute them in the court. Ning'er, tell me, if it wasn't the prince who saved you that day, who would it be?"

Zi Ning pinched the handle of the fan heavily, only to feel that his hand was cold and hard, and muttered to himself: "It's really the prince, such a fan, such a jade pendant, if it's not the prince, who can be worthy?" I already knew that he was noble, but I couldn't think of ......it" The fingers couldn't help but tremble slightly, and the flame of hope in her heart was extinguished to the point that there was only a little remnant star, the prince was in the palace, how could she go to him for help?

Lin Niang listened for a long time, suddenly pulled Zi Ning's hand, and said: "Silly boy, what kind of identity is the prince, you can't like him, don't ...... Don't be delusional. Saying that, he cried again, and whined: "It's A-Niang who can't stand you, the eldest princess, she ......" Halfway through speaking, she couldn't help it, crying so much that her face was flushed.

After a while, Zi Ning said to herself: "I understand that although the distance between this palace and the outside of the palace is only separated by a wall, it must not be crossed. ”

Seeing that Zi Ning had a folding fan hidden in her baggage, Green Ring hurriedly pressed her hand, "Ning'er, you can't bring this thing." ”

Zi Ning looked at her fixedly, shook her head slowly, and said, "Green Ring, don't stop me." This is the only hope I have left, and I can't help but take it with me. No matter how difficult the days to come are, when I look at this folding fan, I feel comforted in my heart, as long as he is always by my side, I can try to live. ”

Green Ring let go of his hand and couldn't hold back the tears streaming down his face.

Zi Ning suddenly couldn't hold back, and cried bitterly, once he went today, maybe he would never see him again in this life, when he thought of the white satin shining figure, his heart hurt like a knife. ————