The next day, Ye Zhen got up early. Smoke slowly rose from the kitchens in the village, but the entire hamlet seemed very quiet, with very few people.
"Innkeeper, what village is this?" Ye Zhen sat by the window, holding the stuffed steam bun served by the innkeeper as she queried curiously.
"This is Gujia Village," the innkeeper replied in a low voice, "where are you gentlemen headed?"
Ye Zhen did not answer him, only continued to ask, “Do the people from your village work in the field this early?”
The innkeeper laughed dryly and said, “That's right, they’ve all gone to work."
"Master, drink tea." Ye Zhen poured a cup of tea she had personally brewed for Huangfu Chen.
Huangfu Chen put down the stuffed steamed bun that he hadn't even taken a bite of while Ye Zhen took a sip of tea and nodded with a smile. “Mmm, good tea."
Of course, it was good tea. It was made with lingquan after all. Originally, she didn't want her master to drink lingquan, however, the innkeeper’s behaviour kept fueling the weariness. There was no problem with the food that was served last night, but the steamed buns that were brought over this morning, one wouldn’t dare take a bite.
Seeing that they had had tea, the innkeeper quietly let out a sigh of relief and winked at the woman hiding at the side.
"Master, let's go." Ye Zhen felt the whole village was somewhat strange, and urged Huangfu Chen to leave quickly.
Huangfu Chen was about to get up but found Dai Mei and the coach-man Quan Fu sprawled on the table.
" Dai Mei, Quan-fu?!" Ye Zhen startled, she had clearly asked them to drink the tea, did they not?
"Yaoyao!" Huangfu Chen called to her in a low voice. “Go check if the carriage is still there?"
Ye Zhen dashed out, and sure enough, didn’t see their carriage.
She was about to report back to Huangfu Chen when a few burly men appeared in the inn holding a knife to her master’s neck.
♚
Mo Rongzhan’s nightly visit to the little girl’s boudoir ended in vain. He couldn’t find her. However, it wasn't until the next afternoon that he found out that the person he thought was taking shelter in Pei Shi’s or the matriarch’s courtyard in a bid to avoid him, had actually long left the capital with Huangfu Chen.
The discovery turned a certain someone's mood into an indescribable storm.
"Lu Yaoyao and Huangfu Chen left the capital early yesterday?" Mo Rongzhan asked Eunuch Fu who was kneeling before him again with uncertainty.
"Replying to the emperor, the Lu family… That's what Lord Lu said." Eunuch Fu was crying in his heart. No wonder the emperor came out of the princess's room so quickly last night. The princess had already left.
"Where are they headed to?" asked Mo Rongzhan.
Eunuch Fu buried his head even lower. "Your Majesty, the Lu family… No one knows where the princess went, but I heard that she went to practice medicine with Mister Chen."
"How did she leave the capital with Huangfu Chen?" That damn little girl! Mo Rongzhan's chest ached from anger. She hadn't said a word to him that night. She seemed to want to leave the capital long ago… Was it to avoid him?
"I heard that the princess is already Mr. Huangfu's apprentice…." Eunuch Fu didn't know if he should sympathize with the princess. She quietly followed another man out of the capital. Even if it was Mister Chen, the emperor must be furious. When the princess returns, wonder what punishment would be awarded.
Mo Rongzhan was indeed so angry that he was about to go berserk. He thought that they had already reached this point, even though she still had a knot in her heart, he had explained everything clearly. As long as she was given time, she would always let it go. He had not expected that she would quietly leave the capital to avoid him.
Did she ever consider his feelings? Didn't she know that he would be worried about her, that he would miss her? She walked away easily and cared not about his feelings at all. It was the first time in twenty-four years that Mo Rongzhan realized what desolation and disappointment meant.
Even the little girl who had once saved him had never penetrated his soul like she had. He had even held his heart in front of her yet she didn't care.
Never had Eunuch Fu seen his master as such… quiet and full of despair. He felt a chill in his heart. “Your Majesty, should we send someone to find and bring back the princess?"
"No need. She can go wherever she wants," Mo Rongzhan said coldly and waved Eunuch Fu to leave.
He would just let her think that she could hide from him. She would always return to the capital. And once she did, he would spare her no time to agree to become his empress. In this lifetime, no matter if she was willing or not, she had to be his woman.
Eunuch Fu cautiously stole a peek at his master, bowed his head, and withdrew.
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