The Crown Prince in the Jade Pendant

Chapter 118: The disaster of the country

When Chu Jinyao heard the news of the defeat, after the initial shock, she immediately thought of her dangerous situation.

Changhe Garden was originally less crowded and loose, and if the hearts of the people collapsed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She couldn't help putting her hand on her lower abdomen. This was her weakness, but it was also her strength. It is said that the sky is falling and there is a tall person holding it, so now, Chu Jinyao must be the one holding the sky.

The palace ladies were so scared that Liushen Wuzhu, a few timid palace ladies covered their faces and cried. Chu Jinyao closed her eyes vigorously, and when she opened them again, her eyes were sharp, changing her former softness and reasoning: "What are you crying for? The frontline was defeated. The emperor has not been killed, and there is also a prince sitting in the capital. You are crying now, do you want to curse the emperor or the prince?"

The palace people were all frightened. They had never seen such a stern look on the prince. The court's years of teaching have now prevailed. They all stood up quickly, lowering their hands and dared not make another attempt.

The palace people were trembling, and they seemed to be back to the hierarchical court for a moment, but that's good, having a hierarchy means order, and the palace people suddenly stepped on the ground in a daze, and they wouldn't lose their souls like just now, the six gods have no masters. .

Chu Jinyao saw that these people were quelled, and immediately ordered them to do things, close the garden gate, check the doors and windows, pay attention to fire prevention, there are too many things to do. This kind of time was ordered to make people feel at ease. The palace ladies and eunuchs seemed to find the backbone of the master at once, and each went to work on their own affairs. Linglong and Chu Jinxian felt that the world broke when they heard the news, but seeing that Chu Jinyao was so calm and calm, they couldn't help following Chu Jinyao's pace. After everyone else in the room took their orders, Linglong asked, "Prince Princess, what should we do now?"

Chu Jinyao turned her head and saw that the maid she had been with for many years was looking at her eagerly, and Chu Jinxian was also holding Brother Lu, with expectation and trust in her eyes.

Chu Jinyao felt unspeakable pressure. In fact, she didn't know that it was the mistress's instinct to order the next person to check the garden just now, but what should she do afterwards? Qin Yi would definitely not let her stay with her child in the dangerous western suburbs. However, it is not a secret that the pregnant princess prayed for the Buddha in Changhe Garden. How could Chu Jinyao dare to guarantee that the first group of people who arrived was Qin Yi?

The army was defeated at a distance of more than 100 miles from the capital, and even the emperor was captured alive by the enemy. This kind of thing is almost devastating for a country. This is almost a precursor to the country's demise in the history books. When the Jingkang disaster happened, what kind of life did the royal family members lead? Chu Jinyao didn't dare to bet that careerists are most likely to appear after the chaos. If there are really brave generals who want to fight, then Chu Jinyao and the child in her stomach are the best targets.

Chu Jinyao gritted his teeth and said: "Changheyuan's goal is too big to stay here. Let's go outside for a while and wait for the court to send someone."

At this time, Chu Jinyao thought about whether she could change into the maid’s clothes. Maybe she could escape the catastrophe? But she immediately thought of her appearance and gave up.

It was too risky. Once she changed into the clothes of a court lady, she could be recognized. Secondly, she couldn't be blocked in one place, so she became a turtle in the urn.

Therefore, we still have to go outside.

Chu Jinxian looked at the hard-won son in his arms, before hesitating for long, she said decisively: "Okay, I will walk with you."

"No." Chu Jinyao categorically refused, "Neither you nor Brother Lu can stand the wind. There is no need to accompany me on adventures. You take the guards and go from another direction. If someone comes, they will probably chase me. You hide in peace, and you should be able to make it to the capital."

"How can this be done?" Chu Jinxian shook his head with a firm expression, "You don't have many guards by your side. If you separate the hands, it is easy to ignore the head and the tail. It is better for us to act together. There are many people to take care of."

Chu Jinyao also thought that there were not many people and that Chu Jinxian might be in danger when she went out. If something went wrong with Chu Jinxian and Brother Lu, it was her fault. Chu Jinyao hesitated for a few moments. Seeing that Chu Jinxian was determined, she also made up her mind: "Okay, let's go together."

Linglong all showed a look of relief. She walked forward quickly and said: "Prince, the slave and maid will go back to pack her luggage."

Today Lu brother is crying inexplicably, so Chu Jinyao is now in Chu Jinxian's yard. Chu Jinyao stopped Linglong and said, "You don't need to pack your luggage. You should find a few inconspicuous sets of clothes. The best ones are folk women's clothes. The sooner the better."

Linglong quickly understood that as long as the prince is okay, Changheyuan's treasures are nothing, and there is no need to pack up the luggage. The most important thing is to hide the people quickly. Now those who stayed in the house were confidants, Linglong took a few people to take her orders, and the remaining Lilac Platycodonis quickly served Chu Jinyao to remove the hairpin ring. Chu Jinyao can be said to be exposed to everyone now, if someone recognizes the identity of the princess, it would be simply unthinkable.

Chu Jinxian and Chu Jinyao quickly packed up, and at this time Linglong also brought two sets of gray clothes back. Chu Jinyao took the clothes and said, "I'll change it myself, and you have to pretend to be one or two, so you can see that it came out of the palace."

Several maids tremblingly took off their precious jewelry, Chu Jinyao pointed them out one by one where there were flaws, and when she thought there were no obvious flaws, she asked people to carefully wrap Brother Lu and walk out quietly.

The guards that Qin Yi left behind had been outside for a long time. The chief guard also thought that at this time, the enemy was dark and I knew that the target of the princess was really not suitable to stay in place. He was originally worried about how to persuade the princess and persuade these nobles. The female family is suffering, it is better to draw the sword as soon as possible to prepare for the decisive battle. However, unexpectedly, before the chief guard would take the initiative to advise, the princess sent someone to tell him to wait at the side entrance. The chief guard was very surprised. When he saw the princess and his party hurrying at the side entrance, he was surprised in his heart. Even more.

The princess actually changed into folk clothes. Not only she, but several big palace ladies around her also pretended to be. After all, if you were still wearing the clothes in the palace, it would be tantamount to traveling at night by Bingzhu, hitting the gong and fleeing, but it would be even more dangerous. The surprise in the head of the guard was fleeting. He bowed his head respectfully, not looking directly at the prince and the family members, and let them get in the car vigilantly and conscientiously.

The carriage was also deliberately modified. The outside was unremarkable, but sitting inside was comfortable and warm, but no matter how comfortable it was, they were not as comfortable as before. After all, they were fleeing, and the whole carriage could breathe for a while, and no one could say anything. .

At this moment, the sky was dark, and the whistling wind blew across the bare treetops, making a whimper-like sound. This kind of voice was completely different from what I heard in the warm palace. Even the maid in the carriage was a pampered half-lady in the Houmen. She had never seen a rough cloth, so no one had ever seen this kind of battle. Linglong's face was pale, Chu Jinxian also had blue knuckles, and she hugged Brother Lu tightly in her arms. Chu Jinyao glanced at the sleeping brother Lu, and sighed that it was a child, and he could fall asleep even at this time.

Chu Jinyao couldn't let this uneasiness continue. She lowered her voice and said, "Sister, it's okay. We are now walking to the capital. When we are near the capital, we will be fine when we see the crowds. "

It usually takes more than an hour to ride a horse from the capital to Changheyuan, and the carriage ride is slower, but it only takes half a day. But the prerequisites for these rushing times are peace and prosperity. Now that the emperor is taken prisoner, this is a national disaster and a national humiliation, which is tantamount to the shame of Jingkang back then. The world was in an uproar, and the people's minds collapsed. Some people could not help but take the risk, and they also thought about their ideas.

Chu Jinyao suddenly heard a noise from behind, she opened the curtain a narrow slit, and saw the scene that she least wanted to see.

The Changhe Garden behind them lit up. Looking at their direction, it was obviously not from the capital.

Several other people in the carriage were also panicked when they heard the sound. They didn't dare to open the curtain to look, but they could guess from Chu Jinyao's face that nothing good had happened outside.

Linglong asked fearfully: "Princess, what's going on outside?"

"Changhe Garden is surrounded by people."

Just this sentence is enough to scare away the remaining half of the female stream. Linglong covered her thumping heart, and said with lingering fear: "Fortunately, the prince was alert and came out early, if otherwise..." Linglong didn't dare to think further, Chu Jinyao was still pregnant with the only child of the East Palace. The armed forces of the imperial court encircled Changhe Garden. What do they intend to do? Is it a rescue or a threat?

No one knows.

After all, Chu Jinxian is a daughter of a golden daughter. Now that she heard that things that could only be seen in the history books really happened to her side, she was scared to Liushen Wuzhu a long time ago, but she was barely able to maintain her composure because of her childhood education. Chu Jinyao looked back for a while, lowered the curtain, and lightly knocked on the carriage.

The voice of the guard immediately sounded outside the car: "Prince Princess, what can I tell you?"

"They found out that I was not there, so they will be chasing me soon. We can't stay on the road anymore, so quickly find a place to hide."

There is only one direction to enter Beijing, and people don't need to think about it. They must know which direction they are fleeing. There are many women in their line, so they don't have to expect to compete with a fast horse, so for the present, they can only hide around during the dark, and only those who can support Qin Yi come over to take care of them.

The head of the guard also had the same idea. He said: "The prince's words are quite true, but there are no forests in the boundary of Gyeonggi. I am afraid that the prince will be wronged to go to the farm."

"I won't do anything, it's important to save my life." Chu Jinyao really subdued this upright head guard, she frowned and said, "Also, don't call me the prince princess. I will do five at my family's house and change everything later. , Call me five girls."

"Yes."

Chu Jinyao obviously felt that the carriage had changed its direction, and several other people naturally noticed it, and now they are silent. At this time, Chu Jinyao had no time to deal with them. She once again urged: "Remember, you must not reveal your identity for a while. I am the fifth girl in the family, the daughter of an ordinary petty official in the capital, and my father is from the fifth grade. Bachelor, this time I'm here to accompany my sister to Zhuangzi to relax, understand?"

Linglong and the other two maids understood the stakes, and hurriedly read a few silently in their hearts, nodded and said, "I understand."

The rank of Bachelor from the fifth rank is not high or low, and it is not high enough to make people vigilant, but Hanlin Qinggui is not the master of domination. Chu Jinyao has changed into civilian clothes, and it is best to fool the past. If they are still unlucky enough to be noticed, then they have the identity of a round field.

The Western Suburbs were mostly the villas of the rich and powerful, and it was not surprising that a lady from the family of officials appeared here. Chu Jinyao was very thankful that her belly hadn't been shown, and she still had the opportunity to pretend to be a girl who hadn't come out of the cabinet.

The head of the guard is a mother-in-law, but he does things swiftly. The carriage quickly stopped in one place. After a while, the head of the guard came to invite someone: "Miss, Miss Fifth, this family is named Zhuang, and it happens to have hot water. Miss, let’s rest here for a while."

Chu Jinyao knew that this was the head guard passing the news, Chu Jinyao gently held Chu Jinxian's arm: "Sister, let's go out."

Chu Jinxian's face was pale, she nodded and walked out slowly holding the baby in her arms.

Because the identity is the eldest and fifth miss, Chu Jinyao couldn't be the first one to come out. After Chu Jinxian stood up, several maids hurriedly came to help Chu Jinyao. Chu Jinyao shook her head secretly, but there were still flaws. How could the fifth lady in the family be more prestigious than the eldest? Chu Jinyao can only hope that this family can't understand it, and hopes that the chasing soldiers will not find it here.

This family only has a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law and a child who is only seven years old. Granny Zhuang's husband is dead, and her son has gone out of town. The family is only women and children. This is why the chief guard chose this family. If it is unavoidable and there are no males in this family, he will be able to control the mother-in-law immediately.

Both the dealer's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stood in the yard, watching the visitors carefully. Today they heard that the frontline was defeated, and they were so frightened that they closed the door early. But not long after the door closed, they heard someone knocking on the door outside, and an air-conditioned man gave them a small piece of silver and asked them to give their own lady a mouthful of hot water. Farmers earn less than a few taels of silver throughout the year, so even though Mrs. Zhuang felt that the people who knocked on the door at this time were weird, she still had the courage to accept it.

The banker's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at the two carriages vigilantly and curiously, and their eyes widened when they saw the people getting on and off the carriage. They have lived for so long and have never seen anyone with this look, especially the one who got off the car behind. Even though she is wearing ordinary clothes, she is standing in the dusky courtyard, as if the whole person is exuding soft light. People look in her direction unconsciously.

Although the chief guard could not see any expression, he was always guarding Chu Jinyao, his eyes were vigilant, and his hands were still on the handle of the knife. The other guards had long been hidden around him, and they were always paying attention to the surrounding movement. Chu Jinyao looked around and whispered to the chief guard, "Brother guard, the carriage into the yard is too troublesome. Anyway, we won't be able to stay for long, so let's leave the carriage outside."

The head guard immediately understood that the fence of the farmer could not block the carriage at all. What farmer would have the money to raise the carriage, this is simply a bright target. The head guard said immediately: "Yes, Miss Fifth."

The chief guard turned his head and pulled the carriage out. Chu Jinyao knew that there was no one left beside him, so he safely followed the dealer's wife and daughter-in-law into the house. The banker's wife had just brought the water over and saw the chief guard returning, and the carriage in his hand had disappeared. Her eyelids twitched, and without a word, she lowered her head into the room.

The dealer's daughter-in-law brought water to Chu Jinyao and Chu Jinxian. Linglong saw it and immediately took it: "Thanks for your hard work, let me come."

The daughter-in-law wanted to say how you can do this because you just look at it with delicate skin and tender flesh, but then she gradually fell silent when she saw the exquisite and proficient movements.

Granny Zhuang felt more and more that these few people were not ordinary people. They lived at the foot of the imperial city. This area was mostly rich and powerful, and they had seen many young ladies from the official family. But no one is like the few in front of them. From words and deeds to appearances and conversations, Shengsheng pulls out an invisible wall with the people around them.

Guang Linglong and the other two maids are rare white people in the village, let alone the sisters Chu Jinyao and Chu Jinxian. The dealer's wife is really the first time she knows that there are people like celestial beings in the world, and she is in the same room with such a person.

The chief guard was standing behind Chu Jinyao like a statue, his sharp eyes almost turned into substance. Chu Jinyao saw that since they came, the original owner of the house had been rushed to the corner. She sighed in her heart and wanted to tell the Chief Guard not to be so scary, but she was afraid that she would make more mistakes and could only hold back. She rolled her eyes and saw a seven or eight-year-old child hiding behind the cabinet in the corner. Chu Jinyao was pregnant and naturally loved the child. She couldn't help but smile and asked softly, "What is your name and why? Hiding behind?"

The child was still hiding in the corner of the room timidly, not daring to step forward, Mrs. Zhuang said quickly: "This is the grandson of a citizen's wife. I have never seen strangers. I can't get on the stage. Please don't laugh at me."

Unconsciously, Mrs. Zhuang used the term "people's wife".

Chu Jinyao thought that the boy was afraid of the chief guard, so he dared not approach, but in fact, the child was because the sister in front of him was so beautiful. He was afraid that the sister would be broken when he approached, so he only dared to hide away. peep.

Chu Jinyao sat at the farmer's house. Although the surrounding furnishings were completely incomparable with the palace, it gave her a sense of security strangely. On the contrary, Chu Jinxian was a little uncomfortable, and at this time Brother Lu woke up and began to cry weakly. Chu Jinxian frowned, with anxious eyebrows showing.

The village calmed down as soon as the night fell, and it was not a good thing to hear the cry of a child at this time. Chu Jinyao also stood up and looked at Brother Lu with concern. When Mrs. Zhuang saw that the two young girls were in a hurry, she couldn't help but say: "Two nobles, the children are mostly hungry if they cry like this. If you don't dislike it, I will give it to you. Boil some rice paste?"

The number of people on the road is limited. Brother Lu’s nanny was naturally left in Changhe Garden. The child was hungry and Chu Jinxian had no choice. At this time, there was nothing to choose from. She could only say "Thank you." Mrs. Zhuang went to prepare food for the children.

The wife of Zhuang also went out to help, and the intermittent sound in the kitchen was full of life, inexplicably reassuring. Chu Jinyao gradually calmed down, and even the anxiety between Chu Jinxian's eyebrows disappeared a lot, but as soon as Mrs. Zhuang brought in the hot rice paste, the head of the bodyguard who had been silent for a while suddenly changed his face. Then, Chu Jinyao I also heard the sound of horse hooves outside.

Linglong and Dingxiang stood in front of Chu Jinyao almost subconsciously, and another Chu Jinxian's maid also approached Chu Jinxian tremblingly.

"Is anyone inside? Our official has something to ask."