No one was aware that Liu Yinyin had left the imperial palace on the horse carriage from the Imperial Kitchen.
When the carriage stopped, Liu Yinyin made sure no one was paying attention before she snuck away. Not knowing where she was, she could only continue walking forward.
The more I trudge ahead, the further away I will be from His Majesty. This way, he won’t be inconvenienced by me messing around, and I won’t cause him anymore headaches.
The thought of returning to the Liu Residence crossed her mind, but of course she had no idea how to get there. To make things worse, there was practically nobody else on the streets so late at night.
Suddenly, a donkey cart drove past. The driver was an old uncle, and when he saw a young forlorn girl alone shivering in the frigid wind, he couldn’t help but call out, “Little miss, why are you carrying around a cloth bundle so late at night? Are you running away from home?”
Liu Yinyin stopped in her tracks and looked towards the old uncle with a slightly dazed expression. I am very obedient; I wouldn’t run away from home. The problem is, I don’t even have a home right now.
When the old uncle saw her appearance, he suddenly recalled there had been many child trafficking cases recently. Could this young girl have been abducted by the human traffickers and escaped in the middle of the night?
The old uncle immediately extended his hand. “Little miss, it’s too dangerous for you to be alone outside. Come back home with me; I’ll give you something to eat. You can search for your family later.”
Noticing the worry on the old uncle’s expression, Liu Yinyin was suddenly reminded of the LIu Residence’s butler, and thus found him to be very amiable and familiar.
I should follow this old uncle back to his home first.
Hence, Liu Yinyin walked forward and sweetly said, “Uncle, I’ll have to trouble you then.” She hopped onto the donkey cart, her body leaning against the pile of straw.
“Hold on tight.” The old uncle raised a coarse whip, and soon, the donkey cart continued travelling.
Watching the houses fly by, Liu Yinyin learned a little bit about the old uncle as he talked to himself.
So it turns out this old uncle lives in a village 10 kilometres away from the capital in the suburbs. He came to the capital this time to send firewood and countryside dishes to a store.
10 kilometres… His Majesty probably won’t be able to find me.
Liu Yinyin felt her heart tightening. There are so many women in the Female Selection Palace that he doesn’t even have time to care for all of them; how will he have the time to search for me?
Her eyes immediately darkened. It’s best that we don’t meet anymore. It’ll save him the trouble, and we will both walk our own paths in the future.
Making up her mind, Liu Yinyin even pinched herself until the pain was enough to make her forget the ache in her heart.
~~~
The next day at the Prince Hao Residence in Beimin.
After Pei Qianhao left to attend the morning court assembly, Su Xi-er donned an ordinary dress before taking Ruo Yuan and Hong Li out for a stroll.
As the three strolled around on the bustling streets, Ruo Yuan’s eyes were filled with curiosity as they darted left and right. She had some silvers in her purse, and whenever she saw something fun, she would purchase it and keep prodding at it like a little child.
On the other hand, Hong Li liked watching how Sugar People[1] were sculptured. She would always enter any store that was selling them, earnestly scrutinising the process.
“I’ll go over there to watch the cock fighting!” Ruo Yuan patted Su Xi-er’s shoulder before running away.
Su Xi-er softly chuckled as she shook her head. When she turned around though, she was met with the sight of a horse carriage barreling towards an old auntie walking in the middle of the road.
1. A form of candy art. Here’s a Wikipedia article and here’s an image. You can search online for more sophisticated images.
