Whoever came, it was never a good thing to see her standing there alone! No one was beside her; she had no relation to Consort Shu, and she stood there so abruptly in Consort Shu's palace…
Princess Hexin could never have imagined the intricacies of the situation, yet she still left her alone here!
Thinking of this, Mingwei hurriedly and quietly took a few steps back. Princess Hexin probably thought it was her first time visiting Consort Shu's palace and that she wasn't familiar with the layout. Plus, Princess Hexin deliberately took a roundabout route and chatted with her as they entered. How could Mingwei possibly remember anything?
But the one thing she hadn't expected was that Mingwei's body was already inhabited by Tang Wan's soul. However, while Tang Wan might not be an expert on the palace, she knew how to get out of here! She knew to find a crowded place; standing here all alone, she felt incredibly guilty.
Mingwei made a decisive decision to leave. She slowed her pace, lifted her skirt, and walked slowly out of the side hall.
But she didn't turn back the way she came. She vaguely remembered a small path that led to the outside of Consort Shu's palace. She could just say she didn't know the way and wandered out randomly to cover it up.
Shortly after Mingwei left, a man dressed in the dark blue robes of a prince, slightly drunk, staggered in. Two burly eunuchs followed behind him. When they entered, the courtyard of the side hall was deserted.
"What kind of work is He Xin doing!" the man cursed. "How come they're all like this! It's one thing if Yang Huiniang is incompetent..."
"Your Highness, please calm down." The gray-robed eunuch said respectfully, "The princess has already brought the person here and just sent word. This servant will go find the person right away!"
The newcomer frowned, waved his hand somewhat displeasedly, and nodded in agreement.
"How can even He Xin be so careless in her work!"
******
Mingwei had no idea what kind of calamity she had escaped; she never imagined that the Prince Cheng's heir had set his sights on her.
Anyway, she was going to pretend to be lost, so she'd have to wait a while longer to get back. With that thought in mind, she unconsciously strolled onto a street that looked rather desolate.
It felt as if she had just left the palace yesterday. Although thirty-six years had passed, she felt an extraordinary familiarity with every blade of grass and every tree here. It was as if… Mingwei felt a little dazed, as if nothing here had ever changed!
Things have changed, but people are no longer the same.
Mingwei couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself; this word was indeed correct.
Lifting her skirt, Mingwei slowly walked inside, her emotions growing stronger with each step. As she followed the path, she saw a somewhat desolate courtyard. A massive locust tree, its canopy as thick as a man's embrace, stretched like a giant umbrella, almost completely enveloping the courtyard. Beneath the tree stood a swing, quietly nestled in its canopy.
Upon seeing the swing, Mingwei immediately burst into tears. It was the swing she had once ordered to be erected!
After entering the palace, she often felt bored in Qionghua Palace, and she would frequently encounter Rong Duo's concubines in the Imperial Garden, which annoyed her. One day, she accidentally discovered this secluded courtyard, and she began to regard it as a paradise where she could breathe fresh air.
The roses and crabapple trees that she had carefully planted are still there, as are the two pomegranate trees.
She had been longing to eat a pomegranate that had borne fruit, but before the following year, she died in the cold palace…
Mingwei took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears, blinking hard a few times to hide the glistening moisture. Someone could come looking for her at any moment; if she cried, she really didn't know how she would explain herself!
Despite her reason telling her to leave quickly, Mingwei found herself slowly walking towards the swing, almost against her will.
The moment her hand touched the swing, she was unaware that a pair of eyes were already glued to her from afar. Their gaze held a complex mix of sorrow and joy.
"Ah Wan..." Her voice was extremely low, as if it were choked with sobs. "Is it you? You've come back?"
"If it weren't for you, how would I have ended up here..." The voice grew even lower, sounding somewhat lost and dejected.
Mingwei reached out and gently pushed the swing, which creaked and groaned, clearly indicating that it had been in disrepair for many years. A bitter smile slowly crept onto her lips as she let her hand fall limply from the swing. She lowered her eyes, a strange smile on her face.
As if she had made up her mind, Mingwei completely let go of the swing, then resolutely turned around and quickly walked out of the courtyard.
But as soon as she stepped outside, she was dumbfounded.
This place is located in the northwest corner of the Imperial Garden, which is somewhat secluded and quite a distance from the Bibo Pavilion where the flower-viewing banquet is held. It should have been extremely tranquil, but now a dozen or so men dressed in black and highly skilled in martial arts have suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
The reason Mingwei could tell they were highly skilled in martial arts was that not only were two blue-clad eunuchs lying on the ground, but they had also subdued the Imperial Guards not far away, and for a time no one else came to their aid.
Fortunately, Mingwei was hidden by a tall Taihu rock and some bushes where she came out, so she was not discovered for a while.
Mingwei dared not go back, afraid of making a sound. As long as she could hold out for a while, the palace guards would surely notice something was wrong, and then she could take advantage of the chaos to escape... While she was secretly planning, a bright yellow hem of clothing caught her eye.
Her heart stopped abruptly, and she held her breath. With all her might, she tiptoed, risking being discovered by the men in black, and glanced to her left.
Lying on the ground was none other than Rong Duo, who had lost consciousness!
Mingwei felt a sudden dizziness, but she quickly calmed herself down. After the initial panic subsided, a surge of hatred welled up in her heart and filled her chest.
The sharp voice of the imperial eunuch delivering the decree echoed in her ears.
This might be the only chance!
For a moment, she forgot about the presence of the man in black and made no attempt to conceal her whereabouts, recklessly wandering out. This exposed her to the man in black's line of sight, unintentionally obscuring Rong Duo completely.
She had pulled out the longest gold hairpin from her hair for self-defense when she spotted the man in black, and now she was tightly gripping the sharp hairpin in her hand.
With just this one move, she could take Rong Duo's life!
Mingwei's hands trembled uncontrollably. She bit her lower lip so hard it bled, her expression a mixture of sorrow and resolve. Perhaps this was her only chance to avenge herself, her parents, her brother, and her sister-in-law from her previous life!
Unaware that the man in black was gradually approaching her, she gripped the gold hairpin in her hand tighter and tighter, but her arm suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. She gritted her teeth, about to raise her hand to stab him.
"Seventh Miss!" A hurried young voice rang out, causing Mingwei to abruptly lower her hand, which she hadn't yet raised, and freezing the men in black in place. "Grandfather!"
It was Rong Zhen who appeared out of nowhere from behind!
Also arriving at the same time were Rong Duo's personal eunuch and imperial physicians, who hurriedly helped him onto the imperial carriage. A large group of others, including Prince Cheng and Prince Kang, also rushed to the scene and surrounded Rong Duo. But Ming Wei knew nothing of this.
He shielded Mingwei behind him like a protector, his sharp gaze fixed on the newcomer.
"Capture them alive!" Rong Zhen gave the order, and the Imperial Guards, forming a pincer movement, surrounded the dozen or so men in black.
Mingwei felt as if her mind had stopped working; she was oblivious to everything happening around her, simply standing there blankly. She didn't even see that Rong Duo's eyes were open before he was carried away in the imperial carriage.