A wu didn’t speak but bit her lip, looking at Princess Dening.
Since the birth of her child, she had often been compared, hoping her Little Princess would be as favored as Princess Dening and not be outshone.
She never expected Princess Dening, after learning everything, would still help her.
Helping her was tantamount to betraying Emperor Jingxi, and also betraying her own mother.
Princess Dening said, “Your children are my younger siblings. Father Emperor said I must take up the responsibility of the eldest sister. Then protecting their mother’s life isn’t unreasonable, right?”
Tears fell from A wu’s eyes; she choked out, “Alright, if I can escape alive, I will pray for you every day.”
At that moment, she also thought of seeking Yehan.
If she could find Yehan, perhaps there was still hope to escape.
***
A wu frantically gathered the valuables she had chosen—gifts from Emperor Jingxi, from the Crown Prince, and even some old trinkets from Lu Yunjian!
There were two pieces from Lu Yunjian she had originally wanted to discard, but she decided to keep them after all.
When Lu Yunjian gave them to her, he said they were precious and wanted her to always wear them close to her body, but she didn’t care and had just tossed them in her bundle.
Now that she had killed Lu Yunjian’s sister, Lu Yunjian hated her; if they crossed paths, who knew what might happen!
She and Princess Dening exchanged clothes, and with Dening’s help, left Langhua Hall.
Everything went so smoothly it was unbelievable.
When A wu changed into a coarse servant’s cloth, carrying a blue-flowered bundle packed with valuables, riding a donkey, and hurriedly made her way toward the nearby Zhenwu Daojun Temple, she could hardly believe she had escaped the deep palace and found freedom.
Of course, it wasn’t truly freedom—the temple was still in the outskirts of the capital.
She had to escape farther, preferably to the Eastern Sea, to completely flee Dahui!
She soon arrived at the temple grounds.
The Zhenwu Daojun Shrine was quite spacious; from afar, one could see the main hall and the exquisite side palaces, corridors, and winding paths.
Incense smoke curled upward.
It was near midsummer, and officials, merchants, and commoners alike came to burn incense and pray.
In front of the temple were many painting stalls selling images of gods, demons, and various deities, along with scattered snacks.
A wu blended into the crowd and carefully ascended the stone steps into the main hall.
She found a young Taoist novice and boldly inquired about Yehan.
She didn’t know his current Taoist name, only his secular name Yehan, and roughly described his height and appearance.
The young Taoist asked, “Is his accent southern?”
A wu quickly nodded, “Yes, yes!”
The novice asked her to wait.
A wu stood in the northwest corner of the west annex hall, where two Dracaena Trees stood, with an Eight-sided Pavilion nearby.
She hid under the Dracaena Trees, warily watching the crowd around her.
She didn’t know how long Princess Dening’s deception would hold.
If she was unlucky, the palace might already be hunting for her.
Just then, beneath the red clay wall ahead, a Taoist novice in robe hurried this way—it was none other than Yehan himself.
The moment she saw Yehan, tears flooded her eyes.
Yehan also saw her and was visibly shocked.
He quickly scanned the surroundings.
Seeing no one, he immediately ran over and gestured with his eyes for her to follow.
A wu didn’t dare speak, fearing drawing attention, and followed Yehan.
Yehan walked quickly, following the path past the main hall to the bell and drum tower with flying eaves and vermilion pillars, then circled a corridor and stopped at a red Zhurong Lattice.
There was a wisteria arbor here, its green leaves lush, blocking the view of the distant crowd.
Yehan’s voice was hoarse from tension: “What happened?”
She was a Noble Consort, the Emperor’s wife, yet now she came here in such a state—it must mean something terrible happened!
A wu finally met Yehan and felt a slight relief, as if she had found a support.
Her voice choked with tears: “Brother Ye Han, the Emperor wants to kill me. He will definitely kill me. I thought I had to run away quickly.”
Yehan asked, “Why? Why does he want to kill you? What happened?”
A wu glanced around.
There were incense burners nearby, and though no one looked their way, she still felt nervous.
She gritted her teeth: “Brother Ye Han, time is short. He just wants me dead. I have to leave. Please take me away, will you?”
Yehan pursed his lips and looked at her, hesitating.
A wu was uneasy.
Suddenly she realized that she trusted Yehan, regarded him as family, and naturally sought him out to help her escape.
She subconsciously believed he was like her father and brothers—someone who would always support her and be relied upon.
But this might endanger him, and perhaps he didn’t want that.
She opened her mouth to speak—
Yehan caught her thoughts and cut her off: “Since surviving the disaster in the Eastern Sea, I have journeyed north searching for you. I’ve been looking for you all this time. If you’re in trouble, I can do anything—even die for you.”
A wu stared at him, seeing the restraint and suppression in his dark eyes.
Her nose ached.
At this moment, she clearly saw the Yehan she once knew.
Yehan looked at her bitterly: “But you’re now Imperial Noble Consort. You’ve come so far and given birth to a prince and princess. You enjoy riches and luxury. If you flee with me, I don’t know if I would be endangering you… So I restrained myself, and even knowing you’re in the palace, I dared not seek you openly, afraid of ruining the future you struggled so hard for. I could only secretly inquire about you.”
His voice cracked: “Is the Emperor really going to kill you? Why all of a sudden?”
A wu understood his meaning immediately: “Brother Ye Han, you don’t understand. That’s the Emperor. He has the Empress and many concubines. People like him may have momentary affection but no true heart! He’s cold-blooded. He almost took my life before. I barely escaped to stay by his side. Imperial favor is fickle. Life isn’t easy… And not to mention others, he even plans to bury me with him after he dies!”
Yehan frowned; he hadn’t expected the Emperor to be so ruthless.
A wu said, “There’s more—I killed someone. I killed the Empress. These things I can’t explain well. If I stay in the palace, I definitely won’t have a good death!”
Yehan immediately understood.
The Empress was from the Lu Family and was killed by A wu.
He bowed his head briefly in thought, then quickly said, “Since things have come to this, we can’t waste time. Wait here for the length of one incense stick, and I’ll come get you. I’ll take you away, and on the road, you can tell me everything in detail.”
A wu nodded vigorously.
Yehan hurried back to his lodging.
A wu waited alone.
Soon, Yehan appeared with a bundle and a long staff.
He instructed A wu to pretend nothing was wrong and walk out of the temple.
They agreed to meet outside at a spot with flowers and trees.
A wu followed his plan.
Everything went smoothly.
Yehan changed into plain civilian clothes and blended with the incense-burning crowd, riding the donkey with A wu, heading straight down the mountain.
On the road, Yehan whispered, “I brought food and water. We won’t rest until we keep going, heading toward the Eastern Sea. If we can reach the Eastern Sea, we’ll find a boat to sail out. Then even the court won’t be able to catch us!”
A wu understood.
The journey was long, and if Emperor Jingxi sent people after them, it would be hard for just the two of them to escape.
But there was no choice—only to risk it.
She nodded repeatedly.
Fortunately, Yehan was very careful.
In such a short time, he had planned everything meticulously.
Holding the reins, Yehan pulled A wu close and said, “A wu, tell me slowly, what exactly happened these past few years?”
Though he was a cold and stern youth, his voice was softer now, like coaxing a child.
A wu gradually relaxed from head to heart.
She felt as if she had returned to the past, breathing in the scent of old times.
She would follow him, go back to the Eastern Sea, and wait for her father and brothers’ return.
This was the road home!
A wu tightly hugged Yehan’s sturdy waist, burying her face in his rough cloth collar.
His clothes were coarse and plain, quite unlike the luxurious robes of Emperor Jingxi, but A wu liked it.
Her nose ached and her chest swelled with an indescribable happiness.
Neither Lu Yunjian nor the Crown Prince, nor even Emperor Jingxi, could give her this steady sense of peace.
At this moment, even if they couldn’t escape and died here, she would still be satisfied.