The Gilded Cage

In the East Palace, Xu Rong was still waiting outside the Guangtian Temple restlessly, walking back and forth from time to time, with a solemn expression, as if he always felt that something unexpected was about to happen.

I don’t know how long it took, and the guard who was guarding outside came to report: "Student, Your Highness-Your Royal Highness is back!"

Xu Rong was full of spirits, hurriedly stepped forward, and she saw Chu Ning strolling along, only to see her face calm, she couldn't see any clues, and she immediately drummed in her heart: "His Royal Highness, can things go well?"

Chu Ning smiled, and actually bowed to him, warmly said: "Xu Shidu, now I can no longer call me'His Royal Highness'."

As soon as Xu Rong heard this, he knew that it was done, so he put aside the heart that had been held in his throat, and was about to smile and step forward and continue to relieve him, but saw that she had ordered Cuihe next to her: "Go and pack things out. Well, it's time to go in a while."

"Go?" Xu Rong was stunned, "His Royal Highness-where is the lady going?"

Even if she is not the prince, she should still be a woman in the East Palace. The prince pity her, how can she let her go?

"Xu Shidu, I have already pleaded with the saint to surrender the position of princess, and since then I have been pursuing meditation, and naturally I can no longer live in the East Palace. Is it satisfactory for the servant?

Chu Ning stepped into the hall, looked around, and took a closer look at the house he had lived in for more than two years.

The furnishings here are very similar to her original boudoir, but they don't have the slightest warmth and warmth.

"As long as we own things."

Cuihe nodded in response, and quickly put the title deeds of the farms and houses that she had saved for her from her small home, the flying money that can be exchanged at the big merchants, and the huanghuali wood inlaid with colorful snails for several kinds of jewelry. Treasure box, I received a few more plain clothes that had already been placed by the cupboard, and the bag was ready.

"Lady, this—" Xu Rong realized that things seemed to have changed, and suddenly followed the door to ask questions, but was interrupted by Xiao Yu who had rushed back from the Taiji Hall.

"A-Ning! What do you mean!" His face was a little grim, and he stood outside the door of the dormitory in two steps, blocking her way, his tone was full of questions.

Chu Ning took a step back, opened the distance between him, and looked down: "His Royal Highness wants Aning to give up his position as a regular wife. Aning gave up. Isn't Your Highness still dissatisfied?"

Xiao Yu paused, and the gloom in his gloomy eyes seemed to be trying to suppress his anger: "How does this satisfy me? I--I never thought you would leave!"

He said, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, thought of something, suddenly sneered, and said, "Aning, you have resentment in your heart, right?"

"His Royal Highness is worrying too much, Aning dare not." She put away her former gentle and gentle face, revealing the cold and true face underneath, without looking at him, just turning around to go around him, but he grasped her wrist.

"A-Ning, don't blame me, okay? You know, I have to do it!" He saw her indifferently, and he felt that he had guessed right, his original anger was a little bit relieved, and he lowered his posture to her again. Soft words.

Chu Ning's impatience flashed in his heart, and he didn't show it in the end, but he was still cold, trying to pull his hand out, but was gripped more tightly.

"His Royal Highness, please let go."

"Aning--"

Xiao Yu wanted to say something, but a few servants had already arrived in the Tai Chi Palace. They were stopping under the stone steps, and the two who rushed up to salute: "The lady is inconvenient to live in the East Palace again, and the saint's slaves wait to invite the lady to return to the true view.

"His Royal Highness, I should go now." Chu Ning relaxed and said coldly.

A twist of Xiao Yu's face flashed.

Sending someone directly to take the prince away in this way is really a naked humiliation and ridicule for him!

The blue veins on his forehead jumped straight, wishing to break directly into the Tai Chi Palace and pull the uncle who had robbed the throne from the throne.

"Aning, don't forget about your father. No one can help you except me."

He clenched her hands tightly, lowered his voice and said the last words in her ears, whether it was for encouragement or warning, in short, with unspeakable gritted teeth.

Speaking of his father, Chu Ning narrowed his expression, staring at him condensedly, as if silently saying the word "let go".

Somehow, a trace of guilty conscience flashed in Xiao Yu's heart, and the originally tightened fingers loosened unconsciously.

She pulled her wrist back, gave a salute, then turned and left.

There are swallows passing by the sky, and the wind is fragrant. Xiao Yu stood on the high stairs, staring at Chu Ning, surrounded by the servants, gradually moving away, never looking back.

"His Royal Highness, what the **** is going on?" Xu Rong waited for a long time, and finally couldn't help asking him.

An irritation flashed across his pale face, and the hand holding the door frame tightened, making the joints more prominent: "Originally acting according to your and me arrangements, but she suddenly asked the saint to leave the east palace and enter the Taoist temple. The sage allowed her to practice spiritual practice, and asked her to move to return to the true view."

"I'm afraid I've thought about this a long time ago. It seems that the lady is determined to leave Her Royal Highness." Xu Rong's heart flashed astonishment, and she didn't expect that the prince Chu, who was always gentle and gentle, would have such unexpected toughness. On the one hand, "It's because the minister has not thought about it well, and hasn't noticed the abnormality in advance, please let the palace down.

"Fine, the person next to my pillow, even I haven't noticed, how can you know?" Xiao Yu put one hand on his forehead, covering the extra bright sunshine.

Once calmed down, the suspicion and panic that had been suppressed in my heart spread like weeds.

In the past two years, he had never really let go of his guard against Chu Ning, and now she suddenly left, making him more uneasy.

Fortunately, Zhao Yanzhou is still there, and he also knows where the only two young lords left in the Chu family are.

He knew her weakness.

"Send someone to stare at Zhao Sizhi." He put down his hand, opened his eyes to face the dazzling light, and coldly commanded, "Chuzhou, also keep a close watch. If necessary-use it."

Chuzhou is the place where Chu's young man went to school.

Xu Rong bowed and responded, and his heart gradually relaxed. After all, the prince was still sober, and was not blindly confused by the Chu family. The more this happens, the less you can disturb your mind for trivial things.

"From the Zhao family, hurry up too." But for a moment, Xiao Yu had already recovered his former appearance, except for a strangely pale face, the whole person looked gentle and elegant.

He doesn't have too many paths to choose, he can only follow the one in front of him, the sooner the better.

...

In the Taiji Palace, under the guidance of the servant, Chu Ning passed through the Shenlong Gate, entered the Houyuan, and walked in the direction of Guizhen Guan.

Cuihe followed her, with nothing more than a multi-treasure box and a small package in her hand, as if she was just going out for a day or two.

Along the way, there were still unknowing servants in the palace calling her "His Royal Highness" and bowed to her. She smiled and avoided sideways, and patiently explained to them one by one: "I am no longer a prince, no longer Salute to me."

The next people looked surprised, but didn't dare to ask, they could only watch her walk by, and then hid behind them and talked quietly.

"The lady don't have to take it to heart, there is a saint, they dare not disrespect the lady." A servant next to her was afraid that she would be upset, and could not help quietly comforting her.

Chu Ning didn't mind, she just shook her head and said, "I am just an ordinary woman now. I will live in Guanzhong from now on. It doesn't matter if they respect me or disrespect me."

The waiter glanced at her, concealed the strange color under his eyes, and said nothing.

Guizhen Guan was in the west, and several people led her to turn around and walked up a narrow and curvy pebble path.

But when I saw a young girl carrying a maid, she was dressed in a yellow skirt, beautiful and generous, steady and dignified, it was Qi Chenxiang.

As Qi Chenxiang walked, listening to the maid beside her, her face did not seem to be calm, but with a bit of surprise and disapproval that could not be concealed. She lowered her eyes in a daze, did not notice the appearance of Chu Ning, until the maid beside her quietly signaled, she came back to her senses.

"You..." She stopped, frowned and looked at Chu Ning's plain dress, "I heard that you are going to Guizhen Temple."

She was never happy with Chu Ning.

In the past, when Chu Qianyu was still alive, the Chu family girl was one of the most sought after in Beijing. When the sisters in her family talked about Chu Ning, they always had a bit of envy or even jealousy. Although she was a few years younger, she was fascinated by her. Naturally, I can't like Chu Ning.

Later, Chu Qianyu had an accident, Chu Ning was in trouble, and married the prince Xiao Yu, which made him more distinct from Qi Jiajing.

But today I entered the palace to greet the Queen Mother, but heard that Chu Ning had only been married for two years and had nothing to do, so she asked herself to surrender her position as a regular wife, and turned to Taoist practice. There was a strange anger in her heart. sense.

It is clear that she was also a lady of the family who was sought after by 10,000 people. Even if she was in trouble later, she shouldn't be so weak and spineless!

She looked at Chu Ning's pitiful baggage, and her disapproval became clearer: "How can you let yourself fall into such a situation? You don't even have to leave behind!"

Chu Ning was stunned by her question, and for a while, she didn't know why she looked at herself with such disapproval, but after thinking about her current situation, she gradually recalled.

Others don't know what happened to her, let alone Xiao Yu's true face. In their opinion, she, the princess who left voluntarily, is probably a pitiful and lamentable weak woman. After she leaves her husband, she will have nothing.

But I didn't expect that Qi Chenxiang, who was always generous and decent, could not make mistakes, would be such a proud person who couldn't tolerate sand in his eyes, and he was far from the Queen Mother.

She paused, and gave Qi Chenxiang a gentle smile: "Thank you Liuniang for your concern, I am very satisfied to this day."

Before that, she couldn't even imagine that she could leave Xiao Yu so smoothly, and now she was only concerned about her father.

Qi Chenxiang looked at her without arrogance, and was disappointed in her heart. She couldn't help but shook her head: "No matter, you are so weak, it's no wonder that you haven't made yourself a better life, and it won't help other people worry about it."

She didn't bother to speak any more, and after nodding slightly, she left with the maid.

Chu Ning stood there for a while, looking at her back, only felt that this was the first time I met her today.

After a while, the maid brought her into the view of return to truth.

The wing room in Guanzhong has been cleaned up. After the champions came to meet her, they all went back.

She stayed in the house with Cuihe for the rest, listening to the explanation from her servant: "The furnishings in the lady’s house were supervised by the supervisor. All of them."

As the servant said, he took her around in this small courtyard and saw everything.

Sure enough, a lot of exquisite clothes were stacked in the cupboard, some gorgeous, and some neat and elegant, no worse than everything she did when she was in the East Palace.

It seemed that Xiao Kezhi put them down in advance after he learned that she was leaving the prince.

She watched it carefully, and solemnly thanked him. After sending the person away, she picked out the green lotus-colored big-sleeved shirt that was closest to the other women's crowns from the clothes in the closet, and then sat down on the bronze mirror. Before, he diverged the string, took a yellow crown, and tied the black hair high.

The hair accessories that are indistinguishable from men make the original gentle and graceful face suddenly show a bit of heroism.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she suddenly felt as if an invisible mask that had been worn for two or three years had been removed from her face.

Her eyes were shining, she looked very bright, and she was clearly wearing the simplest clothes, and even the usual jewelry was removed, but she looked vivid and dazzling.

"Lady..." Cuihe looked back, her eyes flushed suddenly.

Chu Ning smiled, and whispered: "Don't cry, what a good day this is."

As long as Xiao Yu continued to marry, she would really have no relationship with him anymore.

But Cuihe endured forbearance, and still shed tears.