For Zhou Pei, to a certain extent, this was a memory that she was most unwilling to mention or think about in the future. At the age of fifteen, she went to the capital in order to escape from her marriage. She wanted to become a heroine who would not lose to men in the future. Things were not bad, but she did not expect to encounter such a big setback at the beginning. She was originally hiding in the box, thinking about whether or not she should make a sound. By the time she made a decision, it was already too late.
From the dock of Jiangning to the Yangtze River, the river was bumpy all the way. Zhou Pei was locked in the big box without any light. For someone who had always lived like a princess, the fear in her heart could not be any greater. But even if she desperately hit the wall of the wooden box, the sound that could be heard was very small. The box next to her was filled with heavy objects, but it had already leaned over due to the bumpy road. She realized that she could not call for help, but she still had a dagger with her. Then she began to cut the wall of the box while crying. But after a long time, she could only cut a small hole. In fact, if it was not for the small hole that sped up the ventilation, she was afraid that not long after, she would have suffocated to death in the box.
The time after that was a complete nightmare. Darkness, hunger, fear, and exhaustion, for Zhou Pei, were simply torture that she had never thought of before. Although the box was quite big, the body of a fifteen-year-old girl could not completely stretch out. Sweat soaked her clothes, and the knife cut a hole in her hand. She thought that she was going to die, but then she reacted with the most embarrassing need to pee …
She did not know how long she stayed in the big box. When she was conscious, she would hit the wall of the box. Sometimes she would kick with her legs, and sometimes she would scratch with her fingers. Sometimes she thought, "I am going to die, I am going to die," and sometimes she felt that it would be better to just die. The atmosphere and time in the box gradually became strange. In a daze, she felt that she was like the demon in a bottle that her teacher had talked about. She thought about how she would be found.
Sometimes she thought that if someone could save her, she would love him for the rest of her life and repay him well, no matter what he did to her. Thinking of the shame, she curled up her body, felt the warmth flowing from between her legs, and cried bitterly against the wall of the box.
Sometimes, she thought of the teachings of her family. She was a princess and had the blood and dignity of the royal family flowing in her. Although she couldn't see her appearance in the dark, she could imagine that she must be in a sorry state now. If someone saw her, the first thing they would think of would be to silence them.
Just like that, her heart wavered between pledging herself to him and silencing him. In her daze, she had many dreams. She dreamed that she got married, but then she killed her husband. Sometimes it was the royal decree, and sometimes it was her own doing. No matter which time it was, she cried. Sometimes, she would think of her teacher. She had always admired her teacher's poetry and talent, but her teacher probably didn't know. She had actually wanted to say this many times, and she had always wanted to let her teacher see how extraordinary she was. She was the little princess that many people praised, and many people liked her and came to propose marriage. She wanted to show her noble and elegant side in front of her teacher, but her teacher didn't seem to be surprised. In her circle, she was obviously admired by so many people …
After all, they were not in the same circle. Ning Liheng was too strange. He didn't belong to any circle, and then in his dream, he became the teacher. He felt that … after he died, she was very sad …
In such chaotic fantasies and dreams, time seemed to pass by slowly. Her consciousness was actually getting more and more blurred, and it was difficult to find clues. When the first ray of light finally appeared in front of her, and she saw Ning Yi's appearance, she still felt that it was a dream. However, between reality and the dream, that figure made her feel a little peace, and she finally fell asleep …
*****
There was not much turbulence, and the ship moved forward through the waves.
Ning Yi stood at the back of the ship and looked at the scenery. In the summer evening, the scenery on both sides of the river went away with the ship. Occasionally, he could see pedestrians passing by in the scene. At this time, it was already the third day after they set off. The weather was clear, and the setting sun was very good. A few large ships sailed through the waves, and it made people feel relaxed and happy.
On the other hand, the room that he used to live in had now been occupied by Zhou Pei. According to the later generations, the fifteen-year-old little princess was in the rebellious phase. Ning Yi didn't want to get involved in her strange and tangled thoughts. Although they were master and disciple, at least from Ning Yi's point of view, they were not close. He didn't need to be too considerate to such a little girl.
When he carried the little princess out of the box, the young girl, who had been locked up for a day and a night, was indeed in an extremely miserable state. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was in a dying state. Many adults might not be able to withstand being locked up in such an environment for such a long time, let alone a little girl. After waking up yesterday afternoon, she had been curled up on the bed in silence. She looked much frailer than when she was in high spirits. Perhaps there was already a shadow in her heart, and it was difficult for her to recover for a while.
If he were a responsible parent, he would probably send her back to Jiangning at this time. However, Ning Yi chose not to help either side. He wrote a letter and sent it back to Kang Xian by pigeon. The room was simply given to the traumatized girl who was unwilling to move, lest he become a big bad person in her eyes.
Now, there were not many people who knew that the little princess was on the ship. Besides him and the steward who had been guarding outside the door yesterday, only Xiaochan knew. Although Xiaochan had no problem taking care of people, she couldn't do anything about the psychological trauma of the young girl. When it was time to eat, Ning Yi still brought in hot porridge. Perhaps it was because she had been locked up in the dark for too long, even when she saw Ning Yi, the young girl hugged the quilt and sat on the bed with a somewhat complicated expression on her face, as if she was afraid. However, if it was Xiaochan, even if she approached him, she would not react actively, or simply hugged the quilt and hid in the corner of the bed.
After being rescued from the box by Ning Yi, Ning Yi first asked Xiaochan to bathe and change Zhou Pei's clothes and bandage her wounds. At that time, she was still in a coma, so she was naturally at the mercy of Xiaochan. After she woke up, it was not good to do that again. She was wearing the unlined clothes that Xiaochan had brought along on the way. Although it was already Xiaochan's most beautiful clothes, it looked a little shabby on Zhou Pei. Her fingers were bandaged, and her originally well-maintained long hair was also scattered. Sitting on the bed, she looked especially thin and small, and somewhat pitiful.
Ning Yi sat on the bed and scooped porridge for her to eat.
"… The ship has already passed Yangzhou and is not on the Yangtze River. It will not be so bumpy from now on. It is not early now, and we will probably dock near Huai 'an at night. Many people on the ship will go to the city to stay, so you can think about it. The news that you are on the ship has not been made public yet, but it is not a big deal. If you feel better, you can go out for a walk. The scenery on the ship is not bad. "
As he said this, he stretched out the spoon. Zhou Pei ate in small bites for a while, and then slightly retracted it, hugging the quilt and lowering her head. Ning Yi said, "However, the news has already been sent back to your Grandpa Kang through pigeons. What to do next, think about it yourself. Of course, it is best to go back. You are a member of the imperial family, so it is good that you are fine. If things were to get out of hand, no one would be able to handle it. Steward Liu, who was on the ship, was almost scared to death by you. "
Ning Yi said a few words, and on the other side, Zhou Pei moved slightly. She said softly, feeling wronged, "Teacher … do you think it is troublesome?"
If she asked like this, if it was a normal person, they would probably answer that it was not troublesome. However, Ning Yi nodded, "It is indeed a little troublesome, but for now, you should first take care of your body … give me your hand."
After feeding her the porridge, Ning Yi helped her change the medicine and bandage on her finger. Zhou Pei's slender and fair fingers were stretched out, and when they were occasionally touched, they trembled slightly. Perhaps it was because her fingertips still felt pain.
"Next time, let Xiaochan change it for you. You have met her before. Now that she is my wife, she can be considered your teacher's wife. Your status is too high, so she is a little stressed. Don't scare her. "
In reality, the one who was traumatized was Zhou Pei, but after all, she had a good upbringing. After Ning Yi said this, even if she was against other people, she at least had to show some closeness to Xiaochan. However, he heard her say softly on the other side, "Isn't Xiaochan teacher's concubine …"
"A concubine is a wife," Ning Yi answered.
"I … I have never heard anyone say that …"
"My family's rules." Ning Yi smiled. Seeing that she had already started to speak, he said, "Oh yes, that Zhuo Yunfeng, what is his relationship with you?"
"Zhuo … Zhuo Yunfeng?" Zhou Pei probably thought for a while before she reacted. "He … there is no relationship …" She didn't understand why Ning Yi suddenly asked this.
"I think he has a good way of talking and is very talented. From the way he talks, he seems to be quite close to you … "
"Teacher, you … have met him?" Zhou Pei raised her head slightly, then lowered it again. She said softly, "Oh … he, he asked someone to find teacher?"
"He is on the ship."
"Ah?" This time, Zhou Pei was shocked. She lowered her head, and no one knew what she was thinking. She only heard Ning Yi say, "It seems that he has a good impression of you. I guess he has already proposed marriage to your family …"
Zhou Pei hurriedly shook her head, then said, "He … he is the son of Chaoyang County's mayor. Aunt Chaoyang was originally married to a commander, but later on, Commander Zhuo committed a crime, and the family fell. Because of his relationship with Aunt Chaoyang, the higher-ups didn't punish him too much. Zhuo Yunfeng … is quite smart. When he was young, Aunt Chaoyang sent him here, and he became my disciple. So we can be considered to be acquaintances … "
As she thought about this, there were many things on her mind that she didn't say out loud. Among the various youths around Zhou Pei, Zhuo Yunfeng was considered one of the most outstanding ones. They could be considered friends, but it was not to the extent that they were in a romantic relationship. Although both families were royal, there were several generations of bloodline difference. After the news of Zhou Pei choosing a consort spread, the Zhuo family had sent someone to propose marriage, but Zhou Pei had tactfully declined. Zhuo Yunfeng was also a proud person, so he had never mentioned this matter before or after.
But since Zhou Pei also admired his talent, they were naturally closer than others. Regarding her admiration for Ning Yi's talent, she sometimes couldn't help but express it in her words and actions. Zhuo Yunfeng should know, but she didn't know how much he had told his teacher.
In the past, she often displayed an unyielding attitude towards Ning Yi. If Ning Yi knew about this, she would naturally lose a lot of face. Although she had already lost a lot of face when he had carried her out of the box before she thought about it — this entire day, as she lay on the bed, she kept thinking about how she had been carried out. In her imagination, that scene was even more embarrassing than being carried out naked. Sometimes, she wanted to cry, and sometimes, she wanted to hide and not see anyone — but at this time, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Fortunately, after hearing her say this, Ning Yi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
After saying a few words to Zhou Pei, Ning Yi saw that her condition had improved, so he also relaxed. As he carried the bowls and chopsticks out of the room, he saw Zhuo Yunfeng and a few others walking over from the other side of the cabin. They came over to greet Ning Yi and said, "Mister Ning, after eating, do you still need to clean up?" Ning Yi smiled. "It was convenient."
The people with Zhuo Yunfeng were mostly the sons of the nobility in the Jiangning area. Since Ning Yi didn't know them, he didn't greet them. After he left, Zhuo Yunfeng looked thoughtfully at the room a few times. He chatted with the others as he walked away. The topic of discussion was Ning Yi's identity. Someone said, "Living here, could he be an accountant?"
"Judging from Yunfeng's attitude, he seems to be someone's advisor. Perhaps he's accompanying someone to the capital."
Zhuo Yunfeng said, "He's Ning Liheng."
Everyone had heard of this name before. "So he's our number one scholar?" They didn't sound too surprised. Someone else said, "Is he the Princess's teacher?"
At this time, there were naturally some who were familiar with Zhuo Yunfeng. When they reached the corner, they whispered, "Didn't Yunfeng want to marry the Princess? Why is he suddenly going to the capital …" Zhuo Yunfeng looked back, frowned, and shook his head without saying a word.
As they walked further away, their voices became less clear. Among them, other than Zhuo Yunfeng, there were also people who knew Zhou Pei. However, when they walked past, Zhou Pei was lying on the bed in the room, gently biting her finger, thinking about her own small, messy thoughts. She didn't pay attention to the noise outside.
In a room not far from here, Su Wenyu, who had accompanied them, was lying on the bed with a pale face. These few days, he had been suffering from seasickness. On the outer side of the ship, Ning Yi greeted Wenren Bu 'Er who was walking over. On a big ship at the back, Yunzhu and Jin 'er sat by the window, looking at the scenery outside and whispering to each other. The people on the ship were all strangers. Since they were women, they didn't go out much. The red sunset shone on the rolling river below, carrying everyone's worries. That night, they arrived at Xuyi, a county near Huai An.
Huai An was the junction between the Huai River and the Grand Canal. Although Xuyi was not as prosperous as Huai An, many people on the ship entered the city at night to have fun. However, when it was late at night, a few servants rushed back in a sorry state, and they said that a young marquis had gotten into an argument with someone in a brothel in the county town, and then he was kidnapped …
*****
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