In danger, he traveled through time to save her, and the black-bellied prince doted on her

"Apology?" Li Jingye saw the thoughts hidden in her eyes and tried to make him let go of his hatred. He pulled her closer with one hand, his eyes dark and frightening, "I don't lack money. What can you use to apologize? I need to think carefully about how to kill you."

The silver moon illuminated his eyebrows, and the beam fell on his nose, washing his face like snow, and was reflected in Mu Jinan's pupils. She was dazed for a moment, thinking that he was handsome, as if she had forgotten that she had called him a fool when she was young and wanted to kill his father to avenge him.

Mu Jinan hadn't spoken so much in a long time. She was afraid that he would kill her, but she couldn't hide the joy and excitement in her eyes. She touched his cold robe with her fingertips, her clear eyes filled with anticipation, and she smiled sweetly:

"When I reach the age of 15, I will marry you and bear you children. Three, as an apology."

The breeze blew the lilacs, and the branches were in disarray. The faint fragrance drifted into the house. The violent look in the eyes of the young man sitting in front of the couch suddenly froze. Li Jingye lowered his eyes in surprise and did not come back to his senses for a long time. They were enemies. What was she thinking about? He looked at her in disbelief:

"Don't you have any shame? How can you casually say something like giving birth to a child? And you still want to marry me? I will not like you, nor will I marry you."

Mu Jinan's smile froze on his face. It seemed that he was destined to be the enemy. There was nothing he could do. He simply lay down on the bed and calmly waited for his death:

"Why should you be ashamed of not having read books? You won unfairly, so you can kill me if you want."

Everything was quiet and the bed was pitch black. A ray of silver light reflected the girl's dark pupils. Her neck was cold and the dagger ruthlessly invaded her bones and blood. Mu Jinan seemed to accept the reality. What would happen if she left the palace? She would still be feared and suspected by Emperor Ming all her life.

Her eyes were filled with tears. She closed them and tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. Her hair felt cold. Mu Jinan looked calm as she saw her mother coming towards her. She bought her the most beautiful hairpin, made her the most delicious mooncakes, and even prepared longevity noodles for her.

Li Jingye's eyes were fierce and sinister, and the killing intent surged like a tidal wave, rushing straight into his heart. The fingers holding the dagger had a strong pulse beating. It was all because of her. He frowned and moved the blade to the side of her neck...

Mu Jinan's neck ached and her heart was suffocating. A touch of bright red fell on her snow-white dress. She easily accepted the hardships that fate had given her. It was not because she was cowardly, but because she had already lost all hope. She tried to give herself a soul, but her soul had already left her body during seven years of confinement and loneliness.

The door closed with a creak, and the moon shadow on the floor tiles disappeared. Mu Jinan's heart resumed beating from suffocation. She slowly opened her eyes and touched her neck with her fingertips. It felt fresh and clean. She lowered her eyes and looked for a long time, but did not see any blood.

In the dim moonlight, she saw a scarlet brocade bag wrapped in white clothes. She quickly opened it, touched it with her fingertips, picked up a piece, stood in front of the window and looked at it carefully. Her lost eyes suddenly showed surprise:

"Gold? Li Jingye gave me money? It seems that he will not kill me for the time being."

Mu Jinan slept with a bag of gold in his arms. He hadn't been so happy for a long time and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, he gave Qiu Shui two gold bars. Qiu Shui finally smiled and allowed Mu Jinan to climb the lilac tree and lie down for a while.

Mu Jinan stood under the lilac tree and looked into the distance. A dozen palace maids were delivering items to various palaces in an orderly manner. Although he could not hear their voices, the sight of their bright red dresses seemed to be a fun thing in such a boring and lonely day.

Since meeting Li Jingye that night, he has never appeared here again. Every day, Mu Jinan faces the Buddhist shrine without a Buddha statue and prays to God for protection, hoping that Li Jingye will not come back to seek revenge.

Time flies, the stars and frost pass by, spring is light and the red buds are deep, the wind urges the peach blossoms to bloom, but there is no beauty in the garden here, only desolation. She sits under the lilac tree that has not yet bloomed, and when she sees Qiu Shui bringing the food, she slowly gets down from the tree, for fear that her legs will go weak and she will fall.

Mu Jinan gave Qiu Shui two more gold bars, and every month someone would secretly put money under her bed, but she didn't see that person. She guessed it must be Li Jingye. Others didn't know she was short of money and didn't dare to come here.

Qiu Shui accepted the reward money and served more attentively than before, but still did not speak. Today, she moved the table outside the house and allowed Mu Jinan to sit in the yard to eat.

Mu Jinan glanced at the food, pork elbow, two chicken legs, mutton soup noodles, and a bowl of noodles. She was stunned. She had been here for eight years and had never eaten noodles. It was spring now, and she didn't know the exact day. She immediately asked:

"Qiu Shui, is today the third day of March?"

Qiu Shui nodded, signaling her to eat quickly. Mu Jinan handed Qiu Shui a chicken leg. The girl smiled, feeling a little warm in her heart. Someone remembered her birthday and prepared longevity noodles for her. She smiled and said:

"Thank you Qiushui."

The whole city is filled with the fragrance of sweet osmanthus, and the sky is full of golden millet. Looking up at the bright moon, it is the night of Mid-Autumn Festival. Mu Jinan stands under the lilac tree, glimpsing twenty or thirty lanterns in the sky, as bright as the falling stars and the Milky Way circling in front of the courtyard. He sees Qiu Shui bringing a plate of snacks.

Mu Jinan waited until the sky lanterns floated away before hugging the tree trunk tightly and slowly descending the tree. She walked closer to Qiu Shui. There were eight mooncakes with lotus, camellia, and plum blossom patterns in total. She vaguely remembered that the mooncakes her mother made when she was young also had these patterns. She hurriedly took one, her eyes welling up, and she sobbed softly:

"This year we actually have mooncakes and sky lanterns, which I have never seen in previous years. You can eat them too."

Qiu Shui had a faint smile on his lips and a look of compassion in his eyes.

...

Frost and cold cover the clear pond, snow shadows are like thin mist, peaches are pink and pears are white, the sun rises in the east, and the morning light illuminates the whole country. A touch of brilliant morning glow shines in through the dark low door, and the floor tiles reflect a slender shadow. She stands at the door of the house, letting the dazzling light shine on her.

The girl was wearing a camellia red dress, and had a thick waterfall-long hair draped behind her head, with a scarlet headband in her bun. The morning glow fell on her brows, and excitement and loneliness appeared in Mu Jinan's eyes at the same time. Her eyes were blurred with tears, her heart was pounding, and her chest ached slightly.

Mu Jinan's legs felt a little weak. She had stepped over this very low threshold in the past, but today, for some reason, her legs kept shaking. The girl lowered her eyes to look at her phoenix-head shoes, which were also bright red, complementing Jin Zhaohui. It was the day she was reborn.

The dress follows the footsteps, passes through the prison door, and flutters freely in the wind, acting unrestrained, looking forward to the future and looking back on the past.

After ten years of torment and confinement, she had hoped to die, but she was unwilling to die at the hands of imperial power. Sadness, grief, confusion, helplessness, depression and many other emotions had already filled her soul and flesh.

Mu Jinan touched the red crow in the distance with her fingertips. The scenery was bright and the sky was high and the land was vast. The red clouds were endless. The coldness faded away between her cold fingers. She smiled with empty eyes and thought to herself:

"A thousand ships pass by the sunken boat, and a thousand trees bloom in front of the dead tree. After ten years, I can finally leave this place. I will never be imprisoned again, and I will never be locked in the house again. I can go home. The morning light clears up everything, and the bright light shines brightly at night. The road ahead will be bright and smooth."

Mu Jinan walked in the palace, the sound of her light yet heavy footsteps could be heard on the blue bricks and stones. Every step she took was what she expected in her heart. She walked faster and faster, wanting to leave the palace immediately and never step out of the palace gate again in her life. She wanted to completely forget the days of her imprisonment and forget Zimu Zhai.

Mu Jinan walked out of the Ziming Palace and looked at many things that she had vague memories of. She didn't know what kind of trees they were. She saw officials in red and purple robes walking past her confidently with their heads held high. She lowered her head humbly and clenched her fingers. Qiu Shui stood beside her, stroking her back with his hand, and motioned her to hold her head high and walk.

Mu Jinan's nervous mood eased. She was the daughter of a princess and a general. Although she had not received any education, she still had status. She and Qiu Shui walked away.

The peddler called out, the buildings stood tall, the aroma of wine wafted for miles, Changying Street was prosperous and splendid, and the crowds were shoulder to shoulder. She was dazzled and curious about every place, and exchanged loose change with Qiu Shui.

"Selling candied haws." Mu Jinan looked in the direction of the sound and dragged Qiu Shui through the long street. She was not stingy with the candied haws, winter melon candies, Tang fruit cakes, jujube cakes, giant shengnu, and mutton cakes, and she also gave Qiu Shui a portion.

"How is it? This is a top-quality product, I just stole it." Two figures were hiding in the dark corner of the eaves. A man had a smug look in his eyes and was showing off his stolen items to others.

A ray of golden light reflected on the girl's pupils. Mu Jinan frowned slightly. After hearing what they said clearly, she realized that she was no match for them. She wanted to leave, but her mind suddenly flashed with gold earrings, small gold beads and round gold pieces, like blooming flowers, with three round gold beads of different sizes in the middle and tiny tassels below, which was exquisite.

She remembered that when the prince of the grassland was practicing sword, he wore a wolf tooth and his earrings fell into the grass. She had seen this thing before, and he once said that it was his mother's relic.

Mu Jinan hesitated again and again. After all, it was a relic, and he must have treasured it very much. She couldn't outrun others, and she also wanted to verify her guess. She walked forward generously, stood in front of the thief, and showed the majestic momentum of her mother in her childhood memory:

"This princess has been looking for this for a long time. This belongs to Princess Chengsheng and Prince Dezhao. How dare you steal it?"

The other man heard this and didn't want to get into trouble. Since it wasn't him who stole the thing, he left immediately. The thief looked ferocious, and saw that the woman in front of him had a great appearance and a refined temperament, and she really looked like a wealthy person.

But seeing that her hair was empty and she was holding some food in her hands, he thought, how could a rich person like to eat these? He was experienced in committing crimes and had seen a lot. He clenched his earrings and looked provocative:

"Humph, this is my stuff, what princess? You're even poorer than me..."

Mu Jinan lowered her eyes slightly, not wanting to say anything more, and reached out to grab it. The man was stunned. He had been stealing for many years and had never seen an open robbery. Seeing her thin figure, he showed no mercy and pushed her away.

"Ah!" Mu Jinan took a step into the air, she was no match for him, she staggered and fell to the ground, her dress was covered with dust. She lay on the ground, raised her eyes with grievance, tears in her eyes, and looked at Qiu Shui.

"Crack" "Ah!" Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the man screaming. He had never seen a woman with such great strength, and his wrist was crushed.

Qiu Shui's pair of phoenix eyes were filled with coldness and murderous intent, and he snatched the earring away without any effort.

Mu Jinan's eyes were calm, and a barely perceptible smile flashed across the corners of her lips. Seeing Qiu Shui's quick movements, she clearly had great martial arts skills. She stood up, dusted off the corner of her clothes, took the earrings, and thought to herself:

"Why would the emperor allow an ordinary maid to spy on me? How could a maid leave the palace at will? She is indeed a killer. It seems that I cannot go through the paperwork and go to the border to find my brother."

"However, with her, I won't be afraid if my stepmother bullies me after I return home."

Mu Jinan remembered that the man said he had just stolen something, and perhaps he had not gone far. She hurriedly looked for the figure. Although she could not remember his appearance, the grassland man was tall and mighty, and she could tell him at a glance.

There was a constant flow of people, looking for elegance in the coarse linen clothes. In the distance, there was a tall man wearing a deep blue robe, with a dignified appearance and two small braids in his thick black hair.

"You lost something..." Looking for the sound, the young man turned around. It was a warm March with peach blossoms falling on his clothes. The girl came against the light. She was beautiful and charming, with sparkling eyes. She handed him the earrings.

"Do you recognize this thing? It was stolen by a thief and we got it back."

Li Yuanyang lowered her eyes to see the earrings clearly, and touched an earring on her sleeve. It turned out that it was stolen. She found it back. The young man was grateful and smiled:

"Thank you, who are you?"

Mu Jinan saw the other earring in his hand and confirmed that it was his. She was not familiar with the nobles in Sheng'an City and did not want to talk to him. She said:

"I am a palace maid. I am going out of the palace to do some shopping. I will go shopping first. Bye."

Mu Jinan left quickly and her figure disappeared in the crowd. Li Yuanyang clenched his earrings and looked at her appearance and demeanor. How could there be such a beautiful palace maid? If there was, she would have been taken as a concubine by Emperor Ming long ago. He left with cunning in his eyes.

After Mu Jinan and Qiu Shui had their fill at the restaurant, they went to a clothing store. Not wanting to be looked down upon by the maids when she returned home, she bought a new set of clothes for Qiu Shui and put gold hairpins in their hair.

Mu Jinan was more cautious than before and did not reveal who came to her room. Last night, someone came to Zimu Zhai to put money in her pocket.

Qiu Shui didn't ask any further questions. She had money to spend, and everything would be fine as long as Mu Jinan didn't run away.

Mu Jinan returned home quickly. She hadn't seen her room for a long time, so she hurried back to the yard. Dewdrops soaked the green bamboos, and green willows brushed against the wall. The figure behind the moon-shaped gate was gradually approaching. She saw that the small sycamore tree from her childhood had grown into a towering tree. Her mother's figure flashed in the pavilion in the yard, still sitting there making moon cakes. The swing was set among the flowers, the pool was shimmering, peach and plum blossoms were dancing, peonies were in full bloom, the whole garden was charming, and the grass and trees were lush.

The camellia tree's tender buds were emerald green, my mother was poisoned and vomiting blood, her blood covered the green branches, and she collapsed in front of the door, as if it were just yesterday.

Mu Jinan's limbs were stiff. She rushed into the house and took out a portrait. Her hollow and tough eyes suddenly became fragile. Tears were like pearls with a broken string. She cried loudly like a child with an aggrieved look. In the past, in Zimu Zhai, the palace maids did not allow her to cry and threatened to not give her food. Now she could finally cry in her own room. She burst into tears and whispered:

"Mother, my daughter is back. I finally see you. Who poisoned you?"

Mu Jinan hurriedly looked for a bronze mirror and saw that she looked very much like her mother. She forced a smile and searched for precious gold in her mother's dowry. She handed Qiu Shui a few gold hairpins and a dozen gold ingots, her eyes full of gratitude:

"Qiu Shui, you've been the only one to accompany me for the past ten years. Take this money and use the rest to exchange for some loose change. Return home as soon as possible and find out who my stepmother is."

Qiu Shui heard that he was told to return home as soon as possible and left with peace of mind.

When Mu Jinan saw Qiu Shui leaving, she hurriedly searched the house. She found several sword manuals and the Four Books. The sword manuals were left by her mother. While Qiu Shui was away, she practiced without stopping for a moment, wanting to learn martial arts.

She was extremely talented. After memorizing more than a dozen moves, she quickly mastered them and grasped the key points. Mu Jinan practiced for a long time, calculated the time when Qiu Shui would return home, and hid all the books under the floor tiles of the couch.

"You come back home but don't come to meet my mother? Is this the upbringing of the daughter of a royal princess?" An arrogant and domineering voice came from outside the house.