Reborn to be without his father but with his son, the prince shouted, "I'm not dead!"

Chapter 182 Not Returning
The prefect Li Zhipei quickly waved his hand and asked people to leave.

"Prince, Princess, I'm new here. If you need anything, just let me know and I'll ask someone to arrange it."

Shen Jing spat out a bone unruly.

"Okay, I just want to go shopping, but the journey from the capital to Qingyu Pass is long, and the princess has suffered a lot along the way. She has lost a lot of weight and doesn't look very good."

"Really?" Ji Anyu touched her face sadly, "Oh! Prince~ didn't you say that you loved my inner self, not my appearance? Are you saying this because you dislike me for being ugly?"

Shen Jing put his arms around Ji Anyu and coaxed her softly.

"How could that be? I just can't bear to see you suffer with me. Since the emperor has given you to me as his wife, I will naturally treat you better. It's a pity that I didn't bring some bird's nest supplements with me when I came to Qingyu Pass."

Ji Anyu nodded seriously, "It would be great if we had golden bird's nest."

She stole a glance at the governor and said, "It's better not to waste money and manpower in a poor place like Qingyu Pass. I can recover as soon as I get more sleep."

Li Zhipei recalled the eight concubines in his backyard, all of whom ate bird's nests every day and had faces as beautiful as lotus.

"Don't worry, Princess. As for bird's nests, I happen to have a lot in my mansion. But compared with the best bird's nests in the capital, the taste is slightly inferior."

Ji Anyu's eyes lit up, "That's great! Look, my lord, the governor is really generous."

Shen Jing glanced at the governor and smiled.

"You are so thoughtful, Governor. When I return to the capital, I will speak well of you in front of the Emperor."

Li Zhipei heard some emphasis for no apparent reason, and subconsciously felt that Shen Jing knew nothing. He thought that as long as he could make Shen Jing happy, Shen Jing would speak well of him after returning to Beijing to meet the emperor, and maybe he could use this opportunity to get promoted and make a fortune.

The bird's nest was quickly cooked by someone and brought to Ji Anyu.

At this time, Ji Anyu and Shen Jing returned to the inn.

Ji Anyu stirred the bird's nest twice and said, "I think it's of good quality. This governor is really rich. His concubine eats bird's nest every day."

Before they entered the city, they found out that the prefect was a corrupt official who relied on his power to plunder and oppress the people.

Shen Jing unfolded the secret letter in his hand. "The Queen's brother sent his eldest son Kong Zichen to sneak into Qingyu Pass to check the grain and grass. I guess he also guessed that the loss of grain and grass was related to the governor."

"Where is Kong Zichen now? I didn't hear the governor mention him. Could he be outside the city?"

"should be."

Shen Jing burned the secret letter and sat next to Ji Anyu. Seeing that Ji Anyu gave him half a bowl of bird's nest, he pushed it back to Ji Anyu.

"My lady, please eat. I can adapt to the environment of Qingyu Pass and I didn't feel uncomfortable during the journey. Although I was lying to you when I said you didn't look very good, you are indeed less energetic."

Upon hearing this, Ji Anyu no longer refused and finished the bird's nest in a few bites. She stayed in the inn for five days.

Seeing her rosy face, Shen Jing couldn't help it after holding it in for many days.

In the middle of the night, the mattress was replaced with a new one, and Shen Jing held Ji Anyu's waist tightly.

Ji Anyu held Shen Jing's hand lovingly and spoke without restraint.

"Ah Jing, please leave quickly. I will definitely choose a good feng shui site for you and bury you in a grand manner."

Shen Jing's mind was pounding, and he gritted his teeth and pressed his finger against Ji Anyu's slightly swollen red lips for a while.

"My wife, I will live a hundred years! Don't worry!" The next day, Shen Jing woke up first. He left most people to protect Ji Anyu, and then went out to do some work.

Ji Anyu woke up after noon and learned from Qing Wu that Shen Jing was busy.

"Princess, the situation in Qingyu Pass is unstable. There are a lot of refugees sitting on the streets begging for food. They look like they are living a more miserable life than the beggars in the capital. Some of them are even naked."

It was the first time that Qing Wu saw that scene, and his mood was complicated and bitter, which was difficult to dissipate in a short time.

Ji Anyu was combing her hair, recalling that in her previous life, after the food and grass were lost at Qingyu Pass, a war broke out at the border soon after. The homeless people had no choice but to leave with their families and look for a place to stay.

Many high-ranking officials in the capital were only concerned with fighting for power and profit, the princes were killing each other, the emperor was sitting in a high position, and the people below were deceiving each other. Even though the emperor was devoted to the country, he could not take care of all the people.

"When will the prince be back?"

"I didn't mention that. I just told you not to go out. It's chaotic outside. If you want to go for a walk, wait for the prince to come back."

Ji Anyu looked at the bronze mirror in front of her and nodded. She knew her own abilities and would not go out to cause trouble for Shen Jing. If something happened to her, it would interfere with Shen Jing's plans.

While she was staying in the inn, the prefect's wife invited her to visit.

Ji Anyu was worried that Shen Jing had caught the prefect, so she went to the prefect's mansion at this time in case the other party took her as a hostage to threaten Shen Jing.

Although she didn't know how important she was to Shen Jing, based on her understanding of Shen Jing over this period of time, Shen Jing would definitely not abandon her easily.

Ji Anyu found an excuse of not being able to adapt to the local climate to refuse the offer from the wife of the prefect.

Half a month later, Shen Jing still hadn't returned. Ji Anyu clearly felt that the secret guards around her were moving around frequently, and even Zhu Sha, who was following Shen Jing, came back to protect her.

Ji Anyu was a little confused. This was the first time she had been separated from Shen Jing for such a long time since they got married. What's more, there was no news from Shen Jing until now.

"Zhusha, how is the prince doing now? Why didn't you send a letter of safety?"

"I don't know. When the prince heard that the spy had discovered the prince's whereabouts, he first asked me to come back to protect you, and then the prince led his men to chase after him."

Ji Anyu was surprised that Prince Zhong, who had no news in his previous life, had news in this life.

Suddenly realizing that her father-in-law, whom she had never met before, was very likely to return to Prince Zhong's Mansion, Ji Anyu felt timid about meeting his parents.

Zhusha was actually very worried about the prince, but the prince said that he could not show his sorrow in front of the princess, so as not to disturb her sleep.

Ji Anyu indeed saw that Zhusha looked relaxed, patrolling around as if it was a common thing, and his panicked heart calmed down.

Qing Wu always remembered that the prince said before he left that he wanted to see the princess gain weight when he came back. If she became thin again, he would deduct her monthly salary. Qing Wu often went to the kitchen to supervise the cook for cooking.

Ji Anyu was able to eat meals that had the same taste as those in the capital, and sometimes he would also try the delicacies of Qingyu Pass. He gained some weight without realizing it.

Five days later, Zhusha received a letter from Shen Jing, and Kong Zichen led his troops into the city to protect them.

Zhusha told the Crown Princess about this matter so that she could be mentally prepared.

After listening to this, Ji Anyu asked curiously, "What is the relationship between Kong Zichen and the prince?"

"General Kong stayed in the capital for a period of time when he was young, and the prince was on good terms with him. But later, when General Kong was fifteen, he came to the border to fight with his father. Since then, the prince has not seen General Kong for six years."

Ji Anyu thought that since they hadn't seen each other for many years, their relationship might have faded, but Shen Jing chose to trust Kong Zichen instead of coming back on his own, so there must be something on Shen Jing's side that was holding him back.

(End of this chapter)