Xiao Jiu said with a mournful face, "That was me reacting swiftly. If I were a bit slower, I would’ve been caught under the wagon wheels and turned into a bald bird!"

"Ah hahaha!"

The two people couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Xiao Jiu is truly sentimental; it’s Xuexue’s beloved pet. Would Long Rui let anything happen to it?

Of course not.

Long Rui calculated that Xiao Jiu had the ability to protect itself before throwing it out.

Xiao Jiu looked at the two women laughing until they were bent over, suddenly feeling life as a bird was meaningless. Heartbroken, it said, "You... you... are so heartless. Xiao Jiu almost became a bald bird, and you still laugh... wah uwuwu... I don’t want to live... don’t want to live."

Hearing a woman’s crying sound, all the guards at the door looked over. They originally thought Zi Xia was crying after being scolded by the Princess Consort, but upon looking, the Princess Consort and Zi Xia were both happily enjoying themselves! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

No one else was around except the two of them.

The guards were puzzled, looking left and right. Hmm? Who’s crying?

"Wah uwuwu...!"

"Stop crying. The carriage is gone. Hurry and chase after the Prince." Xuexue restrained her laughter, speaking to the theatrically performing Xiao Jiu.

Everyone then realized the crying sound just now was made by the Princess Consort’s pet bird, and they were shocked. They knew Xiao Jiu could talk, but they never imagined its crying sound to be so human-like that if not looked at carefully, one might think a woman was truly crying!

What surprised them even more was that this bird turned out to be female.

Because Xiao Jiu’s crying sounded like a woman’s voice, they naturally assumed it was female.

Upon hearing Xuexue’s words, Xiao Jiu’s cries abruptly stopped. As if nothing happened, it flapped its wings and flew up, leaving behind a dramatic line, "Master, you’ve hurt my heart too deeply. I’m going to join the Prince; don’t worry too much about me."

After saying this, Xiao Jiu circled above their heads and flew off in the direction the carriage went.

Zi Xia laughed and commented, "Miss, Xiao Jiu is really smart. In just a few months, it learned so many languages, even mimicking crying sounds so vividly. I almost got fooled by it just now."

Xuexue laughed and nodded, "Indeed! Xiao Jiu is very smart, all thanks to Chuner’s teaching."

"What’s wrong? Miss is missing home."

"Yes! I miss Chuner and Mother a lot."

"Miss, you’ve married now and can’t always leave the Prince," Zi Xia assumed the Miss wanted to return to Mo Family Village to visit Madam Xie, quickly reminded.

Xuexue: "Alright, no need to say it. This is a critical time; can I leave the Capital now?"

Zi Xia thought so too. With the turmoil in the Capital due to the enchantment, people were uneasy. The Prince was busy until the Third Watch of the Night every day; at this time, the Miss indeed shouldn’t leave the Capital.

Outside the city, City God Temple.

This place is surrounded by mountains with a beautiful scenery. Following the winding paths, after a few dozen meters is an endless, lush primitive forest. The dense pine trees stand like giant umbrellas, their heavy branches overlapping, only letting through specks of sunlight.

Beside the passage into the forest, there’s an abandoned City God Temple, no longer visited by worshippers. It seems to have been deserted for years, with grass growing all over the plaque at the entrance.

"Master, where exactly are we going? I can’t walk anymore. I’m tired, hungry, and sleepy. Why don’t we rest for a night before continuing?"

Faintly, a man’s voice sounded from within the temple.

"If you want to die, you can stop walking," another man’s voice replied from inside.

Turns out it was Lin Kong and the Fourth Prince. Last night, they escaped from the Capital. Afraid of being discovered, they didn’t dare buy breakfast or food, fearing the Government Soldiers might notice them. They didn’t dare travel during the day, only sneaking along the road quietly at night.

Although the Fourth Prince had followed Lin Kong overnight, he still didn’t know where Lin Kong was taking him. All he wanted now was to leave the Capital quickly to save his life.