The prince is more stable

Chapter 90: Escape from the Bride

The Yellow River bursting its banks is a huge event.

Zhao Xiaoqian was woken up from his dream by his maid. The panicked maid shook him so hard that the egg yolk was almost broken apart.

Zhao Xiaoqian, in a daze, put on his clothes as quickly as he could in his life and rushed out the door.

Outside the palace gate, carriages were ready. There was no time to pack the luggage, so they only took the valuable pearls, jade, silver and gold from the warehouse. Copper coins were too heavy and of relatively low value, so they were not taken.

The sudden chaos and war left Zhao Xiaoqian in a daze when he was pushed onto the carriage by Chen Shou.

Zhao Hao stood beside the carriage with a cold face. More than a dozen concubines hurriedly rushed into the carriages. At this time, no one dared to act coquettishly with Zhao Hao. They were very clear about their status.

When life is peaceful, you can act as coquettishly and pretentiously as you want in front of Zhao Hao, but once you encounter a crisis, it is best to behave yourself, otherwise Zhao Hao will really kick you off the carriage and run away like Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the carriage, looking a little cute and confused.

The Yellow River burst its banks?

Such an outrageous thing happened to me. What kind of luck is this?

There is a little-known fact that many people may not know. The Kaifeng Prefecture of the Song Dynasty, also known as Bianjing, is only eighteen miles away from the bank of the Yellow River.

Eighteen miles... Zhao Xiaoqian held his breath and the distance he could pee was almost reached.

There is also a little-known fact: Kaifeng Prefecture is located in a plain area with a relatively low terrain. What's more, the Yellow River's riverbed is actually higher than the altitude of Kaifeng Prefecture.

In hydraulic engineering terms, it is called a "hanging river," meaning a river hanging over the top of Kaifeng City. In other words, once the Yellow River opens, a flood will surely submerge Kaifeng Prefecture.

In history, there are real records of Kaifeng Prefecture being flooded by the Yellow River many times, especially during the flood season of the Yellow River in July and August every year.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaoqian happened to be there when the Yellow River burst its banks this year.

No wonder Zhao Xiaoqian has been uneasy these days. Perhaps it is a mysterious warning from humans about natural disasters.

There was a commotion outside the palace gate. All the powerful families living next to the Chu Palace fled, and the spacious Imperial Street became more and more crowded.

The powerful and influential people now no longer had the graceful manner of greeting each other when meeting each other. Instead, they urged their relatives to get on the carriage with a grim face.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat in the carriage for a while, and his mental state finally gradually recovered, so he lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage.

Zhao Hao stood beside the carriage. Seeing his beloved son jump out, he hurried forward and said, "Did you forget to bring something important? No problem. I'll have a servant fetch it from your yard. Hurry and get in. The flood is imminent and we can't afford to delay."

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head and said, "Father, please go ahead. I have something urgent to attend to. I will meet you later..."

Zhao Hao was very anxious: "Let's put aside the most important thing, escape is the most important thing! My son, don't be willful!"

Zhao Xiaoqian ignored him and turned around and shouted, "Anyone willing to protect me for a while will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver!"

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen imperial guards stood up, including Chen Shou.

"I'm waiting to go!"

Chen Shou added, "I am willing to protect the Crown Prince. This is my duty. I dare not charge the Crown Prince a penny."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled with satisfaction and patted Chen Shou's shoulder vigorously: "I recognize you as my brother. Everyone, get on your horses and follow me to Yaohua Palace first!"

Zhao Hao was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes turned red.

After a moment of silence and a sad sigh, Zhao Hao said, "Good boy, I have not spoiled you in vain. As a son, I should do my duty."

"Please take good care of yourself and... your mother on this trip. After picking up your mother, remember to leave the city immediately. Go south through Xuanhua Gate and head to Weishi County first. If there is no news, then meet up in Xuchang."

"Take care of yourself, remember!" Zhao Hao's tone was heavy, and his fat face showed an unprecedented seriousness.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded: "Father, take care of yourself too, and leave the city quickly."

The father and son looked at each other in silence and said goodbye.

Zhao Xiaoqian boarded the carriage, accompanied by Chen Shou and a dozen imperial guards. The group surrounded the carriage and sped off towards Yaohua Palace. By this time, the city of Bianjing was in turmoil, with civilians fleeing in tears, rushing towards the city gates with their families.

Zhao Xiaoqian's carriage was stuck on the road many times. Fortunately, Chen Shouben was not a pushover. Seeing this, he became anxious and swung his whip on his horse, finally clearing a path for Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian breathed a sigh of relief as he sat in the carriage. Fortunately, he brought Chen Shou out, otherwise it would be difficult for him to deal with such a chaotic situation.

Chen Shou, the brother who has overcome all difficulties, uses it very easily.

The group stopped and walked, and headed straight for Yaohua Palace.

When Zhao Xiaoqian discovered that floods had poured into the city of Bianjing and the water level had reached his ankles, he finally arrived at Yaohua Palace.

This time, entering Yaohua Palace was very smooth, because Yaohua Palace was also in chaos at that time. When the natural disaster came, no one cared about the rule that men were not allowed to enter. The imperial guards on duty under the archway outside the gate ran away.

Many Kundao were picked up by their families, while some packed up their luggage and walked out. In short, escaping was the top priority at the moment.

Seeing the chaotic scene of escape, Zhao Xiaoqian became more and more anxious. He kept urging Chen Shou to clear the way and head straight to Feng's residence.

After Zhao Xiaoqian caused a big disturbance in Yaohua Palace last time, the female officials inside were finally scared and very obediently arranged another residence for Feng.

Whether it was a coincidence or someone did it on purpose, Feng's new residence happened to be adjacent to Di Ying's aunt's residence.

The two middle-aged Taoist women thus became neighbors.

According to Di Ying's later retelling, the two neighbors got along very well and were almost like sisters.

After Zhao Xiaoqian and his party entered the Yaohua Palace, Chen Shoushun grabbed a female Taoist who was trying to escape and asked her carefully about the location of Feng's new residence. Then everyone went straight to the new residence.

When he arrived outside his new residence, Zhao Xiaoqian nodded secretly.

The house is quite spacious and bright, and the environment is much better than the old house.

There are two houses side by side at the door. Outside the house, Feng and a middle-aged female Taoist priest are packing their luggage. The chaotic atmosphere outside did not affect them. They looked calm and unhurried. They were obviously preparing to escape, but they behaved gracefully and calmly, as if they were going out of town for an outing.

The carriage stopped at the door, Zhao Xiaoqian jumped out and walked quickly towards Feng.

Feng was stunned when she saw Zhao Xiaoqian. Her eyes suddenly turned red. She said angrily, "You kid, don't you want to die? Why are you still caring about me at this time? It's more important to escape!"

Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile, "If I don't even care about my own mother when I run for my life, how can I be considered a human being? Modu said, mother, please get on the carriage quickly. You don't need to carry too much luggage, just take away the important things."

Feng pulled him aside and said, "Don't you care about etiquette? This is the elder of the Di family, Di Ying's aunt. Hurry and pay your respects."

Only then did Zhao Xiaoqian realize that the middle-aged Kun Taoist was standing not far away, looking at him with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian then hurriedly bowed, "Junior Zhao Xiaoqian, greetings... um, aunt?"

My aunt smiled brightly, and there seemed to be something meaningful in her smile.

"Are you Zhao Xiaoqian? He's quite a handsome man. Xiaoying'er has good taste. He's a man of integrity and filial piety. He never forgot his mother in times of crisis. How kind!"

Feng couldn't help but beam with pride when she heard her son being praised, yet she smiled modestly, "Xiao Ying'er is even more precious. I only met her by chance, but she stood up for me that day. Such a noble lady's bravery caused her to get hurt, and I feel truly guilty about that."

The aunt glanced at Zhao Xiaoqian and said, "So, these two are both affectionate and righteous, and they are a perfect match."

Zhao Xiaoqian frowned, "The flood is almost killing people. If you two are so inclined, why don't I take you to the rooftop for a good chat?"

Feng pinched him angrily.

Zhao Xiaoqian was in a hurry, so he sent the two men onto the carriage without saying anything. As for their luggage, Zhao Xiaoqian only picked out a few sets of clothes and some dry food and snacks, and did not take anything else.

Feng was heartbroken, but she also knew that escaping was more important, so she had to sacrifice what she had to.

The two women sat in the carriage, while Zhao Xiaoqian sat on the shaft outside. Chen Shouhe and a dozen imperial guards escorted them, and the group quickly headed towards Xuanhua Gate in the south of the city.

(End of this chapter)