Qian'er felt as though she had just walked through the gates of hell.
The lake water was icy cold. After falling in, she struggled to breathe, at one point suspecting she had already died.
Miraculously, she didn't know what the Princess Consort had put in her mouth, but she could actually breathe underwater!
Her survival instinct allowed her to quickly master the method of breathing.
Afterward, she swam along the lakebed with Chu Qianli.
This lake's bottom led to the outside of the Duke's mansion.
Chu Qianli, having grown up here, naturally knew this.
They swam and swam, never surfacing.
Because of this, everyone in the Duke's mansion believed they were dead.
After all, who could stay underwater for so long without needing to breathe?
But at this moment, Chu Qianli and Qian'er were far from the Duke's mansion, having walked for a long time in a small grove of trees.
"Princess Consort, this path is taking us further and further away. When are you going back?" Qian'er, having followed all this way, was exhausted.
"Why should I go back?" Chu Qianli, having finally escaped, would be a fool to want to return.
Qian'er's ears perked up, sensing something was wrong.
She panicked, "P-Princess Consort, what... what do you mean by this?"
It sounded as if she didn't intend to go back for the Prince.
"It means nothing, I'm just tired. Let's rest for a bit."
Seeing that they were far enough away that people from the Duke's mansion likely wouldn't catch up, Chu Qianli stopped and patted her clothes.
Although almost dry, they were still uncomfortable to wear.
"Achoo!" As soon as she stopped, Qian'er felt the cold. "Princess Consort... Mmm! Princess Consort, what did you give me to eat?"
"Medicine to prevent colds. Swallow it quickly, or you'll catch a chill."
Chu Qianli swallowed a pill herself before looking around.
"Princess Consort, let's hurry back."
"Go back?" Chu Qianli glanced back at her. "Are you stupid? If we go back now, will Chu Hongtao and those people let us go?"
"If we go back to find the Prince, the Prince will protect you, Princess Consort!"
Qian'er hadn't expected the people in the Duke's mansion to be so outrageous!
It had truly broadened her understanding of the word "family"!
"Do you really think your Prince would protect me? If he were willing to protect me, he wouldn't have left using drunkenness as an excuse."
"The Prince really can't hold his liquor, Princess Consort, you misunderstand him!"
Qian'er felt she had to explain. "The Prince has lived on the battlefield for years. Only this year, with the border slightly more peaceful, did the Prince return to the Imperial City."
"The Prince rarely drinks, and he truly can't hold his liquor. He wasn't pretending to be drunk when he left."
Chu Qianli's hand, which was reaching for a blanket, paused slightly.
She had looked at Feng Yexuan at the time, his eyes hazy and unfocused, appearing genuinely drunk.
"Never mind whether it was a misunderstanding or not. In any case, I've finally escaped, and I'm definitely not going back."
If she hadn't discovered this plan that killed two birds with one stone, could Chu Hongtao and his guards really have forced her to "jump into the lake and commit suicide"?
This way was best. Let Feng Yexuan think she had accidentally fallen into the lake and drowned, and he wouldn't look for her anymore.
From now on, she could live a carefree life outside.
"Qian'er, from now on, you'll follow me. Don't go back, I'll support you."
This way, she wouldn't have to worry about Qian'er going back and reporting to Feng Yexuan that she was still alive.
Qian'er's shoulders slumped. "Princess Consort, you don't know how dangerous it is out here. You're used to a life of luxury and comfort. You can't even support yourself, how can you support me?"
Chu Qianli shrugged and smiled. "Is that so? Look at this."