Atonement prequel

On a night full of moonlight and few stars, two little girls sneaked out of the prime minister's mansion by climbing over the wall.

Lightning first jumped onto the wall, and then pulled Tao Ren up with a rope.Afterwards, she jumped to the ground first and asked Tao Ren to jump down, and she followed.

In Lightning's mind, running away from home is not a big deal.After all, she left home since she was a child, and it has been less than a year since she returned home.Although Tao Ren felt a little uneasy, his longing for the outside world still prevailed.

According to the custom at the time, women in boudoirs, especially noble ladies, had very few opportunities to go out except to visit relatives and attend banquets with their elders.There is even a terrible saying that "a good word must be heard, and a woman should not leave the boudoir", although not many people obey it.

The reason why Tao Ren has a good relationship with Wang Lu is actually because Wang Lu has a good relationship with her cousin, and she can learn a lot of outside things through her cousin.Tao Ren sometimes even thought that if she was a man, she would definitely not take any imperial examinations to pursue any fame.She wants to travel thousands of miles, she wants to visit famous mountains and rivers, and she wants to travel all over the country.

After all, the two little girls are outliers of the times.It happened that there was an inexplicable fate, which made the two different species meet.

"Lightning, what's in your package?" Tao Ren asked.

"The emperor rewarded me with 2000 taels of gold before, and I exchanged them for silver notes. There are also various gifts from my father on weekdays, a total of 15 taels." Lightning said.Speaking of which, Lightning can be regarded as the richest lady in Ling Taiwei's residence.Taiwei Ling felt that the eldest daughter would be a princess in the future, and she would definitely have to deal with noble girls like princesses and concubines. If she had more money, she would not be looked down upon by others, and she would be generous in her daily actions.

"Renren, what did you bring?" Lightning asked.

"Some of my body, and then my jewelry and some clothes." Tao Ren actually didn't know what to do outside, but it would definitely not be a mistake to bring more money.Jewelry and the like can also be sold if necessary.

Under the illumination of the moonlight, the two little girls walked towards the big mountain hand in hand.

"Where are you taking me to play?" Tao Ren asked.

"I heard that there is a large forest in the east, and there are many strange things in it. I wanted to see it at first, but Master Feige sent me a letter to return to the capital, so I couldn't go. Or, let's go there to play Right." Lightning said.

"En." Tao Ren nodded happily.

"Forest, I haven't seen a forest yet." Tao Ren looked yearning.

"You have hardly seen anything." Lightning sighed meaningfully.

The two were relatively silent.

Although Lightning is only ten years old, due to years of martial arts practice, he is now more than seven feet tall (according to the measurement unit of Qin and Han Dynasties, one foot is 0.231 meters).Riding a horse is not difficult.The two of them were not short of money, so they simply bought a horse and rode together.

Because they didn't want their family members to find them too quickly, they didn't take anyone with them.Even Ruoxuan, Xialu, and Lightning didn't bring them with them.Along the way, we worked fast and turned over the mountain overnight without any rest.At dawn, they had arrived at the small village where they had met before.

I knocked on the familiar country inn and asked for two vacant rooms.After not sleeping all night, both of them need to rest.

After sleeping until noon, the two went downstairs one after another, wanting to eat something.

"Renren, what do you want to eat?" Lightning asked.

"Country dishes are fine," Tao Ren said.It's not that she has never been to this inn, and she knows that there is nothing good to eat here.

Lightning ordered one cold dish and two hot dishes, and two steamed buns, and ate them.

The guy quickly brought out the dishes, but there was an extra roast chicken and a plate of spicy rabbit.

"Wait, we didn't order this, did we?" Lightning said.

"The guest officer ordered it for you." Xiaoer said.

Lightning and Tao Ren looked in the direction of his finger, but Zhang Jerry looked at them with a smile on his face.

"Big beauty, long time no see." He said to Lightning.

"Why are you here?" Lightning frowned.

"What are you doing? Anyway, they spent a whole morning adding these dishes to you, don't you even give them a smiley face?" Zhang Jerry pointed to the chicken and rabbits on the table.

"Since it's yours, you can eat it." Lightning said.She and Tao Ren sneaked out and didn't want to cause trouble.

Zhang Jerry looked at Lightning, and said, "Since it's for you, what's the matter if I take it away? Don't worry, I don't mean anything malicious, I just want to meet my cousin."

"Cousin?" Tao Ren was taken aback.

Lightning didn't change his face.Mrs. Ling's concubine younger sister is married to a family surnamed Zhang, but it is said that the family affairs are not very good.When Lightning knew that he had a cousin named Zhang Jerry, he thought of this flashy guy in his mind.Today is just a confirmation.

"Since my cousin has already returned home, why did she appear here? Could it be that she ran away from home?" Zhang Jerry asked.

"Cousin asked me this question, aren't you afraid that I will kill someone to silence you?" Lightning asked coldly.

"Lightning." Tao Ren stretched out his hand to pull Lightning's arm.

"If I really wanted to betray my cousin, I wouldn't be here now." Jerry sighed and said, "My cousin doesn't have to be so hostile to me."

"As a cousin, I just want to advise my cousin a few words. First, be safe when you go out. Second, go home early if you have enough fun. If you are afraid that you can't find an excuse, you can go to my house to find me and My mother, I will persuade my mother to help you lie." Jerry said, "Everyone in the capital knows that you are going to be a princess, cousin, and I don't know how many people are waiting to catch your braid. I'm afraid, if your reputation is ruined, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you, cousin, to get married in the future."

"Then I'll be a heroine for the rest of my life," Lightning said, "I'm going to let that family go." Don't blame her for being disobedient, it's because she has no affection for the Ling family at all.It was fine in the past, but now as soon as she came back, Taiwei Ling had the attitude of wishing to pack her up and send her to the prince's bed.

Zhang Jerry looked at Lightning and said, "I will help you as much as possible."

In order to avoid encountering any acquaintances again, Lightning and Tao Ren bid farewell to Zhang Jerry after dinner and started their journey again.

Along the way, even though the two of them had plenty of money, they often had to eat and sleep in the open.After all, the two came out to travel in the mountains and rivers, and sometimes sleeping in the wild can taste the different tastes of the mountains and rivers.Tao Ren was originally a rich lady, she was pampered since she was a child, and her ten fingers did not touch the spring water. Now, in order not to drag Lightning down, she has to learn to do many things on her own initiative.

She will take the initiative to pluck and gut the pheasants hunted by lightning, and wash them with stream water or spring water.She will also help add firewood when lightning is grilling meat.Gradually, she even learned to wash clothes and cook some simple dishes.In the past in the prime minister's mansion, all she drank was the jade spring water sent by the palace.Now, he has even drank rainwater.

Although it was hard work, she felt happy in it.Because, she has seen a lot of things that she didn't know before.She never knew that the direction can be judged by the annual rings of trees, that wild animals are afraid of fire, that horses know the way, that camels can find water in the desert, and that she even saw the said " Mirage"...

Whenever this happens, she feels that Lightning is like a god who knows everything.

Of course, the two little girls are walking on the road with so much money swaggeringly, and it is inevitable that they will encounter the legendary green forest hero.There was even one time when Lightning went out to buy daily necessities, Tao Ren was robbed by bandits.

Fortunately, Tao Ren was quick to wit, and opened a box of incense powder that he was carrying with him, and sprinkled it on the ground.From time to time, he also dropped his jewelry or clothing.Lightning followed these marks to find Tao Ren, without any danger.He also wiped out a gang of bandits by the way, which can be regarded as eliminating harm for the local people.

On this day, they came to a village on the edge of the desert.

Considering that crossing the desert requires a lot of water, Lightning asked Tao Ren to sit at a small stall, and she went to buy more water and a camel.

"Further north, across this desert, is the forest we are going to." Lightning told Tao Ren with a smile.

Tao Ren was also very happy.After a rough calculation, they have been wandering outside for more than two years, and they are finally arriving at their destination.But deep down, she felt a little lost.

After arriving in the forest, are they going back to the capital?Are we going to separate?

Although the two can still meet often when they return to the capital, they certainly cannot be as close as they are now.In another two years, both of them will get married and have their own children.Being busy with various affairs every day makes it even more difficult to meet.

Maybe it will gradually become unfamiliar...

Thinking of becoming unfamiliar with Lightning, Tao Ren couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Renren, why are you crying?" Lightning was startled.

"It's nothing, I got sand in my eyes." Tao Ren said, "Lightning, go shopping."

"Yeah." Lightning saw that Tao Ren was hiding something, but he didn't pursue it further.Maybe she doesn't want to face the future either.

"Lightning," Tao Ren suddenly stopped her, "Do you think, after a woman is married, can she still have friends? Or can she just hang out around the pot, in-laws, husband, and children every day?"

"I don't know." Lightning hesitated for a while, and gave such an answer that was not an answer.

Lightning bought supplies, but failed to use them.Because, while she was away, Tao Ren was found by the people sent by the prince to look for them.

Just because the bandits were wiped out last time, the local government and the people remembered their faces.In this way, those who were looking for them tracked all the way to this small village on the edge of the desert.

Tao Ren was arrested, and Lightning had no choice but to throw himself into the trap.The people sent by the prince are different from bandits, and she cannot kill them.If they were killed, Prime Minister Tao and his wife in the capital would definitely be implicated, so she couldn't do that.As for the family in Taiwei's mansion, Lightning selectively forgot.

So far, the dream forest can only become a dream.

What Lightning and Tao Ren didn't expect was that the forest was not only their dream, but also their final burial place.Their love, their youth, their lives, and their hopes are all buried there in the end.

After returning to the capital, Ling Taiwei and Prime Minister Tao's eldest daughter who had been "ill" for many years finally recovered.Mrs. Ling told Lightning that in order to preserve her reputation, the prince did a lot of work.

Lightning resumed his old life, getting up early every day, going to the palace to study and practice martial arts.In addition to poetry and books, she also has to learn chess, calligraphy and painting, and various etiquette.

In addition, she has to face all kinds of slights and malice.She could see that the queen didn't like her very much.The crown prince also has a sister of the same mother, the princess of golden branches and jade leaves, who also dislikes her very much.The meaning inside and outside the words is that I feel that I have surpassed the prince, and I feel that I am seductive and seductive.

Only Tao Ren knew that Lightning didn't want to marry the prince at all.In other words, she doesn't want to marry anyone.Only Tao Ren would feel that Lightning was wronged to marry the prince.

The prince now has three concubines in his room.Although they have no status, they were rewarded by the Queen and the Queen Mother, and they cannot be dismissed easily.As a crown prince, it is actually pretty good that he can do this for Lightning. At least no one in the capital does not say that Lightning is lucky.When the other princes reached the prince's age, there would definitely be more women in the room.

But Tao Ren complained about Lightning.Even during a heart-to-heart conversation with Lightning, she said: "Instead of marrying the crown prince, you might as well marry your cousin. At least he will treat you exclusively." But when she said this, she suddenly felt a twitch in her heart. Pain, indescribable taste.

"My cousin has already joined the army." Lightning said.

She didn't tell Tao Ren that her cousin had hired a matchmaker to come to Taiwei's mansion to propose a marriage before, and wanted to ask to marry herself.Not surprisingly, he was ridiculed by Ling Taiwei.

After that, he went out to join the army, and Lightning sent him off.According to him, he knew from the beginning that Taiwei Ling could not agree to his marriage proposal, and he just wanted to do his best.He also said that according to his opinion, the prince is sincere to Lightning and hopes that Lightning can relax and live a good life.

Relax, to put it bluntly is to persuade Lightning to accept his fate.

"Renren, we are so stupid, why are we talking about these unhappy things?" Lightning jumped up, "Anyway, there are still two years left before I get married, so let's talk about it when we have something to do."

"That's right," Tao Ren also jumped up, "Come on, let's go to the night market."

Looking at the brilliant fireworks in the night sky, the two slowly cuddled together.

After the night market ended, Tao Ren suddenly said that he wanted to eat supper, and Lightning had to accompany her.Who would have thought that she drank nearly a catty of wine in a row, and she didn't know anything when she was drunk.Helpless, Lightning had no choice but to send her back to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

"Sorry, Aunt Tao, let Renren drink two more glasses." Lightning apologized.

"It's okay." Mrs. Tao said helplessly. After Tao Ren came back, she didn't want to ask too much of her. "Lightning, you can stay for one night. I'll send someone back to tell your father."

"Yes, thank you Aunt Tao." Lightning said.

Putting Tao Renping on the bed, Lightning went out to fetch water for her, but she held her hand.

"Lightning," Tao Ren said vaguely, "I don't want you to marry, I don't want you to marry..."

Lightning felt the temperature on his wrist, heard Tao Ren's drunken words, and fell silent.

Jijili is finally here.

martial arts field

With a bang, Lightning threw Zhao Lingfeng to the ground, and then removed several bones from his hands and feet three times and five times.Then grab the other heads and smash them to the ground.

After a few strokes, Zhao Lingfeng was foaming at the mouth, groaning, and groaning. "Trash." Lightning kicked him on the leg, "If you have the ability, get up and continue fighting with me."

Thinking of how this dude dared to covet Tao Ren, Lightning wished he could tear him apart.

"Master!" The servants of the Zhao family turned pale with shock, and they all came forward to carry Zhao Lingfeng away.

Lightning's eyes fell on Xue Tao again.If she remembered correctly, the Xue family seemed to have also found a matchmaker, and wanted to go to Prime Minister Tao's residence to propose marriage.

"Miss Ling, why are you looking at me like that?" Xue Tao felt a little soft in his calves.

"Next, you." Lightning said.

"Don't, don't..." Xue Tao's face turned pale with fright.

"Lightning!" Tao Ren's voice suddenly came from behind, "I made some snacks for you, come and eat."

Lightning turned to look at her and said, "Okay."

Xue Tao's feet softened and he sat down on the ground.Mother, my son has saved his life.

"lightning."

"Ok?"

"You don't want me to marry either, do you?"

"Correct."

At the annual Hundred Flowers Banquet, Zhao Lingfeng, who had recovered from his injury, tried to entangle Tao Ren again, but was beaten by lightning again.Due to the prince's all-out efforts to protect him, Zhao Guogong's mansion dared not speak out.

On the way back to the residence, Tao Ren suddenly found that the direction of the carriage was wrong.Hastily called to stop, but no one answered.In desperation, she could only take the risk of jumping out of the car.

After jumping off the car, she was in so much pain that she almost fell apart.But at this time, dozens of men in black surrounded her.

Fortunately, Lightning arrived on a fast horse at this time, and rescued Tao Ren in a narrow danger.Because Tao Ren was seriously injured and unable to ride a horse, Lightning took her to a nearby aunt's house to recuperate.

During that time, Lightning would apply medicine and wipe Tao Ren's body with his own hands every day, taking care of him meticulously.And on her head, she always wears a jasper hairpin that Tao Ren gave her.It was bought on a previous trip, it is not expensive, and the quality is also ordinary.But lightning is like a treasure.

Tao Ren soon recovered from his injury and returned home.However, the person who tried to harm her before could not be found.

A few months later, the two went to offer incense together.On the way down the mountain, it caught up with the torrential rain.The mountain road was difficult to walk on rainy days, so I had to turn back to the temple.

There are limited rooms in the temple, so Tao Ren Lightning can only be placed in the same room.It was also on this day that the two overcame all the pressure in their hearts and hugged each other.

"Lightning, have you made up your mind? After tonight, we will never even think about getting married again." Tao Ren said.

"If you don't marry, don't marry. At worst, we will become nuns together, just like my master Nanhai Shennu." Lightning said.

"Hmm." Tao Ren said.

The next day, the rain stopped.The two went down the mountain together, bid farewell reluctantly, and went back home.

After Lightning returned home, he suddenly found that the palace had sent an envoy.

When she came back, the lottery had already ended, and the asking for names had already begun.All he needed was his father to participate in the whole process, and there was nothing wrong with her at all.

No, she doesn't want to accept her fate!

She did something very shocking.In broad daylight, she drove the envoy out of the Ling residence.

"If you want to marry, you marry yourself!" After finishing speaking, Lightning turned and ran out of Taiwei's mansion.

At this time, Tao Ren also received the news.

"Don't worry, I will never be a princess." Lightning said.

East Palace

The prince looked sullenly at the secret letter on the table.After a while, he drew out his sword and slashed the table in half viciously.

"It's so courageous to take away the woman I like." The prince said every word.

Within a few days, Tao Ren was implicated in a murder case and sent to prison.

Prime Minister Tao and his wife ran around asking for help, but all failed.Not only that, but the official position was also smashed to the end, and he became a commoner, and his family's shop was also sealed up.

Lightning was helpless, and begged in front of the prince.

She threw away the coldness and toughness of the past, kowtowed to the prince with tears, and begged the prince to let Tao Ren go.

"In three days, an envoy will come to Najib. As long as nothing makes me unhappy, I will change the death sentence to exile." The prince raised the lightning.

"The prince forgives the sin, but the courtiers are not perfect." Lightning said.

"It's okay."

Tao Ren didn't know how long he was locked up, nor what happened outside.When she came out, she was so tortured by the anxiety in her heart and the harsh conditions in the prison that she could no longer see her human form.

Prime Minister Tao and his wife came to see her off crying, and gave some silver taels to the escorting officials, begging for their care.He also gave Tao Ren some money so that she could live a good life.

On the same day, Lightning boarded the phoenix sedan chair full of despair and reluctance.The welcoming team left the Taiwei's mansion in a mighty way, and walked towards the palace.She knew that she would live there forever, in that huge cage.

On the way, the lightning in the phoenix sedan chair keenly recognized the voice of his beloved.She tore off the hijab, jumped off the phoenix sedan chair, and hugged the figure that made her miss day and night.

And when Tao Ren saw the lightning wearing a red hairpin, and seeing the crown prince jumping from the chariot wearing a welcoming crown, he suddenly felt a thunderbolt from the blue sky.With endless grief and despair, she slapped Lightning on the face and also on her heart.

Lightning couldn't explain it, and she couldn't explain it in front of the prince and the welcoming team.Helpless, she had no choice but to arrange for Ruoxuan and Xialu to escort Tao Ren with tears in her eyes, and return to the East Palace to report to her destination.

On the wedding night, the prince replaced the white Xipa on the bed with a Yuanpai secretly found outside, helping Lightning cover up his innocence.After that, he came back to Lightning's room to spend the night every day, but never forced her to do anything.

He told Lightning that the three concubines were all rewarded by the queen and queen mother, and he couldn't get rid of them for the time being.But as long as they make any mistakes, he will definitely get rid of them immediately, and then the queen and queen mother will have nothing to say.

At first, Lightning hated him, hated him for breaking her and Tao Ren apart.But when Xialu and Ruoxuan came back and told her that Tao Ren had settled down at the border, she felt a little more at ease.

In addition, the prince is almost responsive to her, meticulous, and clean, which forms a sharp contrast with the rest of the princes.Gradually, Lightning was also a little moved, and he no longer always looked at the crown prince.

On this day, Ruoxuan accidentally bumped into a concubine while walking on the road.The concubine has been keeping the vacant room since she got married, and after Lightning entered the East Palace, she couldn't even see the prince's face.However, she didn't dare to provoke Lightning, and now she seized the opportunity to cast all the fire on Ruoxuan.And Ruoxuan is not easy to bully, and has learned some martial arts from Lightning for many years.

However, although the concubine has neither status nor favor, she still has a solid foundation in the Eastern Palace for many years.Not long after, Ruoxuan was taken down by several eunuchs who knew martial arts.

At the critical moment, lightning arrived.She has a protective nature, seeing Ruoxuan being bullied, she kicked the concubine out with a volley of palms.The eunuchs knew that the princess was being favored, and they were so frightened that they knelt down on the ground, and they didn't dare to hold Ruoxuan any longer.

Seeing that Ruoxuan had a scar on her neck, Lightning ordered the eunuchs to tie up the concubine and beat her twenty slaps hard.

When the concubine was beaten, thinking about all these years of being alone in the vacant room, she became angry and cursed: "Don't be complacent! You, a woman who betrayed the prince, do you think the prince will really love you for how long? Wait until the prince gets tired of you!" You, you go underground and reunite with the bitch you miss!"

"You, what did you say?" Lightning turned pale with shock, "Say it clearly to me, make it clear!!!"

However, the Lightning underestimated the power of the Big Twenty.Lightning is a martial artist, but this concubine is just a delicate and expensive young lady.In order to calm her down, the eunuchs beat her to death.In addition, Lightning slapped her again before, and the [-] boards hit her so hard that she died.

"Renren, Renren," Lightning shook his head incredulously, "Impossible, this is impossible!"

Lightning couldn't care about anything else, he rushed out of the East Palace, and then rushed straight to the entrance of the palace.

Tao Ren was exiled to a small mountain village on the border.The villagers here are quite honest, she taught the children here to read and write, and the villagers also provided her with some food and clothing, and her life was not bad.

One day, she went out to collect some wild vegetables, but heard a voice that made her miss it day and night.

"Renren!" Tao Ren turned his head abruptly, and the wild vegetables in his hand fell to the ground.

Lightning looked very embarrassed and weak.There was no blood on her face, and her body was also covered with scars.

"Follow me quickly." Lightning said with difficulty.After finishing speaking, she grabbed Tao Ren's hand, turned around and burrowed into a thicket of thorns.

"Lightning, what happened?" Tao Ren asked while running with Lightning.

"I don't have time to explain now, just follow me." Lightning resisted the discomfort in his body, and said to Tao Ren.

After leaving the hillside, Xue Tao was leading dozens of people to meet them below.

"It would be great if my cousin was here." Lightning said.But in a hurry, she could only ask Xue Tao for help.

Fortunately, although Xue Tao has a lot of problems, he is loyal and affectionate.Not bad.

"What happened?" Tao Ren asked.

"The prince has contacted a barbaric tribe in the border area to deal with you." Lightning said weakly, "I came here to rescue you."

At this point, she stopped.There is no way, she is really in too much pain now, talking is a burden.

Tao Ren was still about to say something, when he suddenly heard a burst of chaotic footsteps.Getting closer……

"Cannibals!" Someone shouted, and the crowd suddenly fell into chaos.The people who hang out with Xue Tao are all a bunch of slobs. Although they are loyal and domineering on weekdays, none of them are truly courageous and capable.

When they heard about the cannibals, they were all frightened, they all got into a mess, and ran in all directions.

The author has something to say:

It's a little bit close, it'll be over tomorrow