The horse's hooves thundered on the broad official road. The scenery around Li Xinyue flashed by and quickly turned into a hazy blur.
The wind whipped her ponytail wildly, and its howling roared in her ears. Despite this, she clamped her legs tightly around the horse's belly and urged it to gallop faster. She dared not waste a single moment.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, making her realize something was amiss.
These unscrupulous merchants had been in cahoots with Fu Tonghuai for years. Their dirty deeds had even formed a complete black industrial chain.
With such heinous crimes, how could the court possibly offer them amnesty? They should all be executed on the spot.
If it were just an amnesty, Chu Junyi wouldn't be able to mobilize the imperial army.
So—
Li Xinyue's heart sank. She tightened her grip on the reins. After a moment of struggle, she made a decisive turn and headed back.
Chu Junyi wasn't going for an amnesty at all. He was using himself as bait to lure the enemy.
Fu Chengyuan was leading the troops to surround and wipe out the enemy!
It was a risky strategy!
Such a plan required perfect teamwork between the two men.
No, to be precise, even with perfect teamwork, the one who went deep into the enemy camp only had a fifty - fifty chance of getting out alive. And considering that the one playing a crucial role from the outside was Fu Chengyuan.
Fu Chengyuan hated Chu Junyi so much. How could he let him escape unscathed?
He would surely find a way to delay the operation, let the bandits kill Chu Junyi, and then lead the troops to surround them. That way, he could take all the credit and get rid of his enemy at the same time!
So, Chu Junyi was probably already surrounded by the enemy!
"Princess, you can't go back! The public opinion in the capital has just subsided. If people find out that you're not in the princess mansion, the rumors will surely resurface!" Hongxiu chased after her.
"I don't care about that. You and Jingbai go first!"
"Princess!"
"Don't follow me!"
Hongxiu was shocked because she clearly saw that when the princess turned her head and shouted at her, her eyes were already red. Was she crying?
Jingbai urged his horse forward and blocked Hongxiu. Then he looked meaningfully at the princess disappearing into the distance. Finally, he made a decision that wasn't really a subordinate's place to make. "Let her go. Given the princess's personality, we can't stop her even if we want to. And if we do stop her and something happens to Lord Chu, the princess will only hate us."
"What about the capital?" Hongxiu asked Jingbai worriedly.
Jingbai looked up at the sky helplessly. "Let's play it by ear. After all, the princess is the emperor's favorite daughter. Maybe the outcome won't be as bad as we think."
"But the princess..."
"Stop talking. Let's go."
Hongxiu wanted to say that the princess was going to the south of the Yangtze River, the territory of the Fu family.
If the emperor thought that the princess had something to do with the Fu family, how could he not be angry?
Those villains who were watching the princess would surely not miss this opportunity!
All the princess's months of patience might go to waste!
At this moment, in the princess mansion far away in the capital, danger was approaching bit by bit. Dark clouds were gathering as the sun sank behind the pavilion. A storm was brewing and the wind was howling through the building.
Outside the princess mansion, Murong Xiu stared at the plaque that read "Princess Mansion" with a solemn look in his eyes. He tightly held a small silver bracelet in his hand, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts.
He remembered everything! That winter, he had just been adopted by the Duchess of the Duke's Mansion and became the heir apparent.
The Empress Dowager wanted to meet him, so she summoned him and the duchess to the palace.
"Murong Xiu pays his respects to the Empress Dowager!" The young boy was dressed immaculately and behaved with perfect courtesy.
Just then, a small white paper ball flew over from the side and hit his wrist. He looked over distractedly.
Behind the large screen embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, a small head popped out. The girl was wearing a shabby gray hat like a young nun and had a string of Buddhist beads hanging around her neck. The beads swayed wildly from side to side.
He couldn't help but take a few more curious glances at the little nun.
She looked petite, only about seven or eight years old. But she was full of vitality. Every feature on her face seemed to be dancing. Her eyes were slightly curved, and her small mouth was wide open, showing a row of white teeth with two missing front ones. Her laughter leaked out through the gaps in her teeth, making it rather comical.
He tried hard to hold back his laughter but finally couldn't help it.
"Zisheng!" His mother scolded him.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have failed to educate my son properly."
He also came to his senses, realizing his impoliteness. He quickly kowtowed to the Empress Dowager to apologize.
The Empress Dowager smiled. "It's okay. They're just children. I'm sure it's a torture for you kids to listen to us adults talk. Why don't you go out and play?"
"Thank you, Imperial Grandmother!"
Murong Xiu was slightly stunned. Before he could say anything, the little nun jumped out cheerfully and answered first.
Although he thought it was inappropriate, he really didn't like staying with his mother and the Empress Dowager. So, he bowed and followed her out.
"I'll take you to a great place. Most people don't know about it. Come on."
When they got there, Murong Xiu looked up and saw that it was the Forbidden Palace's abandoned palace.
He looked at her in surprise.
But she had already strode in. When she walked a long way and saw that he was still standing there, she came back and took his hand. Acting like a hostess, she told him about the fun and special things about the abandoned palace.
"I tell you, there's a hot spring here. No one has ever used it. Although there are a lot of fallen leaves, it's not dirty at all. Come on, I'll take you to soak your feet."
"Who are you? Why do you know so much about the abandoned palace? Do you come here often?"
"And who are you?"
"I'm the heir apparent of the Duke's Mansion, Murong Xiu. Your turn?"
"Me? Hahaha, if you want to know, wait until you come next time. Come on, let's go soak our feet. It's really comfortable."
Murong Xiu wanted to say that it was against the rules, but then he saw her take off her shoes and socks, revealing a pair of small feet. She playfully splashed the hot spring water with a carefree attitude.
"What are you looking at! It's so cold. Aren't you really going to soak your feet? It's very comfortable!"
Murong Xiu awkwardly turned his head. He wanted to say that his mother had told him that a girl's feet should not be easily shown to outsiders, especially a strange man.
However, the little girl didn't seem to realize this at all. Seeing that he refused, she didn't force him.
"Then you can sit on that big rock over there. Let's just talk. Is that okay?"
"Okay."
But the big rock was cold.
In the end, Murong Xiu couldn't bear the cold anymore and decided to soak in the hot spring for a while. He thought that since there was no third person around, it should be okay.
But he underestimated their playful nature. When they were found, they were already as wet as drowned rats.
He already knew what kind of punishment he would get from his mother when he got back, but the little girl just giggled and didn't seem to be afraid of being punished.
Before he left, she quietly caught up with him and pretended to bump into him accidentally. Then there was something in his hand. He looked down and saw a silver bracelet as lively and cute as her.
"Zisheng?"
"Mother." Murong Xiu quickly hid the silver bracelet in his sleeve and followed the duchess. But he kept looking back absent - mindedly.
The little girl mouthed to him, "I'll tell you who I am next time we meet!"
Then, she was carried away by a strong maid.
The scene was just like the time he saw an old woman in the countryside carrying her dog. She was wild and yet a bit timid, but she had left a ripple in his heart.
But that night, he caught a cold because he was completely wet. He had a high fever, and when he woke up, he had already forgotten the little girl who had made his heart flutter.