"Whoosh—"
The constables of the Jingzhao Prefecture had rushed into the theater.
"Sir constables, sir constables, what's going on? You'll scare away my customers," the Madame Flower said with an unnatural look on her face. Her heart was pounding like crazy. She had just seen the prince off, and now the constables were here. It was really too soon.
"Sir constables, are you here to watch a play or listen to a storytelling? Do you want to sit in the main hall or in a private room? Well, maybe the private room would be better. It's quieter there."
She quickly composed herself, showed a flower - like smile, and waved her handkerchief enthusiastically, trying to divert the constables' attention to herself.
But a constable pushed her aside. "You're blocking my view! We're here by the order of Lord Chu to arrest the rebel king. If any of you dare to obstruct us, you'll be treated as accomplices and arrested. Do you understand?"
Madame Flower was startled. Her eyes involuntarily glanced in the direction of a private room on the second floor. She wondered if the prince had left by now.
The audience watching the play scattered in a panic.
The constable guarded the main door. "Don't move! Cooperate with the Jingzhao Prefecture's investigation, and you'll be fine. Those who don't cooperate will be regarded as rebels!"
So the once - bustling theater suddenly fell silent. Everyone sat back in their original seats.
The actors on the stage also retreated to the backstage.
The constables of the Jingzhao Prefecture rushed in nimbly and searched each private room one by one.
When General Xiao rode into the city on his horse, Chu Junyi and Li Xinyue also returned to the city.
The street was still in a mess after the crowd had dispersed. There were colorful papers with blessing words all over the ground, and various crooked stalls.
There was also a stall owner cleaning up the broken porcelain and another cleaning up the chicken coop. These were the traces left by General Xiao as he rode by on his horse.
Li Xinyue scanned the area with her eyes and saw a float parading in the distance. The actors on the float were singing and dancing undisturbed.
In front of the actors, there were several big words posted prominently on the float. The words "Master Chu" and "Beauty" made people blush.
Li Xinyue looked up at Chu Junyi behind her and asked playfully, "Who is this Master Chu?"
The real Master Chu looked down at Li Xinyue with a charming smile. "Who do you think it is?"
Li Xinyue's face got even hotter, and her heart was pounding. She turned to look straight ahead, and the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily. "You're really so free."
"As long as my lovely wife is happy. This little thing won't take much time. As long as I spend some money, there will always be people willing to help."
"Giddyap—"
"I'm going to handle some important business now. Should I send you back to the mansion first or..."
"I'll go with you."
She instinctively tightened her grip on his sleeve. She didn't want to be separated from him.
Because only when she was with him could she feel a bit of intimacy and warmth.
"Okay."
Chu Junyi hugged her tightly. His eyes fixed on the departing float. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, then whipped the horse and galloped after the float.
At this moment, the once - slow float suddenly accelerated.
The violent jolts made the dancers on the float lose their balance and they had to stop. They glared at the coachman angrily.
Only then did they notice that the coachman had been replaced at some point, and there were now two of them instead of one.
"Who... who are you!"
"What... what are you going to do? Help, help!"
"Shut up! Otherwise, I'll throw you off right away. Do you understand!" The King of Nanxun turned around and stared at the actor menacingly.
The actor shut his mouth.
But the passers - by had already heard the scream. Thinking of the blood - stained general with a big knife who had just ridden by on his horse, and seeing this scene, the once - calmed street was in chaos again.
"Oh no, there's a killer!"
The King of Nanxun and his guard Alu glanced at each other. Since they had alerted the enemy, they could only speed up.
So the carriage was driven fast and urgently. Even at the corners, it made sharp turns. The carriage body knocked down the stalls, making a mess on the ground.
The stall owners were angry but dared not say anything. They sat on the ground and cried heart - brokenly.
Li Xinyue suddenly realized. "The King of Nanxun is in the carriage!"
"And this float was prepared for him, right?"
Chu Junyi hooked his lips into a smile and said confidently, "He's running out of tricks. At this moment, with a little guidance, he'll fall into the trap by himself. This is faster and more labor - saving than searching the whole city."
"This float is going out of the city and was hired by Master Chu. No one would think much about it. Besides, the carriage can run fast. At this critical moment, do you think he won't take a chance to escape?"
Li Xinyue had nothing to say. She only felt admiration in her heart.
This guy, Chu Junyi, was lucky to have decided to be a good person. If he were a bad guy, probably no one could deal with him.
But could she deal with him?
Heh—
What means should she use? The beauty trap?
Thinking of this, her ears turned red. She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to distract herself.
"Sit tight. I'm going to speed up!"
Chu Junyi put her hand on the reins and then held her hand. He clamped his legs tightly on the horse's belly and urged the horse to gallop.
In the blink of an eye, the speed got faster and faster. The street scenes moving backward became blurred shadows, and the gentle breeze turned into a strong wind.
Her long hair fluttered in the wind. The phoenix - shaped hairpin he had given her made a crisp rattling sound, and the pendants on her shoulders swayed greatly.
Li Xinyue faced the strong wind and burst out laughing.
At this moment, she felt like a child going out on the street with an adult. While the adult was handling business, she just wanted to play tricks naughtily. But in the end, she held back.
Chu Junyi's eyes were tightly knitted at this moment. His gaze was fixed on the float in front.
With a daring dash, he spurred the horse to leap up. The horse's hooves jumped over the messy stalls and ran far away.
Li Xinyue also experienced a feeling of flying.
In an instant, her long - gloomy mood became much more cheerful. There was no hurdle that couldn't be overcome.
In just a moment, Chu Junyi had successfully stopped the carriage.
He reined in the horse and turned around, blocking the way of the float.
Seeing this, the King of Nanxun and his guard Alu turned around to grab the actor.
But the actor took out a dagger first and put it on Alu's neck.
Both the King of Nanxun and Alu were shocked. Only then did they realize that they had been tricked.
Chu Junyi finally saw the face of the King of Nanxun clearly. As he had expected, it wasn't the real one, because he had seen the real one before.
After realizing his true identity, Chu Junyi's gaze tightened, showing a hint of danger. "Your Highness shouldn't have come. You could have lived a life of wealth and honor as a care - free prince."
"I'm just taking back what belongs to me. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"The world doesn't belong to one person. It belongs to everyone. The throne should be occupied by the capable. That's why there have been dynasty changes throughout history. According to your Highness's logic, the world shouldn't belong to the Li family. It should belong to the previous dynasty.
Nor should it belong to the previous dynasty, but to the dynasty before that, and the dynasty before that.
So does your Highness still think this should be yours?"
"You're just quibbling."
"I'm just reasoning it out according to your thinking."