That day, both the Wei leader and Xiaoying had their faces covered, so they didn’t recognize each other.

Why had this Wei man come here?

When the man turned his gaze toward her, Xiaoying walked back to her table, sat facing the carriage, and discreetly observed the heavily covered vehicle.

The young man with thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes poured a bowl of hot water at the stove, blew on it to cool it slightly, then handed it to someone in the carriage.

The wrist extending from the carriage curtain was snow-white and slender, apparently belonging to a pampered lady…

After washing his hands obediently, the stall owner quickly began frying noodles, looking as if he couldn’t wait to get rid of these troublesome customers.

When a plate of fried noodles was ready, the thick-browed young man didn’t rush to eat but instead brought the plate to the person in the carriage.

However, it seemed the fried noodles didn’t suit the delicate passenger’s taste either. In just a moment, the plate was returned almost untouched.

The young man took a bite and also disdainfully returned the noodles.

Nevertheless, the silver he gave was generous; the stall owner’s features nearly melted with joy as he repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

Xiaoying thought: She has developed refined taste and can’t eat those noodles, but that bandit and the person in the carriage seem to share her delicate palate. It appears these two have been living quite well!

After they left, Xiaoying quickly made a hand signal to her foster father and Xiao Wu.

Their long-established rapport allowed them to immediately understand. Without finishing their meal, they left some copper coins on the table and departed.

When they had turned a corner, Meng Zhun quietly asked Xiaoying what was wrong.

Xiaoying, gazing in the direction where the carriage had disappeared, said softly: “We may have just encountered the Wei Country man who once held the Imperial Tutor and his wife hostage.”

Meng Zhun raised an eyebrow: “Such audacity—after committing crimes, instead of fleeing, he dares to roam around openly?”

Xiaoying thought for a moment: “They might have committed other crimes and can’t leave even if they want to. Currently, not only the capital but also all surrounding towns have strict checkpoints. Crossing them now would certainly expose them, which is why they’re staying in the vicinity. However, they probably don’t dare stay at inns in town and can only spend nights in their carriage in the wilderness, occasionally coming to rural food stalls like this to eat…”

Meng Zhun asked quietly: “What? Do you want to capture this bandit?”

Xiaoying shook her head: “This man is highly skilled, and his guards are exceptional fighters. Neither of us is his match.”

This wasn’t something she should handle, but Feng Yuan could do it without issue. He needed a new achievement to enter the Ministry of War.

Moreover, capturing this man would help trace the source of the gangti iron that had flowed into Wei Country, possibly revealing the hidden “Master.”

She had agreed to contact Feng Yuan every two days, when he would send Shen Jing to deliver messages to her.

But now with this unexpected situation, she needed Xiao Wu to return to the city and immediately establish contact with Feng Yuan.

As for the carriage, there was no need to follow too closely; they could track the wheel impressions.

Watching the carriage wheels roll toward the outskirts of Five Li Slope,

Xiaoying followed at a moderate distance. If this man were truly the one bold enough to assassinate the Emperor, then the person in the carriage must be the palace consort he had abducted.

She wondered which consort the bandit had gone to such lengths to kidnap.

Xiaoying’s first thought was of the princess who had come from Wei Country for a political marriage a few years ago. Perhaps her relatives in Wei couldn’t bear to see the two countries become hostile, while she endured cold treatment and bullying in a foreign palace, so they helped her escape?

The carriage stopped by a stream on the outskirts, seemingly planning to spend the night there.

Xiaoying found a hidden thicket and decided to move closer.

Just then, the woman from the carriage came out. When Xiaoying, hidden behind the bushes, saw her face clearly, her mouth gaped so wide it could have swallowed an egg.

The graceful, elegant woman was none other than Tang Mi—the legitimate cousin even Crown Prince Feng Qiyuan had found somewhat unattainable!

When Xiaoying had previously impersonated the Crown Prince, she had seen this Tang family noble lady once or twice from afar at palace banquets.

Was this bandit insane? He’d abducted Consort Yi, the most sought-after consort in His Majesty’s palace!

Could it be that during the chaos, the bandit randomly grabbed someone as a hostage and unfortunately caught this unlucky cousin?

No wonder the capital was locked down so tightly! This was like taking the faces of both His Majesty and the Tang family and forcefully grinding them on the ground!

Consort Yi crouched down, wanting to splash water on her face, but the water was too cold, and she withdrew her hand after just a touch.

The thick-browed young man came over, scooped water with a kettle, then ordered someone to start a fire to heat it before offering it to Tang Mi for washing.

Watching the meticulous attentiveness of this otherwise ruthless young man, he didn’t seem to be treating her as an enemy captive, but rather serving her attentively like a Tang family servant, with deliberate efforts to please…

How could a bandit leader bold enough to enter Dafeng alone be someone clouded by lust? Could they have known each other before?

How could a legitimate daughter of the Tang family be in collusion with a Wei person?

Just then, another clear slap resounded by the stream.

Looking toward the sound, Xiaoying saw that Tang Mi had, for some reason, slapped the thick-browed gentleman.

Given that man’s skills, decapitating Tang Mi would be but a blink of an eye.

Xiaoying couldn’t help but worry for the Tang lady—she might perish right there.

The man seemed not to have expected the slap. After receiving it, his face became extremely unpleasant. He gripped Tang Mi’s arm and loudly said, “I originally didn’t want to take you away because my position was unstable, and I could barely protect myself! But you broke your oath and entered the palace to serve an old man! I don’t blame you for having no choice, but don’t push your luck!”

Consort Yi merely smiled faintly, maintaining her usual gentle tone: “No choice? Since you understand, why do you place me in such a desperate situation?”

The gentleman pressed his lips together: “I must take you away! Tonight, when it’s dark, there will be a boat. Once we reach my side, no one will threaten you again.”

Tang Mi coldly waved a hand: “In my youthful ignorance, I mistakenly promised myself to such an impulsive brute. Now I know that a true man should be like Emperor Chunde. Don’t waste your thoughts on me. When the boat comes, release me and go by yourself.”

The young gentleman seemed to be struggling to control his anger and said something quietly to Consort Yi.

Xiaoying strained to hear but couldn’t make it out clearly, so she stood up, preparing to leave with her foster father.

But just then, her foster father’s saber scraped against the thicket branches, making a faint cracking sound.

The man’s hearing exceeded that of ordinary people, and he immediately took action.

Xiaoying thought “not good” as she heard a sound from behind. Meng Zhun raised his hand to block, only to discover it was a flying dart.

“Who’s lurking there sneakily?”

Two of the Wei man’s attendants rushed over, blocking Xiaoying and Meng Zhun’s escape route.

Meng Zhun alertly said, “My daughter wanted to find water to drink. When we saw men by the stream, we decided to wait until you left. What, did you buy this stream? People can’t even approach it?”

The two attendants held their knives at the ready, gesturing for them to come forward.

Xiaoying made a “stay calm” hand signal to her brothers hiding in the shadows.

She and Meng Zhun then walked to the Wei man’s side.

The Wei man raised his thick eyebrows, looking the father and daughter up and down. Xiaoying was experienced in acting; she hunched her shoulders slightly, lowering her head and hiding behind Meng Zhun.

She feared Tang Mi might recognize her face, which resembled the Crown Prince’s. If she showed any unusual reaction, the Wei man would detect something amiss.

Fortunately, Tang Mi also seemed afraid of being seen. After glancing at Yan Xiaoying, she hurriedly lowered her head and boarded the carriage.

The Wei man then began questioning the identities of the father and daughter.

Meng Zhun said he was an escort from Jiangzhe, bringing his daughter to the capital to seek his brother, and was just passing through.

The man looked at his dark complexion, which indeed matched the appearance of an escort who traveled outdoors, and with a young girl whose tender face suggested her young age, they didn’t look like pursuing troops or spies.

However, they were in a dangerous situation, and it was better to kill by mistake than let someone go by mistake. Just as the gentleman was harboring murderous intent, Consort Yi suddenly called from the carriage: “Can that young lady arrange hair? Could she help me fix my hair?”

When Tang Mi was abducted at the Imperial Temple, half her hairpins had fallen out. When she exited the carriage earlier, her hair was indeed disheveled.

Hearing this, the Wei man hesitated briefly, then looked at Xiaoying: “Do you know how to arrange hair?”

Xiaoying feared he would recognize her voice, so she didn’t speak but nodded timidly and shyly.

The Wei man still hesitated, but the woman in the carriage threw a tantrum: “I can’t eat properly, can’t bathe, and now I can’t even fix my hair? Did you abduct me just to mistreat me?”

After this outburst, the Wei man hesitated no longer. He took out a piece of silver and handed it to Meng Zhun: “Please have your daughter help my wife arrange her hair.”

Meng Zhun immediately displayed a money-loving expression, smiling and bowing in gratitude.

Xiaoying timidly boarded the carriage. As she lifted the curtain, she lowered her head close to Tang Mi, preparing to cover her mouth before she could cry out in surprise upon seeing her face.

Unexpectedly, before Xiaoying could act, Tang Mi extended her finger to her lips, looking at Xiaoying’s face and making a gesture for silence.

She had seen Xiaoying’s appearance earlier and wasn’t surprised.

Then, looking at Xiaoying, she said in an even tone: “The hairpins are too heavy. Help me remove them all and arrange a simple hairstyle.”

As she spoke, she dipped her finger in a nearby water cup and quickly wrote on the carriage floor: “Are you Prince Ruixiang’s concubine?”

Rumors about Feng Yuan taking a concubine who looked exactly like the Crown Prince had spread far and wide. It seemed Consort Yi had also heard about it in the palace.

So when she saw a Crown Prince in women’s clothing appear before her, she immediately recognized her.

Perhaps Consort Yi thought the Grand Prince was also nearby, which was why she invited her onto the carriage to reveal her identity.

Xiaoying raised an eyebrow, dipped her finger in water, and wrote: “Who is the one who abducted you?”

Tang Mi lowered her eyes for a moment, then dipped her finger again and wrote: “The villain who attempted to assassinate His Majesty.”

Tang Mi knew the Wei leader, yet avoided discussing it. Was she afraid her past affairs would be known?

Xiaoying found this Tang family lady truly interesting, so she wrote: “Why did they abduct you?”

Tang Mi smiled faintly and bitterly, writing: “As a hostage.”

Xiaoying said nothing more. When footsteps approached the carriage, she took a nearby comb and began arranging Tang Mi’s hair.

Tang Mi stretched her legs, using her skirt to cover the writing on the carriage floor.

The thick-browed Wei man peered in to check, and seeing nothing unusual, dropped the curtain.

While Xiaoying was arranging her hair, Tang Mi again dipped her finger and wrote: “If Prince Ruixiang can save me, I would be eternally grateful!”

But Xiaoying suddenly realized something, feeling sorry for the beautiful lady before her!

As a consort who had been abducted by villains, whether she remained pure or not was irrelevant.

Even if rescued, she would be like Princess Ye years ago—unable to prove herself unless she died.

At least Princess Ye had the reputation of helping the Emperor and his son establish their rule. Emperor Chunde, out of gratitude, allowed Ye Zhanxue a place.

But what did Tang Mi have? Only her family background and beauty. She was just an insignificant consort in the harem.

So Xiaoying concluded that if Tang Mi were rescued, her fate would be more tragic than Princess Ye’s.

Although she had no connection with this cousin, from the current situation, Xiaoying suddenly felt that if she went with this man, she might still have a sliver of hope.

Xiaoying’s hesitation made the lady anxious. She couldn’t help but shake Xiaoying’s arm.

Xiaoying sighed, deciding to warn the lady, and wrote: “If you return, you may have nowhere to belong.”

Tang Mi smiled bitterly, acknowledging with a nod, yet wrote: “If I am taken away, the two countries will certainly go to war. Dafeng’s treasury is empty, and war should be avoided. Please consider the greater good!”

Tang Mi had also realized this but stubbornly chose to stay, not to test how much His Majesty loved her, but because she didn’t want two countries to fall into conflict, causing the people to suffer.

Xiaoying had never had a good impression of the Tang family. After all, whether it was Empress Tang or Tang Mingquan, everyone she had encountered from that family had filthy character and vicious hearts.

But the Tang clan was a great family, and they had also produced worthy ministers and virtuous officials. A towering tree doesn’t only grow misshapen fruits.

Just the fact that Tang Mi could say “the greater good comes first” proved she wasn’t a shallow woman who only knew how to vie for favor.

Xiaoying looked at Tang Mi’s tranquil eyes and felt quite moved for a moment. But now wasn’t the time for reminiscing, so she wrote another line for Consort Yi on the carriage floor, then began to help her arrange her hair.

After Xiaoying finished helping her with her hair, she got off the carriage.

Just then, the lady in the carriage called out, “Lord Huo, give them some more money to thank the young lady.”

Xiaoying’s mind stirred at the word “Huo.”

The royal family of Wei Country was the Huo lineage. Her earlier guess had been correct—this thick-browed gentleman was very likely a noble from the Wei royal family!

No wonder Tang Mi had said that if she were abducted, it would cause war between the two countries.

If the Emperor’s beloved consort from a prestigious family became a plaything of the Wei royal clan, it would truly incite anger throughout the court and among the people. War would be the only way to appease the public sentiment.

Perhaps because of this calm “Lord Huo,” the gentleman did take out some silver and hand it to Meng Zhun.

After expressing profuse thanks, Meng Zhun pulled Xiaoying away.

When they had walked some distance, Meng Zhun said: “During the time you were in the carriage, that young man stared at me with murderous intent several times. How did he end up letting us go so easily?”

Xiaoying smiled and said, “Didn’t Consort Yi say he’s a rash man who acts on impulse? To appear noble in front of a beautiful woman, he let us go just like that.”

Just then, Xiao Wu, who had been sent to deliver a message, hurriedly found them by following the traces they had left along the way: “It’s bad—Five Li Slope is surrounded by imperial troops. I couldn’t get out at all!”

Xiaoying’s first instinct was that Mu Hanjiang had come after her, but upon reflection, she realized that wasn’t right. Even if Mu Hanjiang wanted to find her, he wouldn’t make such a grand show of it.

So it must be Dafeng troops tracking the assassins who had arrived here.

Her guess was correct. When they returned to the noodle stall where they had eaten earlier, they saw several soldiers standing in front of it. They must have been hungry and had come to eat something, grumbling as they did so: “It’s so cold, and we still have to search the mountains later. This is making life impossible!”

Another man said, “Don’t talk like that anymore. You dare complain about a task from the Second Prince?”

Just then, soldiers in the distance were shouting, telling them to stop eating, saying they had received information that the bandits’ tracks had been discovered.

After the soldiers hurriedly left, Meng Zhun said: “Good, now that people have come, that poor consort can finally be rescued.”

But Xiaoying shook her head: “If it were someone else coming, that would be fine, but since it’s the Second Prince, I’m afraid Consort Yi will never have a chance to return to the palace…”

At this moment, the Second Prince was sitting on horseback, wrapped in a thick cloak, his neck hunched against the cold wind, listening to his subordinates report military intelligence.

This time, His Majesty had faced an assassination attempt and was furious. Capturing the criminals would be a great merit.

Such a difficult task shouldn’t have fallen to the Second Prince, but he controlled the Xiaoyun Manor’s intelligence network and knew the whereabouts of the bandits who had abducted Consort Yi before others did.

So Consort Shang had instructed the Second Prince to reach Five Li Slope early and ensure that when capturing the bandits, Consort Yi must perish at the hands of the criminals.

That’s why the Second Prince had braved the cold wind to lead people here for the arrest.

The Tang family was gradually rising in influence because of Consort Yi. His mother’s greatest worry was that once this Consort Yi became pregnant, her position in the palace would be completely secured.

The Empress Tang had been confined not long ago and had fallen seriously ill, babbling nonsense every day like “vile wretch, don’t harm me” and similar ravings.

The Imperial Physician said she was nearly at her end.

So Consort Shang was determined to secure the vacant position of Empress and couldn’t allow this lady from the Tang family to occupy that position.

Now, a spy had come to report that they had seen traces of the assassins’ carriage, and he planned to take people there immediately.

Whether or not they could catch the assassins wasn’t important; the crucial thing was to eliminate Consort Yi in the process.

As the Second Prince led people on horseback in pursuit, Xiaoying had a clear view from the high ground, watching the scene of horse hooves stirring up dust on the slope below.

The Second Prince truly had the power of the “Master,” his information was so accurate that he had found this place immediately.

Seeing his eagerness, he must be helping his mother eliminate Tang Mi, right?

Women can be truly vicious when jealous. Was she afraid that Tang Mi would become a second Ye Zhanxue, returning to the palace alive, so she wanted to cut off the problem at the root?

Seeing the Second Prince so capable and prominent, Xiaoying’s Crown Prince soul couldn’t help but start burning, thinking about how to give her second royal brother a hard time.

With this in mind, Xiaoying pulled out a set of men’s clothing from Xiao Wu’s bundle, then asked her foster father: “Foster Father, did you bring my mask?”

Meng Zhun watched Xiaoying nimbly change into men’s clothing and couldn’t help asking: “What are you planning to do now?”