If the man before her meant to harm her, then it was destined by fate.

So be it. If it was destined by fate, then let it be destined by fate.

After all, since this man was being schemed against by Princess Fu’an and others, the enemy of her enemy was her friend. If she explained the situation to him, he shouldn’t do anything to her.

Qin Shuying hesitated for a moment, then reached out and turned him over.

With this look, her heart immediately jumped with shock, her eyes widening in terror.

Liang Zhe!

How could it be Liang Zhe!

Liang Zhe was currently unconscious, his eyes tightly closed.

Qin Shuying had no time to think too much. She hurriedly removed the cloth strip stuffed in Liang Zhe’s mouth, then busily untied his ropes. But she didn’t know how those ropes were tied. After Qin Shuying worked at them for a while, breaking out in cold sweat, she still couldn’t untie them.

She was extremely anxious. According to Princess Fu’an’s methods, she would probably bring people to catch them in adultery very soon.

What to do?

Suddenly, Qin Shuying thought that Liang Zhe was a military man—might he carry a dagger or something similar?

Qin Shuying acted on this thought, reaching out to feel around Liang Zhe’s body.

She started feeling his upper garment—nothing there. Then she felt his robe and trousers—still nothing.

Then she removed his boots. The stench was overwhelming, but Qin Shuying acted as if she smelled nothing. Holding the boot in one hand, she looked left and right. She was truly fortunate—she actually found a dagger inside Liang Zhe’s boot.

Qin Shuying threw the boot aside, grabbed the dagger, and with swift movements, cut through the ropes.

But looking at the unconscious Liang Zhe, she was troubled again. How could she move such a big person out of here?

This wasn’t Cai Yan. Even if she called Ziteng to help, there was no way they could drag him away.

She couldn’t wait any longer!

Qin Shuying raised her hand and slapped Liang Zhe across the face—”Smack!”

It was truly crisp and clear!

After hitting him, Qin Shuying stared at Liang Zhe without blinking. Sure enough, Liang Zhe made an “mmm” sound and slowly came to.

Seeing Qin Shuying, he said groggily, “Qin Shuying?”

Qin Shuying breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn’t woken up, she really would have had no way to get him out of here.

She said in a low voice, “Thank heavens! Young Master Liang, there’s no time to explain. Let’s hurry and leave!”

As she spoke, she rolled up the ropes and put them in her sleeve, picked up the dagger, and without waiting for Liang Zhe to make a sound, she expertly inserted it back where she had taken it from.

Liang Zhe watched as she lifted his leg without any modesty, placed the dagger, and put on his boot, completely focused and all in one fluid motion.

After all, she was a woman, while he was tall and large-framed. Even just lifting one of his legs seemed to require all her strength, and thin sweat appeared on her forehead.

Liang Zhe opened his mouth and said, “Are my feet very smelly?”

Qin Shuying had just put his leg down and hadn’t expected him to ask such a question. For a moment she was stunned, “What?”

Liang Zhe smiled and said, “It seems like someone slapped me just now.”

“…That, that was me who hit you. I’m sorry, Young Master Liang. You were unconscious, and I needed to rescue you. I had no choice but to offend you.”

Liang Zhe looked around, stood up, moved about a bit, then glanced at the dead fake palace maid on the ground and said, “So that’s how it is. Thank you. Hmm, you’re right—someone indeed wanted to harm me. I can’t just submit like this. You go first.”

Qin Shuying was dumbfounded, “You, you’re not leaving with me?”

“Of course not.”

“Then, then, if they say this person was killed by you, what will you do?”

“If they say I killed him, must I admit to it?”

Qin Shuying was stunned.

“I was sleeping peacefully here when someone ran in wanting to kill himself. Could I have stopped him?”

Qin Shuying stood there. So all her busy work had been for nothing? She had saved him for nothing?

However, thinking of his reputation as the Liang Overlord, as long as he didn’t confess, indeed no one would dare do anything to him. As for catching them in adultery, as long as she wasn’t present, what could they catch?

Thinking of this, Qin Shuying hurriedly performed a courtesy bow and said, “Since that’s the case, this young lady will take her leave first. Otherwise, if people see us, it would damage Young Master Liang’s reputation.”

Liang Zhe raised his thick eyebrows, about to say something, but not knowing what he thought of, he just smiled, “Go then. Remember to close the door.”

Qin Shuying nodded, straightened her clothes, went out through the door, and closed it properly.

Ziteng pointed to a small path on her left. Qin Shuying walked over, and the two quickly disappeared among the dense trees.

After watching Qin Shuying leave, Liang Zhe uncomfortably felt around his body, as if talking to himself or asking a question, “Was I touched by a woman today?”

“Master, how did it feel?”

Liang Yanjun’s voice came from the roof beam, and then he dropped to the ground.

Liang Zhe looked at him and roared in a low voice, “Good my foot! Why didn’t you stop her?”

Liang Yanjun felt very wronged, “Master, you were pretending to be dead so convincingly, you even endured that stinking cloth strip. What’s the big deal about being touched by Seventh Miss Qin? You didn’t wake up, so how dare this subordinate act rashly!”

“You also watched her slap me with your own eyes!”

“That’s your own fault, Master. You just kept pretending. Besides, this subordinate didn’t expect her to be so decisive and straightforward—she hit you without any hesitation. I didn’t have time to stop her. Didn’t you see how she poisoned that fake palace maid? So ruthless and decisive, it’s truly unimaginable. If she were in the army, she would definitely be an excellent general.”

“You mean she was right to hit me?”

Liang Yanjun looked bitter, “Master, I’m just telling the truth, aren’t I?” He quickly changed the subject, “Master, are you still going to sleep here? There’s a dead person here. This subordinate is very scared.”

Liang Zhe completely ignored him. After thinking, he asked, “How exactly did this Qin Shuying kill this fake palace maid? Describe it to me.”

Liang Yanjun became excited and described it with a grin.

After listening, Liang Zhe smiled, “Ruthless and decisive, quick to act!”

Liang Yanjun said, “Master, don’t you already know? This First Madam of the Qin household, in order to ruin her, coaxed her into staying locked up in the Qin residence for three whole years. Qin Shuying nearly lost her life. Madam Xu also took possession of things left by her mother, being endlessly greedy. Based on the information we have now, I’m afraid her parents died under suspicious circumstances, and Seventh Miss Qin probably knows something about it.”

Liang Zhe’s brow tightened, his gaze suddenly turning cold. If back then he and his sister had possessed Seventh Miss Qin’s ruthless decisiveness, how could his sister have ended up in her current state?

He had just returned from Xianren County. His sister had been living like a walking corpse all these years, with no vitality left in her body!

Wasn’t it all because he had implicated his sister!

Far away in the northwest, for so many years he hadn’t been able to see his sister even once.

After returning to the capital these past few months, he seemed possessed, trapped in a cage of guilt unable to break free.

He wanted to see his sister, but didn’t dare to go.

His sister—it was all his fault!