Qun Qing very much hoped that if she closed her eyes and opened them again, the killing intent she sensed would dissipate like a dream.

The windows were wide open—to disperse the scent of blood. The “attendants” were pretending to sweep the main hall, but were actually listening intently with cocked ears when she spoke, in strict battle readiness.

These people were downstairs, specifically waiting to pounce and kill them.

It was indeed better than facing danger alone. Sharing misfortune with her was her mortal enemy.

She saw that upon hearing her words, Lu Huating didn’t speak but instead lowered his lashes to look at her hand gripping his wrist.

Qun Qing waited quietly for several breaths, thinking he was contemplating. After a moment, she shook him forcefully: “Are you awake?”

Lu Huating suddenly gripped her hand in return.

His fingers were like cold jade, lightly touching the back of her hand. At the same time, someone stepped on a giant tree’s branch and broke through the window, making only a faint sound.

“Did you send them off?” Lu Huating asked.

The people who entered were a man and woman. The woman was the hidden guard Wen Su, who usually operated outside the palace. Wen Su said urgently: “The pursuers behind the envoys are only remnants. These people downstairs are the key ones. This morning they split into two groups—one group pretended to be bandits breaking in, while another group mixed into the inn while we were fighting. Right now we can’t tell which ones are real attendants at all!”

Qun Qing finally understood Lu Huating’s intention in frequently changing routes.

Even changing routes, this group of pursuers still followed like ghosts. Now with the envoys going separate ways and the two of them isolated, this group didn’t pursue the envoys but instead controlled the inn, presenting a posture of extermination, as if they’d been targeting them from the start.

“Prime Minister Meng’s people?” Qun Qing reacted.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs reached their ears.

“My wife, quickly change clothes and descend along the window. There’s a horse under the tree. This subordinate will go downstairs to lure them away, which may delay them for a moment.” As she spoke, Wen Su removed her black cloak, revealing inner robes almost identical to Qun Qing’s official garments.

The situation was urgent, allowing no delay, and they couldn’t take anything. Lu Huating’s dark eyes were cold and stern. He only pulled a quiver of arrows from their bundle and placed it in his sleeve: “Let’s go.”

Having someone arrange their escape was much better than escaping on her own—if only it didn’t require riding a horse.

At the sight of that horse, Qun Qing already felt uncomfortable: “Can you carry a passenger?”

Lu Huating’s hand paused while untying the rope: “Never carried anyone before. My wife can try.”

Qun Qing was about to speak when he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her onto the horse.

Lu Huating urged the horse into rapid motion. The sky wasn’t yet fully bright. Cold mist and frigid wind struck their faces like sharp arrows. Qun Qing’s breathing became somewhat disordered. Her forehead slowly seeped cold sweat as that stiff, immobile feeling assaulted her again.

Not knowing how long had passed, she heard the dull sound of hidden weapons. Behind her, Lu Huating’s body stiffened for a moment. He drew an arrow from his sleeve and stabbed it backward into the horse’s rump. The horse whinnied and took flight.

In the wind’s roar, Qun Qing suddenly looked back and saw clearly the pursuers in the fog—about ten riders, holding swords with covered faces.

Prime Minister Meng’s sworn warriors had a terrible reputation among the common people. The previous times they’d only tried to seize objects from them, but this time they’d become targets for assassination.

Lu Huating struggled to steady the horse. Just thinking she was about to fall, he saw Qun Qing grab the quiver with one hand, pull out an arrow and grip it tightly. After a long pause, she used all her body’s strength to hurl it behind them, piercing through the chest of the sworn warrior who’d spurred his horse to catch up.

Qun Qing was utterly exhausted. Fortunately, after the horse charged through the fog-shrouded narrow path, it rushed into the nearest Guanxi Town territory. Dwellings and cooking smoke began appearing around them. Before long, they charged into the market crowd. Under cover of hawking vendors and braying donkeys, the two dismounted and abandoned the horse.

Only Qun Qing now had psychological trauma. Surveying the faces of surrounding stall owners and common people, she didn’t dare relax her vigilance, always feeling that sworn warriors were still lurking among them.

A thousand miles away in the Great Luminous Palace, Emperor Chenming caressed the memorial report on his desk and that yellow jade pendant, then coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Prime Minister Meng was a founding minister, but he was also truly excessive, ultimately running counter to Emperor Chenming’s governing principles.

Consort Han said: “Sage, I’ve heard that recently the Crown Prince has worried excessively and his health hasn’t been good. He’s urgently summoned medical officials several times.”

Emperor Chenming said: “Why does he harm himself like this? Does he want this white-haired person to send off a black-haired one?”

Consort Han attended his illness at his side. Every few days she carefully discussed Li Xuan’s recent condition. Emperor Chenming wasn’t unaware of her intentions, but he was ultimately old and his heart had softened. In the night he urgently summoned Li Xuan from the traveling palace for an audience.

Li Xuan bowed in greeting. His complexion was even paler than several months ago, even his lips had no color.

He saw the decree on the desk that had not yet been sealed with the imperial seal and said: “Father Emperor is finally going to deal with the Meng family.”

“I originally didn’t want to be ruthless. All along the way, Meng Guangshen has helped you greatly and could assist you in the future. But I never imagined that for finances, he would allow poison to spread. Once he controls you, I fear in the future the Li family will all become puppets, empty shells.”

Li Xuan bowed his head for a long while, then said: “Father Emperor, control is too strong a word. Fundamentally this matter is your son’s fault. Conquering the realm was bitter. If I could have a body as competitive as Third Brother’s, I wouldn’t have wasted Father Emperor’s years of cultivation. Your son thinks day and night, self-loathing and self-harming, until inner demons arose. When Meng Guanlou said there was good medicine that could let me ride horses, I was eager to try it and didn’t know at all that it was opium.”

When he raised his eyes again, his originally sharp phoenix eyes were completely red: “Your son deserves his punishment. If Father Emperor is determined to deal with the Grand Tutor, please allow your son to see the Grand Tutor once more.”

Emperor Chenming looked at his haggard appearance. For a moment his heart couldn’t bear it. Father and son embraced and wept bitterly.

Li Xuan’s eyes, however, looked at that decree dealing with the Meng family.

This news spread without wings, pervading the palace quarters.

When it reached Prince Yan’s mansion, the person who couldn’t accept it most was Li Huan: “Again like this—raised high then lowered gently! The one accumulating military achievements is me, the one laboring and suffering is also me. The Crown Prince was only confined in the traveling palace for a few days before father and son started crying together. Have I done something to wrong Father Emperor?”

The sound of the memorial being swept aside startled the heir to tears. Li Huan sheepishly watched Xiao Yunru pick up the heir to comfort him, then bent down to pick up the memorial himself.

Having vented the accumulated matter in his heart, Xiao Yunru’s health instead improved day by day. She said: “Lu Qi Lang always says that the grace of birth doesn’t compare to the grace of raising. Your Highness should have seen through this long ago.”

Li Huan looked at the heir with a birthmark on his face in Xiao Yunru’s arms, as if seeing himself being held by Empress Ma back then. He’d watched eagerly as Father came over, only seeing his figure that treated him as if he didn’t exist. Father took Li Xuan horseback riding and archery, took Li Xuan to study…

Li Huan’s fingers clenched tight: “Is there truly only that one path left?”

“Your Highness, I fear someone is about to take that step first.” Zhu Su reported with a solemn face. “The Jinwu Guards outside the traveling palace have been changed several times. Our people have all been transferred away. Also, Lord Lu and Lady Qing encountered an ambush midway. The envoys returned, but they and the envoys’ party were scattered.”

Li Huan was furious beyond restraint: “Go search for them! Lu Huating has plenty of enemies. I warned him early that it’s dangerous outside the palace, yet he insisted on leaving the palace at this very moment!”

“This subject has a different view.” Xiao Yunru pondered for a moment before speaking. “Father Emperor’s heart has always favored the Crown Prince. Right now the Crown Prince’s return to the Eastern Palace is only a matter of time, unless there’s one thing that can completely overturn the current situation. Qi Lang leaving the palace at this time—to outsiders, it looks like he can’t attend to palace affairs and creates an excellent opportunity for assassination. If he doesn’t provide such a flaw, the Crown Prince’s side won’t act rashly from underestimating the enemy.”

Li Huan said: “But Father Emperor is about to issue a decree dealing with the Meng family. If it’s the Meng family, what meaning could the Meng family acting against Qi Lang at this time have besides venting private grudges?”

Xiao Yunru lowered her eyes: “Your Highness doesn’t understand aristocratic families. The Meng family’s predecessor was the Lu family—they’d rather topple imperial power than perish easily. They won’t die that easily. I imagine the Crown Prince also understands that if he truly eliminates the Meng family, even if he can return to the Eastern Palace, it would be like having both arms severed—he couldn’t sit securely in the Crown Prince position. He can’t resist the decree yet wants to preserve the Meng family, so there’s only one path—seizing power. I fear the Crown Prince and Meng family have secretly joined hands and have long been preparing the same thing as Your Highness, only waiting for the right opportunity. And now, that opportunity has arrived.”

A decisive, martial expression appeared on Li Huan’s face.

Based on his understanding of Li Xuan, what Xiao Yunru said was very likely the truth.

His fingers curled, gently touching the birthmark on the heir’s face: “Rest assured, before Qi Lang left he gave instructions. I’ll prepare everything as he said and absolutely won’t let you mother and child encounter danger.” He then turned to Zhu Su: “Go search. Lu Huating and Qun Qing—if alive we want to see them, if dead we want to see their corpses!”

Qun Qing walked mixed in the crowd for a stretch. Seeing Lu Huating’s face turn pale, she knew he carried injuries. She took a tael of silver to find lodging at an inn.

Lu Huating obediently let her pull him up to the guest room. After closing the door, he sat down and leaned against the bed post. Hearing the sound of water behind the curtain, he couldn’t help holding his breath and said hesitantly: “Where is my wife injured?”

Qun Qing was currently biting her skirt hem. The hand wiping her leg paused for a moment—this wasn’t easy to explain. Chafed from horseback riding, burning with pain.

Fortunately, she could originally endure. After quickly washing, she came out.

Regarding Qun Qing asking for water to wash herself first, Lu Huating said nothing.

He looked at Qun Qing’s hair that hadn’t yet dried and grabbed her hand as she undid his clothing.

“We still have to keep running in a while. If the arrowhead isn’t removed, it might cause fever.” Qun Qing pulled open his outer robe. The heat from his body was almost scalding. She touched the arrowhead on his rear shoulder but didn’t rush to act. Instead she glanced at him: “Did you anticipate from the start that Prime Minister Meng’s people would make a move?”

“I was merely speculating. I didn’t expect him to actually act. It seems he’s also anxious.”

“Why is he trying to kill me too?” Qun Qing’s expression contained misfortune.

“My wife, you were originally a Southern Chu spy. Now you’ve turned against Li Xuan and are competing with Baoshu. On a diplomatic mission, ‘accidents’ easily occur. If you were Meng Guangshen, would you let yourself off?” Lu Huating smiled at her. “Besides, you and I are husband and wife. We should naturally live and die together…”

His dark eyes lost focus for a moment because when Qun Qing pulled out the arrow, her hand used some force.

Qun Qing threw down the arrowhead. This was the first time she’d seen someone with blood on their face who could be so heart-stoppingly beautiful. He stared at her unblinkingly, not looking like he was suffering in her hands, but rather like he was provoking her.

Lu Huating lowered his lashes, looking at the blood staining her slender fingers, and looked at her indifferently: “Your hands are dirty. Wash them.”

This day’s flight had tightened the strings in Qun Qing’s heart. Precisely at this moment of extreme tension, her desire to embrace warmth felt especially strong, like a drowning person wanting to clutch a piece of driftwood.

She didn’t know why such an improper feeling arose. She soaked her hands in water to wash them, only hearing Lu Huating say: “A few more miles west should be near Jiannan Circuit territory. Entering the city, they’ll check travel permits and we can shake off those people.”

Lu Huating propped himself up with one hand and lay down fully clothed: “My wife carries her palace registry with her, right? Going separate ways isn’t impossible. I’m dizzy. I’ll sleep a while first.”