Chu Zhao wasn’t awake often, but she no longer sank into chaotic dreams.

Her consciousness had returned; she knew her current situation and what had happened.

She had been poisoned, but fortunately not deeply. Mu Mianhong had used various folk remedies which, although they couldn’t make her immediately lucid, would not endanger her life.

They had escaped the hunting grounds and fled the capital, but pursuers still followed, and checkpoints blocked the road ahead.

During her occasional moments of consciousness, Chu Zhao was either racing on horseback with Mu Mianhong or being carried as they prepared to continue their journey.

During this time, she saw Xiao Man. When Mu Mianhong carried her, Xiao Man’s face would appear before her eyes, offering her water with her left hand. Chu Zhao noticed her right shoulder wrapped in bandages—

At the hunting grounds, Xiao Man had taken an arrow from Xie Yanfang meant for her, piercing her shoulder. It was good that she was otherwise all right.

She also saw Ding Dahui, who was severely wounded and being carried. He kept insisting they should leave him behind.

“At this rate, none of us will escape—” “Leave me—”

Later, Chu Zhao no longer saw Ding Dahui. Perhaps Mu Mianhong had hidden him somewhere to recover from his wounds. She didn’t know what would become of him.

Chu Zhao thought that since his voice had been strong when he called out, he would probably be safe.

She hoped so.

She wondered how many of the Imperial Security Bureau and Imperial Guards had survived this time.

And she still hadn’t seen Xie Yanlai.

When she woke, she would struggle to look around, asking in a voice she couldn’t even hear herself where Xie Yanlai was. Mu Mianhong would say he was busy, very busy.

Yes, he must be busy—clearing the path ahead, holding back pursuers behind.

Busy was good.

Busy meant he was still there.

Reassured by the answer, Chu Zhao would sink back into unconsciousness, her hand tightly clenched.

Mu Mianhong held her hand, massaging it to relax her grip, and said softly to those nearby: “It’s hard to deceive her. She must be worried.”

The men beside her sighed.

“Miss A-Zhao’s condition is getting worse,” one man said, stepping forward to check her pulse. “We need to settle down quickly and remove the remaining poison. Otherwise, there will be lifelong consequences.”

Mu Mianhong looked ahead: “We’ve been moving around for nearly ten days now. How much longer until our forces can break through? How is Zhong Changrong deploying the troops? I always said he was useless.”

“Zhong Changrong can mobilize troops from Yunzhong Commandery to cover our tracks, but beyond that is uncertain,” the men said in low voices. “Especially now with the new orders to suppress bandits—checkpoints have been set up everywhere.”

Mu Mianhong looked down at the unconscious Chu Zhao, her usually calm eyes barely concealing her anxiety.

“Chief—” a shout came from not far away as a scout rushed toward them.

More pursuers had arrived, it seemed. Everyone was used to this by now. Each time they had just caught their breath, pursuers would come. The men immediately grabbed their weapons, preparing to mount their horses.

“The pursuers have retreated,” the scout said, gasping for breath. Everyone was stunned. Retreated? “And the bandit suppression operations and checkpoints have all been removed.”

The scout continued.

Everyone was even more surprised.

“Could this be a trap?”

“Chief, should we go or stay?”

Mu Mianhong gazed thoughtfully into the distance, then toward the direction of the capital. She said softly: “They may have truly all withdrawn.”

She looked down at the hand she was holding. Despite her massaging, Chu Zhao’s hand was still tightly clenched, unwilling to let go.

“Let’s go,” she said, turning around. Two men skillfully bound Chu Zhao to her back with cloth strips. “We’re going home. Let’s go home.”

……

The orders to suppress bandits and hunt down Western Liang spies had been directed toward the northwest, not affecting the area south of the capital. However, a large contingent of troops had surrounded the Qiaoshan Academy.

That day was Chu Tang’s wedding day. She had already bowed to Heaven and Earth and her parents, been escorted to the bridal chamber, and now sat on the marriage bed with the red veil covering her face, waiting for her husband, who was entertaining guests outside.

The bridal chamber was quiet, warm, and festive, with occasional sighs and the crunching sound of someone eating dried fruits.

Under her red veil, Chu Tang sighed: “A-Le, go rest. You don’t need to keep me company.”

A-Le sat at the table, peeling a dried fruit: “No, I must keep Miss A-Tang company on behalf of my mistress.”

She glanced around the room. Because Chu Tang was a princess, and imperial envoys sent by the Emperor and Empress had attended the wedding, the family had spared no expense to make the wedding magnificent.

Still, it couldn’t compare to the grandeur of the Emperor and Empress’s wedding years ago.

But what did that matter? Miss A-Tang was truly getting married to her beloved.

As for her mistress, she would never have a real wedding in this lifetime.

A-Le sniffled and chewed the dried fruit forcefully. Just as Chu Tang was about to say something, the window was suddenly lifted, and someone jumped in.

Even with her veil, Chu Tang immediately knew who had entered.

“Xiao Tu,” she called out. “Have you come to eat fruit too?”

Xiao Tu said: “Sister A-Tang, hurry, something’s happened.”

Chu Tang lifted her veil and stood up, her expression shocked yet somewhat excited. So, finally, it had happened?

……

The bridegroom moved swiftly, though he staggered slightly from the wine he had drunk. Still, he rushed directly to the bridal chamber.

“A-Tang—” he called out, pushing open the door. “You must leave quickly—”

Before he could finish, he stumbled forward, and at the same time, someone pressed down on his back and shoulders. He felt something cold against the back of his neck.

The bridegroom shuddered involuntarily and looked up to see the bright red dress and the red-faced bride.

“Xiao Tu, Xiao Tu, don’t hurt him,” Chu Tang called hastily, though she didn’t ask Xiao Tu to release him. “Just knock him unconscious.”

The bridegroom was startled, but didn’t have time to examine his bride’s words carefully. He urgently said: “A-Tang, something’s happened. You must leave. There’s a secret door in the back garden—”

Chu Tang stopped Xiao Tu, who had raised the flat of his blade. She said softly: “Husband, you came to help me escape?”

This word “husband” made the bridegroom feel slightly dizzy: “Yes, my cousin at the magistrate’s office received news and secretly told me. The officials haven’t arrived yet, but they’ll be here soon. You must hurry.”

Chu Tang nodded to him: “Thank you. I understand. I’ve already packed and am ready to leave.”

The bridegroom’s gaze fell on her, and he saw that she indeed had a small bundle on her back.

“I’m always prepared. I pack my belongings wherever I go,” Chu Tang said with a smile, though her expression was somewhat desolate. Although she said daily that she was prepared, she had prayed she would never need to be.

Unexpectedly, that day had still come.

The bridegroom’s expression was relieved: “That’s good, that’s good. A-Tang, you should go quickly.”

But Chu Tang didn’t step forward. Looking at the bridegroom lying on the ground, her eyes flickered. “But this time I want to take one more piece of luggage,” she said, crouching down and extending her hand. “Husband, would you like to escape with me?” The bridegroom looked at her and, without hesitation, grasped her hand.

“Of course I would.”

……

In the dim night, footsteps scrambled through the streets and alleys, accompanied by hushed voices.

“Why bring him? With an extra person, what if we can’t run fast enough?”

“Ah, I’ll run faster.”

“Don’t worry, husband. Xiao Tu is very capable—he can manage even with two more people.”

“Hmph, Sister A-Tang praising me again, so I’ll do more work.”

“—A-Le, don’t run off—”

“Let me go! I want to go to the capital, I want to save my mistress, wuwuwuwu, something has happened to my mistress.”

Chu Tang grabbed A-Le firmly. To be fair, this maid was much stronger than she.

“A-Le, listen to me. Going back now won’t help your mistress,” she said deliberately. “The best way to protect your mistress now is to protect yourself and stay out of trouble.”

A-Le looked at her, tears streaming down her face, and stopped struggling: “Where are we going now? Back to the academy?”

Chu Tang shook her head: “No, the academy will certainly be raided too. We’ll hide first, for as long as we can.”

She then looked at the dozen or so shadowy figures surrounding them in the darkness and softened her voice.

“Xiao Tu, our safety is in your hands.”

In the darkness, the young man grunted, then cut through the night like a blade. Chu Tang hurriedly followed. The young gentleman beside her reached out to take her hand. Chu Tang smiled at him, grasping his hand tightly as they hurried after Xiao Tu.

A-Le looked once more in the direction of the capital, wiped her tears, and followed.

……

In the morning light, troops surrounded Qiaoshan Academy but couldn’t enter because hundreds of people stood between the soldiers and the academy.

These people varied in age and dress, but they all firmly encircled the academy, facing the troops without yielding.

The commander, who had been waiting quietly at the rear, expecting the arrest of Chu Lan to be simple, was forced to ride forward.

“How dare you!” he shouted. “Chu Lan is a criminal of the imperial court. How dare you harbor and obstruct!”

A scholar standing at the front asked calmly: “May I ask what crime he has committed?”

“He intended to rebel,” the commander shouted.

“What nonsense are you talking?”

This response triggered many scholars to shout.

“Professor Chu, rebel? He spends his days reading and teaching—where would he find time to rebel?”

“Everyone in the entire prefecture can testify to what Professor Chu does!”

“We are with Professor Chu every day. Are we also rebelling?”

“Professor Chu bought land at the foot of the mountain so poor students could study while growing crops to support themselves. Is that rebellion?”

The local military commander actually knew well what Chu Lan did. After all, he had previously wanted to befriend him, but Chu Lan only wished to discuss poetry and principles. Unable to find common ground, he had given up.

To accuse him of rebellion was indeed hard to convince people.

“Let me tell you,” the commander said coldly. “According to the latest report from the capital, Empress Chu attempted rebellion and has fled in fear of punishment. As a relative of the Empress, Chu Lan is naturally considered an accomplice.”

A deathly silence fell over the scene.

This was news just received, the commander thought. When he had received it, he too had been shocked in disbelief.

His gaze swept over the scholars present. Now they knew the gravity of the situation and were afraid, right?

But the next moment, someone let out a curse.

“Nonsense! How could the Empress rebel?” With this shout, the quiet pool began to boil.

“That’s right, how could the Empress rebel?”

“If the Empress wanted to rebel, she wouldn’t have waited until now!”

“You, commander, are you one of Prince Zhongshan’s remaining supporters?”

“We must report this to the officials!”

“No, we must report to the imperial court!”

With these shouts, the previously stationary scholars surged toward the commander and his troops.

The commander was alarmed. What was wrong with these scholars?

Not only were they unafraid, but they were questioning.

Did they trust the Empress so much?

Hearing cries of “Arrest these traitors” from the crowd, the commander’s face flushed with shame. He had come to arrest someone, but if he was surrounded by these civilians, he would lose face.

“Sir,” his lieutenant asked urgently, “What should we do? Arrest them all?”

The commander looked at the approaching scholars, then back at the countless citizens coming from the city. To arrest them all would be impossible—beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Sir, Sir—” a soldier galloped over. “New imperial orders—”

The commander quickly took the message, opened it, looked at it, and breathed a sigh of relief. With a wave of his hand, he ordered: “Withdraw.”

His lieutenant was stunned. Although the arrest might be intimidating, wasn’t it a loss of face to leave without making an arrests?

“What face? These are imperial orders,” the commander snapped. “Do you dare disobey?”

The lieutenant quickly shook his head. He didn’t dare, but he couldn’t help feeling that the imperial orders were changing too quickly.

Commands were given, and the troops pulled back like a receding tide, leaving behind the clamor of the crowd outside the academy.

Learning that the troops had withdrawn, Chu Lan, who had been hiding in his study, finally relaxed his tense shoulders and closed his eyes, exhaling.

“Husband, what’s happening?” Madam Jiang asked anxiously. “How did this become rebellion?” She stamped her foot and began to cry.

“I knew it. I knew she would get us killed sooner or later.”

Then, thinking of something else:

“Husband, let’s report to the authorities? Separate ourselves from her.”

Chu Lan opened his eyes and snapped: “What nonsense are you talking!”

This was the first time he had scolded her because of Chu Zhao. Madam Jiang was stunned.

“Stop talking nonsense,” Chu Lan sat down and sighed deeply. “We cannot separate ourselves from her. As long as she lives, we live. If she dies, we won’t survive either.”

This was fate, and he accepted it.

But why had the troops withdrawn after accusations of rebellion? What was happening?

Had they somehow escaped this fate?

……

As daylight grew stronger, several officials gathered on the imperial avenue in hushed discussion. Suddenly, they heard the sound of hooves and looked up to see dozens of guards escorting a tall black carriage slowly approaching.

These guards carried crossbows and heavy swords, with sunlight casting a golden sheen on their armor. The carriage stopped at the palace gate, and a guard lifted the curtain. A man bent down and stepped out.

He wore no armor or official robes, but a dark long robe with a jade-studded gold belt. As his long legs touched the ground, he straightened up and raised his head. His face was covered by a golden beast mask.

Perhaps frightened by this beast mask, there was a moment of stillness at the palace gate.

The gold-masked man walked past the officials and entered. Only after he had passed through the palace gate did the officials feel they could breathe again.

“I heard the Third Young Master Xie’s face was disfigured while saving the Emperor—”

“This is not Third Young Master Xie’s bearing!”

“I heard it’s a new young master from the Xie family, overseeing the court in place of the Third Young Master.”

They looked again toward the palace gate, gazing at the tall figure of the man. Even in the shifting light, though dressed, he was dazzling to behold.