Come with me!

Jingrong said this very seriously. Jing Xuan once again pulled free from his hand gripping her arm and took several more steps backward, asking, “What about the people of Great Lin? Will you disregard their lives too? If I leave, it will definitely implicate Great Lin. When conflicts arise between the two countries, those affected won’t be you and me, but those innocent common people. I would become a criminal for all eternity. Imperial Brother, my mother consort and eldest brother already committed irreparable wrongs back then. I don’t want to commit heinous crimes myself and live my entire life in self-reproach.”

Her words were very rational!

Jingrong had truly been confused!

Just now, his whole heart had been concerned only for Jing Xuan’s safety, completely unable to consider anything else.

Jingrong said, “But if you stay here…”

“I’ll be fine! Actually, most of the time, the Third Prince doesn’t come here at all. Really.”

“Then promise me you won’t take your own life.”

“All right. I will live well and wait for the day when I can openly leave this place and return to Great Lin.”

She was filled with hope!

Hope that there would still be an opportunity to return to Great Lin.

Jingrong had no choice but to abandon the idea of taking her away.

After a moment, Jing Xuan asked again, “By the way, Imperial Brother, you still haven’t told me—how did you come to be here?”

He said, “Yunshu and I came to Huyi to handle some matters.”

Hm?

“So Yunshu also came.”

“Yes.”

“What matter would require you both to risk coming to Huyi?”

“This… I’ll tell you later.”

At this moment—

The maid suddenly knocked on the door. “Princess Consort, have you fallen asleep? This servant heard what seemed like some sound inside.”

Jing Xuan immediately grabbed Jingrong’s hand. “Imperial Brother, it’s not suitable to linger here. You must leave quickly. If you’re discovered, you won’t be able to leave.”

Jingrong seemed to still have many words left unsaid.

He quickly took out a bottle of medicine from his person.

He handed it to her.

“This is medicine Muruo gave me before, specifically for treating knife wounds.”

“All right.”

“I should be staying in Gaoding during this time and may come to find you at any moment. If you have any matters, send someone to a small alley in the north of the city. When the time comes, there will be people there.”

Jing Xuan noted everything down.

The maid was very anxious and knocked on the door again, asking, “Princess Consort? Are you all right?”

Jing Xuan urged, “I’ve noted everything down! Imperial Brother, you must leave quickly.”

So Jingrong left through the window he had entered from.

Hearing sounds inside, the maid pushed open the door.

At that moment, Jing Xuan immediately hid the medicine Jingrong had given her in her sleeve.

The maid saw her standing in the room.

There was no one else inside, and nothing unusual in the room either.

“Princess Consort? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“This servant just heard sounds here. Could a thief have gotten in?”

Jing Xuan’s face was calm. “This is the prince’s manor. How could a thief get in?”

“This servant would feel more at ease after checking clearly.”

As the maid spoke, she began inspecting around the room.

Walking behind that screen to look, there was also no one, but she noticed that open window and asked, “When this servant left, this window didn’t seem to be open.”

Jing Xuan said in a calm tone, “The room was stuffy. I opened it.”

The maid didn’t ask anything more.

She silently closed the window, then walked to Jing Xuan’s side.

Jing Xuan said, “You may leave first. I’m tired.”

“Yes. This servant will wait outside. If the Princess Consort needs anything, just call me.”

“All right.”

The maid left.

Jing Xuan picked up that hairpin from the ground. After looking at it for a long while, she placed it in the box.

…

After leaving, Jingrong did not leave the Third Prince’s Manor.

Instead, he went to Na Tuo’s room.

After Na Tuo returned, he drank another pot of wine!

He just felt unbearably dizzy, but the person wasn’t drunk.

The maid served him as he undressed for sleep.

She extinguished the lamp in the room and left!

Na Tuo lay on the bed and had just closed his eyes when a cold wind rolled into the room, lifting the gauze curtains hanging from his bed.

He groggily opened his eyes and saw a shadow fall beside his bed.

Uh!

Just as he was startled and sat up—

That figure pressed close to his bedside, using an elbow to pin down his neck, forcefully pinning him on the bed.

Unable to move!

At the same time, a dagger also fell onto Na Tuo’s face.

“You… who are you? You dare assassinate this prince?” His face was full of terror.

Before him was a person with half their face covered by black cloth over their mouth!

The person said, “I’m doing more than assassinating—I wish I could kill you.”

“You… dare, I…”

“Shut up!” Jingrong rebuked sharply, gripping his collar and throwing him to the ground.

Na Tuo’s back hit the ground heavily, the pain making him grit his teeth.

“Come…” Before he could finish shouting the word, Jingrong’s dagger was once again at his neck.

“If you dare shout, I’ll kill you right now.”

Though the Third Prince was a fierce person, when facing a blade, he was ultimately still afraid of death.

He quickly silenced himself, not daring to call out again.

Jingrong grabbed him and punched him several times.

Finally, using the dagger in his hand, he viciously slashed his arm, then made several cuts on both his left and right palms.

Blood flowing endlessly.

Afterward, Jingrong yanked him up and pressed him against the wall.

Warning, “This is just one lesson for you. Next time, I will directly take your life.”

Finishing his words, he threw Na Tuo aside.

His entire body crashed into a table.

A loud “bang”!

Very loud.

And by the time he came to his senses, that masked person had already disappeared.

He stretched his voice and began shouting loudly, “Someone, someone…”

A short while later, several manor guards immediately rushed in from outside.

As soon as the light shone in, they saw Na Tuo lying disheveled on the ground.

His arm and palms were all blood.

“Your Highness?”

“Chase the assassin. Catch him for me.”

He pointed at the window.

Those guards immediately ran to give chase along the route outside the window.

Soon, the entire Third Prince’s Manor was beating gongs and drums.

All guards deployed!

They searched inside and outside the manor.

Yet not a trace was seen.

When Jing Xuan heard the sounds coming from outside, she summoned the maid to ask, “What happened outside?”

The maid replied, “It’s not very clear. They say an assassin got into the manor and they’re searching now.”

“An assassin? Where did an assassin come from?”

“The Prince discovered it. That assassin snuck into the Prince’s room.”

“Is that so?”

“Princess Consort, are you all right?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine.” She asked again, “Have they caught the assassin?”

“It seems not yet.”

“I see.”

Jing Xuan closed the door and walked to that window behind the screen, pushing it open.

Gazing at the distant lights.

Her heart twisted into a knot.

She knew who it was!

However, she believed in Imperial Brother’s martial arts skills—he would definitely be fine.

On the other side, a physician soon arrived at the manor.

To bandage Na Tuo.

A guard came in to report, “Your Highness, we didn’t find anyone.”

“Useless!”

Na Tuo swept his hand, brushing everything on the table to the ground.

His palm hurt and his brow furrowed tightly. “All useless—can’t even catch one person.”