Who cares whether it’s a scheme or not!

“Hurry and send someone to the city gate, the faster the better.”

“Yes.” Lang Bo acknowledged, but then asked in confusion, “Why not directly notify Minister Qin? Or Minister Yu from the Court of Judicial Review? Having one of them enter the palace to report to His Majesty would be better, wouldn’t it?”

Are you stupid!

Jingrong said, “Right now we must be extremely careful about everything. If we notify Minister Yu and Qin Shiyu, wouldn’t that openly tell Father Emperor that this Prince is colluding with them?”

“Your Highness’s thinking is indeed thorough.”

“Go quickly.”

“Yes!”

Lang Bo departed.

At this moment inside the carriage, Ji Yunshu had lifted the curtain and taken in everything that had just transpired. She suppressed her emotions—with Ji Li present, it wasn’t appropriate for her to exit the carriage.

Sitting inside, her heart was filled with tremendous anxiety!

She thought the same as Jingrong, knowing that Ji Li had definitely not gone to report to His Majesty, but had sent someone to Prince Yi’s manor instead.

Now—

It all depended on who would act faster!

In another carriage, Muruo and Tang Si had also clearly perceived what was happening outside.

“If it were me, I’d just charge right in. What’s the point of all this waiting?” Tang Si said.

“Crude person.”

“I’m just speaking the truth.” Tang Si’s tone rose, “I don’t believe those people could fight better than us. This young lady could take on thirty of them without any problem.”

Muruo across from her shook his head helplessly and spoke to her with patience, “Then think about it—even if we win the fight, what then?”

“Of course we could enter the capital directly!”

“Nonsense. What I mean is, if we win the fight, this place will inevitably become a river of blood, with deaths and injuries everywhere. And Scholar Ji, who knows no martial arts, would likely perish in the melee. Even if we could enter the capital then, do you think Jingrong would have any reason left to live?”

With the woman he loves dead, what would he even fight for!

Muruo continued, “That’s why he didn’t think like you do. Not everything can be solved with fighting and killing.”

Tang Si thought about it and realized it made sense.

But then she asked curiously, “By the way, is your Da Lin’s late emperor’s imperial edict really that powerful? No one can block it?”

“Yes.”

“Not even the current emperor?”

“Yes.”

“Then those people outside are quite brazen. Not only do they not kneel upon seeing the late emperor’s edict, they even dare to question it. Are all your Da Lin officials like this?”

“No.”

“Then there must be quite a few like that?”

“Can you shut up?” Muruo really couldn’t take it anymore and glared at her, “Right now, I’m in no mood to discuss these things with you.”

She immediately fell silent!

Muruo then got out of the carriage, walked to Jingrong’s side, and asked, “How is it?”

Jingrong glanced at him and said with concern, “They have more people. We can’t force our way through. Magistrate Ji sent people to Prince Yi’s manor. I just sent someone to notify the Capital Magistrate. Now, we’ll see who’s faster.”

“But what if something unexpected happens?”

“We’ll just have to adapt as the situation unfolds.”

That same phrase again.

After thinking for a moment, Jingrong knocked on the wall of Ji Yunshu’s carriage.

Hearing the sound, the curtain lifted.

Ji Yunshu poked her head out.

One inside, one outside.

Jingrong said to her, “You must return to the capital first.”

The two had already made this agreement before!

Ji Yunshu pressed her lips together, her clear, clean eyes full of worry.

Finally—

She nodded.

“I’ll wait for you in the capital. Promise me you’ll return safely.”

“This Prince promises you.”

Their eyes met.

Ji Yunshu took a gentle breath, and her eyes gradually disappeared behind the curtain.

Then, Jingrong said to Muruo, “You should return to the capital too. Don’t stay here.”

“What nonsense are you talking?” Muruo was displeased, “You and I grew up together wearing split-pants. Like you said, if something unexpected happens, how could I leave first? Stop this nonsense.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Neither am I!”

Nothing would make him leave.

Jingrong was helpless!

But—

Muruo followed suit, walking to Tang Si’s carriage and similarly knocking on its wall.

With a whoosh, the curtain was swiftly pulled open.

Tang Si had half her body leaning out.

Both were women, yet the difference was so stark.

“What is it?”

Her tone was very loud!

Muruo felt embarrassed but immediately got to the point, “You should return to the capital with Scholar Ji first. Go to the capital and wait for us.”

“Why?”

“Just go when I tell you to go.”

“No way!” She directly refused, “How could I leave first? In this situation, a fight could break out at any moment. I’d be your helper then. No matter what, I’m not leaving.”

Muruo scolded, “You know a fight might break out, so you should leave even more. Staying would only be a hindrance.”

“I said I’m not leaving, and I’m not leaving.” Having said that, Tang Si jumped down from the carriage and stood squarely before him, tilting her head up to say, “I’m not someone who fears death, and I’m not some weak woman to be bullied. Besides, you said that once we return to the capital you’d marry me. If something happens to you, who would I marry?”

Uh!

Muruo was at a loss for words.

“I’ll stay and kill them one by one, kill them in pairs. If we’re to die, we’ll die together. If we make it back to the capital alive, you’ll marry me. Anyway, there are only these two choices—life or death.”

At this moment, Tang Si had never been so serious.

This woman, with her wild nature, was truly such a person of character.

In the end, Muruo silently consented.

Jingrong then ordered someone to drive Ji Yunshu’s carriage toward the capital.

But Ji Li blocked them.

Jingrong said, “His Majesty’s verbal order forbids this Prince from entering the capital. Does it also forbid others?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then let them pass.”

His Majesty’s verbal order indeed forbade Jingrong from returning to the capital, but said nothing about others.

Thus, Ji Li could only order his men to make way.

The carriage moved through. Just as it passed by Ji Li, a gust of wind suddenly rose, and a corner of the curtain slowly lifted, revealing half of Ji Yunshu’s profile inside.

In that instant, Ji Li’s palm tightened—so it was that damned Ji Yunshu, the chief culprit who had caused his brother’s death and angered their grandmother to death!

He wanted to pull her out of the carriage, but now was not the time to settle family matters, so he could only swallow his rage.

He let the carriage pass through.

Actually, the moment the wind rose, Ji Yunshu’s heart had also jumped. Only after the carriage gradually left those people’s line of sight did she relax her guard and have the carriage stop.

The guard turned back and asked, “Scholar Ji, what’s wrong?”

She didn’t respond, but called out “Zijin.”

Shi Zijin stood by the carriage, “What are your orders, Scholar?”

“You don’t need to guard me. Go quickly to His Highness’s side.”

“No…”

“You must listen to me. Go quickly.”

Shi Zijin hesitated but still acknowledged, his body darting away and disappearing from sight.

Then, Ji Yunshu got out of the carriage and walked to its rear, as if waiting for someone.

Sure enough—

A short while later, Wen Xian and Zhao Huai, who had been following her from the Imperial Manor, appeared.

They seemed to understand Ji Yunshu’s meaning.

Wen Xian still asked once, “Young Mas… Scholar Ji, what orders do you have?”

Ji Yunshu raised her hands in a cupped salute, entreating them, “I know your duty is to protect me, but now, I wish to ask the two of you for one favor.”