At the hour of Shen, Li Huilin left the death prison. Qi Han arrived on orders, bowing slightly with a smile that was neither here nor there: “The three gentlemen can leave now. If Your Highness is worried, you can go and see them off.”
Li Huaiyu nodded, gripping the chains in her hands as she walked out with them.
Only Xu Xian, Yun Lanqing, and Han Xiao had been sentenced to death. Seeing them being escorted out, Huaiyu sighed: “This farewell is truly forever. Lord Qi, may I say a few words to them?”
Qi Han had come to retrieve the military token on the emperor’s orders, so he naturally obliged her request. It was just a couple of sentences; it wouldn’t be a problem.
The guards around them stepped back five paces, leaving the four of them by the carriage.
“Head west,” Huaiyu said, looking at them. “Lu Jingxing is waiting for you in the west.”
Xu Xian frowned, glancing around. “Your Highness, things may not be that simple.”
Even if they managed to leave the capital, they probably wouldn’t get far.
“Don’t worry,” Huaiyu smiled. “Once you see Lu Jingxing, you’ll understand.”
“And you?” Yun Lanqing asked, clearly concerned. “What will you do alone?”
Raising an eyebrow, Huaiyu replied, “Who told you I’m alone?”
Yun Lanqing was puzzled; aside from them and Lu Jingxing, who else was by her side? Wu and the others were still in the prison, not yet out.
Before she could say more, Qi Han might grow suspicious, so Li Huaiyu shook her head and waved at them: “Safe travels.”
Seeing her frail figure, Xu Xian and the others felt a pang in their hearts, but there was no other way; they could only get into the carriage, leaving her standing alone.
“If there’s a chance, we will risk our lives to save you, Your Highness,” Han Xiao said as he was the last to board.
Li Huaiyu smiled, feeling satisfied: “What more could I ask for?”
The carriage rattled as it set off, rolling over the lush grass of the outskirts, speeding westward. Qi Han observed and stepped forward, bowing: “The emperor has released them as promised; shouldn’t Your Highness hand over the military token?”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Huaiyu chided, glancing at him. “We’ve only just left. Let’s wait until they reach the relay station. I can personally take you to retrieve it.”
Qi Han frowned: “Your Highness, please don’t play tricks.”
Showing him the chains in her hands and pointing to her frail body, Huaiyu asked, “What tricks could I possibly play?”
She seemed to be holding on by a thread, so weak she looked like she might pass away at any moment. Qi Han felt that at this point, regardless of gender, no one would have any cunning thoughts left.
So he waited beside her, feeling reassured.
Li Huaiyu quietly gazed at the small path on the outskirts.
She had been here before; the moonlight had been beautiful then. She had playfully said she wanted to spend the night here, and Jiang Xuanjin had not responded but had carried her back with a stern face.
When he carried her, his back was straight, making her exert a lot of effort to cling to his shoulders to avoid falling. But Huaiyu had felt very happy.
Now, thinking back, she could almost feel the flowing moonlight and the scent of incense on him.
She smiled slightly.
Even if nothing remained in the end, at least there were many things she had experienced with him. Experiencing them was enough; what did it matter what the outcome was?
The sun was about to set, and Huaiyu calculated the time. Seeing that no one had come to report, she estimated that Xu Xian and the others should have met up with Lu Jingxing and were safe.
So she turned to Qi Han and said, “Let’s go to Mingshan Palace.”
“Mingshan Palace?” Qi Han frowned. “Don’t deceive me; the emperor has already sent people to search there, and there’s no military token.”
Rolling her eyes, Li Huaiyu said, “You think I would let something I hid be found by you?”
Qi Han looked at her suspiciously. Perhaps there were still some mechanisms in Mingshan Palace that they couldn’t open? He nodded and had her escorted into the palace.
However, upon arriving at Mingshan Palace, Huaiyu didn’t go to the side hall to open the secret chamber but walked directly to the overgrown grass in the courtyard, digging around until she unearthed the military token.
Qi Han’s mouth twitched.
“Your Highness, you hid the military token for the thirty thousand forbidden troops… here?”
Brushing off the dirt on top, Huaiyu asked seriously, “Is that not allowed?”
…That was too careless! Who would have thought such an important item would be casually tossed in the grass? No wonder the emperor couldn’t find it after searching everywhere!
“Here’s the item,” Huaiyu said. “May I ask how I will die tomorrow?”
After taking the military token and examining it closely to confirm it wasn’t fake, Qi Han said, “Your Highness, this technique of coming back from the dead, we have heard of it. Lord Bai is doing everything he can to protect Miss Bai, so tomorrow it will only be the soul that is punished, not the body.”
A look of terror crossed her face as Huaiyu frowned and asked sharply, “Whose idea was this?!”
Seeing her so agitated, Qi Han felt reassured and sneered: “Didn’t expect this, did you? When you were the Eldest Princess, you were not well-liked. Now that you’re Bai’s fourth miss, even the maidservants don’t like you. She knows all your secrets and went straight to tell Lord Bai and Lord Liu.”
“How could this happen?” Huaiyu clutched her head in pain. “Lingxiu… how could she betray me?!”
“Those who do evil will meet their end,” Qi Han said, looking down at her. “You took Bai’s fourth miss’s body; naturally, her maidservant would want to take it back for her mistress. I heard that your soul cannot approach the Buddha, and tomorrow there will be ten eminent monks, along with the golden Buddha from Hanshan Temple, all waiting to send you on your way.”
Li Huaiyu’s face was filled with anguish, her complexion pale. Qi Han looked at her with satisfaction, waved for the guards to escort her back to the death prison, and then took the military token to report to Longyan Palace.
Once he left, the exaggerated expression on Huaiyu’s face gradually faded, and she lowered her head, following the guards with a look of confusion.
When did Lingxiu find out she wasn’t Bai’s fourth miss?
That little girl had always been timid, trembling at the slightest word; how could she have the courage to lie to Bai Dezhong and Liu Yunlie?
She wasn’t afraid of the Buddha; she had stayed in the Buddha hall of Moju without incident, and Lingxiu knew that. But how could she tell others that her soul could not approach the Buddha?
Her throat tightened, and Li Huaiyu let out a low laugh.
Silly girl.
On the ninth day of the ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival considered the day with the strongest yang energy, the royal ancestral temple was already set up for the “prayer ceremony.” Li Huaiyu sat obediently on the bamboo bed in the prison, allowing someone to groom her.
Lingxiu trembled as she opened the makeup box she had brought, taking out a plum blossom hairpin and a silver comb inlaid with jewels. She carefully styled Huaiyu’s hair and helped her change into a Su embroidery skirt with peonies from the Yaochi.
Outside the prison were guards, and Huaiyu couldn’t say a word, only watching her intently.
The more she watched, the more Lingxiu trembled. Her small face was as pale as Huaiyu’s, her gaze drifting, but she didn’t dare look at Huaiyu’s face.
Li Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, feeling puzzled. Just then, the little girl suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed something into it.
Sandalwood Buddha beads.
Her pupils constricted, and she exclaimed in surprise, “You…”
“Your Highness, please don’t hold a grudge against this servant,” Lingxiu hurriedly interrupted. “This servant just wants the original miss to come back.”
Glancing outside, Huaiyu pursed her lips and feigned anger: “Have I treated you poorly?”
“Well…” Lingxiu nodded tremulously. “Your Highness treats this servant very well,… but Your Highness is not the miss.”
“When did you realize?” Huaiyu asked. “I used your miss’s body; logically, I shouldn’t have been detected.”
Lingxiu took a deep breath and boldly said, “This servant has served the miss since she was little. Whether you are the miss or not, others may not know, but this servant is very clear!”
“Ha ha ha!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Yunlie’s laughter came from outside.
Li Huaiyu turned around to see him still sitting in the palanquin, being carried to the front of the prison bars, his face full of mockery: “Didn’t expect this, did you? After all your calculations, you were defeated by a little maid.”
Lingxiu stiffened and ran to his side, kneeling to greet him: “Lord Liu.”
“Hmm.” Looking at her with great satisfaction, Liu Yunlie said, “You are quite perceptive; you will certainly benefit in the future.”
Lingxiu’s face lit up with joy, and she lowered her head shyly.
Pulling her sleeve to cover the Buddha beads on her wrist, Huaiyu wiped her face and replaced it with a cold smile, glaring at Lingxiu: “I must have been blind!”
Lingxiu was so frightened that she shrank back behind Liu Yunlie.
Liu Yunlie snorted: “What are you afraid of? You’re about to scatter your soul; you won’t even have a chance to be a ghost.”
“Really?” Lingxiu asked softly.
“Is there any doubt?” Liu Yunlie sneered. “The eminent monks from Hanshan Temple are quite formidable.”
Lingxiu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and then said, “Then this servant will finish Your Highness’s makeup.”
“Be quick about it,” Liu Yunlie said. “The time is approaching.”
“Yes!” Running back to Li Huaiyu’s side, she quickly picked up the rouge and powder beside her and carefully applied it.
Liu Yunlie was impatient and, after hearing a couple of sentences, felt that Lingxiu was indeed fine. He had the bearers lift the palanquin and head toward the ancestral temple first.
“Rest assured,” Lingxiu said softly as the powder brushed against Huaiyu’s ear. “Nothing will happen.”
Li Huaiyu heard this, her eyelashes fluttering as she rubbed the Buddha beads on her wrist, her heart filled with confusion.
The Taichang had said today would be a sunny day, but as noon approached, the sun had yet to show itself. The sky was overcast, and the wind carried a chill.
Li Huilin sat on the dragon chair directly opposite the altar, gently rubbing his brow, looking quite fatigued.
“Your Majesty?” Qi Han inquired with concern, bowing.
“It’s nothing,” he replied. “I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days.”
Ning Guifei, sitting nearby, hesitated to speak.
The emperor hadn’t just been sleeping poorly these past few days; he had always woken up in the middle of the night, sitting alone on the dragon bed in a daze. This had been particularly severe in the past few days, waking up less than an hour after falling asleep. No matter what she asked, he wouldn’t say anything, only letting her hum songs for him to listen to.
Ning Guifei was the most favored in the harem, and even though she was two years older than the emperor, he always loved to rest in her palace. Outsiders thought she had some way of charming him, but Ning Guifei knew that the only thing she could do was hum songs.
This young emperor seemed to lack only someone to coax him to sleep.
Unfortunately, even if she was willing to coax him, he still couldn’t sleep.
Ten eminent monks, dressed in golden-threaded robes, sat in a formation around the altar. A life-sized golden Buddha was placed on the altar, and the air was filled with the lingering scent of sandalwood.
Li Huilin waited quietly, and soon, the sound of chains echoed from the entrance to the altar.
The person wore the Yaochi peony palace dress that she had loved most in the past. Her appearance had changed, but her aura remained the same. With the sound of chains, she walked step by step toward the altar, her back straight and a smile on her lips.
Noticing his gaze, she looked over, her smile fading and her eyes growing cold.
The guards behind her shouted something, and she stiffened, slowly kneeling in his direction.
He must be very disappointed in her, Li Huilin thought with a low laugh, stroking the dragon’s head on the armrest. His elder sister had once said he would become a wise ruler, but before becoming a wise ruler, he had first become a tyrant.
Was he regretting it? Regretting having such a brother?
His hand, adorned with a ring, tightened slightly before relaxing again. Li Huilin returned to his usual demeanor, glanced at the time, and said, “Let’s begin.”
The seat belonging to Ziyang Jun was empty, a cool breeze swept through, and the dark red chair surface shimmered with a layer of chill.
Li Huaiyu glanced at that chair, gripping the Buddha beads in her hand as she lay down on the altar.
Around the altar were eight incense burners. As soon as she got on, the incense in the burners was lit, and the chanting of the monks grew louder, a cacophony that was quite headache-inducing.
Li Huilin lowered his gaze, not looking, rubbing the carved dragon on the armrest again. After the twentieth stroke, a scream came from the altar.
“Ah—” A needle pierced her brow, and Li Huaiyu cried out in pain, startling the guards around the altar, who all took two steps back.
The monk holding the needle glanced at her, chanting something under his breath.
Huaiyu frowned and listened; it was the first section of the “Guan Yin Sutra.”
Remembering long ago, when Jiang Xuanjin had complained about the noise and sulked, she had told him, “They are reciting the ‘Guan Yin Sutra.’”
Her heart tightened, and her tension dissipated as she let out a low laugh.
The monk holding the needle frowned, turning his back to the emperor and shaking his head at her.
Not funny.
Huaiyu was taken aback. Raising an eyebrow, she looked at the monk, her gaze falling on the Buddha beads hanging around his neck, finally realizing what was wrong.
The monk’s string of Buddha beads had ten large beads, each inscribed with characters. She could see the words “Charity,” “Precepts,” and “Patience.”
They were the same characters inscribed on the beads she wore on her wrist.
Taking a deep breath, Li Huaiyu tightened her grip.
These people…
“It hurts! Ah!” The chanting around grew louder, and the screams from the altar intensified.
The royal relatives standing nearby didn’t dare to speak, fearing that Danyang’s soul would come out to haunt someone. But the monks seemed truly formidable; after chanting a few passages of Buddhist scriptures, Danyang’s screams grew softer and weaker.
With a loud bang, the high monk on the altar waved his sleeve, and suddenly a fire ignited in the air. The flames were fierce, but after a moment, they turned to ashes.
“What was that?” Li Huilin frowned and asked.
Beside him, Qi Han bowed and said, “Perhaps it was the burning of the soul.”
The high monk didn’t stop his movements, opening a stone strip about a foot long, taking out a talisman from within, lighting it with the candle on the altar, and tossing it into the air. Another explosion of fire erupted.
The person lying on the altar let out a dry wail, their hands unwillingly reaching into the air, trembling twice before finally falling limply.
At the same time, the monk pulled out a burlap bag, ignited the last flame, and then gathered it with the bag—
The burlap bag swelled as if something inside was still moving.
Everyone gasped, and those with weaker nerves turned and ran far away.
Li Huilin looked at the bag with a complex expression and turned to Liu Yunlie: “Where is the item?”
Liu Yunlie handed him a treasure box. He opened it to find a shattered jade pendant inside.
“Let them perform the ritual together,” Li Huilin said, closing the box and having it sent to the altar.
The high monk received the treasure box, glanced at it, and tossed it into the nearby fire pit to burn, sending a message: “The vengeful spirit has been collected; we need to perform the ritual for two more days to guide it.”
Bai Dezhong, waiting nearby, was in tears. He rushed forward and knelt before Li Huilin: “Your Majesty, may I have the beads returned to me?”
Li Huilin looked at the lifeless person on the altar, thought for a moment, and said, “You may take her to Fulu Palace to rest. When she wakes up, I still have questions to ask.”
The emperor was cautious and wouldn’t easily let anyone go.
Bai Dezhong lowered his gaze, stiffly responding, “Yes,” and then led a few people forward to carry the unconscious Bai Zhuji down.
“Zhuji…” He checked her breath, and in front of so many people, Bai Dezhong didn’t care about etiquette or face, directly choking up and shedding tears.
Li Huilin watched, pursing his lips: “Miss Bai has truly suffered an undeserved disaster.”
“Indeed,” Liu Yunlie echoed, turning to Lingxiu beside him: “You go and take a look. If you miss returns, have someone report it.”
Lingxiu could distinguish between Danyang and Bai’s fourth miss, so having her watch over would prevent future troubles.
“Yes,” Lingxiu obediently replied, heading to Fulu Palace with Bai Dezhong.
The guards kept a close watch, not relaxing even after the soul was driven away. But Bai Dezhong was genuinely heartbroken, and they didn’t notice any flaws; hearing his cries, they felt a bit sad themselves.
So when they arrived at Fulu Palace, they stood guard outside, leaving a bit of quiet for the people inside.
Bai Dezhong couldn’t stop crying, not daring to pause. Even if there were no tears on his face, his voice was filled with genuine emotion.
Li Huaiyu opened her eyes and looked at him, softly praising: “You’re quite impressive!”
She had thought someone as serious as him wouldn’t act, but who knew he was an old hand at this? Listening to his sorrowful cries, she almost believed she was dead.
Bai Dezhong shot her a glare, and while crying, he dipped his finger in the water on the table to write: “Leave the palace.”
Lingxiu pressed her ear to the door to listen to the commotion outside, then ran back, anxious, and whispered: “It won’t work; there are people outside, and we can’t get out.”
They had thought that by deceiving everyone at the altar, they could take her away, but who would have thought the emperor would be so vigilant, insisting on waiting until she woke up to ask questions before letting her go?
The current Bai Zhuji was still Li Huaiyu; what if they couldn’t hide it from the emperor? The Bai family and the monks at the altar would surely be implicated.
Both Bai Dezhong and Lingxiu were anxious, but Li Huaiyu, sitting across from them, remained calm.
She propped her chin up, curiously asking them: “Don’t you want Bai’s fourth miss to come back?”
Bai Zhuji was Bai Dezhong’s biological daughter; what reason did he have to help her, the Eldest Princess he had once despised?
Lingxiu squatted beside her, whispering: “This servant has served the miss for over ten years. If possible, this servant also wants the miss to return.”
But her miss had died on the fourth day of the fourth month.
Five days ago, the eminent monks from Hanshan Temple had come to the Bai residence, telling them that only when a person died could their body be occupied by another soul. Once this soul was driven away, the original body would be nothing but a corpse.
In other words, it was Li Huaiyu who kept Bai’s fourth miss alive; if anything happened to her, Bai’s fourth miss would be buried.
Lingxiu explained all this to Li Huaiyu in a low voice, her expression sorrowful.
Li Huaiyu fell silent.
To be honest, even though she had borrowed a body to return to life, she still didn’t quite understand what it all meant. Why were these monks, who had never died, so certain that Bai’s fourth miss’s soul was gone?
Touching the Buddha beads on her wrist, her gaze shifted slightly, and an indescribable feeling surged within her.
“What do we do now?” Lingxiu was still anxious.
Bai Dezhong stopped crying, his brow furrowed, looking troubled as well.
Huaiyu lightly tapped the table: “Just find a source of fire.”
Even if they didn’t help today, she had prepared an escape plan. Now that they had arrived at Fulu Palace, everything had become much simpler.
Rising to steady herself against the table, Huaiyu took a slow step toward the door.
“What are you doing?” Lingxiu was startled and hurriedly followed her, glancing at the four shadows cast on the palace door, shaking her head repeatedly. “People are guarding outside!”
“I know,” Huaiyu nodded, reaching the palace door and gently knocking twice.
“What’s going on?” A guard outside turned in confusion and asked.
The response was a swift strike from a guard beside him.
With a loud thud, the guard fell to the ground, and the palace door was pushed open.
Lingxiu was startled and pulled Li Huaiyu back, looking up to see three people dressed as guards entering, removing their silver-tasseled helmets and bowing to the people beside her: “Your Highness!”
“There’s no time to waste.” Taking the fire stick handed to her by Qing Xian, Huaiyu turned to Bai Dezhong and Lingxiu: “You two hurry and leave here. Go report to the emperor that I have awakened and ask him to come see me.”
Bai Dezhong looked at the three guards, frowning: “Are you planning to escape?”
“If I don’t escape, should I wait to harm more people?” With a playful smile, Huaiyu grabbed Bai Dezhong’s elbow, half-supporting and half-pushing him toward the exit.
This action was quite ungraceful and didn’t conform to etiquette, causing Bai Dezhong to frown again. Standing outside the palace, he turned to her and said: “According to the laws of the Great Wei, Article Seventy-Two, anyone who deliberately sets fire to destroy an official residence or palace shall be exiled!”
Hearing this familiar emphasis, Huaiyu felt a bit pleased, raising her chin and pouting: “I’ll burn it and then exile myself; you can rest assured!”
Bai Dezhong’s face was stern as he stared at her in silence for a moment, then quietly said: “Be careful on the way.”
Her throat tightened, and Li Huaiyu looked at him in surprise.
After saying this, Bai Dezhong had no intention of staying to watch her set fire; he took Lingxiu and left without looking back.
This old man…
Pressing her forehead and shaking her head, Li Huaiyu couldn’t help but smile for a while.
Qing Xian handed her the outfit of the guard who had fainted. She changed into it, lit the fire stick, and set the gauze curtains in Fulu Palace ablaze. Once the flames rose, she calmly left Fulu Palace with Qing Xian and the others.
Too many people had been imprisoned in the treason case. While Lu Jingxing couldn’t rescue those in the death prison, he could save a few with lighter charges. Qing Xian and the others blended in with the monitored rebel troops, making it easy for Lu Jingxing to rescue them. As long as they could successfully exit the three gates, they would be completely safe.
Still feeling unwell, Huaiyu forced herself to hold on. Mimicking their earlier demeanor, she walked with her head held high and a composed expression, gripping the knife.
However, Bai Zhuji was indeed a bit short; it was fine when she was alone, but standing with Qing Xian and Chi Jin made her a full head shorter.
“That way.” Just as they exited Fulu Palace, a patrolling officer called out to them.
Her heart tightened, and Li Huaiyu held her breath, standing at the back. Qing Xian and the others naturally blocked her, bowing: “What orders do you have, my lord?”
The officer looked at the little figure behind them with confusion: “Who is that?”
Qing Xian smiled, and Chi Jin and Bai Ai looked around, noticing that there was no one else nearby, and they all smiled.
“What are you laughing at?” The officer frowned, feeling suspicious, when he suddenly felt a pain in the back of his neck, and everything went black—
“Run!” Li Huaiyu shouted.
Qing Xian quickly dragged the unconscious officer into the nearby bushes, while Chi Jin and Bai Ai each supported her, swiftly taking a shortcut toward the palace gate.
“Your Highness,” Qing Xian whispered, panting as he looked at the guards at the palace gate, “Manager Lu has already contacted the Wei Wei guarding the palace gate today, but that person seems unyielding. If we are exposed later, we may have to force our way through.”
“How could this happen?” Li Huaiyu murmured. “Wasn’t that Wei Wei easy to talk to?”
“I don’t know what happened either; keep your head down,” Qing Xian said, pulling out the forged edict and stepping forward.
Seeing someone approach, the guard at the palace gate crossed his halberd to block their way with a Shig.
Qing Xian held the edict with both hands, walking up to the Wei Wei, bowing his head: “On the emperor’s orders, I am leaving the palace.”
The Wei Wei looked at him with a strange expression. After a couple of glances, he reached out to take the edict, not opening it immediately, but looking back at the few people behind him.
Chi Jin was quite nervous, his tall figure blocking Li Huaiyu completely.
However, many people were standing on both sides of the palace gate; while he blocked the Wei Wei, he couldn’t block the gaze of the guards nearby.
“My lord!” A guard called out, noticing the little figure sneaking around behind them, unable to help but remind him.
Breathing slightly constricted, Li Huaiyu assessed the situation, hearing this voice and preparing for a fight.
But the Wei Wei leisurely opened the edict, seemingly not hearing the warning from the guard beside him. After reading it, he made a couple of notes on the exit record and waved: “Let them pass.”
They were allowed to leave? Li Huaiyu was taken aback, and Qing Xian and the others relaxed their hands on their knife handles.
Four people who looked suspicious managed to slip out of the palace right under the noses of over sixty guards.
Even after getting into the carriage, Li Huaiyu still couldn’t believe it: “Is he blind?”
Qing Xian shook his head: “His gaze was sharp; he almost immediately noticed that the seal on the edict was fake. The way he looked at me made me feel quite uneasy.”
Li Huaiyu was shocked: “Then why did he let us go?”
Qing Xian couldn’t figure it out either. After pondering for a while, he finally said: “Perhaps Manager Lu has some influence.”
Aside from that, there was no other explanation.
Li Huaiyu slowly nodded, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the Buddha beads on her wrist as she instructed Chi Jin, who was driving the carriage: “Head toward the Jiang residence.”
The Jiang residence? Chi Jin shook his head: “Your Highness, the palace should have already noticed something amiss. The capital will soon be under martial law; we should leave the city directly. There may still be a glimmer of hope…”
“There’s no time,” Huaiyu said softly. “If the carriage goes to the west city gate from here, it will take at least an hour and a half to reach the gate. The news of the emperor sealing the city will likely arrive before us.”
“But what’s the use of going to the Jiang residence?” Chi Jin asked, confused. “I heard that everyone in the Jiang residence left the city early this morning.”
The entire Jiang family was indeed going to climb high and enjoy the view, but…
Smiling slightly, Huaiyu said, “A good girl is waiting for me.”
Xu Chuniang had promised her that as long as it wasn’t dark yet, she would wait at the gate of the Jiang residence.
Carriages leaving the Jiang residence didn’t need to be checked, so even if the city gates were sealed, she could still get out.
Chi Jin didn’t ask further and turned the horse around, speeding toward the Jiang residence.
“Your Highness, you look unwell,” Qing Xian said, reaching out to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Did you suffer in the prison?”
“I’m fine.” Covering her lower abdomen with her hand, Huaiyu said, “Once we settle down, find a doctor for me.”
Bai Ai looked at her, seeing her in such a precarious state, and couldn’t help but reach out to pull her closer, letting her lean on his shoulder to rest.
Qing Xian had just reached out when Bai Ai beat him to it, his delicate brows furrowing in displeasure: “Are you competing with me again?”
“Competing for what?” Bai Ai said. “Didn’t you see that the princess is unwell?”
“I saw, but the princess is closer to me; what are you pulling?”
“You!”
The familiar bickering was something Li Huaiyu had heard every day in Feiyun Palace. Hearing it again now, she smiled: “You two are good at pretending to be lovers; even the jealous scenes are well acted.”
This was not acting at all. Bai Ai and Qing Xian had always looked at each other unfavorably; Bai Ai thought Qing Xian was too feminine, while Qing Xian thought Bai Ai was dull. If it weren’t for Li Huaiyu in the middle, they would have fought long ago.
However, both were quite perceptive and wouldn’t say anything explicit to the princess. If they were to compete, it would be a silent battle between them.
At this moment, they were still in a state of escape, so they didn’t argue for long. When they reached the gate of the Jiang residence, everyone fell silent.
“Second Sister-in-law?” A tentative voice called from outside the carriage.
Li Huaiyu lifted a corner of the curtain and smiled at her: “Second Sister-in-law, you kept your promise.”
Looking around, Xu Chuniang handed her a cloak. Once she saw Huaiyu put it on and cover her head, she helped her change carriages.
“You saved my father; I must help with this little task,” she said softly. “But we need to be quick; the monarch…”
Huaiyu got into the carriage, settled inside, and helped lift the curtain, curiously asking: “What’s wrong with the monarch?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the tightly shut gate of the Jiang residence opened, and Jiang Xuanjin emerged with Cheng Xu, both speaking softly, not yet looking outside.
Li Huaiyu was so startled that her hair stood on end, and Qing Xian and the others were equally shocked, quickly diving into the carriage and pressing the curtain down tightly.
“Hey, whose carriage is this?” Cheng Xu looked up curiously and asked, “Second Madam?”
Xu Chuniang’s heart nearly leaped out of her throat, her hands tightly gripping her handkerchief, but she forced herself to remain calm: “I don’t know; I just saw it parked here when I came out.”
“How strange.” Cheng Xu walked over and rummaged through the carriage, scratching his head in confusion.
Jiang Xuanjin glanced at Xu Chuniang twice with a blank expression and said, “Second Sister-in-law, would it be convenient for you to give this prince a ride?”