In Hua Jing, such horses could almost be considered exclusive to the Yang family. Now that the Yang family was gathering forces and rushing hastily toward the Princess’s mansion, there was only one objective—

They wanted Li Rong.

Given Yang Quan’s style, if there wasn’t this opportunity to form a marriage alliance with Li Rong, naturally he wouldn’t think of it. But now that there was, this lunatic of a man could do anything.

Under normal circumstances, Yang Quan would probably have people pretend to kidnap Li Rong, then at the critical moment play the hero saving the beauty. After spending a night alone together as a man and woman, Li Rong might develop feelings for him.

Even if Li Rong didn’t develop feelings, Li Ming was an emperor who placed extreme importance on reputation. With Li Rong and Yang Quan spending an unclear night together like this, Li Ming would grant them a marriage no matter what.

If Li Rong resisted, wouldn’t Yang Quan do something excessive? Then Li Ming, for the sake of the imperial family’s reputation, would probably still marry Li Rong off to him. After the marriage, he would make his move to destroy the Yang family, settling accounts after autumn.

Once the Yang family was destroyed, if Li Chuan acted on Li Rong’s behalf, that would play right into the Emperor’s hands—burning the Yang family’s fire onto the Crown Prince, using the opportunity to propose deposing the Crown Prince.

If Li Chuan didn’t care about Li Rong, then using the Yang family as an excuse, Li Rong could be demoted to commoner status or sent to a Daoist temple. The Emperor could rest assured that the Crown Prince would have absolutely no chance to win over anyone through Li Rong’s marriage.

So for Li Ming, as long as Li Rong lost her virtue, no matter what, she would be granted in marriage to Yang Quan.

And where did Yang Quan get such audacity?

Pei Wenxuan closed his eyes, recalling the previous life. Not long after, the Yang family had pretty much died at the frontlines. To say the Emperor hadn’t made his move—he absolutely didn’t believe it.

Yang Quan was this anxious probably because he knew the Yang family was on the knife’s edge. Whether he kidnapped the Princess or not, it was death either way.

At this moment, the Yang family urgently needed Li Rong to bind them to Li Chuan. Once Li Rong married Yang Quan, Li Chuan and the Yang family would be tied together with one rope. Even if Li Chuan didn’t want to, Li Ming wouldn’t believe him, so Li Chuan could only be forced into a father-son struggle with Li Ming. This was the Yang family’s best chance at survival.

The more Pei Wenxuan thought about it, the more disgusted he felt with Yang Quan. But this presented a problem—should he help? To what extent should he help?

Help—he definitely had to help somewhat. At least he needed to go back and report to Li Chuan, have people go rescue her.

But beyond that?

If Li Chuan’s rescue was slow…

Thinking about it, Pei Wenxuan’s heart actually felt somewhat reluctant. Li Rong was habitually proud. To suffer such humiliation and be forced to marry over—no matter what, she would probably remember it for a lifetime. But if he wanted to help, how could he help?

He wasn’t some great hero who could rescue Li Rong from fire and water. Going back, his only use would be to delay some time, increase the chances of Li Rong being spared from humiliation. But such chances required him to exchange with his life. If careless, Yang Quan might even kill him.

Was it worth it?

Pei Wenxuan fell into deep thought.

His feelings for Li Rong—perhaps in his youth there had been some affection, but later, it had long been worn away by time. The two mutually detested each other. If there were any feelings, it was more that they’d known each other too long. The other person represented a part of one’s own life.

Just such a person—not a lover, not even really a good friend—to risk his life for her was truly not Pei Wenxuan’s style. Being able to help her pass on information could already be considered going above and beyond his duty.

Thinking this, Pei Wenxuan turned his head. He looked at the small bowl on the table, then moved his gaze to the box beside it. This box had two layers. He looked at the unopened lower layer, hesitated for a moment, then pulled it open to discover gleaming white silver.

When Li Rong had earlier mocked him for borrowing a carriage from home, she knew of his current dire straits. Though she mocked him, now at parting, she still thought of him, preparing money for him.

This money dazzled Pei Wenxuan’s eyes. Before he could even think, he shouted loudly, “Tong Ye, stop the carriage!”

Hearing Pei Wenxuan’s shout, Tong Ye urgently stopped the carriage, asking somewhat puzzled, “Young Master?”

“Go back now. Go to the Crown Prince’s mansion and tell them the Princess is in trouble—someone wants to kill the Princess. Have them hurry and send people over.”

With that, Pei Wenxuan jumped down from the carriage, quickly unhitched a horse for Tong Ye, turning to say, “Go quickly. Don’t delay.”

“What about you?”

Tong Ye asked urgently, “Young Master, aren’t you coming with me?”

“I have to go back to find the Princess.”

Pei Wenxuan said immediately, “Don’t worry about me. Go quickly!”

Tong Ye didn’t dare delay. Though worried about Pei Wenxuan, he still gritted his teeth and rushed back.

Pei Wenxuan looked at the carriage now pulled by the remaining three horses, jumped onto it, and turned around to rush back to the villa.

After rushing for a moment, he realized—no good. If he rushed over now, that side was probably already full of Yang family people. If he went over, he might not even get past the villa.

According to Li Rong’s travel habits back then, she should have at least twenty hidden guards by her side. Those were allocated to her by the Empress, plus her attendants—at least a hundred people total.

The Yang family members who’d just passed by numbered about forty. Those people’s horses were extremely fast, green-patterned waist tokens hanging at their waists. According to Yang family custom, green-patterned tokens should belong to reinforcement personnel. Generally, their reinforcement numbers were about half the total, so the Yang family currently lying in ambush might have nearly a hundred people.

With the skills of Li Rong’s hidden guards, even if she encountered a surprise attack, they could at least ensure she could break out of the villa. His greatest help to Li Rong now would be to delay the Yang family’s pursuit troops.

Understanding this, Pei Wenxuan no longer advanced. He roughly calculated the position Li Rong might break through to, then retreated a few steps.

He quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain. Along this road were reed marshes on both sides, with occasional trees scattered sparsely among the reeds. The reeds were nearly as tall as a person—one couldn’t see clearly what was happening inside.

Pei Wenxuan got on the carriage and searched through it, finding some clothes, flint, swords, and some rope inside.

Pei Wenxuan first unhitched the horses, pulled them into the reed clusters, and tied them to trees. Then he doubled back, using his sword to quickly dismantle the carriage into several boards.

He used a rope to connect the boards, placing them on both sides of the road. Then he propped up a large stone under the boards, gathered many stones, wrapped them in clothes, and placed them on one end of the boards.

He set up several such roadblocks, finally connecting them all with one string. As soon as he pulled the string, all the lines on the road would rise up. Then when horses were tripped by the lines, the lines would tighten under force, pulling the boards, and the stones on the other end of the boards would fly and smash over.

After completing this task, Pei Wenxuan relaxed a little. As long as Li Rong could successfully escape, with him blocking Yang Quan’s people like this, Li Rong’s escape was certain. Whether he himself could escape—that he didn’t know.

But now he didn’t think much about it. Once a decision was made, there was nothing more to think about.

He hid in the reed marsh, lying flat on the ground, clutching the mechanism’s rope in his hand, his head topped with a self-made camouflage reed grass ring.

He was waiting for Yang Quan to come!

While Pei Wenxuan was painstakingly doing all this, Li Rong lay on a rocking chair, rocking while being fed grapes by Jing Mei. “Someone’s lying in ambush outside?”

She closed her eyes, listening to the hidden guard’s report. The hidden guard knelt on the ground, saying respectfully, “Quite a few people. His Majesty’s people have already gone ahead to seek aid. The Princess please rest assured and wait.”

“Rest assured,” Li Rong opened her eyes. “What does this Palace have to worry about? Those people won’t kill me anyway, will they?”

The people around her didn’t speak. Li Rong straightened up, saying flatly, “However, if we stay here a while longer, those people will probably attack the villa. We probably can’t wait for His Majesty’s people—we’ll be caught like turtles in a jar first.”

“The Princess means?” The hidden guard raised his eyes to look at Li Rong. Li Rong said flatly, “We need to go out now.”

“Absolutely not.” Jing Lan immediately spoke up. “Going out now is too dangerous.”

“Did I say I would go out?”

Li Rong turned her head, somewhat puzzled. Jing Lan frowned. “What does the Princess intend to do?”

“In a moment, Jing Mei will disguise herself as me. Then you all take my carriage and swagger toward the official road. After you leave, Yang Quan will definitely chase you. Then I’ll quietly take Jing Lan and leave through the back door. Won’t that work?”

Hearing this, everyone present suddenly understood. The hidden guard nodded. “The Princess is brilliant.”

“Go handle it immediately.”

Li Rong yawned. “It’s not a big deal. Anyway, if I get caught and sleep for a night, I don’t lose anything.”

“Yang Quan is quite good-looking,” Li Rong looked toward the maid standing beside her, raising an eyebrow. “Right?”

The maid she called upon froze, then hurriedly knelt down, saying urgently, “Whatever the Princess says is correct.”

Seeing the maid so flustered, Li Rong couldn’t help but laugh. “Why so nervous? I won’t eat people. All right.”

She said flatly, “Prepare. Split into two routes. I’ll leave through the back door.”

With that, Li Rong raised one hand to be supported by Jing Lan, leisurely walking toward the room.

Jing Mei hurried to prepare. In less than half an hour, the first convoy departed from the villa in grand fashion.

By this time, dusk had fallen. Li Rong still sat on a small couch flipping through a travelogue. Jing Lan, seeing her composed expression, said respectfully, “Princess, it’s time to prepare to depart.”

Li Rong made a sound of acknowledgment but didn’t move.

After a while, a hidden guard jumped in through the window, knelt on one knee, and said in a low voice, “Princess, the people lying in ambush outside haven’t moved.”

“As expected.” Li Rong sighed. “I was wondering where Yang Quan got the audacity to kidnap me without fearing something would go wrong. Turns out there’s an inside informant coordinating.”

“Jing Lan,” Li Rong raised her eyes to look at her, smiling. “You change into my clothes, take people, ride horses out, go through the back door, circle around the back mountain, stay far from the official road. Leave quickly when you go out. Don’t get caught.”

Jing Lan froze, then heard Li Rong instruct the hidden guard, “Allocate fifteen people to escort Jing Lan out. Leave five people for me.”

The hidden guard responded. Jing Lan came to her senses, acknowledged with a “yes,” immediately changed into Li Rong’s clothes, then led people rushing out.

Not long after leaving, earth-shaking sounds of fighting and shouting could be heard. Li Rong immediately rose. She changed into a prepared guard’s uniform, styled her hair in a man’s topknot, then led the remaining five hidden guards. While Jing Lan led people toward the back mountain, she shot out from the main gate like an arrow released from a bow, urgently rushing toward the official road!

At this time, the night wind was fierce. In the distance, Hua Jing’s lights illuminated the night sky. Li Rong ran wildly through the night, distinguishing neither stars nor moon.

Yang Quan led people chasing Jing Lan for a while when he suddenly saw someone speeding away on the official road. Yang Quan suddenly reacted, shouting loudly, “Chase from the official road!”

Meanwhile, Pei Wenxuan lay waiting in the mud.

Li Rong’s carriage had just passed. Yang Quan’s pursuit troops would probably arrive immediately.

His heart beat rapidly, nervously gripping the rope in his hand. Just then, he heard the sound of horses galloping swiftly!

In the night, a batch of plainclothes people wielding sharp blades chased after Li Rong’s earlier carriage, speeding away. Though one couldn’t see the people’s faces clearly in the darkness, this must be Yang Quan without doubt!

Pei Wenxuan mentally counted down the approaching distance. Three, two, one!

Pull the rope!

Pei Wenxuan yanked the rope fiercely. Li Rong’s horse was tripped by the rope, crying out in alarm and rearing up. Li Rong tumbled to the ground. The hidden guards urgently called out, “Your Highness!”

At the same time, countless cloth bundles wrapped around stones flew down, directly striking Li Rong and the hidden guards.

Li Rong was hit on the head by a small stone, her vision immediately going black.

Before fainting, Li Rong had to think—she’d still underestimated Yang Quan. She hadn’t expected that someone who seemed like an idiot could actually set up an ambush here.

When Pei Wenxuan heard that cry of “Your Highness,” he knew something was wrong. He looked at the fainting Li Rong, his heart sinking with a thud. After a moment, he heard Yang Quan’s furious shouting voice leading people chasing from behind, “Princess, don’t run!”

Hearing this, the hidden guards all drew their swords in unison, charging straight at Yang Quan.

In the midst of chaos, Pei Wenxuan hurriedly crawled out from the reed marsh, hoisted up the unconscious Li Rong, topped with that head of reeds, and urgently rushed back into the reed marsh.

When the hidden guards reacted and turned back to carry Li Rong away, they discovered in shock—the Princess had disappeared!

Author’s Note:

Li Rong: “I once thought Minister Pei was shrewd, clever, dangerous, and cunning. Only now do I realize this Palace was wrong.”

Mo Shubai: “What do you think now?”

Li Rong elegantly touches the white bandage on her head: “This Palace thinks he’s an idiot.”

Pei Wenxuan: “About this matter, I can actually explain…”

Li Rong: “Go ahead and explain.”

Pei Wenxuan: “Actually, if you don’t think about all those twists and turns, according to my plan, there were no problems.”

Li Rong: “If you hadn’t come, this Palace would have had even fewer problems.”

Actually, this is probably a story about how two positives make a negative. Hero saves the beauty? That doesn’t exist.