Marrying Wife and Concubine Together: After Rebirth, I Remarried the Scumbag's Father on the Sp

Moreover, he would never let Miao'er get away with this after they had a falling out!

Zhan Yan spoke with a deep look in his eyes: "Send down the order to seal off the four gates of the capital and thoroughly investigate all those associated with the former members of the Liu family. In addition, send two secret guards to secretly watch outside Miao'er's courtyard. Do not alert her or cause her any disturbance."

At this time, after escaping from the Dali Temple prison, Liu Chengze hid in a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of Beijing like a stray dog. All of Liu's old subordinates had scattered, leaving only a few loyal followers.

Knowing that Zhan Yan's mansion was heavily guarded and that a direct confrontation was impossible, he decided to set his sights on Zhan Miao.

The fifteen-year-old eldest daughter of the Zhan family seemed to be kind and soft-hearted. If she could create a scene of a hero saving a beauty and earn the debt of gratitude for being saved, it would be a bargaining chip to control Zhan Yan and a way out for her own survival.

Just three days later, the Yongning Marquis's mansion would be hosting a flower-viewing banquet, and all the noble ladies from prominent families in the capital were invited, including Zhan Miao.

Having learned of this, Liu Chengze immediately ordered his assassins to bribe the groom outside the Marquis's residence and find a spirited horse. They planned to take action on the long embankment along the moat, the only route Zhan Miao would take back to the residence, after the banquet.

That afternoon, after the flower-viewing banquet ended, Zhan Miao returned to her residence by carriage. With the carriage curtain half-rolled up, she was twirling a freshly picked crabapple blossom, chatting and laughing with her personal maid, Zhu'er, completely unaware that a pair of eyes were watching her carriage intently from the shadows.

As they reached the middle of the long embankment, they suddenly heard a scream ahead, followed by the sound of horses' hooves and the exclamations of the coachman.

The wild horse, secretly provoked by Liu Chengze's assassins, broke free of its reins and charged straight at the carriage, its eyes bloodshot and its breathing heavy. Its iron hooves pounded on the bluestone slabs, making the ground tremble.

The coachman reacted quickly, pulling on the reins, but the wild horse went berserk and crashed straight into the side wheel of the carriage.

"Miss, be careful!" Zhu'er exclaimed, shielding Zhan Miao behind her. The carriage jolted violently, the curtain was blown away by the strong wind, and the crabapple in Zhan Miao's hand fell to the ground. She was so shocked that her face turned pale, but she forced herself not to cry out. She just gripped Zhu'er's sleeve tightly.

The coachman pulled on the reins with all his might, but he couldn't overcome the wild horse's brute force. The carriage wheels were knocked slightly and it looked like it was about to overturn. Zhan Miao's body was even thrown out of the carriage, only a few feet away from the horse's hooves.

Just at this critical moment, a figure rushed out from the willow grove by the embankment. Although his clothes were somewhat worn, his figure was agile.

It was Liu Chengze. He had deliberately applied a plaster to his forehead to treat the abrasion. His face showed a hint of urgency as he gripped a thick wooden branch in his hand and swung it fiercely at the neck of the wild horse.

The spirited horse, in pain, neighed and turned to the side, its iron hooves scraping against the hem of Zhan Miao's skirt, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Liu Chengze pounced forward, grabbing the reins of the wild horse tightly, and locked in a stalemate with the mad horse.

He appeared to be exerting all his strength, with veins bulging on his forehead, but in reality, he was using a clever trick to guide the wild horse to the side, even deliberately letting the horse's hind hooves hit his shoulder, causing him to groan in pain, but he still refused to let go.

The assassins hid in the willow grove, and when the time was right, they quietly withdrew, leaving only Liu Chengze to perform the play.

Taking advantage of the horse's restraint, the coachman quickly steadied the carriage.

Zhu'er immediately pulled Zhan Miao back into the car. Lifting the curtain, she saw Liu Chengze struggling with Lie Ma. His clothes on his shoulders were torn and bleeding. The plaster on his forehead was also rubbed off, revealing a deliberately made shallow wound underneath. He looked both disheveled and heroic.

In a short while, Liu Chengze skillfully tied the reins of the spirited horse to a stone post on the embankment. Exhausted, he leaned against the post, panting heavily. The bloodstains on his shoulder became more and more obvious. He turned around to look at the carriage, his face showing some lingering fear, and his voice was slightly hoarse: "Miss Zhan, are you alright?"

Zhan Miao looked at him through the carriage curtain, her heart filled with doubt. She never expected to meet Liu Chengze, who was wanted by the entire city, here.

To his surprise, it was he who saved him.

The fear of the iron hooves being so close in that split second still lingered in her mind, and the sight of Liu Chengze rushing towards her left her somewhat incredulous.

Why would he save her?

Does he have some ulterior motive?

"How did you end up here?" Zhan Miao's voice was cold and distant, her gaze falling on his bleeding shoulder, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

Liu Chengze slowly walked to the carriage, his eyes lowered, looking both guilty and helpless: "I know I have committed a serious crime and dare not show my face. But today, while wandering by the embankment, I happened to see you in danger. How could I sit idly by? Miss Zhan, although I come from the Liu family, I have never thought of harming the Zhan family. Everything was done by my father and my elder brother!"

As he spoke, he staggered, as if the injury to his shoulder was causing him great pain. He raised his hand to press on the wound, his fingertips stained with blood, and his face paled slightly. "I acted in a moment of panic just now, it's nothing serious, as long as you are safe."

These words were spoken with sincerity and a sense of selfless honesty, but Zhan Miao saw through his intentions as soon as he looked up.

A hint of urgency was hidden in Liu Chengze's lowered eyes. He pressed his fingertips against his bleeding shoulder, deliberately presenting his disheveled yet heroic appearance to Zhan Miao, hoping that her pure and kind heart would be touched so that she could naturally cling to this lifeline.

But instead of the sympathy he expected, he saw Zhan Miao slightly raise her chin. Her almond-shaped eyes, which were usually full of gentleness, were now filled with a cold light, like a lake surface that had been frosted over, without the slightest ripple.

Zhan Miao lifted the carriage curtain and stepped out of the carriage. Zhu'er rushed forward to help her, but she gently waved her hand and stood alone on the bluestone slab.

Her skirt was still covered with dust from when the horse was startled, but her posture was ramrod straight.

Her gaze swept over the wound on Liu Chengze's shoulder, then fell back on his deliberately furrowed brows. A faint, mocking smile curved her lips. Her voice remained clear and gentle, yet each word carried a sense of detachment: "Young Master Liu is indeed skilled in martial arts and cunning."

Liu Chengze's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and when he looked up, his eyes were full of astonishment, as if he hadn't understood what she said.

He even sounded somewhat aggrieved: "What do you mean by that, Miss Zhan? I was just trying to help someone in need, how could you accuse me of scheming?"

As he spoke, he staggered again, as if he was in so much pain that he couldn't stand up. His weak and helpless appearance would surely make anyone who didn't know the situation sigh and say that he had suffered a lot of injustice.

Zhan Miao wasn't buying it at all. She took a step forward and stared straight at the shallow scar on his forehead that he had deliberately made.

Then his gaze swept over the clothes on his shoulder that had been torn by a horse's hoof. The wound looked gruesome, but it was just a flesh wound. The location was perfectly chosen, both conspicuous and without damaging any bones or muscles. It was clearly an act for people to see.

She retorted sarcastically, "What do you mean by 'seeing injustice on the road'? Young Master Liu is a wanted criminal by the imperial court, someone we should be avoiding like the plague. How could he possibly appear on my way home? And why did he have to show up just when I was startled by a runaway horse? What a coincidence!"