Love and choices across time and space

The night was deep, shrouding the entire city of Chang'an like ink-stained silk. Inside the imperial palace, Princess Changle's chambers were dimly lit, with only a few faint candlelight flickering behind the curtains. The princess wore a lavender silk gown, the sleeves embroidered with a golden phoenix, seemingly asleep in the gloom. A pink ribbon tied in an exquisite bow around her slender waist further emphasized her slender figure. The princess's long hair cascaded down her back, a few strands casually scattered around her fair face, slightly obscuring her eyes, filled with sorrow yet still beautiful. Her brows were as dark as distant black, slightly furrowed, as if filled with a myriad of sorrow. Her lips were slightly pursed, their once tender pink now appearing pale, revealing her inner anxiety and uneasiness.

The princess slowly walked to the window, gazing at the dark night sky outside, her mind racing. "Yifeng, what should we do?" she whispered softly, a hint of helplessness and confusion in her voice.

Meanwhile, Li Yifeng stood in a secluded corner of the palace, dressed in a dark blue gown, its collar and cuffs trimmed with a fine silver thread, gleaming faintly in the moonlight. A black belt cinched his waist, from which dangled a jade pendant, which swayed gently with his slight movements. Li Yifeng was tall and slender, his face handsome and resolute. His sword-like brows furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with deep affection for the princess and concern for the future. His nose was straight, his lips tightly pursed, revealing his inner resolve.

"Princess, I will never let you suffer. Even if the road ahead is difficult and dangerous, I will definitely protect you." Li Yifeng swore secretly in his heart.

A few days later, on a sunny afternoon, the princess, under the pretext of feeling unwell, avoided the maids and quietly arrived at the corner of the garden where she had agreed to meet Li Yifeng. The flowers in the garden were in full bloom, their fragrance overflowing, but the princess had no time to appreciate the beauty. Her eyes were anxiously searching for Li Yifeng among the flowers.

"Princess." Li Yifeng's voice came from behind a big tree.

The princess looked over and saw Li Yifeng coming out from behind the tree. He had a look of fatigue on his face, but the moment he saw the princess, his eyes were filled with tenderness and concern.

"Yifeng." The princess walked quickly to his side. "These past few days have been like a year for me."

Li Yifeng gently held the princess's hand and said, "Princess, I have heard some news. We need to prepare enough money and dry food, and find a reliable carriage."

The princess nodded slightly. "I have some private jewelry here that should be able to fetch quite a bit of money."

"Princess, you must be very careful about this matter and not let anyone find out." Li Yifeng's tone was full of caution.

The princess bit her lip, "I understand."

In the days that followed, the princess and Li Yifeng secretly prepared their elopement. While the maids weren't paying attention, the princess secretly hid her jewelry piece by piece in a brocade box. Every time she opened the box, she felt a surge of anxiety. Her hands trembled slightly as she carefully wrapped the jewelry, as if it were the most precious treasure.

Li Yifeng, on the other hand, was rushing through the streets and alleys of Chang'an City, looking for a suitable carriage and a reliable driver. His steps were hurried, and his clothes were soaked with sweat, but his eyes remained firm.

One day, Li Yifeng saw a fairly sturdy carriage in a dilapidated carriage shop. The carriage was a bit old and the wheels were slightly worn, but Li Yifeng thought it should be usable after a little repair.

"Boss, how much is this carriage?" Li Yifeng asked.

The owner of the carriage shop was a fat middle-aged man. He squinted his eyes and looked at Li Yifeng, "Sir, this carriage is not cheap."

Li Yifeng gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, please name a price."

After some bargaining, Li Yifeng finally bought the carriage. Afterwards, he asked around and found an experienced driver named Lao Zhang.

Lao Zhang is a rough man with a beard, and his eyes are full of shrewdness and sophistication.

"Lao Zhang, I have an important matter to entrust to you. I will reward you handsomely after you complete it." Li Yifeng said sincerely.

Old Zhang looked at Li Yifeng and said, "Sir, please tell me what's going on first."

Li Yifeng told Lao Zhang about his plan to elope. Lao Zhang hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.

At the same time, the princess became increasingly cautious in her actions within the palace. Whenever she took out her jewelry, she would first make sure no one else was around. Once, just as she was about to hide her jewelry, she heard the footsteps of a palace maid outside the door. Her heart leaped to her throat, and she quickly hid the jewelry under her pillow, feigning indifference.

Finally, the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, and the palace was filled with a festive atmosphere. The maids were busy decorating the palace, hanging lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere. However, the princess had no interest in participating in these activities. Her mind was completely focused on her plan to elope.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a grand banquet was held in the palace. Dancers danced gracefully, musicians played beautiful music, and ministers and members of the royal family laughed and talked joyfully, creating a joyful and peaceful scene. However, the princess, claiming to be unwell, returned to her chambers early.

"Princess, are you really okay?" the maid asked with concern.

"I'm fine, you all go down, I want to be alone." The princess waved her hand and asked the palace maids to leave.

After the maids left, the princess quickly changed into a simple outfit, a light blue cloth gown that, though plain, was comfortable for movement. She packed her travel expenses and dry food into a bundle, then carefully opened the door, looked around, and after making sure no one was around, quietly walked towards the agreed location.

Li Yifeng had been waiting in the corner of the palace wall for a long time. He was pulling the repaired carriage, feeling nervous and excited.

"Princess, this way." Li Yifeng saw the princess and called softly.

The princess walked quickly to the carriage and Li Yifeng helped her get in.

"Let's go." Li Yifeng said to Lao Zhang.

The carriage slowly pulled out, its wheels gurgling on the cobblestones. Inside, the princess and Li Yifeng sat, hands tightly clasped together, their hearts beating rapidly.

However, their actions did not escape the attention of the palace guards, who immediately reported the princess missing to Emperor Taizong.

"What? The princess is missing? Chase her!" Taizong was furious and ordered a full-scale pursuit.

By this time, the princess and Li Yifeng's carriage had already left Chang'an City. The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a cool, clear glow. The trees lining the road cast eerie shadows in the moonlight, as if foreshadowing the difficulties and obstacles ahead.

"Yifeng, I'm a little scared." The princess' voice trembled slightly.

"Don't be afraid, Princess. I'm here." Li Yifeng held the princess's hand tightly and comforted her.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from behind.

"Oh no, they are pursuing us." Li Yifeng's face changed drastically.

Lao Zhang whipped the horse faster and the carriage sped along the road.

"Stop! Otherwise we will shoot!" the pursuers shouted.

The princess turned pale with fright, and Li Yifeng hugged her tightly in his arms.

"Princess, close your eyes." Li Yifeng said.

The carriage raced through the night, the wind whistling in its ears, but the pursuers were relentless, and an arrow struck the side of the carriage.

"Ah!" screamed the princess.

"Don't be afraid, Princess." Li Yifeng comforted her.

Lao Zhang drove the carriage desperately and finally got rid of the first round of pursuit by the pursuers. But they did not dare to stop and continued to move forward.

After running for an unknown amount of time, the carriage arrived at a three-way intersection.

"Go left." Li Yifeng said.

The carriage turned to the left, but found that the road was becoming increasingly bumpy. The wheels knocked against the stones and the carriage shook violently.

"This is the wrong road." Li Yifeng said.

At this time, the sky was covered with dark clouds and it was about to rain.

"What should we do?" the princess asked anxiously.

Li Yifeng gritted his teeth and said, "Keep going forward, maybe there will be a place to shelter from the rain ahead."

It began to rain, a drizzle at first, but soon it became a downpour, and the carriage struggled forward in the rain, its wheels sinking into the mud.

"Everyone come down and give it a push." ​​Li Yifeng shouted.

The princess also got out of the carriage and pushed it hard with Li Yifeng and Lao Zhang. The rain soaked their clothes and their hair stuck to their faces, but they still did not give up.

Finally, the carriage came out of the mud pit and they continued on their way.

Soon they came across a dilapidated temple with crumbling walls and broken tiles on the roof.

"Let's go in and take shelter from the rain first." Li Yifeng said.

They entered the temple, which was filled with a damp smell and the Buddha statues looked eerie in the darkness.

The princess snuggled up to Li Yifeng, her body trembling slightly.

"Don't be afraid, Princess, the rain will stop soon." Li Yifeng comforted.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the temple.

"Are they pursuers?" the princess asked nervously.

Li Yifeng signaled them to keep quiet, and the three of them hid behind the Buddha statue.

The pursuers rushed into the temple and searched everywhere.

"Look carefully and make sure to find the princess!" the leading general shouted.

The princess covered her mouth in fear, and Li Yifeng held her hand tightly, giving her strength.

Fortunately, the pursuers did not spot them and left the temple.

The rain gradually stopped and they walked out of the temple and continued on their way.

The carriage moved slowly on the muddy road, and both the princess and Li Yifeng felt very heavy-hearted.

"Yifeng, can we escape?" asked the princess.

Li Yifeng looked at the princess and said firmly, "Princess, believe me, we can do it."

The carriage continued to move forward. They didn't know how many difficulties and obstacles were waiting for them in the future, but their hearts were closely connected. For love, they were willing to move forward bravely.