Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Liang Qiaoyi stared blankly at Xia Changfeng's departing figure, wondering if he had noticed her rudeness today, or if he would dislike her because of it.

Yao Churong completely ignored Xia Changfeng and didn't care where he was going so late. She rubbed her hands together and climbed onto the carriage, saying, "Let's go back quickly, it's freezing!"

Linglong looked at the empty street, sighed, and got into the carriage with Yujie's help.

Having learned from his previous experience, Amu deliberately avoided Dengshi Street on his way back, even though the journey would be longer, because safety was the priority.

The secret guards were hidden in the dark streets, accompanied by two lines of guards. Amu rode on horseback, constantly alert to his surroundings.

With Xia Changfeng absent, the task of protecting the princess and her two concubines fell to him.

The only sounds on the streets were the sounds of horses' hooves and cart wheels. The roadsides were covered with thick snow, making it the perfect place for Tibetans.

Fortunately, even the detour was only a short distance, about the time it takes to burn an incense stick. If the carriage hadn't been full of women and children, Amu would have loved to ride back to the mansion as fast as he could.

Amu was on edge the whole time. Ahead was a dark alley where the surrounding residents had piled up snow like a small mountain.

Amu's eyes were fixed on the pile of snow; he had a feeling that someone was hiding behind it.

Sure enough, Amu's intuition was right. When they were still a meter away from the dark alley, a dark figure was thrown out from behind the snowdrift.

Then came a series of crackling sounds—firecrackers! The horses were startled and began to neigh and become agitated.

Amul tightened his grip on the reins, controlling the frightened horse. "Line up! There's an assassin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen men in black jumped out from behind the snowdrift, followed by eight or nine more men in black who surrounded him.

Two groups of guards split into two groups, each surrounding the carriage of the princess and her two concubines.

Linglong was used to such things and was not afraid at all while sitting in the carriage, while Liang Qiaoyi and Yao Churong behind her had never seen such a scene before.

The coachman was trying to calm the frightened horse, and the carriage kept shaking. Yao Churong and Liang Qiaoyi screamed in fright, not caring about etiquette.

The man in black drew his knife and approached step by step, while the guards in the carriage raised their swords to defend themselves.

Amu sat proudly on his horse, showing no fear whatsoever, coldly looking at the group of men in black. "Under the emperor's nose, among the imperial relatives, who dares to commit violence?"

The leader of the men in black sneered, "If you hand over the traitor in the carriage, we might spare your lives."

Amu roared, "You audacious madmen! The Kingdom of Chu has already fallen. I advise you not to make a futile struggle!"

Seeing that there were only twenty-odd guards, the man in black felt a little confident of victory, but he never expected that dozens of guards would suddenly emerge from the dark alley.

The situation reversed in an instant. The man in black hadn't expected so many guards and was momentarily flustered.

The leader raised his knife above his head, shouting, "Our country is shattered, our families are destroyed, and we are all dead. Even if it costs me my life, I will personally kill this traitor!"

Encouraged, the men in black behind them were no longer afraid and charged forward with their knives raised.

The men in black's reckless attacks were initially difficult to withstand, but their overwhelming numbers led to several men being slain and others wounded, significantly diminishing their morale.

The sound of swords clashing was particularly jarring in the silent night, accompanied by screams and roars.

After a fierce battle, both sides suffered heavy losses. Corpses lay scattered all over the ground, and blood quickly flowed into the snowdrifts nearby. It was difficult to see clearly in the dark, but the people would surely be terrified the next morning.

The remaining six were also injured. Several men in black gathered back to back, while the guards and bodyguards approached step by step.

The man in black and the man beside him exchanged a resolute glance. They simultaneously raised their knives, ready to slit their own throats.

At this moment, Amu felt a sense of admiration for these people's integrity. Although they were on opposing sides, he still felt a deep respect for them.

Suddenly, a peculiar fragrance filled the air. The fragrance wasn't strong, but it completely masked the stench of blood on the street.

The guard beside him pointed to something in the distance and exclaimed, "Look, what's that?"

Amu looked ahead, and the men in black also stopped what they were doing and looked behind them.

A cloud of white mist rolled in, and in a moment, everyone was enveloped in it, unable to see their own hands in front of their faces.

Amu immediately shouted, "Quickly, retreat to the side of the carriage and stand guard!"

The men in black panicked, not knowing what was happening. Suddenly, a hand grabbed the arm of the leader of the men in black.

The man in black, mistaking the man for a guard from the Seventh Prince's residence, was about to break free when a melodious female voice rang out, "If you want to live, come with me."

Without a moment's hesitation, the man in black took the woman's hand and followed her.

They knew, of course, that no one would save them for no reason; it would inevitably come at a price. But they couldn't think about that right now; saving their lives was the priority.

The girl moved with incredible speed, as if she were riding the clouds, and the injured group could barely keep up.

After running for about half an incense stick's time, the men in black were exhausted. The leader, panting heavily, said, "Miss, after running for so long, you should have shaken them off by now."

As soon as they finished speaking, everything went black, no longer a vast expanse of white; they had already run out of the thick fog.

Several men in black stared in disbelief at the white mist behind them, and then at the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl in front of them with even more disbelief.

The person who had just saved them was such a slender and frail young girl. The leader of the men in black clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Thank you so much for saving our lives, young lady."

The girl in front of him did not say anything, but simply fanned herself with her hand.

The leader of the men in black didn't understand what it meant and was about to ask when the man in black next to him nudged his shoulder.

The man raised an eyebrow and looked behind the girl. The leader of the men in black looked over and saw a carriage parked behind the girl.

The leader of the men in black immediately understood and walked towards the carriage, but the girl blocked his way with both hands.

Inside the carriage, another clear, cold female voice said, "Let him come over."

The girl then stepped aside, and the leader of the men in black introduced himself, "Zhu Rong, General of the Valiant Cavalry of Chu. Thank you for saving my life."

"Do you want to save your fourth prince of Chu, Chu Zixun?"

The man in black looked stunned, hardly believing what he was hearing. "You mean, the Fourth Prince is still alive?"

Those behind him were also greatly encouraged upon hearing this news. If any members of the Chu royal family had survived, there was hope for the restoration of the kingdom.

Zhu Rong tried to take a step forward, but A Qing immediately stopped him, saying, "Let's talk here."

Zhu Rong stopped in her tracks and bowed towards the carriage. "If you know the whereabouts of our Fourth Prince, please tell us. We will repay your great kindness with our lives."

"Chu Zixun is being held captive in the capital by Chu Linglong, but his exact location is unknown."

Mentioning Linglong, Zhu Rong's face was filled with resentment: "That vile woman, unworthy of being a princess of Chu, not only betrayed her country for personal gain, but also imprisoned her own brother!"

Zhu Rong asked, "Why did you help us, young lady, and why did you tell us this news?"

"I'm also looking for Chu Zixun. I need to meet with him before I can return him to you."

"Although we don't understand your intentions, as long as we can safely rescue the Fourth Prince, we will follow your orders, young lady."

Laughter came from inside the carriage. "That's truly straightforward! I will definitely help you rescue Chu Zixun, but now we need to wait for the right opportunity. I will inform you in advance when it comes."

Ah Qing pointed to an empty carriage behind them and said, "Use these two carriages to escape; the thick fog won't dissipate for another half hour."

After thanking him, Zhu Rong helped the five wounded men into the carriage and then quickly headed north of the city.

Aqing also jumped onto the carriage and headed towards Heshenglou on South Street.

Xia Changfeng had been waiting for a long time, but the restaurant was already empty, with only Xia Changfeng sitting in the lobby.

The shopkeeper and waiters yawned and looked out the door. If they waited any longer, it would be dawn, but they dared not urge the prince to leave.

The shopkeeper kindly prepared hot wine and snacks for Xia Changfeng to warm up, but Xia Changfeng didn't touch them at all, frowning as he looked outside the door.

Finally, the sound of a carriage came from outside. Xia Changfeng quickly stood up and walked to the door. The shopkeeper and the waiter hurriedly followed.

A carriage slowly approached Hesheng Tower, and Xia Changfeng went to greet it.

A carriage stopped, and a delicate hand reached out to lift the curtain. Xia Changfeng jumped into the carriage.

The shopkeepers waited until the carriage had turned around and driven away before they dared to close the gate, turn off the lights, and rest.

Inside the carriage, Xia Changfeng's expression was rather unpleasant. With Xiao Yuanyuan fast asleep beside him, he asked in a low voice, "You sent me away tonight and haven't come back yet. What are you up to now?"

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "A thick fog rolled in just now, which is why I'm a little late."

"Where did this thick fog come from on a snowy night during the Lunar New Year?"

Ruan Wan looked at Xia Changfeng with smiling eyes, "If you don't believe me, just go back and ask Amu. He probably encountered heavy fog on his way back too."

Xia Changfeng's expression softened slightly as he saw that Ruan Wan didn't seem to be lying. "Then why did you call me here? It couldn't be just to take me home, could it?"

Ruan Wan said calmly, "Linglong and the others have been assassinated."

"What!" Xia Changfeng suddenly raised his voice. The sleeping Yuan Yuan squirmed a few times in Ruan Wan's arms, and Ruan Wan immediately patted Yuan Yuan's back gently to coax her.

"Don't worry, Linglong is fine, and your two concubines are fine too."

Xia Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at Ruan Wan with a somewhat ambiguous smile and asked, "So you called me away beforehand because you were worried about my safety?"

Ruan Wan nodded. If Xia Changfeng were there, how could she save Zhu Rong and the others?

Xia Changfeng was overjoyed. He felt that Ruan Wan still cared about him, and that they might be able to reconcile in a short time.

After the thick fog dissipated, Amu left a few people to deal with the corpses, while he led the rest of the men to escort Linglong and the others back to the mansion.

At the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, Linglong remained completely calm. She had long anticipated that those people would take action on New Year's Eve, but she hadn't expected them to be so desperate today.

The situation was not so good for Yao Churong and Liang Qiaoyi. Both of them were still in shock and had not brought any maids with them. They could only help each other get off the carriage.

Both of their faces were pale from shock, and Liang Qiaoyi could barely stand, with tears still on her face.

Linglong ignored the two of them and hurriedly walked back. She was determined to find out what exactly Yaotai Courtyard had transported in that day, taking advantage of this rare opportunity.

The group hurried back to Qingfang Courtyard. Before they even reached the entrance, Yujie stopped and shielded Linglong behind her.

The courtyard gate was wide open, and there was no sound from inside.

Yu Jie turned sideways and glanced inside, but didn't see any suspicious figures.

Yu Jie carefully took two steps inside and saw that the door was open, and there were many people lying haphazardly on the ground.

Yu Jie immediately ran into the room, and then a scream came from inside.

A maidservant tried to call for help, but Linglong stopped her, saying, "Keep an eye on the young princess. She'll stay right here."

Linglong walked inside alone. The old women and maids lying on the ground were motionless and had already stopped breathing.

Yu Jie collapsed to the ground in terror, her eyes filled with fear, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Linglong saw the severed hand on the table, her eyes widened, and she took the hand in her own. "This is... Zhu You's hand."

Linglong picked up the dagger on the table, then the strip of cloth, glanced at it, and chuckled, "A traitorous, despicable woman, everyone has the right to kill her."

Linglong tossed the strip of cloth aside and gave Yujie a cold look. "Useless thing. You've seen plenty of dead people, and you're already this scared. Hurry up and clean yourself up."

Yu Jie propped herself up and said, "Your Highness, these people dare to break into the Prince's residence! They're practically desperate criminals! When will this end?"

Linglong glared at her. "What nonsense are you spouting? It's nothing more than a fight to the death. What we're doing is just trying to save our lives."

Yu Jie felt that there was no end in sight to this kind of life. The old officials of Chu were risking their lives one after another. If they made the slightest mistake, they would be doomed.

Linglong took out a handkerchief, vigorously wiped her hands, and then threw the handkerchief on the ground. "Let's get down to business. What exactly is being hidden in Yaotai Courtyard?"

Yu Jie staggered to the candlestick, held the lampshade in her hands, and gently rotated it, revealing a box protruding from the base of the candlestick.

Yu Jie took out a roll of paper from inside and presented it to Linglong. Linglong took it, opened it, glanced at it, and frowned. "There's nothing there!"

How could something so big just disappear into thin air?

Yu Jie whispered, "Your Highness, perhaps there's nothing there at all. Maybe His Highness just found some rare and unusual item to please the Holy Maiden."

Linglong looked at Zhu You's severed hand and recalled Zhu Rong's assassination attempt tonight. It turned out that he had personally carried out the attack, and the crowd was so agitated.

There must have been some reason for this.

And that holy maiden, instead of entering the palace, insisted on going out to play in the streets, and then called Xia Changfeng away in the middle of the night.

The strange fog just now, the escape of Zhu Rong—it was all too bizarre. And the fog's arrival was just too coincidental.

If it weren't for that fog, Zhu Rong would definitely not have escaped this time. Without Zhu Rong, the remaining people would just be a disorganized mess and nothing to fear.

Therefore, Linglong vaguely felt that everything that happened today was inextricably linked to Yaotai Courtyard.

However, she couldn't figure out the key to it.