Transmigrated into a cunning princess, she sets her sights on a celibate royal uncle.

Lu Ye led Jiang Xi on a night-long run, finally arriving at the thatched hut at the foot of the mountain before dawn.

Jiang Xi had an injury to her shoulder blade, her face was covered in dirt, her hair was disheveled, she was panting heavily, and she was both hungry and tired.

Lu Ye wasn't in much better shape than her; he had cuts from thorns all over his body.

On their way down the mountain, the two encountered a small river, which he carried Jiang Xi across on his back.

So half of his robes were wet, and the morning breeze made him feel half-dead cold.

Fortunately, Lu Jian had prepared a change of clothes, travel expenses, and dry food in advance at the thatched cottage.

To facilitate their escape, Lu Jian also prepared men's clothing for Jiang Xi.

The two changed their clothes, ate some dry food to fill their stomachs, took their travel money, and found a small river to wash their faces and clear their heads.

By then it was already daylight, and the sun was breaking through the clouds. Although it was still cold, the sky was bright.

Jiang Xi sat down on a rock by the river to catch her breath.

Seeing that Lu Ye not only washed his face with river water but also drank it all at once, I guessed that he must have been exhausted last night.

"Thank you for your trouble, but in my letter I asked Lord Lu to send anyone to accompany me to Anyang. Why did he send you?"

Lu Ye turned his head to look at Jiang Xi upon hearing the sound.

Dressed in a sky-blue men's suit, Jiang Xi looked quite dashing.

"Because of what happened last time, even if I stay in Bingmasi, I won't be able to accomplish anything in the short term."

Besides, I still owe the princess my life; if I cannot repay her, my conscience will not be at peace!

Jiang Xi understood: "So you volunteered to come with me to Anyang?"

Lu Ye nodded slightly: "I know the princess won't admit defeat so easily. Although the Third Prince is dead, you must still have other leverage, right?"

Jiang Xi was stunned, unsure whether he was trying to trick her into revealing information, so she remained silent.

Lu Ye realized that his question was somewhat presumptuous, so he changed the subject.

"In short, whatever the princess wants to do, your subordinate is willing to serve her!"

After everything that's happened, Jiang Xi finds it hard to trust someone's sincerity anymore.

I don't know what kind of schemes are hidden behind this seemingly sincere mask, so I'm not in a hurry to be moved.

"Alright! Let's get out of the city right now!"

The horses that Lu Jian had prepared for them were tethered in the woods not far away to graze.

The two men untied the reins, and one man and one horse galloped toward the city gate.

However, when they arrived in the city, they found that the city gates had already been closed, and many soldiers guarding the city were questioning passersby.

The Prince's guards patrolled the streets and alleys, arresting people.

The two quickly dismounted and hid in a small alley.

"What do we do? We can't get out!"

Jiang Xi stared at a group of soldiers walking by in the distance and asked with concern.

Then, from afar, they saw Huo Jingxuan leading Bei Ying on horseback down the street.

Bei Ying raised her hand to stop the guards and asked, "How is it? Have you found any suspicious persons?"

The head of the guards knelt down and replied, "Reporting to your lord, no suspicious persons have been found leaving the city so far!"

Upon hearing this, Bei Ying waved for them to leave and returned to Huo Jingxuan's side to report.

"Your Highness, the city gates can't stay closed forever. People need to go out of the city for business and come in for trade. If they stay closed for too long, they'll start to complain!"

Huo Jingxuan waved his hand coldly: "Investigate thoroughly!"

"Yes!" Bei Ying withdrew to negotiate with the city guard.

Soon after, the city guards ordered the city gates to be opened, but everyone leaving the city had to undergo very strict checks.

Jiang Xi stared at the tall figure in black with gold thread on horseback and couldn't help but curse inwardly that the man was heartless!

So what if I slept with him? Does that mean I have to be ruthless? Can't I just sleep with him again?

Of course, Jiang Xi didn't dare say this in front of Huo Jingxuan.

Because she knew that Huo Jingxuan must hate her deeply now.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have shot that poisoned arrow that he intended to kill.

"Who's over there?"

Just as Jiang Xi was lost in thought, patrolling soldiers spotted her and Lu Ye, and they were running towards them in a group.

"Run!" Lu Ye grabbed Jiang Xi's wrist and pulled her to the other side of the alley.

The patrolling guards noticed something amiss and immediately ordered, "Chase them!"

Huo Jingxuan, who was on the street, also heard the commotion not far away. He turned around and looked over, but saw nothing.

As a commander of the military corps, Lu Ye was very familiar with the terrain of the capital.

He pulled Jiang Xi into the winding alleys, and soon they had shaken off their pursuers.

"No, the search is so thorough, let's find an inn to file a complaint first," Lu Ye suggested.

"Don't go to an inn, it'll give us away!" Jiang Xi warned.

"Then what should we look for?" Lu Ye couldn't think of anywhere else to stay besides an inn.

Jiang Xi thought for a moment, then beckoned, "Come with me!"

Lu Ye followed Jiang Xi, full of doubts.

Then they discovered that she had been hiding from her pursuers and had led them to "Liujun Pavilion," the largest brothel in the capital!

She buried her head and was about to plunge in, which startled him so much that he quickly grabbed her sleeve.

"Oh, oh, oh, how could you... how could you go to a place like this? You are..."

Golden branches and jade leaves!

Lu Ye didn't dare say those four words aloud, afraid that someone would hear them and tarnish Jiang Xi's reputation.

Jiang Xi wasn't as stubborn as him; instead, she grabbed Lu Ye's wrist and forcibly pulled him inside.

No matter how smart Huo Jingxuan is, he probably wouldn't have imagined that a woman would hide in a brothel.

As the largest entertainment venue in the capital, Liujun Pavilion is always bustling with guests and filled with singing and dancing, even in broad daylight.

On the stage, dancers dressed in thin gauze sang and danced lightly, their seductive music filling the air.

Below the platform, high-ranking officials and nobles from the capital were enjoying themselves, drinking and making merry.

"Son!"

As soon as Jiang Xi and Lu Ye entered the door, a group of beauties surrounded them, one group surrounding Jiang Xi and the other surrounding Lu Ye.

Lu Ye was well past twenty-two and was now twenty-five.

But not only was he unmarried, he didn't even have a lover, and he always preferred to work alone when doing things for Lu Jian.

Surrounded by so many beautiful women of all shapes and sizes, I felt uncomfortable and my face turned red to the roots of my ears.

He simply waved his hand and hunched over, trying to avoid any physical contact with the girls.

Jiang Xi noticed his embarrassment and reached out to pull him out of the crowd.

Then he said to the smiling madam who was walking towards him.

"Arrange a good private room, prepare some wine and dishes, and call in a few girls to serve you!"

The madam looked the two men up and down and saw that although their clothes were nice, they were not of high quality.

So he said with a smile, "Of course there are girls, but..."

Jiang Xi knew what she was worried about, and took out a gold leaf from his waist and gave it to her: "Is this enough?"

The madam's eyes lit up: "Enough, enough! Sir, please go upstairs!"

He immediately turned around and instructed the servant to lead Jiang Xi and Lu Ye upstairs, while he went to arrange the rest of the matters.

The gold leaf was also prepared by Lu Jian, but it wasn't from Lu Jian himself; it was sent by Chunniang from Cuiyu Pavilion.

After Chunniang sent someone to deliver the hairpin to Lu Jian, she thought about it carefully.

They figured the Seventh Princess must be in trouble to be trying to send her a signal.

Although we don't know what Lu Jian's plans are, it's always good to have Lord Lu prepare some extra money for the princess, just in case.

So she sent a second person to Lu Jian’s residence, ostensibly to deliver jewelry, but in reality to deliver a bag of gold leaves.

Lu Jian was an upright man who valued loyalty and friendship.

His attitude towards his wife clearly shows that he would not embezzle such a small amount of money.