After the interstellar female general died in battle, she transmigrated into the body of a dashing p

Xu Shi smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Chi Yang with a smile, though his smile was noticeably less warm, but still polite. "Lord Chi, you've worked hard. Please have the brothers drink some chilled plum soup later."

"Thank you." He ordered the others to rest without expression.

Holding her, Zheng Zhian looked up with clear eyes at the large, elegant characters "Yun State Duke's Mansion" above her head. This was the first time she had ever entered through the main gate.

After passing through the front hall and garden corridor, Butler Xu carried her all the way to the old man's study before putting her down. Zheng Zhian ran happily to his desk and sweetly called out, "Grandfather."

Duke Yun put down his pen, picked her up, and let the little one sit on his lap. He continued looking at the official documents on the table and casually asked, "Why did you leave the palace today?"

"I miss my maternal grandfather." Zheng Zhian followed his gaze, but didn't stop her from giving a perfunctory reply.

She was only here as an excuse; she needed to find another reason to leave as soon as possible.

"Grandfather still has some things to attend to. Why don't you go play with your Grandpa Feng for a while?" Duke Yun continued writing on the official document with his left hand, but the characters he wrote were exactly the same as those written with his right hand.

This move impressed Zheng Zhian. It seemed that his maternal grandfather was not only capable of making quick decisions, but his literary skills were also comparable to those of the civil officials in the court.

No wonder Dad insisted on having Grandpa be the examiner; he knew Grandpa's background!

After a long silence, Duke Yun paused, lowered his head, and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. An'an just didn't expect that her grandfather was not only skilled in martial arts, but also had such beautiful handwriting!"

The little girl's honeyed words of praise eased his furrowed brows, which had been furrowed for days. "Little rascal," he said, squeezing her little hand. Being praised by his granddaughter made him feel much better.

Seeing that he was indeed busy, Zheng Zhian slid down to the ground and said considerately, "Then I won't disturb Grandfather's business. Let's have dinner together tonight!"

The little guy has been so sensible since he was a child. The Duke of Yun patted his little head and said affectionately, "Go."

Zheng Zhian happily ran out of the study with small, quick steps and told Uncle Xu that she wanted to visit her mother's courtyard and that she would come to find them again at dinner time.

Knowing her temperament and with Danqin by her side, Xu Shi agreed without worry.

The two found a secluded spot, and Danqin, carrying the little one, left the Duke's mansion in a flash, thinking they had gotten away unnoticed.

Little did they know that as soon as the two of them went out, a secret guard reported to the Duke of Yun.

Knowing that the little one was just being playful and had come up with this excuse today, and with Danqin watching over him, he simply said calmly, "Let them be. Send a few people to follow them secretly."

"Yes." The guard bowed and withdrew.

After leaving the mansion, Danqin carried the little one straight to the West City, to the slums.

Standing at the street corner, even under the blazing sun, the street is not as neat and orderly as North-South Street. The whole street is filled with barking dogs and human voices.

Everyone says that West Street is a chaotic mess, inhabited by lowly commoners, and that people of any status would avoid it like the plague. But in Zheng Zhian's eyes, it has a more lively and down-to-earth atmosphere.

Danqin carried the little one and quickly weaved through the crowd. Feeling the strange looks cast at her from time to time, even though Zheng Zhian had experienced many storms, she couldn't help but bury her little head in Danqin's arms when these people treated her like a rare animal.

Only when he felt the noise was getting less and less did Zheng Zhian look up and look around. Occasionally, a person with a hunched back would pass by carrying a heavy load. The neighboring courtyards were all small square spaces enclosed by thatched walls and earthen walls.

On the wooden frame in front of them were pictures of door guardians, a common sight in ordinary households. Danqin looked around warily before raising her hand to knock on the door.

However, there was no movement inside for a long time, and Zheng Zhian suspected that there was no one inside. "Are you sure there is someone inside?"

Danqin carefully sensed the movement inside and whispered, "The information I found said that she rarely goes out except to deliver her finished needlework to customers each month. Besides, it's the middle of the day. Where could she have gone?"

"What if they've gone to visit relatives?" If that's the case, wouldn't they have made a wasted trip?

Before Danqin could think carefully about what the sound she had just heard was, she felt a murderous aura coming towards her. She quickly dodged to the left while holding the little one in her arms, and the hidden arrow shot a hole straight through the door.

Once Danqin had regained her footing, Zheng Zhian followed her gaze and looked in that direction. Good heavens, this was the largest assassination attempt in history. In this sweltering heat, everyone was bundled up tightly—weren't they hot?

Without saying a word, the man in black at the front waved his right hand forward, and the dozen or so men behind him charged toward them menacingly.

Just as Zheng Zhian was about to call out to Yingyi with a solemn expression, six or seven strong men dressed in ordinary hemp clothing appeared in front of them.

Shadow One charged directly at the leader of the men in black. The man was clearly outmatched, but he was surrounded by many ruthless men who managed to entangle him.

Seeing the chaotic scene, Zheng Zhian, nestled in Danqin's arms, subtly curled the corners of his lips; ah, so he made his move after all!

But now that Yingyi is being held back and Danqin is holding her, who exactly are those brave men?

Judging from the timing of their appearance, they've probably been following them all along, so it's not hard to guess...

They did their best to protect Danqin and the other person in the middle. Several times, the assassin's long knife nearly pierced Zheng Zhian, and the strong men on her back cut off her arms. Their warm blood splattered onto her face.

She raised her small hand and wiped it away. The scene was extremely dangerous, and no one noticed the coldness and calmness in her eyes. Some adults might not even be able to react like her in such a situation.

Zheng Zhian looked at the road he had come from, which was now blocked. He then looked at the battle situation on Yingyi's side and estimated the strength of both sides. Those people could only hold off Yingyi for a moment at most, but the people protecting him were already seriously injured. If the battle dragged on any longer, they were afraid they would not be able to hold out either.

Since these people wanted to kill him, he tightened his grip on Danqin's neck and whispered, "Danqin, throw me into the air to Yingyi, then immediately break through and go back to find my grandfather, do you hear me?"

Given Danqin's strength, if she were to fall into Yingyi's hands, these people would naturally try to kill her first. She could then take this opportunity to escape. As for whether she could hold out until the rescue she sought, that would depend entirely on Yingyi.

"Princess, you mustn't!" Danqin refused sternly, taking the long knife she had snatched from the assassin in one hand and delivering a vicious blow to the black-clad man who charged forward again.

The princess's plan was tantamount to putting herself in a life-or-death situation, and she couldn't imagine what would happen if something unexpected happened.

"Danqin, do you want us all to die here?" Zheng Zhian wiped away the blood that had just splattered on his face. Without giving her a chance to reply, her voice rang out again, "Wait a minute, when I count to three, you throw me to Yingyi."

"You guys do your best to cover Danqin's escape later, do you hear me?" She looked at the guards around her, her voice leaving no room for argument.

At first, the group didn't react, but one of them quickly replied, "Yes, Princess."