I made my fortune by livestreaming in ancient times.

Xiao Jingchi narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping across her face with a hint of a half-smile: "How could I forget that Physician Yao is a guest of honor of the Empress Dowager and also my benefactor? Luo Luo has not been seen for many years, yet she still presents herself as a physician. Physician Yao has a successor, which makes me very gratified. However, this place for medical treatment... it would be better to take my carriage down the mountain and then treat her there."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Mingyan swayed, and Cang Xu exclaimed, "Your Highness, Your Highness, how are you?"

Zhu Luo followed to see what was happening, but in a short while, Xiao Mingyan's face turned deathly pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He bit his lip, looking extremely pained.

She had some doubts.

Is he really in pain or is he faking it?

If it's an act, it's too convincing.

Xiao Jingchi's hint was clear, but she still turned around and pleaded, "Your Highness's condition is complicated. The bandit suppression just now may have caused your old injuries to relapse. I beg Your Highness to allow me to ride in the carriage to treat you. My maid will also be with me. Or, Your Highness, could you send someone else to help me out?"

In the middle of the night, in the desolate wilderness, it is against the rules for a lone man and woman to ride together in a carriage, even in the event of an emergency.

Besides, she and the Crown Prince had a subtle relationship that hadn't been revealed yet, so she had to give him face.

Xiao Jingchi chuckled and said, "The greatest doctors are also heroes and chivalrous men. Today, I have the good fortune to see this clearly in Luo Luo. I will definitely report this righteous act and ask for a reward for you."

Zhu Luo quickly shook her head, saying "I dare not accept such praise" several times.

He glanced back at the remaining bandits at the cave entrance and said, "Furthermore, I have official duties to attend to, so I cannot share Luo Luo's burdens. I will entrust my third brother to Luo Luo."

Zhu Luo secretly breathed a sigh of relief; those were the words she wanted to hear.

She bowed and said, "It was my daughter who spoke out of turn. How could I presume to comment on His Highness's arrangements?"

Xiao Jingchi stepped forward and helped her up, his eyes brimming with smiles: "Luo Luo, why be so formal? This isn't a suitable place to talk. I still have a lot to say to you. Let's talk about it slowly after we go down the mountain."

Zhu Luo's head buzzed, and after stammering a few words, she hurriedly broke free from his grasp and retreated to Xiao Mingyan's side, her heart still pounding wildly.

Those large hands, which seemed to be gently supporting him, actually held an indescribable fierceness.

He maintained his usual gentle and refined smile.

That laugh almost made her vomit.

His hypocritical behavior makes him even more similar to Ji Yang.

"Hmph." Xiao Mingyan snorted coldly.

Zhu Luo regained her senses and quickly asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, how are you? Does it hurt a lot?"

Xiao Mingyan rolled his eyes at her: "You're still alive. If you don't get on the bus soon, who knows what might happen to you."

Zhu Luo quickly made a "please" gesture and followed in small steps.

He still had the energy to complain, and his tone seemed quite normal. Could it be that he was just faking it?

He really knows how to use tricks in front of the Crown Prince.

As she turned to leave, Banxia accidentally bumped into the fat man's corpse and screamed.

Only then did Zhu Luo see the state of his death.

His face was buried in a pile of filth mixed with blood, making it impossible to see his original features, while a long arrow stood upright in the back of his heart, a horrifying sight.

Just half an hour ago, he was full of confidence and competing against himself in a competitive eating contest.

Zhu Luo closed her eyes, then pulled Banxia away in a few strides.

The remaining bandits were grumbling behind her. Although she couldn't hear them clearly, Zhu Luo could guess that they were cursing her.

The country has laws, and they should have foreseen their fate when they started to run rampant and harm the innocent. This is not her fault.

There was just one thing that worried her.

"Your Highness, shall we leave the rest of them to His Highness the Crown Prince?"

They were clearly working together, and the Canglang Army captured the remaining bandits in one fell swoop. Now that they've left, aren't they just giving the credit to the Crown Prince for nothing?

"Otherwise what?" He scoffed and glanced at her.

His eyes gleamed with the light of torches, yet the warmth did not reach them.

"But wasn't that... something you seized?"

Xiao Mingyan's eyes sharpened: "It's the same for everyone."

Zhu Luo fell silent.

She suddenly remembered the bullying incident about eggs at the dinner table.

Perhaps what he is experiencing today is just a continuation of what happened in the past.

He chose to remain silent once again.

"What are you standing there for? Get moving!"

Xiao Mingyan suddenly urged.

Just as Zhu Luo was stunned, the sound of swords piercing flesh came from behind him, and the previous gurgling sound disappeared instantly.

A mountain wind swept in, carrying with it a strong, pungent smell of blood.

Zhu Luo's whole body stiffened, and her legs were so weak that she could barely walk.

She knew what had happened without even turning around.

Someone reported to Xiao Jingchi: "Your Highness, all but one person hiding in the cave have been wiped out!"

"Besides one person?"

The increasing distance made it difficult for Zhu Luo to hear clearly.

She frowned.

Someone actually escaped?

Right under the noses of the Eastern Palace guards and the Canglang Army?

"Miss, hurry up and keep up!"

Banxia urged her to hurry up.

Xiao Mingyan's carriage was in an open space a hundred meters away.

Just as the group was about to board the carriage, a palace guard from the Eastern Palace caught up with a message from the Crown Prince: "Your Highness Prince Li, the Xuanming Sword was not found in the cave. Your Highness, may I ask if the Prince has found it?"

Xiao Mingyan raised the long whip in his hand and said with a wry smile, "If I find it, I won't need this thing anymore."

The guard bowed and then quickly left.

Zhu Luo remembered that the Xuanming Sword was a gift from the Crown Prince to his younger brother.

With Cang Xu's help, Xiao Mingyan had already boarded the car.

Zhu Luo looked up at the dark sky above, obscured by the shadows of the trees, and then took one last look at the scattered sparks behind him before finally making up his mind to board the carriage.

When she decided to leave with Xiao Mingyan, no, perhaps even earlier, from the moment she stepped into the Northern Expeditionary Army camp, the gears of fate began to turn quietly.

Regardless of whether she had a clear subjective intention, she had actually made a choice of stance without realizing it.

In other words, taking sides.

The Crown Prince's faction and the princes' supporters—isn't this common among the royal family?

The path to the throne is always fraught with uncertainty and unpredictability. Countless people rack their brains and plan meticulously, all in the hope of gaining a distinguished position and becoming a key minister of the new dynasty when the dust finally settles.

She only wanted to find her way back, but how could she avoid the power struggles within the royal family?

She sighed and got into the car.

Before the curtain could even fall, Cang Xu cried out anxiously, "Your Highness, Your Highness!"