The princess was ordained by Heaven.

I can already imagine what they would say, things like "The Emperor and Empress abandoned their adopted daughter after finding their biological daughter" or "The royal family is petty and can't even tolerate an orphan."

[Especially Zheng Jin, some people will definitely say she's heartless and deliberately sent her adopted sister to her death.]

Zheng Jiao looked worried.

The emperor chuckled softly: "I am the emperor, and your mother is the mother of the nation. In the court today, who dares to speak ill of us?"

Zheng Xun was a little bored. After mentally rehearsing the eulogy he had promised Lord Jiang, he munched on a fruit and casually turned on the live stream.

Wow, it's gotten so dark!

The emperor turned to look at the light screen, only to be startled by the large, dark head inside.

What is this thing that's so dark?

After a short while, he could barely make out that it was Tao Heng.

However, upon remembering Tao Heng's job, he immediately sat up straight.

[Don't say it, Tao Heng has a good foundation; he may be dark-skinned, but he's still handsome.]

The Empress nodded repeatedly: Yes, yes, I like it a bit darker.

At this moment, as the camera zoomed out, they saw that Tao Heng was being chased.

Three ordinary-looking men followed closely behind Tao Heng and his guards.

They were in what appeared to be a mountain forest. Tao Heng had sustained minor injuries, but the guard beside him was in a much worse state, with several large cuts on his body and his face as pale as paper, yet he still clung to life, protecting Tao Heng.

"Sir, this can't go on. I'll hold them off, you go first!"

Tao Heng didn't answer, but simply squatted down and picked the person up.

The guard was terrified, like a helpless little fish struggling: "My lord! No!"

Tao Heng was annoyed by his antics, so he patted his butt with his other hand.

The guards quieted down.

It wasn't that he didn't want to cause trouble; he was afraid that the adult had ulterior motives towards him. Although the adult was very kind, he already had his childhood sweetheart, so he could only disappoint the adult's deep affection.

He still had time to let his mind wander, but Tao Heng dared not relax for even a moment.

He knew very well that with his physical strength, he would be caught up very quickly while carrying someone.

Therefore, he had to find a way to turn the situation around.

He looked up to observe the growth of the trees, then turned to the guard being held and asked, "Can you swim?"

The guard shook his head awkwardly.

Tao Heng said breathlessly, "There's no other way."

I grabbed a vine along the way and kept going until I finally arrived at a stream.

The guard knew he wanted to escape by water, but wasn't this waterway a bit too narrow?

Tao Heng was not discouraged. He looked at the ground by the water, then turned and ran into the deep mountains.

"There are wild animals in the mountains..."

Tao Heng was concentrating on figuring out the direction when he was interrupted by his voice. His tone was not very good: "You think we still have a way out?"

The guards fell silent instantly.

The pursuers were getting closer and closer; they could even hear the rustling of leaves in the distance.

Tao Heng dared not stop for even a moment.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse, but it was remarkable that he remained remarkably calm and composed despite his young age, without making a single misstep.

Judging from his words and actions, the emperor once again exclaimed that Tao Heng was truly a promising talent.

However, some people are truly incredibly audacious.

His face was somber, like heavy dark clouds before an impending storm.

"Li Xiaojun".

"I remember that I assigned a squad of guards to Tao Heng, drawn from the patrol guards?"

"Your Majesty, yes, the token you issued to Lord Tao allows for the mobilization of thirty-two men."

The emperor said nothing, and his expression was unreadable, but Li Xiaojun knew that someone was about to suffer.

In the light screen, Tao Heng had already led his guards up the mountain. As if he knew the way, he accurately found a cave.

The mountain is covered with lush trees, and the sunlight doesn't reach the ground very much, so it's a bit cold and gloomy. The dark caves seem especially eerie in this environment.

The guard swallowed hard: "There seems to be something inside."

"It's not just a resemblance, this is a bear cave."

The guard assessed the situation and said with difficulty, "I can't defeat a bear right now..."

Tao Heng ignored him, looked at the terrain, and put him down.

"My lord!" the guard cried out in alarm and fear, his eyes brimming with tears. "I know I've dragged you down. It's only right that you feed me to the bears..."

Tao Heng looked at him like he was an idiot, then squatted down with his back to him: "Come on up."

The guard asked dumbfoundedly, "Didn't you want to abandon your subordinates...?"

Tao Heng, unable to contain himself any longer, said, "Don't you understand the situation? We're being hunted down! Say less, or I'm afraid I'll beat you up."

The guard obediently responded.

Tao Heng led him up the steep cliff face on the side of the cave.

The guard couldn't hold back any longer and muttered, "If you're going to throw someone, throw me in front of the enemy; that might stop them..."

Tao Heng, unable to bear it any longer, raised his hand and punched him.

The guard blinked, his head lolled to the side, and he fainted.

Tao Heng let out a long sigh of relief.

He should have done this a long time ago!

Before he could climb very high, his pursuers caught up with him.

When they saw Tao Heng hanging at a height that wasn't too high or too low, they almost burst out laughing.

Because of Tao Heng's height, they could easily reach him by jumping up.

However, they are professional assassins who never become complacent before the mission is completed.

They exchanged a glance and cautiously approached.

Tao Heng shook a loose stone off the mountain wall and threw it toward the cave entrance. The next moment, a roar came from inside.

"It's a bear!"

The pursuers cautiously took a few steps back, gripping their swords tightly.

Zheng Jiao asked nervously, "Bear! But a bear shouldn't be able to stop the assassin..."

Good heavens, having a celestial canopy to watch is a bittersweet experience.

Although she can watch the show, she can't rush in to save people if something happens to them in the sky, which is really frustrating.

The Empress frowned and patted her shoulder: "Lord Tao will surely have a way."

Her tone was full of certainty, it was unclear whether she was trying to persuade Zheng Jiao or herself.

However, when Tao Heng saw the pursuers fighting with the bear, he raised his hand and fired a signal flare.

The crimson smoke was particularly eye-catching in the air, and before long, about a dozen people gathered there.

The bear grew increasingly agitated as more and more people approached.

The assassins knew the situation was bad, but they couldn't just stand there and let the bear attack them, so they tried to break through.

However, those in front of him were all highly skilled fighters. Before long, their hands and feet were removed, and even the poison hidden in their mouths was found.

The three black bears and the human were arranged in a row, looking neat and tidy.

Tao Heng jumped off the cliff, and the guards behind him got off him with smiles.

"How's the injury?"

"They're all minor injuries, nothing serious."

Now that the guard had a moment to spare, he looked at Tao Heng with a sinister gaze: "You just spanked me?"

Tao Heng apologized, "It's just that Brother Yanxing's acting was too over the top... I couldn't help myself."

The woman next to him, dressed in gray and appearing aloof and taciturn, seemed to sense a connection and couldn't help but speak the truth: "That's just his nature."

The guard glared at her unhappily: "Lü Mengying! Do you know that I'm your boss!"

“My boss is a princess,” Lü Mengying said calmly.