The mistress has no feelings, why do you provoke her?

The ornately decorated carriage sped along the official road toward the city outskirts, its wheels rolling and kicking up clouds of dust.

Inside the car, Song Wenjun held Yan Yan tightly, her hands unconsciously tightening, as if only in this way could she give him more protection.

The bumpy ride made her increasingly anxious. Every now and then, she would peek through the crack in the car window at the rapidly receding scenery outside, her eyes filled with worry.

Just then, the carriage jolted violently.

A gust of wind lifted the carriage curtain, and a figure quickly slipped inside.

Song Wenjun's eyes widened in horror, and she instinctively shielded Yan Yan behind her, her whole body tense as if facing a formidable enemy.

When she looked closely, she realized that the person who came was Xiao Tao.

"Your Highness, it's me." Xiao Tao's voice was urgent as she quickly removed the veil covering her face, revealing a familiar face with eyes full of concern for Song Wenjun.

Song Wenjun let out a long sigh of relief, her tense body slowly relaxing, and asked in confusion, "Xiao Tao, what brings you here?"

Xiao Tao's eyes reddened, tears welled up, and she said in a sobbing voice, "How could Xiao Tao not come when the Princess is in trouble? I had been holding back until the Princess of Nanyang sent me a message, telling me to wait patiently."

She paused, her emotions growing increasingly agitated, "Now the situation has suddenly changed, and I've finally found you, Your Highness."

Before she could finish speaking, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

Song Wenjun's heart tightened, and her unease grew stronger. She hurriedly asked, "What happened? Is there something else going to happen tonight?"

Her eyes revealed panic, and her already pale face was now completely bloodless.

Xiao Tao took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, her voice trembling slightly, "News has come from the palace that the Emperor is seriously ill and unconscious. The Empress is now in control of the court and strictly forbids anyone from entering or leaving the palace at will. I'm afraid the Emperor has already been controlled by the Empress."

Upon hearing this shocking news, Song Wenjun felt her vision go black, her legs went weak, and she collapsed powerlessly onto the carriage.

She muttered to herself, "No wonder the Crown Prince was so ruthless in trying to wipe out my Chu Prince's family; it turns out something terrible happened in the palace..."

"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will do everything in my power to ensure your safe departure from the capital."

"The Princess of Nanyang has already found you a place to stay, and we are just waiting for you to arrive safely." Xiao Tao comforted Song Wenjun softly while lifting the carriage curtain and cautiously observing the movements outside.

At the city gate, two rows of guards stood ramrod straight on either side, their eyes sharp as they carefully inspected every passing carriage.

Xiao Tao quickly made a subtle hand gesture to one of the guards, who understood and returned the gesture without making a sound.

Song Wenjun looked at Xiao Tao's series of actions with a puzzled expression, her eyes full of incomprehension.

Seeing this, Xiao Tao quickly whispered an explanation: "Your Highness, the people at the city gate have been replaced by ours, so you can rest assured."

Song Wenjun nodded slightly, her expression softening, but she still felt a little uneasy.

Before long, the carriage slowly drove to the city gate, where it was stopped by the guards and questioned.

Xiao Tao calmly lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the guard.

The guard walked to the carriage, lifted the curtain, glanced inside quickly, then pretended to be nonchalant and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everything is normal, let it pass!"

Song Wenjun had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she would finally be able to leave the city smoothly.

However, just as the carriage was about to slowly start moving away, a rapid and dense sound of hooves suddenly came: "Don't let it pass!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, instantly shattering the current tranquility.

Song Wenjun's heart skipped a beat. She looked out through the gap in the carriage curtain and saw the Duke of Zhenguo riding a tall horse, galloping towards her.

Behind him stood a large number of soldiers in armor, wielding sharp blades.

The black boots stomped on the ground with a deafening sound.

When Xiao Tao saw the Duke of Zhenguo rushing towards her menacingly, a flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she blurted out, "Oh no, it's the Duke of Zhenguo! This is a huge problem!"

She was extremely anxious. Turning her head, she said urgently to Song Wenjun, "Your Highness, there's no time to lose, please take off your clothes quickly!"

Song Wenjun instantly understood Xiao Tao's intention. A hint of reluctance and worry flashed in her eyes as she pressed, "Can you get away? This is the Duke of Zhenguo. He's not here with good intentions...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Tao nodded emphatically, her gaze resolute: "Yes! Your Highness, believe me, I will definitely find a way to escape! If we delay any longer, none of us will be able to leave!"

Song Wenjun subconsciously glanced at her son beside her, then touched her slightly protruding belly, feeling a mix of emotions.

For the sake of her child, for the unborn life in her womb, she no longer hesitated, quickly unbuttoned her clothes, and took them off.

The two quickly swapped clothes.

Fortunately, it was the dead of winter, and the clothes were thick and bulky.

Song Wenjun's slightly protruding belly was cleverly concealed, and at first glance, there was nothing unusual about it.

Xiao Tao skillfully restyled Song Wenjun's hair, removing the exquisite jewelry that symbolized her status from her head and putting it on her own.

After getting dressed, Xiao Tao took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and then gently tapped the outside of the carriage with her finger.

A moment later, the guard who had been there to provide backup quickly stepped forward.

Xiao Tao leaned out and said in a low but undeniable voice, "Open the city gate!"

She knew that once the Duke of Zhenguo's men arrived, they would have no chance of escape.

At the same time, Song Wenjun also saw the man's face clearly.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "It's you?"

The guard had a scar on his face.

It turned out to be the stone she had previously sent to her brother, Song Jinshu.

With tears in his eyes, Shi Tou nodded to Song Wenjun: "I will never forget the Princess's great kindness."

After saying that, his expression hardened, and he gritted his teeth.

He pretended to be nonchalant as he walked towards the city gate, his steps seemingly light, but in reality, every step concealed his vigilance.

The guards at the city gate, seeing him approach, asked with a puzzled look, "What are you doing?"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Stone suddenly launched an attack, his long sword swirling with a biting wind as he slashed left and right with lightning speed.

In the blink of an eye, the two guards fell into pools of blood.

While everyone was still in shock and had not yet come to their senses, Stone rushed toward the city gate switch and forcefully opened the gate.

Seizing this critical moment, Xiao Tao turned to the coachman and whispered, "Go! Quickly!"

The coachman understood immediately, and suddenly raised his whip, lashing it hard across the horse's back.

With a neigh, the horse took off, galloping away from the city like an arrow.

"Stop, stop..." The guards, realizing what was happening, hurriedly gave chase, but after Song Wenjun's carriage left the city, Shi Tou turned around and tried to close the city gate again.

Unfortunately, it was too late.