Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The three of them arrived at a guesthouse in Jiangling City and requested a well-appointed room. They dismissed the maid and left only Qingruo behind.

"If you have any questions, ask them quickly," Ye Fuxun said as he sat at the table and poured himself a cup of tea, which he sniffed before looking at Qingruo, who seemed hesitant. She didn't rush, carefully savoring the tea.

"I... I don't have any questions," Qingruo dared to meet Ye Fuxun's eyes. She couldn't believe how her mistress, who usually even spared ants, had killed someone today. It was so shocking that Qingruo didn't know where to begin.

"Qingruo, if you want to safely return to the capital and survive in the Ye Family, you must become stronger, learn to be ruthless. Otherwise, if someone dares to send an assassin disguised as a coachman today, tomorrow someone will stab a knife into my heart," Ye Fuxun said. The young maid still needed more training; loyalty alone was not enough.

"Miss... Qingruo understands," Qingruo raised her head, meeting Ye Fuxun's gaze with a firm and compassionate look. Having followed Ye Fuxun since childhood, she knew her mistress well.

The journey from Qingchuan to the capital would take at least half a month. Soon, Xie Yiniang would realize that Ye Fuxun had not gone to the post station and would likely send someone to pursue them.

As the carriage headed towards the capital, Ye Fuxun closed his eyes to rest, while Qingruo fanned her to keep her cool. Since the incident with the coachman, the maid treated Ye Fuxun with great respect.

However, before Ye Fuxun could rest for long, the horse suddenly became startled, neighing loudly and coming to a halt.

Ye Fuxun opened his eyes, as if he had heard a sound cutting through the air, carrying a murderous intent.

Qingruo lifted the curtain to look, and a sharp sword swiped past her, heading straight for Ye Fuxun's vital spot. At the same time, Ye Fuxun reacted, leaning back and rushing towards the rear window, where an arrow was firmly lodged in the carriage.

Soon, several men in black emerged from the front, blocking the carriage's path.

Ye Fuxun and Qingruo huddled together, their fists clenched, their minds racing. Faced with several ruthless men in black, Ye Fuxun had no confidence in escaping.

The men in black wasted no words and advanced step by step. Just then, Ye Fuxun, extremely agile, leaped out of the rear window, followed closely by Qingruo. The men in black lifted the curtain and saw the trembling maid inside the carriage. They then spotted Ye Fuxun running towards the woods and gave chase, brandishing their knives.

However, the two delicate young ladies could not outrun the burly men, and they were soon caught up with.

In an open space, an arrow pierced the air and struck Ye Fuxun's left shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Miss!" Qingruo exclaimed in shock, quickly checking on her. She helped Ye Fuxun up, but the men in black were still in hot pursuit and soon caught up.

Clutching her wound, Ye Fuxun's pale lips twisted into a mocking smile. "Can you let me understand?"

"Ask the King of Hell," the leader of the men in black said as he raised his sword to strike Ye Fuxun.

"Miss!" Qingruo tightly embraced Ye Fuxun, shielding her with her own body.

Ye Fuxun closed her eyes, unwilling to accept this fate. She hadn't avenged her grievances yet; she couldn't die like this!

With a loud clang, a stone struck the sword, breaking it. A young man in black clothing landed beside Ye Fuxun.

"I detest men bullying women, especially a group of men bullying two defenseless young ladies. Have you no shame?" the young man said.

"Get lost, don't interfere with our business," the men in black, realizing the situation was turning against them, wanted to finish the matter quickly and leave.

"Who's causing trouble here? Chasing after two young ladies and blocking my master's path. My master has a bad temper," the young man seemed genuinely troubled as he looked at the men in black.

"Stop the nonsense."

The men in black rushed forward, but the young man leaped into the air and shot several silver needles from his hand, all of which hit their targets. The young man's agility was remarkable, and within moments, all the men in black were on the ground.

Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, the men in black fled.

"Yun Li, is the path clear?" a cold and deep voice came from inside the carriage.

"Master, it's clear," the young man called Yun Li replied respectfully to the person inside the carriage.

"Then let's continue the journey," the person inside the carriage seemed indifferent to the person they had just saved, as if dealing with those men in black was merely an inconvenience.

"Your Highness, can't we help them further?" Ye Fuxun, supported by Qingruo, her clothes stained with blood, stood in front of the carriage.

At the moment the young man appeared, Ye Fuxun recognized him as Yun Li, a trusted aide of the Prince. Thanks to her brief encounters with the Prince in her previous life, she believed that if she could travel with the Prince this time, she would be able to return to the capital safely.

However, she knew very little about the Prince in her previous life. She had heard that the Emperor doted on him, but he had a peculiar temperament and never played by the rules. So now, she could only take a gamble.

As soon as Ye Fuxun spoke, Yun Li's sword was already at her neck. "Who are you?" This trip was known to only a few people, so how could a weak woman know that the person inside the carriage was the Prince?

"General Tang Yuan is my uncle," Ye Fuxun didn't mention her connection to the Ye Family, instead emphasizing her relationship with Tang Yuan, which she believed would provide more security than the Ye Family.

Indeed, upon hearing this, Yun Li moved his sword a few inches away from Ye Fuxun's neck.

Enduring the pain, Ye Fuxun looked Yun Li in the eye and spoke with unwavering determination, "I just want to return to the capital safely. I don't want to die on the way and become an unknown ghost."

"Why do you think I should help you?" The carriage curtain was lifted, and Prince Cheng, Song Hanzhuo, lazily leaned against the carriage, looking at Ye Fuxun with a playful expression.

Ye Fuxun had seen this man in her previous life. She couldn't help but marvel at the greatness of heaven, to create a man so handsome, with an inherent nobility and charm, yet also exuding an air of elegance and refinement.

"Just because I know where the prince wants is located," Ye Fuxun remembered from her previous life that Prince Cheng had come out this time to find medicine for his birth mother, Princess Yueguifei, and the most crucial medicine was growing on the mountain not far from the Qingchuan Courtyard.

"Are you trying to make a deal with me?"

It was getting more interesting. Someone was actually negotiating with him. Song Hanzhuo reassessed this woman. He usually didn't meddle in other people's affairs, but he was just too bored on the road. This woman, facing a group of fierce assassins, was not afraid, not begging for mercy, but rather mockingly making it clear before dying that she could see through his identity at a glance. It was quite intriguing.

Meeting Song Hanzhuo's gaze, Ye Fuxun said calmly, "Your Highness, I just want to travel with you, seek shelter, and safely return to the capital. I will also tell you how to completely cure Princess Yueguifei's illness."

After a long time, just when Ye Fuxun was about to give up, Song Hanzhuo smiled seductively and said, "Yunli, please invite the young lady to come up."