Chapter 203: Just a Face

Chapter 203: Just a Face

After entering the city, the three of them prepared to head to the government office of Dezhou.

Passing by a notice board, they saw a group of government officers posting today's notices.

Yan Wei glanced sideways and suddenly stopped, reaching out to tug at Bei Jingchu.

"Your Highness, check that out."

Bei Jingchu turned her head in the direction he indicated, her heart skipped a beat.

"Bounty notices."

Hearing this inner voice, Lei Nian'er also looked over.

She asked uneasily, "Your Highness... the bounty notices for you and Xu Shaoqing..."

"Why are there bounty notices for the two of you?"

The portraits were so realistic that anyone who had seen them would recognize her instantly.

"If it were just a bounty notice for a princess, that would be understandable, but it doesn't specify your identity. It's more like a bounty notice for a criminal."

From the notice board, loud discussions could be heard: "A little girl, just six or seven years old, and the reward is even higher than that for a notorious bandit."

"What terrible crime could she have possibly committed?"

"Haha, if I can't handle a bandit, but catch this kid, I'll be rich!"

"The woman next to her is also wanted, with a slightly lower but still significant reward."

Lei Nian'er squeezed her hand tightly, "Your Highness, has the Governor of Dezhou rebelled?"

Bei Jingchu's thoughts were all over the place. She first tore a piece of her clothing to cover her face and led the two of them further away.

Once they were at a safe spot, Lei Nian'er analyzed, "Have the officials of Dezhou gone mad?"

"Even if they have rebelled, how can they be so blatant?"

"By doing this, aren't they afraid that it will reach the capital, and the Emperor will punish them by executing their entire clan?"

"Your Highness, the Governor of Dezhou..."

Bei Jingchu shook her head, "If the Governor of Dezhou had rebelled, he would have directly defected to the enemy."

"Local officials also have difficulty accessing the core secrets of the court."

"Unless they're keeping him to rise higher, directly surrendering Dezhou would be more valuable."

"If the goal is to capture me, then directly issuing a bounty notice for a princess, waiting for me to let my guard down, and then delivering me to Tunning would be truly unpredictable."

At this point, Bei Jingchu was covered in cold sweat.

"Thank goodness, it's not the Governor who has rebelled."

"They dare not reveal my identity, probably because they fear drawing the Governor's attention."

Lei Nian'er understood, "You mean there is a traitor within the Dezhou government, and the Governor has been lax in his investigations."

Bei Jingchu squatted down, hugging her knees, and murmured, "This is just my guess."

"The current situation isn't in our favor."

"The only good news is that Xu Shaoqing also has a bounty on her, which means she hasn't been caught yet."

Bei Jingchu looked up; the sky was overcast.

The sunlight filtered through the clouds, neither cool nor bright.

It was uncomfortably both hot and cold.

Bei Jingchu thought of something even more perplexing: "Since they're acting so openly, they must not be worried about the news reaching the Emperor."

"So, are they sure they can get away before the Emperor sends troops after them?"

"Or... do they think Dayue will fall to Tunning before then?"

For a moment, the three of them fell silent.

Lei Nian'er also squatted down, leaning against Bei Jingchu, and said, "Your Highness, Tunning and Yu Hun are currently at war."

"They can't afford to fight Dayue right now."

"They must be sure they can escape in time; let's not lose hope."

Bei Jingchu leaned gently against her.

"But it's not impossible."

"It's a shame we can't get word back to the capital; otherwise, the Emperor could prepare in advance."

Bei Jingchu pulled out the ebony hairpin from her head, staring at this small dagger that had never seen blood, and made up her mind: "I can't let them catch me."

The little girl silently thought, "I am the princess of Dynasty Yue, I cannot become a criminal who affects the war situation of Dynasty Yue."

The blade hidden in the hairpin was drawn, and for the first time, it drew blood as she slashed at her own face.

Lei Nian'er was so frightened that her heart almost jumped out of her throat. With the fastest reaction of her life, she pounced on Bei Jingchu.

"Your Highness, what are you doing!"

Bei Jingchu lay on the ground, her eyes filled with a ferocity and madness that did not match her age.

"It's just a face. If I ruin it, no one will recognize us."

"This way, we can stay safe until the rescue arrives."

As she spoke, her restrained hand moved towards her face again, and Lei Nian'er couldn't hold her back.

She knew the princess was strong, so she used her entire body weight to press down, but the small hand holding the hairpin sword was still getting closer and closer to the face.

"What are you looking at! Come and help!"

"Do you want to see Her Highness disfigured?"

This was clearly directed at Yan Wei.

Yan Wei stood aside without moving, only saying, "This servant follows all of the princess's orders without question."

Lei Nian'er: "...Heavens!"

Madness, sheer madness!

Predictably, Bei Jingchu wrenched herself free from Lei Nian'er's grasp, and the silver-white blade of the hairpin sword was stained with bright red blood.

Lei Nian'er gasped in shock.

So ruthless—

"Your Highness..."

The young girl wielding the dagger remained eerily calm, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the blood—her own blood—off the blade.

"It's alright, Nian'er, I know you're worried about me."

"Scars marring my face aren't becoming, but after we return, I'll work hard to remove them."

Lei Nian'er reached out to touch but stopped just an inch away, asking, "But what if they remain indelible?"

"But as long as we survive now, I won't threaten Dayue's war situation."

"Merely two scars on my visage pale in comparison to the value of our lives."

"After the teacher returns with news, Father will surely send someone to rescue us when he sees I haven't returned for so long."

"Our current challenge lies in awaiting our rescuers."

Bei Jingchu regretfully pounded her head.

"Had I known the city harbored such peril, we would never have ventured in."

"Now, entry was simple, but escape? That will surely draw eyes at the gates."

Yan Wei extended his arm to block her hand from hitting her head, comforting her, "Your Highness, the wilderness beyond the city teems with savage beasts."

"Outside the city, it's not necessarily safer."

"Your Highness, don't blame yourself. If you knock yourself silly, what will we do?"

Bei Jingchu didn't give herself time to wallow in self-pity; the pain on her face reminded her of her current predicament.

"Entrenched as we are, with no easy retreat, constant vigilance is our only recourse."

She pondered the current situation: "Our valuables trail behind us, yet to reach our hands."

"Even if they arrive, we can't expose our identities to retrieve them."

"There's no guarantee whether the Governor will find me first or the traitors will."

"My silver is all with Changyan Haoyue; I truly have no money on me."

Lei Nian'er took out her own money pouch, opened it to show Bei Jingchu, and it was indeed full of silver.

Bei Jingchu told her to keep it safe and promised, "After we return, I'll repay you tenfold in gold."

Lei Nian'er, knowing the princess's temperament, didn't refuse and thanked her generously.

Bei Jingchu examined her own attire, "The fabric on my body is the best tribute; if someone knowledgeable recognizes it, we're done for."

"A shame, truly, for these garments and jewels could command a princely sum in the pawnshops."