Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"You scoundrel! How terribly you’ve deceived our mistress!"

The moment Changjun saw Lu Yu felled by a single punch, he knew escape was impossible today.

He might as well stake his life—taking down even one foe would be a measure of revenge for Princess Qinghe!

"Changjun!"

The young eunuch drew his sword and charged. Li Zhu couldn't even begin to intervene. In a flash, Changjun was locked in a fierce struggle with the figure in black.

From the ruined stall, Lu Yu quickly rose, spitting a mouthful of blood, his eyes now ablaze with murderous intent.

"Princess, today it's a matter of life and death. There's no time for hesitation."

Li Zhu watched helplessly as the two closed in on Pei Zhaoye, her protests caught in her throat. No matter how anxious, she found herself unable to speak.

What could she say?

Could she stop Lu Yu and Changjun, telling them to surrender without a fight?

That was impossible, and she had no compelling reason to persuade them.

Li Zhu scanned the long street to her left and right.

Torch-bearing figures were closing in from both directions.

Ahead, Pei Zhaoye, having seized Lu Yu's long blade, moved fluidly between the two attackers, holding his own without losing ground.

As her strength drained away and Li Zhu completely abandoned resistance, her heart grew strangely calm.

She watched the agile figure under the deep blue moonlight.

His jaw was too sharp, his nose too prominent. Unsmiling, his features were as stark and rugged as mountain rock; yet, when he smiled, he exuded a charm as gentle as spring rain.

It was easy to mistake him for a frail scholar, unskilled in combat.

But in reality, with just a little attention, one could clearly see—

His black robes concealed firm, powerful arms and a solid chest.

With a single swing of his blade, he easily sent the nimble but less powerful Changjun reeling back several yards.

What immense strength, what sharp prowess, what awe-inspiring presence!

Just watching from the side felt like being grazed by that fierce, cutting wind.

How could he be the weak civil official she had once imagined—the kind who, even on the battlefield, could only strategize from the rear?

In mere moments, the four were tightly encircled.

"—Good thing we remained vigilant. Rather than come away empty-handed, we pressed on. Otherwise, the young lady would have truly slipped right under our noses today."

The tightly packed guards parted, creating a path.

The "Fathead Fish" she had seen at the tavern walked forward, followed by a man who looked like a military officer.

Li Zhu smoothed her hair.

In daily life, she always preferred to avoid trouble, to hide when she could. But when there was nowhere left to hide, she found a strange peace in resigning herself to fate.

"Did the Tan family of Wan Commandery send you?"

Zhao Weizhen smiled:

"Young lady, a man should marry, a woman should wed. Even if you’re unhappy with the marriage, you can’t just bolt at the first sign of trouble. Look at the uproar you’ve caused in Yiling—how much trouble has been stirred up? Whatever the matter is, it’s best discussed after you return home."

Marriage? Running away?

Li Zhu found it ridiculous.

Exactly—whether a noble lady or a village girl, if the reason given for capturing her was a runaway marriage, most people wouldn’t interfere. Some might even enthusiastically help with the capture.

Two men stepped forward with ropes.

Li Zhu swallowed, forced herself to stay calm, lifted her chin, and said:

"Go ahead, tie me up. If you deliver me to Wan Commandery today, you’ll soon learn what a real uproar means. Do you think you’re capturing just some ordinary runaway fiancée? Ridiculous. Do you even know who I am—"

"Princess Qinghe, right?"

Zhao Weizhen cut her off with a smile:

"Your family specifically warned us. They said you’ve been clever and resourceful since childhood, and if you learned that Princess Qinghe’s inspection tour happened to pass through Wan Commandery, you might try passing yourself off as her to escape. They predicted correctly, it seems."

Li Zhu: "...I really am Princess Qinghe!"

"Then would the princess please extend her hands? These men are rough; it would be unfortunate if they injured you."

"..."

How infuriating!

Li Zhu angrily stretched out her hands. As she was tied up like a zongzi (rice dumpling), she glared fiercely at the "Fathead Fish."

So foolish, and yet he holds the position of Deputy Prefect!

If she ever got a chance to escape, she would make sure her father stripped him of his office!

Once Li Zhu was securely bound, a prepared sedan chair was brought nearby.

A guard tugged on the rope but couldn’t budge her. Just as he impatiently reached out to shove her, he was suddenly kicked squarely in the chest and sent flying, rolling several times on the ground!

Shing—!

A gleaming, bloodless blade stabbed into the sedan chair, stopping several guards in their tracks who were about to step forward.

Behind Li Zhu, a man’s low, slightly breathless voice rasped:

"Zhao Weizhen, I addressed you politely as Deputy Prefect today out of courtesy. Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. I was the one who found her—how dare you try to steal my credit?"

Li Zhu turned in astonishment and saw his damp forehead and eyes glinting with cold light.

Zhao Weizhen fell silent for a moment.

Then, slowly, he smiled:

"Is that so? Then I was overstepping. I thought Chieftain Pei had a soft spot for her and was trying to stash her for himself, knowing full well she's someone the higher-ups ordered us to find."

"You certainly were nosy."

Pei Zhaoye bent down to pick up the rope that had fallen to the ground. He didn't pull her with it but simply held it in his hand.

"Let the Pei family send someone to pick her up. Since they spearheaded this, she should be handed over to them. Anyone unrelated who tries to take a share of the credit had better be more capable than these two on the ground."

Changjun and Lu Yu, who had already been subdued by the guards, struggled furiously.

Changjun: "You sneaky bastard! I truly misjudged you!"

Lu Yu: "You fools! You're committing a massive offense!"

Both were exceptionally agitated, as if they wished they could devour Pei Zhaoye alive, which made Li Zhu's chill demeanor toward him seem all the more striking.

Noticing Zhao Weizhen still scrutinizing them, Li Zhu thought for a moment before raising her eyes to meet Pei Zhaoye's gaze.

Though unharmed, he had a close call dealing with Lu Yu and Changjun simultaneously. Drenched in sweat as if pulled from water, he was breathing heavily, beads of perspiration dripping from his ink-black hair.

Beneath his defined hairline, his eyes clearly reflected the image of the young woman glaring.

"I hate you."

"I'll never trust you again!"

His dark pupils abruptly contracted.

"Military Commandant Xu," Zhao Weizhen said to the military officer beside him, "the second son of the Pei family is your son-in-law. You and Chieftain Pei will escort her there. Let's settle this matter tonight so I can report back to the Prefect."

The second son of the Pei family?

Pei Yinzhi was the son of the second branch. This "second son of the Pei family" must be the father of the real Pei Yinzhi.

From their scraps of conversation, Li Zhu pieced together the broader picture.

She never expected that capturing her would involve the Yiling Pei clan!

But how could that be?

In her previous life, everyone knew that before Pei Zhaoye entered officialdom under the identity of "Pei Yinzhi," the Yiling Pei clan had not produced a single official for three generations. That was why people said the emergence of "Pei Yinzhi" was their luck finally turning for the Pei family.

Yet now, the Yiling Pei clan was so closely connected to the Wan Commandery Tan clan.

They even dared to involve the Pei clan in the mission to assassinate the princess. This was no ordinary friendship—it had to be a relationship of deep loyalty.

Deep loyalty.

What kind of loyalty?

If such a relationship existed, why did Pei Zhaoye show no mercy toward the Tan clan in her previous life?

Aside from Empress Qin and the young emperor Shen Fu, who were untouchable, almost the entire Tan clan in her previous life had their titles revoked, were dismissed from office, executed, or exiled. Only Tan Xun remained in the court as the sole survivor.

And even that was only because Pei Zhaoye said Tan Xun was her ex-husband. Stripping him of his official position too thoroughly would make Li Zhu lose face, so he was given a ceremonial title to maintain the Tan family's last shred of dignity.

What exactly was the relationship between Pei Zhaoye, the Pei clan, and the Tan clan? What grudges lay between them?

The situation was messy, and Li Zhu couldn't make sense of it for the moment. She could only follow the guards into the sedan chair.

For now, her curiosity about the Pei clan overshadowed her fear of being captured.

Still, Li Zhu had some guesses.

When Pei Zhaoye asked her to trust him one more time, he likely intended to ditch these guys first and then find an opportunity to rescue her later.

Given the current circumstances, this was the only way to escape.

However...

She peeked out the curtain and glanced at the figure outside the carriage window, tilting her head curiously.

Things were going according to plan.

But why did he look so... pissed off?

-

After passing through several streets, the residence adorned with lanterns bearing the character "Pei" gradually came into view in the night. A few figures stood by the gate, seemingly waiting for them.

Li Zhu recalled many things.

In her previous life, after marriage, she had met the Pei family.

It was nearing the New Year, their second year of marriage. The rift between the couple had gradually healed, and they were deeply in love.

As the princess's residence prepared for the New Year's banquet, Li Zhu suddenly had a sudden thought: she wanted to invite the Pei family to Luoyang for a reunion.

"...Though Your Highness means well, my relatives are simple country folk, unsophisticated and ignorant. I fear they might offend you. Let's drop the idea."

Pei Yinzhi—or rather, Pei Zhaoye—politely declined several times at first.

But Li Zhu insisted:

"They are your uncle and aunt. Your parents passed away early, and they are your only remaining relatives. You've been too busy with official duties to return home all these years. Our dynasty governs with benevolence and filial piety. It's only right that I invite them to Luoyang to meet you."

"Besides—"

Back then, Li Zhu hooked her arms around his neck and gently nuzzled his cheek.

"You treat me so well. Even if your family has some minor quirks, I'm willing to be tolerant."

It couldn’t be worse than dealing with Tan Xun's large family, who were a handful and often bullied her.

Li Zhu added this to herself.

Pei Zhaoye eventually agreed. Two days before the New Year, the Pei family arrived at the princess's residence and stayed for five days.

"What's the big deal? Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin are all very kind. Nothing like how you described them."

Li Zhu happily admired the jade bracelets her aunt had given her under the candlelight.

Though she owned many bracelets far more beautiful than these—even Tan Xun's mother had reluctantly given her some in the past—none held a place in her heart like these.

Li Zhu cupped his face and said softly:

"You have no family in Luoyang. How about I invite them here more often to keep you company?"

Pei Zhaoye only smiled, kissed the corner of her lips, and didn't commit.

In Li Zhu's memory, Pei Zhaoye's elders were kind, amiable, and respectful, while her cousin was also warm and cheerful, engaging in pleasant conversations with Li Zhu.

During their brief gatherings, Li Zhu was reluctant each time they parted.

How could such a family be involved in those schemes and plots—

"You little bastard certainly has some tricks up your sleeve. The Commandant sent so many people out and couldn't find him, yet you managed to."

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Zhu was stunned and yanked open the curtain.

In front of the Pei residence stood a stern-looking, square-jawed man.

Who else could it be but Pei Zhaoye's uncle, whom she had met in Luoyang, patting Pei Zhaoye's shoulder and calling him "good nephew" repeatedly?

Pei's uncle glanced in Li Zhu's direction and sneered:

"However, didn’t you used to put on a lofty act, too proud to do these dirty jobs for the powerful? What, now that you see some benefit coming your way, you little bastard also knows to lead people here, waiting eagerly for a reward?"

The once warm and loving scenes between them were still vivid in her mind, and upon hearing these words, Li Zhu was dumbstruck.

Pei Zhaoye stood at the foot of the steps, looking up to meet his condescending gaze.

He seemed to be in a very bad mood.

His mind still echoing the two furious sentences the young woman had shouted at him, Pei Zhaoye truly had no patience for his nonsense.

"Old relic."

Pei's uncle abruptly changed expression.

"If you don’t want to end up with a lame leg like your good nephew, get out of the way. I still have a few words to say to the Qins' dog, but with you, the Pei family’s dog, I have nothing to discuss."