VGAB Chapter 10

As night fell, the number of guards patrolling the mansion gradually increased. Outside the Purple Bamboo Courtyard, a maidservant walked out with her head lowered, coincidentally passing by a row of guards.

The maidservant named Huan’er stopped in her tracks, waiting until the guards were further away before letting out a sigh of relief. She reached for her left sleeve and felt the thick envelope hidden underneath. Then, she lowered her head again and headed towards the mansion’s main gate.

“Miss Huan’er,” one of the gatekeepers looked puzzled, “It’s quite late. Why are you going out?”

Huan’er halted her steps and forced a smile, pretending to complain, “Our Lady suddenly wanted Zhang’s Restaurant’s steamed chicken, and she ordered me to buy it. It’s already so late; I’m not sure if they’re still open.”

“It’s quite late, and it might not be safe to go out.”

Huan’er sighed, “I feel the same way, but when Lady gives an order, us servants can’t refuse.”

The guard looked at her sympathetically, “Miss Huan’er, you should go quickly, the sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back.”

Huan’er feigned another complaint before swiftly leaving the mansion’s gate. As soon as she passed the corner and confirmed that the guards couldn’t see her, her expression changed. She turned and walked into another secluded alley.

However, she hadn’t gone far when a figure in black suddenly appeared in front of her. She didn’t even have time to scream before the person swiftly delivered a knife-hand strike to the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious in an instant.

Huan’er collapsed to the ground, and the man who had attacked her, Zheng Er, stood behind her. He retrieved a letter from her, saying, “Take her to the dungeon. Don’t forget to get that letter from her first.”

The person in black remained motionless, and Zheng Er glared at him. The person in black stepped back cautiously, saying, “What are you looking at me for? Why don’t you go get it yourself? How can I, a grown man, search a young girl’s body?”

He hasn’t even married yet, and he hasn’t even held a girl’s hand. He doesn’t want to compromise his purity.

Zheng Er clenched his teeth and said, “You’re a man, am I not?”

The person in black shrugged, “You were the one who noticed something was wrong with her, not me. I won’t fight you for this credit. I’ll leave first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the person in black leaped into the air and landed on the roof. With a whooshing sound, he disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a cloud of dust that slowly settled.

Zheng Er, covered in dust, had a blackened face.

…

In the Shoukang Palace, Qi Yuyao had just finished accompanying the Empress Dowager for dinner. She returned to the side hall and was surprised to see an unexpected person there.

“Yan’er?”

Zhao Yan’er had been resting with her head on the table. When she heard the voice, she quickly raised her head and looked towards the door. She stood up in excitement and rushed forward, deeply moved. “Yuyao, do you know how close I came to…” being killed by your father.

Qi Yuyao was a bit puzzled by her attitude but allowed Zhao Yan’er to hug her without resistance. She couldn’t help but chuckle and say, “In the past, people used to say that a day without seeing someone feels like three autumns. I couldn’t quite understand it then. Now, seeing how clingy you are, I get it. Yan’er, you’re quite the little sticky person, too.”

Zhao Yan’er felt a bitter pain in her heart as she looked at Qi Yuyao’s smiling face. She couldn’t bring herself to reveal the truth. She couldn’t just say, “Actually, I’m from a different ethnic group, and I confessed everything under your father’s oppression, fearing that he might change his mind and kill me.”

Zhao Yan’er let go of Qi Yuyao’s hand. Even without looking up, she knew that the gentle and beautiful female protagonist in the original story was now smiling at her. With tears in her eyes, Zhao Yan’er reluctantly accepted the title of being a clingy person.

“I just missed you. Yuyao, no matter where you go next time, you can’t leave me behind.”

Zhao Yan’er was truly terrified. She was afraid that if she left the female protagonist’s side again, she would be knocked unconscious and thrown into the dungeon. She had made up her mind to cling to the female protagonist’s thigh and strive to be enveloped by her halo.

In the original story, the Prince doted on the female protagonist a lot. As long as she stayed by the female protagonist’s side, the Prince would definitely not harm her in her presence.

Zhao Yan’er believed her plan was foolproof.

The next day, the army was assembled outside the city gate. Qin Yue, dressed in silver-gray armor, sat high on his horse. Qi Heng, Qi Shao, and other ministers stood at the city gate, awaiting the arrival of Emperor Jin Yuan.

As the sun rose higher, a detachment of imperial guards approached from a distance, with Emperor Jin Yuan’s carriage following behind.

“His Majesty has arrived.”

“We respectfully welcome Your Majesty.” Everyone knelt down, and the carriage came to a slow stop in front of them.

Emperor Jin Yuan, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, stepped out of the imperial carriage. His gaze fell on the only person standing among the others, Prince Chen.

Even he had to admit that Prince Chen looked exceptionally handsome as if all the grace and beauty accumulated by the Qi family over a hundred years had been bestowed upon him alone. The morning sun cast its radiant glow on his dark ceremonial robes, making it seem like he was draped in a golden veil.

Qi Heng had no intention of deciphering the deeper meaning in Emperor Jin Yuan’s eyes. He made a respectful gesture and said, “Your Majesty.”

“I’ve come to bid farewell to my younger brother.” Emperor Jin Yuan waved his hand, signaling everyone to rise. Lin Dahai held a tray containing a silver wine jug, and beside it were two wine goblets.

Lin Dahai bowed and walked to the side of the two brothers, slightly raising the tray. Emperor Jin Yuan took the wine jug, poured wine into the two goblets, and then set down the jug. He handed one of the goblets to Qi Heng.

“I’ll be here to wish my younger brother a triumphant return.”

“Your brother will not disappoint Your Majesty’s trust.” Qi Heng calmly accepted the goblet and without hesitation, he downed the wine in one gulp.

“Your Majesty!” Qin Yue shouted loudly. He had already dismounted and hurriedly approached the group. “The time has come. The army should depart.”

He paused for a moment and then said with a playful smile, “I understand that Your Majesty cares deeply for Prince Chen and is reluctant to let him go to Anling where he may face danger. But the time has truly come, and we cannot delay any longer.”

Emperor Jin Yuan set down his goblet. “Since the time has come, then you should depart.”

Qi Shao, who had been treated like an invisible person on the side: “…”

“Father…”

Qi Shao hesitated, wanting to say, “Your Majesty, you haven’t secretly taught me how to monitor Prince Chen yet.” However, Emperor Jin Yuan hadn’t even glanced at him from start to finish. He could only watch helplessly as Emperor Jin Yuan returned to his imperial carriage.

…

Qin Yue furrowed his brow, appearing troubled as he spoke, “But we need to reach Du Ma Town before nightfall. If we stop to rest, we might not make it in time. This road is already rugged, and it will be even harder to traverse at night. If we’re going to rest, we’ll have to set up camp on this mountain and continue our journey tomorrow morning.”

“We’ll camp on the mountain if that’s what’s decided,” Qi Shao eagerly replied, though he realized he was too hasty. He explained with an evasive look, “I’m doing this for the well-being of our soldiers. After all, having sufficient energy is crucial to make faster progress.”

Out of Qi Shao’s view, Qin Yue flashed a slightly triumphant smile at Qi Heng before turning back, maintaining a serious demeanor. “Very well, in that case, we’ll press on for another half hour and set up camp in a somewhat flatter area ahead. I remember there’s a river there, so our soldiers can fetch water as well.”

…

Another half hour of riding.

Qi Shao’s face fell, but for the sake of his pride, he couldn’t say much more. He could only hope that this half-hour would pass quickly.

As the horse jolted, Qi Shao’s thigh was grazed again. It hurt so much that he couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

At that moment, Qi Shao found himself regretting his decision to request the journey to Anling. Why did he leave the comfort of his previous life to endure this hardship?

After another half hour of marching, under Qi Shao’s persistent thoughts, they finally arrived at the riverbank that Qin Yue had mentioned.

Qi Heng dismounted, and Zheng Er immediately stepped forward to take the reins from him, leading Qi Heng’s horse and his own to a nearby spot for drinking water.

This time, Qi Heng had only brought Zheng Er and fifteen personal guards with him. Zheng Yi was left behind in the capital to protect Qi Yuyao. While Qi Heng trusted that Emperor Jin Yuan would not harm Qi Yuyao, he couldn’t be sure about the scheming of the imperial court, especially with the young princesses and princes born to the imperial concubines.

Qi Yuyao had grown up in a rural setting and was unaware of the treacherous nature of the court. Who knew if she might be manipulated?

So Qi Heng had decided to leave Zheng Yi in the capital. Zheng Yi was meticulous, and with Zhao Yan’er, who knew the plot, by his side, nothing major should happen.

“Crown Prince?” Qin Yue dismounted and looked at Qi Shao, who remained seated on his horse, somewhat puzzled. “Weren’t you just saying that we should take a rest? Now that we’ve stopped, why aren’t you getting off your horse?”

“I’m quite comfortable resting up here,” Qi Shao replied with a strange expression, glaring at Qin Yue with a hint of anger.

“Oh~” Qin Yue nodded thoughtfully, his eyes filled with obvious teasing. “Well, Crown Prince, enjoy your rest up there. General and I will take a stroll over there.”

Qi Shao was fuming. This man clearly knew what he was up to and was intentionally mocking him.

“C-Crown Prince!” A eunuch who had hurried over, panting, saw Qi Shao’s changing expressions and felt uneasy.

“Why don’t you help me down?” Qi Shao grimaced as he spoke, making an attempt to dismount. However, the movement aggravated his injury, and he winced in pain, his brows furrowing tightly.

Qin Yue, witnessing this, couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, thinking that it served Qi Shao right.

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