Hua Shangle rubbed his hands together and paced back and forth in the room, asking about the situation every 15 minutes.

"How's it going in Pingzhou?"

He's probably even more anxious than Wei Li himself right now.

Of course, how could he not be anxious?

He was the one who burned down the Qingzhou granary, and he was also the one who, along with Wei Li, set a trap for Liu Huan and Wang Zhiyao.

He had long been fed up with living between Qingzhou and Youzhou. Wang Zhiyao and Liu Huan treated him like dirt; every time they fought, it affected his Jizhou. And the crucial areas weren't even theirs, yet they didn't care at all, recklessly trampling and mocking him, leaving the poor people of Jizhou living in constant fear.

He's a person, a person with a temper, not someone made of dough.

Although Wei Li wasn't exactly a good person either, at least he was a man of few words and didn't cause much trouble. He had set a trap for Wei Li, and if this could weaken the strength of Qingzhou and Youzhou, then he could enjoy peace forever.

Fortune favors the bold, and even if not for himself, he was willing to take the risk for the sake of all the people of Jizhou.

"Report! Liu Huan has captured three cities in Pingzhou. Currently, the two sides' forces are at a standstill, and it seems that a dispute has broken out."

Hua Shangle's breathing quickened, and he began to get excited. "This is great! This is great!"

Let's fight! Let's fight!

If Wei Li hadn't been shot and disappeared, the two men would likely have remained wary and wouldn't have broken off relations so easily. But with Wei Li's whereabouts unknown and three cities captured in quick succession, they naturally couldn't help but lower their guard.

All three cities fell to Liu Huan. Wang Zhiyao not only didn't get a sip of meat soup, but now he's also lost six granaries. Anyone else would find this unbearable.

Half an hour later, someone else reported, "Liu Huan and Wang Zhiyao have started fighting each other!"

When Liu Huan captured the first city in Pingzhou, Xie Qingyu received the news and led his men to Pingzhou.

Xiao Tao missed Zhao Xiheng dearly and asked to go with her.

When Xie Qingyu was on a mission to Pingzhou last time, she knelt outside the courtyard for a whole day, hoping that Xie Qingyu would take her with him. But Xie Qingyu dissuaded her, saying, "A-Dan sent you out so that you could have a better life. Do you want to disappoint her again and go back into the tiger's den? Wouldn't that mean her wish would be in vain?"

After being persuaded like that, Xiao Tao finally gave up the idea.

But this time was different; she was determined to go with Xie Qingyu to bring Zhao Xiheng back. Xie Qingyu couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had no choice but to take her along.

Xiao Tao refused to turn back even after hitting a wall. No matter how difficult the journey was, she never complained and gritted her teeth to make it to Dandong.

Zhao Xiheng chose a dilapidated courtyard on the west side of the mansion. The place was too shady, never letting in sunlight in spring, summer, autumn, or winter; it was used for pickling sauerkraut and storing salted vegetables. The security outside wasn't heavy; if she climbed over there, she should be able to escape smoothly.

As soon as she entered, she was greeted by the sour, pungent smell of pickled vegetables. Zhao Xiheng licked her lips, remembering the pickled cabbage and pork rib soup she had last night.

Zhao Xiheng tried to measure it. This height would have been no problem for her in the past. Even if she couldn't land safely, she would at most fall.

She touched her belly, but it seemed impossible now. She was carrying a baby, and the pregnancy was too early. What if she hurt the little one if she turned over and over?

Miscalculation! I should have had someone meet her outside.

If she could leave through the door openly and honestly, that would be the safest option, so Zhao Xiheng decided to make one last attempt.

She covered herself with a straw hat. "I want to go out. Surely you can let me out?"

"Madam, it is not safe outside right now. Please stay in the manor."

"Can't you follow me too?" Zhao Xiheng tried to force her way in. "If you're so capable, tie me up and send me back."

The guards looked at each other, not daring to argue with her or actually lay a hand on her. So they closed the door, keeping Zhao Xiheng inside, and no matter how much she knocked, they wouldn't open it.

Zhao Xiheng knocked on the door, and they called out an apology.

Knowing that there was no hope of leaving through the gate, Zhao Xiheng found an old cart in the flower garden, spread cotton quilts all over it, and then threw the quilts one by one over the low wall.

If she falls without incident, that's fine. But if she does fall, she can use these blankets to cushion her fall.

There were twenty or thirty quilts in total. Under normal circumstances, she could throw two or three at a time, but the situation was special now. She dared not lift heavy objects or stretch her arms too much. She could only throw one at a time, and after throwing two or three times, she would stop and rest for a while.

I was busy from morning till afternoon, my arms ached from exhaustion, and then I sighed as I looked at the wall.

Zhao Xiheng felt a little sad, and her eyes stung.

When other families have a pregnant woman, they treat her like a precious treasure. Why should she, with a child, have to work herself to the bone and run for her life?

Wei Li is a beast. He used to speak so sweetly, making promises without batting an eye. Last time he encountered the assassin, he even said, "I'm here, what can you do to me?"

Where is he now? Nobody knows where he's gone. Before he left, he said he'd come back to strangle her and take her with him. You've got the guts, come back and strangle her!

When her child asks who her father is in the future, can she say he was a large animal that was killed?

The more Zhao Xiheng thought about it, the more heartbroken she became, and she squatted down to wipe away her tears.

Thinking about it won't help; she has to go out.

She must have had the worst luck in the world to run into Wei Li. Zhao Xiheng cursed as she climbed up the wall.

Fortunately, the wall wasn't smooth, so she climbed it fairly easily, marveling that she was still as good as ever and hadn't forgotten her childhood tree-climbing skills.

When they climbed onto the top of the wall, they looked down and were immediately dumbfounded.

She had never left the mansion before, and never imagined that the outer wall of the mansion was structured in this way, with a shallow inner wall and a deep outer wall, and an extra amount of earth and bricks inside.

It's easy for people inside to climb up the wall, but getting down is not so simple.

Zhao Xiheng threw down more than twenty quilts. Now the height of the quilts outside from her is the same as the height of her from the ground inside the wall. The key is that each quilt is not neatly stacked together. They are uneven, with some places being thick and others thin. If they fall, who knows where they will land.

There was no way to roll back, so I had to grit my teeth and jump out, hoping to land safely on the bedding without getting hurt.

She's tough and can withstand a few bumps, but she's carrying something precious with her.

The outer wall was exceptionally smooth. She probed for a long time before finding her first foothold, gripping the edge of the wall tightly, taking each step with utmost care.

"Madam!" someone suddenly shouted hoarsely at her, "Madam, what are you doing?"

Zhao Xiheng, feeling guilty, lost her grip on the wall and fell backward.

In a flash, without thinking, she instinctively covered her stomach.

As her head slammed onto the ground in excruciating pain, she cursed, "Damn it, I used so many pads, and not one of them was even worth it."

That's fucking weird. She left her blankets outside for almost a whole day, and nobody noticed. How come people suddenly appeared just when she climbed over the wall? Where were you all this time?

Suddenly everything went black, and he fainted, losing consciousness completely.

Then came shouts from a group of people, some calling for a doctor, others calling for her.

Everyone was sweating profusely, fearing that something had happened to Zhao Xiheng.

When Wei Li entered, the female physician was carrying a basin of bloody water and was walking out. She bowed to him.

His legs were too weak to stand, but he managed to grab the door frame. He ripped off the black veil and hat on his head, his eyes bloodshot, and then waved away the guard's hand before staggering inside.

No one expected that Wei Li, who was said to have been shot by an arrow and disappeared, would actually return.

After Wei Li fell from his horse in Tiangang City, he saw that Liu Huan and Wang Zhiyao were fighting each other, and he knew that the battle was in the bag.

He was thinking of Zhao Xiheng at home, so he left early to come back and see her.

She's timid. If she found out she was missing, she'd probably be at home unable to eat or drink, her eyes brimming with tears. How pathetic.

There are many good things in Qingzhou and Youzhou. If things go smoothly this time, she can exchange Wang Zhiyao and Liu Huan for a lot. When the warehouse is full, she will be happy to get the key.

But no matter how much he planned, he never expected it to turn out like this.

Zhao Xiheng collapsed on the bed, her head wrapped in gauze. She looked serene and pale, as fragile as a porcelain doll, as if she might die at any moment.

Wei Li's heart was throbbing with pain, his vision was blurred, and he could barely breathe.

The guard said she fell and hit her head while climbing the wall. Why would you, a silly little girl, climb a wall in the first place?

Where are the servants? Why don't they keep an eye on things?

If only he had come back sooner, he could have kept an eye on her and she wouldn't have gotten into this mess. It's his fault.

He didn't tell her anything. She was so young and valued her life, so she stayed in the mansion all day. She could only hear news from outside. She thought that Pingzhou had really fallen, which is why she wanted to climb over the wall and go out.

It's all his fault. If only he had told her the whole plan instead of scaring her.

Zhao Xiheng, please be alright. I'm sorry, I promise I'll never scare you again.

Wei Li's hands were trembling so badly that he finally managed to hold Zhao Xiheng's hand, which was ice-cold.

Wei Li burst into tears. He placed her hand in his palm, trying to warm it by rubbing it, and tears streamed down his face, landing on Zhao Xiheng's face.

He hurriedly wiped it off for her.

"My lord..." The guard wanted to speak, but seeing how sad Wei Li was, he decided to organize his thoughts.

Wei Li kissed her fingertips; the young man was crying so hard he could barely speak.

"Get out! Get out!" Wei Li shouted hysterically, not wanting to listen to anyone.

The guard lay down tremblingly, curled himself into a ball on the ground, and then actually rolled out.

Wei Li had been barely able to stand, but now that only he and Zhao Xiheng were left in the room, his eyes were red, and the legs of this tough man went weak, causing him to kneel down in front of the bed.

He held Zhao Xiheng's hand and burst into tears.