"I wonder if the general is working for His Highness Prince Jing or for Prime Minister Cui?"

A faint smile graced Jiang Jiaojiao's round face as she gazed softly at the general's face, not missing a single subtle change in his expression.

When the young general heard the name "Prime Minister Cui," his eyes narrowed slightly for a fleeting moment. Although this change was extremely brief, it did not escape the notice of Jiang Jiaojiao, who was keeping a close eye on him.

Jiang Jiaojiao had almost revealed his identity in one sentence, but the young general showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed heartily.

A hint of scrutiny and surprise appeared on his face.

"I had long heard that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family was an ignorant and incompetent good-for-nothing, but now that I've met her, I realize that those rumors were nothing but empty words!"

The young general's gaze shifted from Jiang Jiaojiao to Prince Chen.

The handsome, almost demonic man stood quietly beside Jiang Jiaojiao, looking... submissive and obedient?

It creates a strange sense of matching.

"Since you know my identity as a princess, you still want to attack me. I suppose you don't intend to let us leave alive?"

Jiang Jiaojiao chuckled softly.

His gaze swept over the man in black, and a smile played on his lips. "I wonder if Prime Minister Cui told you who to pin the blame for killing the prince when he sent you the message?"

These words were spoken.

The man in black, who had been secretly pleased that reinforcements had arrived, tensed up instantly as if struck by lightning.

His expressionless, calm face twitched slightly, and a look of shock and anger quickly spread across his face.

"Hahaha--"

The young general panicked for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. A sinister killing intent quietly welled up deep in his eyes, as cold and piercing as the water of a frozen pool.

"What a sharp tongue you have! But the ones I'm going to kill today are just a few petty thieves who dared to impersonate princes and princesses. What does this have to do with you, Prime Minister?"

They just admitted it like that?

Jiang Jiaojiao was stunned. She had just tricked him out of it like that?

Prince Chen shifted slightly, adopting a more protective stance, and gripped the gleaming dagger hidden in his sleeve.

really--

No sooner had he finished speaking than the young general raised his right hand sharply and shouted, "Fire the arrows—"

The sound exploded in the air like thunder.

Dao Qing, Dao Hong, and the Dragon Guards instantly formed a defensive stance, protecting the carriage without hesitation.

"puff--"

"puff--'"

"puff--"

A sound like a crossbow bolt piercing flesh!

The Dragon Guards did not move, but...

The man in black opposite them was caught off guard, struck by a crossbow bolt, and fell to the ground with a thud!

Jiang Jiaojiao's eyes widened instantly, and she involuntarily took a step back. Without hesitation, Prince Chen took a big step forward and firmly protected Jiang Jiaojiao behind him.

The atmosphere changed abruptly.

The young player was slightly taken aback, then a "I knew it" expression appeared on his face, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

really……

This is the true appearance of Prince Chen; his sickly and arrogant demeanor was all a lie!

Prince Jing and Prime Minister Cui... were both deceived by him.

This news will definitely fetch a good price!

The young general's eyes instantly turned fiery, as if the Prince Chen before him was plated with gold, incredibly precious!

Blood spread across the ground.

The man in black never expected that he would die at the hands of his own people. Oh no, this general's true master was not Prince Jing, but Prime Minister Cui!

It's a pity, and it's also hateful—

I was unable to inform His Highness Prince Jing of this news.

To prevent their failure, His Highness Prince Jing specifically notified his men, who were secretly stationed in the Xishan camp, to mobilize troops. Unexpectedly... this man had already betrayed them.

The man in black died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

At the young general's command, the crossbows were raised once more—

He revealed his bright white teeth and gave Jiang Jiaojiao and Prince Chen a regretful yet cruel smile, "On your way to the Yellow Springs, you'd better recognize that the one who wants to kill you... is His Highness Prince Jing."

Prince Jing can't get rid of this blame no matter what.

"puff--"

"puff--'"

"puff--"

The crossbow bolts shot out like lightning, carrying a sharp whistling sound and a deadly threat.

In an instant, someone let out a dull thud and collapsed to the ground!

The young player's confident smile froze instantly, as if time had stood still.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the fallen figure in front of him—it was the crossbowman he had carefully trained and on whom he had placed his hopes!

The young player was filled with shock and anger, exclaiming, "Who is it—"

"call out--"

A single arrow to the throat.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing into the air and forming a crimson mist. The young general, who had been extremely arrogant, swayed and fell headfirst off his horse like a kite with a broken string.

With a loud bang, he crashed heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

He died with his eyes wide open in disbelief!

Suddenly, countless figures emerged from the woods, surrounding the soldiers with lightning speed, leaving no gaps.

Each镖师 (bodyguard/escort) gripped a crossbow bolt that emitted a chilling gleam, its arrowhead flashing with deadly light, aimed directly at the besieged troops.

A man with a round face walked out laughing, "Princess, you are truly a genius! Hahaha... I've been lying in ambush in the woods for so long I'm practically growing mushrooms, I've almost forgotten what it's like to be a bandit."

"Is the chief missing life on the mountain? Why not go back up the mountain and continue being a bandit?"

Jiang Jiaojiao asked with a smile.

The leader shuddered. "Heh heh, what leader? I'm a legitimate bodyguard now! We retired from the life of a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) a long time ago!"

"The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) is right. If there were any other way to survive, who would want to become a bandit?"

Dressed in the clothes of a bodyguard, Young Master Da Li pulled off his mask and stepped out, holding a crossbow. The arrow that had just sealed his throat was his doing.

Xiangling, who had been following him, saw Jiang Jiaojiao and her eyes lit up. She immediately ran over excitedly, "Princess—"

Dao Qing and Dao Hong knew Xiang Ling and Young Master Li.

I was stunned. Wasn't it said that one was beaten to death by Jiang Liu and the other committed suicide for love?

And where did this group of bodyguards come from?

Jiang Jiaojiao looked down at the leaderless soldiers, feeling bewildered, desperate, and angry...

The escorts numbered over a hundred, roughly the same as the soldiers, but the gleaming crossbows in their hands were far superior to those of the soldiers who had lost their crossbowmen, and even more so to their weapons and spears.

With the general dead, who among them would dare to make a move?

"Assassinating a princess or a prince of the current dynasty is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family."

Jiang Jiaojiao's clear yet authoritative voice boomed like thunder in the soldiers' ears.

The already somewhat panicked soldiers were thrown into complete disarray upon hearing this. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with terror and despair.

Fear spread rapidly like a plague. Assassinating a princess and a prince could not only endanger one's own life if investigated, but it could also implicate one's family and even lead to the annihilation of the entire clan.

At that very moment.

Jiang Jiaojiao parted her lips slightly and said slowly, "However... I know in my heart that you people are just following orders from above. Therefore, I am kind-hearted and am willing to mercifully grant you a chance to repent and start anew."

"It's up to you to choose."