Gu An'an is never afraid of offending people.

Since we've already offended them, what's there to be afraid of?

"At your age, you're still trying to marry Chen Shu, no wonder you haven't become a prince. If you weren't born into the royal family, what good would your abilities be? I wouldn't even consider you a shop assistant in my store, you're too clumsy."

Gu An'an launched into a tirade of sarcasm, causing the Fourth Prince's face to flush red and then pale. "Gu An'an, do you really think I wouldn't dare to deal with you?"

He is a prince, and if he really wanted to kill someone, it would be as easy as turning his hand.

"If you dared, why bother kidnapping me?" Gu An'an chuckled. "Your Highness, you know your own limitations perfectly well, so why do you need me to expose you? Besides, do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

These words made the Fourth Prince's heart skip a beat, and his expression became slightly serious. "Don't think you can scare me. I am..."

Gu An'an's movements were much faster than his tongue. "Your Highness, I know your men searched me before, but why didn't they take this hairpin?"

Now, this golden hairpin is pressed against the fourth prince's Adam's apple. "With just a little force, blood will rush into Your Highness's throat and trachea, and you will choke and suffer. Do you know that? It's a hundred or a thousand times worse than drowning, because there's no way to save you."

Gu An'an's voice was incredibly gentle as she patiently coaxed him. Looking at the beads of sweat on his forehead, she considerately wiped them away. "Is Your Highness afraid?"

The fourth prince remained silent.

Gu An'an laughed, "Your Highness really doesn't seem like our Emperor's son, he's such a coward."

She took the person hostage and left.

There were very few people in the villa, and no guards appeared.

As a result, the fourth prince was truly at the mercy of others.

As he descended the steps, his movements were slightly too large, and Gu An'an, caught off guard, accidentally scratched the delicate skin on her neck with the gold hairpin, causing blood to seep out.

"Your Highness was really careless. Please don't do it again next time. What if I accidentally slipped? Even if I die, I'm just a worthless life, but Your Highness is different."

Gu An'an patiently persuaded, "Please don't risk your precious health for my life, it's not worth it."

"Believe it or not, I'll tear you to pieces sooner or later."

He never imagined that he would be defeated by a young woman.

If I manage to escape this ordeal today, I will absolutely not forgive Gu An'an easily.

Even if it costs a lot!

Gu An'an laughed, "Of course I believe you, Your Highness. You are of royal lineage. But please remember, Your Highness, I am a person who always distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. Please wait patiently, I will always give you some surprises."

The gatekeeper of the villa never expected that his master would be taken hostage. Just as he was about to cautiously open the door, it was unexpectedly kicked open from the outside.

Gu An'an was somewhat surprised, but fortunately she always reacted quickly. She put away the gold hairpin in her hand and dodged to the side. The Fourth Prince was not so lucky.

Originally intending to seize the opportunity and capture Gu An'an, he didn't expect that this person was even more slippery than an eel and actually ran away.

They even kicked him, making him fall to the ground.

When the fourth prince came to his senses, he saw a cold light flashing in front of him; it was the light gleaming from the blade of a sword.

His heart skipped a beat. "It's you?"

“Your Highness, taking women and children hostage is not the act of a gentleman, especially since you are of royal lineage.” The man’s voice was calm. “I would appreciate it if Your Highness would tidy yourself up and come with me to see His Majesty, so that he may uphold justice.”

The Fourth Prince's heart trembled upon hearing this. "I had no idea that the General would care so much about a mere woman. May I ask, what is this Manager Gu's relationship with the General?"

General.

Gu An'an looked at the person standing there with a long sword in his hand. She never expected that Jiang Yong'an had a mysterious identity and was actually a general.

Is this a joke?

The entire Daye Dynasty currently has only one Grand General, An Yu, whose fief is Anping County.

Gu An'an had previously asked Jiang Yong'an if he knew General An.

She's dancing right in front of the person in question and doesn't even realize it?

Gu An'an had mixed feelings, but her face remained relatively calm.

Jiang Yong'an didn't even glance at her, his gaze as intense as a hawk's, staring straight at the person lying on the ground. "Does Your Highness not know that she is from Anping County?"

The fourth prince was taken aback, and the smile on his face turned cold. "Is that so? There are so many people in Anping County. It turns out that the general loves the people like his own children, taking such good care of each and every one of them."

“Anping County Government has been operating at a loss for years. Manager Gu has helped the county government manage the business. I owe Manager Gu a debt, so what harm is there in helping him out?” Jiang Yong’an looked calmly at the person who had fallen to the ground. “But Your Highness, seeing him like this, I wonder what His Majesty’s reaction would be.”

This reminder jolted the Fourth Prince awake. He realized that his kidnapping of women and children was hardly a righteous act, and he had been caught red-handed by An Yu. If this were to reach his father, the Emperor, An Yu might falsely accuse him, and the Fourth Prince would suffer the consequences.

He wasn't afraid of General An, but his father's attitude towards him had always been uncertain. If he wanted to be the one to kill An Yu, he would need his father's tacit approval.

"I was just joking with Manager Gu, why is General An taking it so seriously? You're making a mountain out of a molehill." The Fourth Prince stood up as if nothing had happened, his fingers brushing over the blood seeping from his neck, then gently licking it.

Gu An'an really wanted to tell him that illness can enter through the mouth.

But I still managed to keep my mouth shut.

"Is that so? Then it is my fault, Madam Gu. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Jiang Yong'an's gaze finally fell on Gu An'an. Looking at the gold hairpin tightly clutched in her palm, his eyes darkened slightly, but the shadow of his gaze vanished in an instant.

"It's nothing, it's just that the Fourth Prince invited me to be a guest, but it's a bit too informal."

Gu An'an met those dark eyes and smiled, "The general loves his people like his own children, which is truly a blessing for us. However, I am just an ordinary woman and cannot accept such a favor."

Having said that, he walked past Jiang Yong'an and left directly.

Jiang Yong'an stood there, motionless.

The Fourth Prince was surprised that Gu An'an would agree with him. Recalling the coercion he had just suffered at the hands of the General, his tone turned colder. "General An, next time you should figure things out before you act. I can let it go, but if it were someone else who took it seriously, you'd better not think about it..."

Those words were suppressed by the cold blade of the sword.

Seeing the sword resting on his shoulder, the Fourth Prince's expression changed drastically. "An Yu, do you intend to rebel?"

"Whose rebellion are you talking about? Does the Fourth Prince think he's His Majesty?" Jiang Yong'an sneered. "It's too early to say."

It's too early to say.

The words echoed in the Fourth Prince's mind, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Whose side is An Yu on?