Chapter 25 The Princess's Lover?

Jiang Fushi carefully avoided the patrol lights and came to the mountain stream that she had scouted during the day.

He would immerse the palace dress that could prove his identity in the water and let it be swept away by the rushing river. Then he would leave a pair of embroidered shoes that he had prepared beforehand in the grass on the riverbank, creating the scene of an accidental fall into the water.

She crouched by the river, nervously looking around and listening intently to any sounds from afar. After confirming that she hadn't overlooked anything, she hurried down the mountain along a secluded path, using the dim moonlight as her guide.

She had previously arranged with Lou Bingling that she would guard the mausoleum for seven days. During those seven days, Lou Bingling would arrange for someone to meet her at an abandoned mountain god temple at the foot of the mausoleum mountain. After making contact, they would hide in the market at the foot of the mountain for one night, and then set off to leave the city as soon as the city gates opened the next morning.

At this moment, Jiang Fushi felt both excited and apprehensive. She ran all the way, getting several cuts from tree branches before finally stopping.

She took deep breaths and realized that she had forgotten to light a lamp. So she took out a specially made tinderbox with medicinal incense from her sleeve, and with a gentle shake, a long-lasting red glow with a bitter medicinal smell appeared at the tip.

The firelight wasn't large, but it was enough to illuminate the map, and the smell it emitted helped her avoid some snakes and insects.

Soon, very soon, she silently encouraged herself: she would soon be able to escape this man-eating cage.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, her calves began to ache. Jiang Fushi found a flat rock in the dark and sat down to rest.

So tired...

Having lived in the palace for so long, surrounded by luxury and ease, her health was far less robust than when she used to gather herbs in the mountains. In the past, she could traverse even the steepest cliffs as easily as walking on flat ground, let alone this mountain path.

Leaning against the tree trunk, I massaged my swollen calves, but my thoughts drifted away.

How do we leave the capital after we make contact? Bingling is the Grand Commandant's daughter; arranging an inconspicuous carriage and a fake travel permit shouldn't be difficult.

What should you do after you escape?

Um……

I'm thinking of going home to visit my family.

It wasn't a palace, but that little courtyard in my memory, filled with the scent of herbs. I wondered if her little medicine stove was still there, and if the ginseng in the corner had already blossomed.

By the way, I'll visit my adoptive father's grave.

She was truly unfilial. Her adoptive father had raised her with great difficulty, taught her medicine, and was most worried about her before his death. Yet, in the deep palace for so many years, she couldn't even sweep his grave or add soil to his grave.

After settling things here and paying respects to her adoptive father, perhaps she could travel south. She'd heard that the Jiangnan region had a pleasant climate and abundant produce; she could open a small clinic there, practice medicine, and live a peaceful life...

Or perhaps, she could travel all over the world and become a carefree itinerant doctor.

There was no more scheming, no more constraints or pretense.

Thinking this, Jiang Fushi couldn't help but smile with longing.

Just as I was lost in my daydreams, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes beside me.

Jiang Fushi froze, then looked up abruptly, only to see a forest bird flapping its wings and flying out from among the branches and leaves.

She patted her pounding heart, breathed a sigh of relief, and, not daring to linger any longer, quickly got up and continued on her way.

We came to a fork in the road.

She took out a map and struggled to make out the shapes by the dim light of the fire. Then she looked at the two almost identical paths in front of her and was caught in a dilemma.

After much deliberation, she chose the path on the right, which seemed to be flatter.

We walked for quite a while longer.

Jiang Fushi discovered that the scenery here was becoming increasingly unfamiliar, completely unlike the direction marked on the map leading to the mountain god temple.

She felt a little panicked and stood there fearfully, swallowing hard as she thought about turning around and choosing another way, when a deep tiger roar suddenly rang out not far away!

Jiang Fushi was so frightened that her legs went weak and she fell to the ground, staring blankly.

Under the moonlight, the tiger's massive body emerged from behind the bushes, its eerie green eyes fixed intently on her.

It's a tiger!

She froze, her survival instinct spurring her to her feet and run forward without hesitation.

The tiger let out a deafening roar and pounced. Jiang Fushi heard a muffled thud as her forehead slammed into a loose, dead branch. A sharp pain exploded within her, and her vision blurred. She staggered and fell to the ground, hot, metallic breath already spraying onto the back of her neck…

A sudden gust of wind swept from behind her, forcing the tiger to retreat three steps!

Immediately afterward, a black figure darted out from her side, so fast that only a blur remained. It wasn't dodging, but rather charging straight at the tiger! He leaped forward and stomped hard on the tiger's forehead, using the momentum to somersault and land steadily behind the beast.

The tiger, gripped by pain and enraged, let out a thunderous roar and turned to pounce again!

With a loud "hum", the sword rang out, and a cold light was drawn from its sheath.

The man's wrist flicked swiftly, the sword drawing a cold arc in the air. Instead of thrusting or slashing, he used the spine of the sword to deliver a powerful blow to the tiger's side!

This seemingly silent strike contained hidden internal force, forcefully sweeping the hundreds-of-pounds-heavy beast several feet away with a dull thud.

Before the tiger could turn over, he pressed his advantage, wielding his longsword, leaping up and landing directly on the tiger's back. He pressed his knee firmly against the tiger's neck and pierced its throat with his sword.

Warm tiger blood gushed out instantly, some of it even splashing onto Jiang Fushi's face.

She covered her forehead and struggled to open her eyes. Through a blur of blood, she could only see the man's tall back, the night completely concealing his face and figure.

Who is it?

Why is this person here?

Should I follow her the whole time? Or...?

Jiang Fushi's eyes were glazed over as a strong wave of dizziness washed over her, and she finally couldn't hold on any longer and completely lost consciousness.

After confirming that the tiger was no longer breathing, Zhan Xiao sheathed his sword and walked towards her.

The princess's eyes were closed, her face pale. The man's hair, which had been tied up, had long since come loose, and his dark black hair was spread out on the ground, making his small face appear even paler and more fragile.

He bent down to examine her and found that apart from the bruise on her forehead, the princess had no other external injuries. She must have fainted due to excessive fright and the impact.

In the dead of night, the princess, disguised as a man, sneaked out of the palace. What was she going to do? It couldn't be to admire the moon so late.

Could it be that they eloped?

Zhan Xiao picked up the princess horizontally, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and used his lightness skill to walk on the branches, arriving at the fork in the road where the princess had hesitated earlier.

Standing on high ground and looking towards another road, one can see a group of figures emerging from the temple gate of the mountain god temple in the distance, holding torches and looking around anxiously, as if they are searching for something. The leader is well-dressed and is not an ordinary mountain dweller.

The princess's lover?

Zhan Xiao's eyes turned cold, and he immediately stopped hesitating. Carrying Jiang Fushi, he quietly bypassed her on the other side and walked along the secluded path back to the Zhai Palace.

Moonlight filtered through the sparse shadows of the trees, falling on his shoulders, and he instinctively tightened his arms around her. The woman in his arms was so light, like a handful of freshly melted snow, that he could hardly feel her weight.

As they approached the Zhaigong Palace, Zhanxiao stopped.

His task was to ensure the princess lived and remained under his control.

If her disappearance or coma is discovered, it will cause a huge uproar, and it will be far from being resolved by her mere foolishness.

He supported the princess's back with one hand and quickly removed her men's clothing, including her shoes.

He carried the princess, who was only dressed in her undergarments, away from the guards' sight, back to her room, placed her by the bed, and pretended to have slipped and bumped her forehead. He then gently wiped the tiger blood off her face with a damp cloth.

The princess kept her eyes closed and her breathing was even. Zhan Xiao glanced at her, straightened up, and silently searched the room. Finally, he found his gold-inlaid jeweled diamond-shaped mirror in his dressing case.

As he left, he deliberately knocked over the flowerpots by the window, leaving the door ajar. He then quietly departed and went to the riverbank where the princess had discarded her palace attire. He threw the men's clothing she had just been wearing into the river as well, watching as the churning water swept the clothes away completely.

He appeared in the heat of the fight, and although the princess fainted afterward, it's uncertain whether she will remember his silhouette or any details.

He was an assassin, not an ordinary bodyguard. If the princess remembered his physical characteristics and investigated further, I fear...

Zhan Xiao arrived at a secluded dense forest, took out a short whistle from his pocket, and slowly blew it to his lips.

Before long, a well-trained falcon swooped down and landed steadily on his forearm, which was covered with a leather wrist guard.

"quack……"

Zhan Xiao inserted a rolled-up piece of paper into the copper tube on its leg, then raised his hand and sent it into the night sky.

This side.

The sound of a flowerpot breaking startled Rongrong in the side room. She followed the sound and found the princess's room door wide open. She was immediately shocked and rushed in to check, where she found Jiang Fushi unconscious.

"Quick, quick, someone come here! The princess has fainted!"

This exclamation, like cold water dripping into boiling oil, instantly shattered the silence of the fasting palace.

When Jiang Fushi woke up again, it was already the next morning.

She opened her eyes groggily and looked around. The familiar curtains instantly snapped her back to reality, and she immediately gasped.

She...she...she's back!

Didn't she escape?

What's going on?!

But what does her coming back have to do with it! She clearly already escaped! What exactly happened?

She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and calmly pulled Qingdai, who was bringing her medicine, her voice carrying just the right amount of weakness and confusion: "Qingdai... what's wrong with me? What happened last night?"

"Your Highness." After putting down the medicine, Qingdai clutched her chest in lingering fear.

"You nearly scared me to death last night. You even fainted by the bedside. If Rongrong hadn't found you, you probably would have slept on the floor all night and caught a cold."

"You mean? I bumped my head on the headboard?" Jiang Fushi asked incredulously.

"Impossible! How could this be?" she frowned, then asked, "Then what's the deal with these clothes?"

She was dressed as a man last night, but when she woke up, she found that she was wearing her nightgown!

"Clothes? What's wrong with the clothes?" Qingdai asked, puzzled. "These are your usual undergarments. Is there a problem?"

Jiang Fushi felt like she was going crazy.

Was everything that happened last night just a dream?

She stood up in a daze, got out of bed, and only when her feet touched the ground did she feel a sense of reality, and her floating thoughts settled down.

Impossible, absolutely impossible. It's not a dream, it's real.

She must have been brought back by someone.

And it's highly likely that this person has been by her side all along.

Realizing this, a chill instantly ran through me.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, looking lost and dejected. A gust of cold autumn wind rushed in from the window, making her shiver.

This is truly terrifying...

Who exactly is that person?

Could they be people sent by Lou Bingling? But weren't they supposed to meet at the mountain god temple? If they rescued her, they should have taken her down the mountain as planned.

Why would they send her back?

Moreover, the area around the Zhai Palace is heavily guarded. If someone were to sneak in with her unconscious body, they would definitely be discovered immediately.

Since none of the above assumptions hold true...

Could it be that her father sent someone to spy on her?

I've heard that my father has such secret guards by his side, who are exceptionally skilled in martial arts and can appear and disappear without a trace.

But Father has no reason to do this.

But if it's not someone from the Emperor's faction, then no one else has any reason to do so.

Jiang Fushi curled up on the bed, hugging herself, a chill running through her heart.

I dare not imagine that if that person was truly placed by my father's side, then if what I did last night were to reach his ears, he would probably not let me off lightly.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She felt dizzy and her forehead was burning. She was too weak to attend the tomb-guarding ceremony that day and had to stay in bed claiming to be sick.

Night fell again.

Zisu laid out the dinner dishes one by one on the table. Jiang Fushi stared blankly at them and asked Qingdai beside her, "Did any news or imperial decrees come from the palace today?"

"Your Highness, there is no news."

Jiang Fushi exhaled subtly before slowly picking up her chopsticks.

They shouldn't be one of Father's people.

Otherwise, she would already be imprisoned.

It's certain that someone is secretly watching her, so escaping again is virtually impossible.

Her only curiosity now is who that person is.

What was their purpose in lurking around her?

"Your Highness, let me help you change your dressing," Rongrong said softly as she stepped forward.

Jiang Fushi nodded and sat down in front of the dressing table.

The imperial physician examined her yesterday and said that the injury to her forehead was not serious and that her fever would soon subside.

She instinctively reached for the mirror to check the injury on her forehead, only to discover that the gold-inlaid jeweled mirror she had previously placed in her dressing case was gone!

Jiang Fushi's first thought was that some dishonest palace maid had stolen it, and she immediately summoned Qingdai to investigate the matter thoroughly.

After questioning and searching, no clues were found. Moreover, since many people had entered and exited her room last night after she fell, it was even more impossible to find out the cause.

Once I calmed down, a startling thought came to mind.

Perhaps the person who brought her back stole the mirror?

Why did he do that? Why did he only take the mirror when there were so many jewels and ornaments here?

"Do you remember how you got that mirror?"

Qingdai and Zisu looked at each other and shook their heads: "We don't know. Perhaps it was a reward from the palace in previous years, which was mixed in with the dressing case and sent together."

Jiang Fushi's doubts deepened.

Could it be that the man was a thief?

It's late at night and everyone is quiet.

Jiang Fushi, however, was wide awake. The thought that someone might be secretly watching her sent chills down her spine and made her heart pound. She couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

Having failed to escape, he felt even more depressed.

She sat up in bed, her gaze falling on the figure of the palace maid standing guard outside the door.

That was something she had specifically ordered to be left behind. Seeing someone guarding her, her tense nerves relaxed a little.

I'm worried every day, how can I go on like this?

She feared she would never be able to sleep peacefully again until she figured out the man's intentions and identity.

If she calmed down and thought it through carefully, she realized that the person had come to her rescue when she was in danger. In other words, he was very likely there to protect her.

Unfortunately, I happened to faint at the time and was unable to see her true face.

What if she encounters danger again?

Wouldn't he reappear then?

A note from the author:

[Lower-eared Rabbit Head] Next novel featuring forceful acquisition: "The Young Man I've Taken a Chance of Is a Heroine" - please add to your collection!

Qin Qixiao, who always disguised herself as a man while traveling the martial arts world, once rescued a seriously injured man in a mountain stream. This man had an extraordinary bearing and spoke with noble manners. Before parting, he asked her, "If you had the opportunity, would you be willing to enter the palace and serve by the emperor's side?"

Of course not.

She wanted to be a chivalrous hero, to travel across mountains and rivers, rather than be a caged sparrow.

Pu Wang fell into misfortune and was taken in by a young swordsman who was passing by.

The young swordsman possessed superb martial arts skills, clear and bright features, and a delicate profile and clear voice, which often made him wonder if he had developed fantasies about men.

However, since they had only met by chance and the other party had already made his intentions clear, he would not force him to do anything against his will.

Years have passed since then.

Pu Wang ruled the Central Plains, leaving the Empress's palace vacant. Ministers repeatedly offered advice, but all their remonstrances were rejected.

To travel incognito.

The righteous young hero who apprehended the thief in the bustling city was as swift and agile as ever, his features unchanged. This instantly shook Pu Wang to his core, and all the delusions suppressed by reason flared up like wildfire.

Soon after, a rumor spread throughout the neighborhood.

The reason why the current emperor leaves the six palaces empty and does not take in any concubines is because of his homosexual tendencies. The handsome young man who is always by the emperor's side often rides in the same carriage with him, whispering sweet nothings to each other and showing deep affection.

Qin Qixiao pressed against Pu Wang's approaching chest, turned to escape, but was surrounded by the Imperial Guards in front of the Emperor.

"You lied to me! You said you were just an ordinary merchant!"

He traced the corner of her trembling lips with his fingertips, his voice low and dangerous: "If we're talking about deceiving the emperor, what crime should you, a woman, commit?"

-

Forced marriage/Cross-dressing/Hypocritical literature

Crazy Emperor × Heroine

Male lead is pure in body and mind, both partners are virgins, 1v1, HE (Happy Ending)