Pei Ji glanced over indifferently, a look without any emotion, but it made Wang Yan's heart shudder. He suddenly realized that he had overstepped his bounds and actually wanted to change his master's decision.

He was really out of his mind! If it weren't for his negligence, the master wouldn't have been so passive. But he never expected that Yuan Huai and his group were here to select a beauty for the emperor! And they chose Miss Xue.

Ultimately it was his fault because he didn't investigate thoroughly.

Yuan Huai and his group were driving on the official road at a fast pace. Suddenly, a horse seemed to fall from the sky, galloping over and blocking the group.

Yuan Huai and others hurriedly pulled the reins to stop the horses. The leader of the Silver Armor Guards who was leading the way in front was about to curse, but when he looked up, he saw a face that frightened him.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Crown Prince!"

When the others heard this, they were all stunned and stared blankly at the person in front of them, unable to react.

Wasn't the Crown Prince dead? Why was he here again? Did he fake his own death to escape and plot in secret?

Pei Ji rode his horse slowly towards Yuan Huai, met his eyes full of disbelief, curled his lips slightly, and smiled, "Eunuch Yuan, how are you?"

Boom!

Yuan Huai was so frightened that he fell off his horse and subconsciously lay on the ground, saying in a trembling voice: "Slave, slave greets His Highness."

As a senior eunuch in the palace, he had met the prince, but now he wished he had not.

Pei Ji passed these people and came to a carriage at the back. He extended his hand to Xue Huan, who had opened the curtain to see what was going on. "Huan Huan, come here."

For some reason, Xue Huan's heart beat very fast at this moment when she saw him riding his horse towards her.

She lifted the curtain, stepped out of the carriage, and placed her hand in his.

Pei Ji held her hand, and with a little effort, he brought her onto the horse's back and sat her in front of him.

The coachman was a young eunuch. Although he had never seen His Royal Highness Pei Ji, the Crown Prince, he was well aware of his name. Seeing that Yuan Huai and others in front of him did not dare to move, he huddled up into a ball, not daring to breathe.

Pei Ji circled Xue Huan in front of him, returned to the front, and began to question her: "Eunuch Yuan, where are you taking my Crown Princess?"

When Xue Huan heard the words "Crown Princess", her toes shrank and she felt an inexplicable shame.

However, when others heard it, they felt only horror.

Yuan Huai did not dare to look up at Pei Ji. He could only see the hems of their clothes overlapping on the horses. He was shocked. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had never been interested in women before, but now he was so close to Xue Huan in public and even called her the Crown Princess!

No, that's not the point now. The point is that the prince is still alive! And he took away the princess he had chosen!

Even though Yuan Huai had been through a lot, he was still stunned by this news that was comparable to a magnitude 9 earthquake and a magnitude 10 tsunami. Was it too late for him to atone for his sins with his death?

"Your Highness, please spare me! I didn't know—"

At this moment, the Silver Armored Guards' leader, Jiang Sui, suddenly shouted, "Eunuch Yuan! You are confused! The Crown Prince is dead, and this man is clearly impersonating the Crown Prince to deceive the Emperor! Come, arrest this scoundrel who dared to impersonate the Crown Prince and bring him back to the capital to await His Majesty's decision!"

At his command, he drew his sword and attacked Pei Ji first.

Most of the Silver Armored Guards joined in, but a few stayed where they were, hesitating.

Yuan Huai looked at Jiang Sui stabbing the prince with a sword, and suddenly realized that he wanted to kill him to silence him!

Even if the person who suddenly appeared was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Jiang Sui, who belonged to the Second Prince's faction, would not allow him to return to the capital.

And his reasons were very sufficient. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had been declared dead by His Majesty, and even a funeral had been held. So the Crown Prince who reappeared could only be a fake!

However, his intuition told him that it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

The emperor is already old and has shown signs of senility, otherwise why would he send them out to search for candidates for his concubine?

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still very young and has extraordinary means. He also has unparalleled say in the army. In comparison, it is obviously more promising to follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

Yuan Huai had never submitted to any prince before. It was not because he didn't want to, but because he had not yet made up his mind which one to submit to. Now, he must make a decision!

Fortune and wealth are achieved through risk, so give it your all!

In an instant, Yuan Huai made his choice, "Commander Jiang, stop! That's the Crown Prince, are you trying to commit insubordination?!"

Because Pei Ji had spent most of his time at the border and seldom returned to Beijing, even if he did, not everyone could see the prince. So among this group of people, only Jiang Sui and Yuan Huai had actually seen him.

As the commander of the Silver Armor Guards, Jiang Sui already had a deterrent effect on his subordinates. In addition, the fact that "the prince is dead" was well known to everyone, so most of the Silver Armor Guards obeyed his orders to attack Pei Ji.

However, now Yuan Huai stood up and said that it was the prince, causing those who had originally rushed forward to hesitate again.

Jiang Sui is on the side of the Second Prince, but the Silver Armored Guards under him have not actually taken sides. The key is that their status is not high enough, and no one will win them over. If anyone wants to win them over, they will only win over the upper class.

Therefore, they both respected and feared Prince Pei Ji.

If what Eunuch Yuan said was true, then wouldn't they be committing treason? That's punishable by death!

The silver-armored guards suddenly dared not move.

In the end, only Jiang Sui rushed forward with a murderous look on his face.

Pei Ji leaped up from his horse and kicked him off the horse. When Jiang Sui was struggling to get up, spitting blood from his mouth, he stepped on his chest and leaned down slightly: "Jiang Sui, take a good look at me, is this the prince?"

When he said this, Pei Ji even had a slight smile on his face, as if he was chatting with him.

However, only Jiang Sui knew how terrifying this Crown Prince was!

If he denied it now, he would probably die on the spot. So, Jiang Sui gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. It's really too bizarre for a person to come back to life. I couldn't believe it at first, so I thought you were an imposter. But now, I have confirmed that you are indeed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I was blind, so I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Even Commander Jiang confirmed that the person in front of him was indeed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

Everyone dismounted from their horses and carriages, and knelt on the ground, "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Except Xue Huan.

Looking at the man who was prostrated in awe by everyone, she suddenly felt a sense of distance from him.

But the next moment, Pei Ji turned around, strode towards her, mounted his horse, brought her into his arms, and held her tightly. "Send her back, and tell my father in the capital that I will be back soon."

After he finished speaking, he rode away with Xue Huan, but not towards the city gate, but towards the forest.

Finally, he stopped on a grassy slope near a stream.