Chapter 10 Injured. He pulled her into his arms.

Jing Hui was taken aback, and followed A Yan's finger to look at the carriage with its interior lanterns lit in front of the tree in the distance.

"Lu Songyuan?"

Jing Hui frowned and turned her head to look at Lu Qingyue behind her.

If seeing Lu Qingyue earlier had puzzled Jing Hui, hearing Lu Songyuan's name now made him realize that something was definitely wrong.

One or two of them have come to the deep mountains at this time of year. What is there here?

Lu Qingyue blinked, and black ash fell down in a rustling sound. He said, "It's late at night and the mountain roads are slippery. The general must have come to pick you up because he felt sorry for the princess."

"ha."

Jing Hui handed the silk handkerchief to Ayan, and said to Lu Qingyue with a forced smile, "Is that so? Then your general must be a good person."

The events of tonight were too strange, as if a cloud of doubt surrounding Lu Songyuan and Lu Qingyue lingered in front of Jing Hui for a long time.

Jing Hui is always quick and decisive when it comes to people or things that raise doubts. If it were anyone else, she would definitely use an iron fist and order a thorough interrogation. But it is precisely the people close to her who are being questioned.

She hates people around her who are suspicious.

Jing Hui's expression suddenly turned cold, and she said to Lu Qingyue, "You take this princess's horse and walk back."

Lu Qingyue's smile froze on her face.

Jing Hui tossed the riding whip behind him. "Ayan, look at him."

Ayan replied, "Yes."

Lu Qingyue caught the whip, paused for a moment, and then bowed helplessly to Jing Hui's back, saying, "Yes—I will follow the princess's teachings."

-

As they got closer, Jing Hui saw that Lu Songyuan's carriage was huge, taking up most of the official road, and the wheels were tightly wrapped with chains.

Jing Hui stepped into the carriage and saw that the interior was spacious and simply decorated, with a table on the side, and only a lamp, two cups of tea and a book on the table.

Rustic decoration —

Okay, that's shabby.

Lu Songyuan was sitting in the middle of the carriage in a wheelchair reading a book. When he saw Jing Hui get in, he looked her up and down, took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, saying, "Your Highness has some dust on your face, please wipe it off."

Jing Hui walked in, took the handkerchief from Lu Songyuan's hand, and without wiping her face, leaned against the carriage wall with her arms crossed, looking at Lu Songyuan with a scrutinizing gaze and asked, "Why did you come?"

The carriage slowly made its way into the capital. Lu Songyuan said, "Just now, Your Highness hurriedly left the house, and people from the palace came."

Jing Hui raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who?"

"It is the Second Prince."

Lu Songyuan closed the book and said, "The Second Prince, on His Majesty's orders, said that His Majesty heard an explosion and asked Your Highness not to go out."

"My father has woken up?"

Lu Songyuan placed his hand on the armrest of the wheelchair and nodded, saying, "That should be true."

"And then?"

Jing Hui asked, "Has Jing Ao returned to the palace to report?"

"The Second Prince only came to convey His Majesty's orders, and the direction he left... does not seem to be the palace."

She knew it!

With such a commotion just now, any prince who stayed overnight would be considered to have rendered meritorious service and returned the next day. Now it's time to scramble for them again.

Jing Hui pondered for a moment, then looked up at Lu Songyuan, "You still haven't said why you came here?"

Lu Songyuan said, "Your Highness's carriage is being repaired. I was afraid Your Highness wouldn't be used to riding in my carriage, so I had to come along."

"Are all those carriages in the manor just for show? Do I really need you to come out and pick me up?"

Jing Hui squinted, glanced at Lu Songyuan's legs, and hastily wiped her face with a handkerchief.

The carriage fell silent for a moment, but suddenly a rapid sound of horses' hooves came from outside.

Jing Hui pushed open the car window and indeed saw Jing Ao riding a white horse in front of him.

That white horse was presented to Jing Ao by the top scholar of the imperial examination. Back then, the top scholar wore red clothes and rode the white horse, parading through the streets all day, throwing fruit into the carriage and winning the hearts of countless women. But why does the saddle seem a bit too short for Jing Ao?

This is really putting the little white horse in a difficult position.

"Whoa—"

Jing Ao reined in his horse and stopped in front of Jing Hui's carriage window, looking down at him and saying, "I have already conveyed the Emperor's order, Jing Hui, how could you be here?"

"How about it?"

Jing Hui reached out and patted the little white horse's head, saying, "A prince of such high status, actually leading the way in violating palace rules at night, Jing Ao, you've been living quite comfortably lately, haven't you?"

The little white horse rubbed against Jing Hui's palm.

"noob!"

Jing Ao yanked the reins sharply, and the horse shifted restlessly. "None of your business! I have my reasons for being here. Since you're of no use here, get out of the way and go home!"

"Useless people don't even realize they're useless, so why should this princess listen to a dog's barking?"

As expected, Jing Ao angrily exclaimed, "You!"

Jing Hui could always infuriate Jing Ao with just a few words.

Jing Hui covered his lips and smiled.

As the group was talking on the main road, Jing Ao suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him.

Everyone turned to look, and saw that the people on horseback were the twelfth prince and the sixteenth prince, who had just returned from doing business elsewhere.

"Greetings to my elder brother, and greetings to my elder sister."

Although the two were younger, they had been immersed in the inner palace since childhood, and they rushed to attend such an important event.

"Get up."

The night was too lively for Jing Hui to participate in, but that didn't stop her from stirring things up.

"Where did you two imperial brothers come from?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Father ordered us to go to Jiangnan to deliver an urgent report half a month ago, and we have only returned today."

The two princes exchanged a glance, and the sixteenth prince said, "I heard an explosion outside the city and came to check it out."

Jing Hui raised an eyebrow, glanced at Jing Ao with amusement, and then said to the two men, "The explosion occurred deep in the mountains. The Prime Minister is here and probably needs someone strong and healthy to go up and help. It's good that you two imperial brothers have arrived, so go ahead."

"really!"

The two men respected Jing Hui in their daily lives, so they naturally believed him immediately upon hearing this.

The sixteenth prince, being more impatient, said, "Brother, if you want to go up the mountain, I'll handle this small matter. There's no need to trouble you. Please make way."

Jing Ao's face darkened.

Everyone in the court and among the common people knew that he was obese and had once been so weak that he needed to see the imperial physician every day!

"Useless people should just get out of the way and go home—"

Jing Hui chuckled slyly, closed the car window, and ordered, "Let's go."

"Jing Hui!"

The carriage slowly drove away, and the shouts behind it gradually faded. Jing Hui turned around, drank a cup of tea, and his face was full of a triumphant smile.

Jing Hui put down his teacup and looked at Lu Songyuan.

Seeing that Lu Songyuan was staring at her, Jing Hui gradually stopped smiling and asked, "Why is Lu Qingyue in the deep mountains?"

Lu Songyuan said, "I don't know, I sent him out on an errand today."

Lu Songyuan's expression was calm, seemingly unaware of why Lu Qingyue was there. Jing Hui still had doubts, but she didn't intend to ask any further.

He won't tell the truth.

Jing Hui had the people at heart, and the hatred of one person was like a drop in the ocean to her.

She didn't care why Lu Songyuan came to the capital and approached her. As long as he didn't threaten the country or harm the people, she could investigate the rest later.

If I had to say something, this marriage was also beneficial to her, but the things that hurt her could never be forgiven!

Jing Hui touched the healed wound on his neck; he could still feel some bumps there.

Her face immediately fell, and she warned Lu Songyuan, "This princess has a deep grudge against Jing Ao. You should stay away from him, do you hear me?"

Lu Songyuan raised an eyebrow, exchanged a glance with Jing Hui, and nodded, saying, "Okay."

"snort."

Having not slept well last night, Jing Hui stopped talking to Lu Songyuan.

The carriage traveled smoothly, and the slight swaying lulled Jing Hui into a drowsy state. She leaned against the carriage wall and almost fell asleep, but then suddenly woke up with a start.

Lu Songyuan's carriage was really too uncomfortable.

Jing Hui shook her neck and saw the small couch behind Lu Songyuan's wheelchair.

She went over and sat down to try it out; it was much softer.

"Your carriage is too uncomfortable; I'm going to sleep here."

Jing Hui pulled a soft pillow from the hidden compartment, lay down on the outer side of the couch, and said with his eyes closed.

Lu Songyuan turned his head to look at Jing Hui, whose face still had some black ash on it, which had been rubbed onto his soft pillow.

As if sensing Lu Songyuan's gaze, Jing Hui forced herself to open her eyes. Seeing that Lu Songyuan was indeed looking at her, she instantly opened her sleepy eyes and glared back at Lu Songyuan.

His flustered appearance amused Lu Songyuan. He chuckled, turned his back to Jing Hui, and said, "Go to sleep."

The soft pillows and blankets had a delicate fragrance of orchids in a secluded valley, as well as the medicinal scent that Lu Songyuan often carried.

As Jing Hui listened to the sound of Lu Songyuan turning the pages of his book, her body gradually softened. Just as she blinked and was about to fall asleep, several unusual bird calls came from the sky.

The bird's call was not the melodious song of the birds in the capital; its voice seemed to contain grit, making it sound incredibly eerie in the dead of night.

Jing Hui immediately sat up, clutching the blanket, her peach-blossom eyes wide, and asked, "What was that sound?"

Lu Songyuan was engrossed in military books, but upon hearing Jing Hui's voice, he turned around.

Because of the galloping on horseback, Jing Hui's already loose hair became even more disheveled.

She sat sideways on the couch, clutching the quilt, a hint of fear in her eyes. A few strands of hair fell across her eyebrows and the tip of her nose, fluttering up and falling with each breath.

The flickering light of the lamp shone brightly in her eyes, making her appear pitiful and endearing.

Lu Songyuan was stunned by her beauty.

"Lu Songyuan!"

Jing Hui's voice brought Lu Songyuan back to his senses. "I don't know."

He looked away, reached out and knocked on the carriage wall, then called out to the driver, "What's going on outside?"

The only answer he received was a scream, "An assassin! Ah—"

The coachman was struck in the throat by an arrow, the exploding blood splattering onto the carriage door like flowers. The arrow, still embedded in the door, swayed, instantly triggering the fear that Jing Hui had felt when he nearly lost his life in the Imperial Garden that day.

A clatter of hooves sounded outside, followed by the sounds of close combat; it sounded like many assassins had arrived. People were being killed one after another, and drops of blood splattered inside the carriage.

Jing Hui hurriedly got off the bed and stumbled to Lu Songyuan's side, tightly gripping his hand on the wheelchair.

"Lu Songyuan, how many men did you bring?"

Lu Songyuan glanced at Jing Hui's hand and said, "Only four."

Before he could finish speaking, the carriage door was kicked open, and Jing Hui saw the last person in black armor fall down. The carriage was now surrounded by enemies of unknown origin.

Who are you?

Jing Hui gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand up straight. She looked at the tall, masked man standing on the carriage shaft and asked, "How dare you ambush and kill this princess!"

The man had a scar across his right eye. "I'm killing you! Do it!"

Two knives were thrust into the windows on either side at the same time. Jing Hui dodged in fright, as she had never learned to use cold weapons.

In the midst of the chaos, Lu Songyuan grabbed her arm, pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly to protect her. Then he drew a knife from the side of his wheelchair and confronted the masked men who kept rushing in.

Screams echoed, accompanied by an increasingly strong stench of blood. Jing Hui gripped Lu Songyuan's clothes tightly at his waist, pondering how to escape, when he suddenly heard Lu Songyuan let out a muffled groan.

A stream of heat splashed onto Jing Hui's hand, and she abruptly looked up. "Lu Songyuan, you're injured!"

"Um."

Lu Songyuan's expression was gloomy as he said, "Hold on tight!"

The next moment, a hole was torn open on the side of the carriage, and Lu Songyuan used his waist and abdomen strength to roll Jing Hui off the wheelchair.

The carriage stopped on a hillside, and after the two landed, they felt dizzy and tumbled down the mountain.

The men in black standing by the carriage exchanged glances. One of them pulled down his mask, revealing a rugged appearance, and asked in broken Liang dialect, "Brother, should we continue the chase?"

"Chase!"

The man addressed as "Big Brother" touched the wound on his arm and called out to his subordinate who was running down the street, "You little brat, slow down! Pretend to chase him!"

"yes!"

After the man left, he threw down the knife, put his hands together, and kept bowing towards the four directions of the sky while muttering something.