Li Tiao and Hongye hugged each other tightly, looking at the people in front of them. It wasn't the same villain from before; it was clearly another group of people.

Li Tiao was truly puzzled. Although she ran Qunxinglou, she had always kept a low profile, and not many people knew that she was the owner.

How did she manage to offend so many people without even realizing it?

"Just name your price. Once I'm back in the capital, I'll give you every penny you need." At this point, Li Tiao couldn't think of any other way to appease her except by offering money.

“Master Li, we have come specifically to rescue you.”

"Huh?!" The surprise was so unexpected that Li Tiao didn't even know if what this person said was true or false.

"Save me?" Li Tiao pointed to her nose and asked the other person.

The other party clasped his hands in greeting: "Reporting to Master Li, we servants have been on orders to find you. We later learned that you were at the Star Pavilion. Because you always shave your head, it took us some time to confirm."

The other party was very respectful, and Li Tiao felt that the other party should be trustworthy.

But the phrase "on orders" still made Li Tiao's heart skip a beat. Whose orders were these?

Was it Emperor Kangxi's order? If it was Emperor Kangxi's order, then Li Tiao would not be willing to follow this person.

"Master Li, please. This servant will escort you back to the capital."

Li Tiao stood still, looking at the other person warily: "You just said you were ordered to find me? By whose orders?"

"Replying to Your Highness, it is on the orders of the Fourth Prince that we have been looking for you."

A person who is both unexpected and expected.

To be honest, Li Tiao wasn't being coy; she was actually quite happy. But then she thought about how Song Gege had hired thugs to kidnap her, and how the Fourth Prince had found her right away. It all seemed like her in-laws were putting on a show.

This greatly diminished Li Tiao's happiness.

But when Li Tiao thought of the Star Tower in the capital, she felt that there was no reason for her to give up such a lucrative business.

So he followed the man.

Once again led to a carriage, Li Tiao looked at the carriage in front of her and thought to herself that this was a normal carriage.

Although Li Tiao could tell that this place was in the middle of nowhere, it was already night, and she realized that she hadn't eaten for almost a day and a night and really couldn't take it anymore.

"Let's not rush back to the capital. Let's find a place to eat first."

There were two people in front, one driving the carriage, and the other looking like a "guard".

The person on guard turned around and said, "Master Li, please bear with it for a moment. When we reach the town ahead, we'll find an inn for you to rest."

There's an inn up ahead.

They arrived at the inn around dawn, having settled in and eaten something. Li Tiao suggested they rest before continuing their journey.

At the same time, she needed to figure out what was going on between the two of them. Wasn't the Fourth Prince supposed to be fighting alongside Kangxi?

So Li Tiao signaled Hongye to call the two people over.

"What are your orders, Master Li?"

"When did the Fourth Prince...instruct you to look for me?"

"Reporting to Master Li, the Fourth Prince had already given instructions to his servants before he went on the expedition with the Emperor."

They haven't given up looking for me even after all this time... Li Tiao couldn't quite explain her feelings. After a moment of silence, she asked, "How did you find out about the Star Tower?"

"The Fourth Prince said that the Thirteenth Prince has a problem with you, and he told us to keep an eye on the Thirteenth Prince's movements while we're looking for you... But we're just following Master Song's lead..." The guard stopped there, glanced at Li Tiao cautiously, and quickly lowered his head.

Haha, it seems this person also knows that Song Gege is very bothered by him.

Li Tiao: "The person who kidnapped me this time was hired by Song Gege, wasn't it? You just killed that villain, were you thinking there would be no way to prove it, or...?"

"Replying to Master Li, the Fourth Prince instructed us to prioritize you. Master Song... is not within our consideration. Moreover, we have truthfully informed the Fourth Prince about the matter of the Star Pavilion through Master Song. We believe the Fourth Prince should have his own explanation."

From the guards' words, Li Tiao knew that Song Gege had probably noticed her long ago.

Li Tiao was puzzled; why was she making things difficult for herself?

“Master Li, there is one more thing. After returning to the capital this time, we servants will be stationed at Qunxing Tower.”

"Why?" Li Tiao asked, puzzled.

"The Fourth Prince instructed the servants that if they found Master Li, they must protect Master Li's safety."

"inconvenient."

"The Fourth Prince said that you are still dressed as a man, so it is only right and proper for you to have guards by your side."

Li Tiao was furious, thinking, "Is this Fourth Prince some kind of god? He actually knows that I'm still dressed as a man."

However, the guards were only following orders, so Li Tiao naturally wouldn't make things difficult for them. Besides, she did need their protection on the way back to the capital.

Li Tiao didn't ask any more questions and told the guards to rest for a while before continuing their journey.

The villain probably left quickly so as to complete Song Gege's instructions as soon as possible.

After resting in the small town, Li Tiao and her group traveled for another night and arrived in the capital around noon the next day.

Fearing that being seen would affect her business, Li Tiao entered through the back door of Qunxinglou.

When the Thirteenth Prince saw Li Tiao return, he questioned, "Li Tiao, do you think you're so lucky you won't die? Where have you been all this time?"

Just after questioning Li Tiao, before Li Tiao could even speak, the Thirteenth Prince saw the guards following behind Li Tiao.

"you……"

"Your servants pay their respects to the Thirteenth Prince."

"Fourth Brother has returned to the capital?" The Thirteenth Prince naturally knew the Fourth Prince, but he felt that it was impossible for the Fourth Prince to return to the capital at this time, since the Emperor had not yet returned.

"Replying to the Thirteenth Prince, the Fourth Prince had already instructed us to continue searching for Master Li's whereabouts while he was away from the capital."

I gave the order long ago...

The Thirteenth Prince also figured it out. He turned to look at Li Tiao and said, "You're really something, managing to get Fourth Brother to treat you like this..."

Li Tiao remained noncommittal about what the Thirteenth Prince said.

She was exhausted and just wanted to rest. Besides, she also harbored resentment towards the Thirteenth Prince. After all, if he hadn't insisted on using Song Gege, Song Gege wouldn't have clashed with her.

Seeing that Li Tiao had led Hongye into the bedroom, the Thirteenth Prince didn't dare to follow, since Li Tiao was only pretending to be a man.

Turning around, I saw the two guards standing at the door like gatekeepers.

"Thirteenth Prince, the Fourth Prince instructed us to stay by Master Li's side after we found him."

The Thirteenth Prince nodded without speaking, and glanced at Li Tiao's room again.

He regretted once again that he hadn't killed Li Tiao back then, and now his fourth brother was so concerned about her, even from so far away.

Master Li… Fourth Prince clearly still considers Li Tiao one of his own, but the Emperor’s feelings for Li Tiao are no secret. Thirteenth Prince feels that his fourth brother is playing with fire.

After resting, Li Tiao asked Hongye to send the guards away. Hongye expressed her reluctance, so Li Tiao came up with a plan to take matters into her own hands!