56. Entering the wolf's den again.

Heaven is going to destroy me!

Rewind to an hour earlier. Qi Gu thought the night would pass uneventfully, with Song Shi staying by her side until dawn before going out to gather information. Qi Gu had planned that after Song Shi left the next day, it would be her last chance to escape.

Unexpectedly, after it got completely dark, Song Shi reconfirmed that her hands and feet were firmly bound to the chair with ropes, and then tightened the gag over her mouth again.

Then he turned and left. Of course, he wouldn't tell her where he was going, but this was her chance to escape.

Qi Gu hopped to her feet, pressed her ear against the door, and after confirming that Song Shi would not return, she quickly banged the table with the chair she was tightly strapped to.

The candlestick on the table fell over with a thud, rolling to the ground.

Qi Gu quickly went around to the side where the candlestick had fallen, looked down at the ground, and exclaimed, "Damn it! The candlestick isn't broken!"

Unlike earthenware or porcelain bowls, candlesticks are not easily broken. Helpless, Qi Gu fell to the ground, chair and all. Her shoulder hit the ground and hurt terribly. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain, but she couldn't stop. She struggled on the ground several times and finally picked up the candlestick with her hands behind her back. It took her a lot of effort to stand up again.

She gripped the candlestick tightly and slammed it heavily to the ground. Finally, this time, the candlestick shattered!

Qi Gu lay down on the ground again and picked up the candlestick fragments. At this moment, she could no longer feel the pain in her hands and feet, nor the excruciating pain of her fractured shoulder.

All her attention was focused on her hands behind her back, where shattered candlestick fragments were slowly cutting through a rope as thick as a venomous snake.

Qi Gu was oblivious to the passage of time. She only felt that her whole body was soaked in sweat, and a drop of sweat on her forehead fell onto the dusty ground. At the same time, the rope broke!

The wounds on her wrists that had dried up during the day were rubbed raw and bleeding again. Qi Gu didn't care about anything else and immediately untied the ropes binding her legs.

More than ten hours later, her hands and feet were finally free. She stood up to move around, but her ankle hurt so much that she almost couldn't stand up. After a while, she was able to stand up again and headed straight for the window on the left.

She had already determined that if she wanted to escape from this house, this window was the only place where she had any hope.

She stepped forward and raised her hand, a sharp pain shooting through her shoulder. She must have injured herself when she fell and picked up the shards. She hissed and snorted, but continued moving.

She stood on tiptoe and pushed hard against the window, but it was nailed shut. Qi Gu looked up at the window with an unprecedented determination in her eyes: I have been trapped once, and I will never put my fate in someone else's hands a second time!

Qi Gu turned around, raised the chair with both hands, aimed it at the window, and smashed it against the window with all her might.

The first time, the window only shook a few times from the huge impact.

The second time, cracks began to appear in the wooden frame of the window decoration.

The third time, a hole appeared in the middle of the window!

Qi Gu threw down the chair and pried open all the windows, which were already on the verge of collapse. Outside the windows, the night was as black as ink. The moon was very round and bright tonight, and a black mist in front of the moon was blown away by the wind.

Qi Gu used a chair as a stepping stone to climb out of the pried-open window and jump out, all in one swift motion.

Standing outside, Qi Gu breathed in the fresh air. This was not the end yet. She walked to the gate of this unknown courtyard. Perhaps Song Shi was confident that Qi Gu would not be able to escape from that house, so the gate was not locked. This time it was much easier than when she came out of the house. She pushed it gently and the courtyard gate opened.

She ran madly through the dark streets, not daring to stop for fear that Song Shi would return. But her legs were already too heavy to lift after only a short time.

The deserted streets, devoid of the daytime bustle and throngs of people, appeared silent and eerie. Qi Gu could only hear the sound of her own heavy breathing.

"Stop!" A man's voice came from behind, startling Qi Gu. She turned around and saw a patrol of soldiers who had spotted a dark figure running brazenly on the street after curfew.

Qi Gu was so excited that tears were about to fall. Before the people could get close, she ran forward, limping as she said, "Sir, help! Someone is trying to kill me! I've been kidnapped!"

At this moment, Qi Gu was still thinking that the palace must be closed now, and her mother must already know that she had been kidnapped. She would try to keep it a secret. Only in this way could she do the best for herself and for the whole matter.

Therefore, she couldn't rush back to the palace; she should first go to her aunt's residence to check on the situation.

As the patrolling soldiers approached, Qi Gu, who had been through so much that day, was utterly exhausted. But when she looked up, oh no, it was him!

Shen Wei looked at the somewhat familiar-looking woman in front of him and remembered that she was the peasant girl from Lijia Village who had asked to see the "princess".

Qi Gu originally felt that she had no strength left, but after seeing this person's face, she felt that she still had some strength left. Sure enough, her father said that a person's potential is brought out by being forced out. He was right!

"Um... sir, I... I'm just a lost traveler. I'll go home by myself, I'll go home by myself." Having begged for help from a subordinate of her mother's mortal enemy, Qi Gu was on the verge of tears. Could things get any worse?

"Wait!" As Qi Gu turned around, Shen Wei behind her spoke up, "Isn't this Princess Yuan Chu? Have you encountered any difficulties? Your humble servants are willing to help."

"No need to trouble yourself, no need to trouble yourself." Sure enough, this person had ill intentions, and Qi Gu retreated without showing any emotion.

"How can that be? If anything happens to the princess, how can we explain it to His Majesty?"

Shen Wei approached Qi Gu step by step, "Princess, please." He didn't even bother to pretend anymore.

"Shen Wei, what do you want to do! I am the Empress's own daughter, a princess. Don't think I don't know who's behind you!"

"What are you saying, Your Highness? We came to rescue you. You are too frightened and probably don't remember. We just rescued you from the thieves, and Your Highness is already turning your back on us."

It was truly like escaping one tiger's den only to fall into another. But Qi Gu knew in her heart that whether she fell into Song Shi's hands or Madam Guo's, she would not have a good outcome.

"Help! The officers are killing people!"

"Murder!!! Help..." But before he could finish shouting twice, his mouth was covered by a rough, large hand.

Shen Wei threatened from behind her, "Princess, be quiet, or it will be our fault if you hurt her." Today, news came from the Guo family that he needed to find the "real princess" who had just been recognized by the emperor and empress.

Because he mistakenly took Li Qiao back to the capital as the real princess, Lady Guo was very dissatisfied with him after learning the truth, and the promise that Marquis Huicheng had made to promote him by one rank after he completed the task was also voided.

He later learned that the real princess was the peasant girl from Lijia Village, and he was extremely upset. It must have been that peasant girl who was behind it! He was already furious because his sure promotion had fallen through.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly received a message from the Guo family today, instructing him to find this "Princess Yuanchu" before the Empress's people could.

He had only traveled from the north to the south of the city when he unexpectedly encountered Princess Yuanchu, who had walked right into his trap. It was truly an effortless stroke of luck. Shen Wei, holding Qi Gu, thought smugly, "This time, my position as a captain can't be lost again, can it?"

Qi Gu's hands were tied again, and her mouth was gagged with a strip of cloth once more. She looked at Shen Wei with grief and indignation, feeling utterly hopeless. "Heaven is going to kill me!"

Meanwhile, the two groups of people were rushing towards Zhong Shenwei's location at high speed.

Sima Hong heard a faint sound coming from ahead. "Axiang, do you hear anything?"

Ah Xiang touched his head. "Huh? No, what was that sound, young master?"

Sima Hong suddenly said, "Head in this direction, full speed ahead!"

Qi Gu was being escorted by Shen Wei's men and was about to leave when the chaotic sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

Shen Wei was very vigilant. It was probably too late to take the princess away now. He pointed at his subordinates and said, "You guys hide the princess over there and don't make a sound!"

Qi Gu made muffled noises, refusing to cooperate with these people.

Shen Wei's knife was pressed against Qi Gu's neck with a sharp sound. "Princess, don't waste your energy. You're at their mercy, so just be a fish on the chopping block, or you'll be dead by now."

Qi Gu was pulled away and hidden in a nearby alley. She couldn't help but wonder what Madam Guo wanted to do by kidnapping her! But now was not the time to think about such things; whether she could save her life was still unknown!

Meanwhile, Shen Wei pretended nothing had happened and stood still, waiting for the group of people to approach.

Qi Gu was trapped and unable to move. Her eyes looked behind the wall and saw that the person who came was Fu Lian! Behind her were more than a dozen maids given to her by her mother. Qi Gu's dim eyes lit up again in the darkness.

Upon seeing Shen Wei, Fu Lian dismounted in a flash. "Deputy Guard Shen, what are you doing here?" Fu Lian questioned, now finding everyone suspicious.

Shen Wei feigned respect and said, "So it's Aunt Fu Lian from Her Majesty the Empress's side. I'm on duty today. By the way, is Aunt Fu Lian here? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Did you see any suspicious people pass by?" Fu Lian asked, looking into Shen Wei's eyes.

"No, I didn't see anything. The streets are very peaceful today. Aunt Fulian, are you looking for someone? I'm willing to do anything for you."

Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of her, Fulian waved her hand, "No need, continue patrolling. If you find anyone suspicious, just remember to let me know."

"Yes, yes," Shen Wei replied enthusiastically.

"Waaaah!" Fu Lian, I'm here! I'm here! Qi Gu struggled, but the soldiers behind her held her tightly.

But at the critical moment of life and death, Qi Gu suddenly burst out with tremendous power. Just as she was about to rush out, she felt a sharp pain in her scalp, as if her scalp was about to be ripped off!

He was Shen Wei's confidant. He grabbed her hair from behind, and Qi Gu watched helplessly as Fu Lian rode away.

"She's a princess, after all. It's probably not appropriate for us to act like this," another soldier whispered.

The voice sounded familiar. Qi Gu remembered that it was the voice of the soldier who stopped the man who wanted to take advantage of her on the day of the palace coup in her previous life.

The soldier who grabbed Qi Gu's hair didn't care at all. "What are you afraid of? Lord Shen is a favorite of Madam Guo. Madam Guo is not only the most favored, but she also has a prince and a princess. Since we've followed Lord Shen, we're now part of the Guo family. If you hesitate and are so timid, how can you expect to be valued? You won't even get a chance to drink soup in the future." This man was determined to board the giant ship of the country.

"But……"

Is it possible that things from her past life ultimately lead to the same end, unavoidable, and that she is about to meet her end here today?

Don't go, don't go! Overwhelmed by immense pain and despair, tears welled up in Qi Gu's eyes as memories of her near-death experience from her past life flooded back.

[Author's Note]

Qi Gu: I feel like some bad luck has befallen me [cracked face]

Xu Jin: I'm not very capable. [doge emoji]