Chapter 313 Please, my lady, be kind to me.

Ye Qi nodded. "The brothers guarding outside the East Palace said that the Crown Prince has sent people to search the outskirts of the capital, but so far they have not found any trace of them."

After a brief moment of surprise, Lu Yuan calmed down.

Xie Qi alone could not possibly have the ability to take Jiang Zhi away from the East Palace so quietly.

The only explanation is that he and the Crown Prince had agreed on a performance for Xiao Yunheng.

However, no matter how much the play goes on, given how much the Crown Prince cares about A-Zhi, he would never allow Xie Qi to take her away for so long.

It's unclear what disagreement they had that led Xie Qi to hide A-Zhi.

“Tell me the last place you saw Xie Qi and Princess Qinghe,” Lu Yuan said, getting up and picking up the embroidered spring knife hanging to the side. “I’m going out for a bit. Keep an eye on things at the department.”

No matter how openly or covertly the Crown Prince and Xie Qi fought, he would not allow Azhi to suffer collateral damage.

He has to go check on her and will return as soon as he makes sure she is safe.

He changed into civilian clothes, and his black horse galloped down the long street. Both man and horse were extremely dark, exuding a chilling aura, and no one dared to stop him.

Meanwhile, the farmland in the suburbs was bathed in bright sunlight.

Xie Qi and Brother Ning went to work in the fields. Sister-in-law Ning worked quickly and efficiently. She was stewing chicken on the stove, and she also cut a plate of cured meat that had been dried in the winter. She started scaling fish, while Jiang Zhi helped her pick vegetables.

Before long, Sister-in-law Ning prepared a food box and called Jiang Zhi to go to the fields to deliver the food.

It was already quite hot in the field at midday, and Jiang Zhi broke out in a light sweat after walking just a few steps.

All around were people working hard. The busy farming season waits for no one. Harvesting and summer sowing were carried out at the same time, and there was no time to rest all day.

Along the ridges of the fields, there were already quite a few women carrying baskets, bringing food and groceries.

But unlike usual, the women were walking faster, and it was unclear what they were rushing to do.

Some even bumped into Jiang Zhi from behind, apologized hastily, and then hurried away.

"What's going on?" Even Sister-in-law Ning was a little curious.

But they soon found out why.

Under the big locust tree, because it was too hot while working, Brother Ning and Xie Qi had already taken off their shirts.

Brother Ning's skin was tanned dark as he bent over to harvest wheat.

Xie Qi was wielding a hoe to help turn the soil, revealing his strong upper body.

His tanned back stretched out smooth, firm lines, and fine beads of sweat rippled between his shoulder blades, trickling down the grooves of his spine, gliding over the slender curves of his waist, and disappearing into his trousers.

The peasant women who had rushed over slowed down, chatting idly while their eyes lingered on Xie Qi's bare upper body.

Even Sister-in-law Ning couldn't help but marvel, "Brother Xie, look at that face, look at that body... Sister, you're really eating well."

Jiang Zhi couldn't help but think of Xie Qi's experience in the cave when he was taking medicine, and her face flushed.

Xie Qi saw her, immediately dropped his hoe and strode towards her, "Zhizhi, you're here!"

His eyes were bright, his breathing was slightly rapid, and his chest rose and fell gently, steaming under the scorching sun.

"Yes, it's time to eat." She and Sister-in-law Ning took the food out of the food box.

Xie Qi's face was covered in sweat, and he grinned as he leaned closer to her, "Could you please wipe it off for me, Zhizhi?"

Jiang Zhi's face stiffened. "No, there are so many people watching. Do it yourself."

“But my hands are dirty,” Xie Qi showed her his muddy hands, leaning closer to look at her pitifully, “Please, Madam, take care of me.”

The people around them chimed in, "Oh, madam, just wipe your husband clean. What's there to be shy about between husband and wife?"

"Yes, yes, if Madam doesn't want to wipe it, why don't we do it for her?"

"If my husband had such a handsome face and such a good body, I would wipe him down every day."

“Then I wouldn’t even let him go to work in the fields, he’d stay home with me every day.”

The women around her were all married peasant women, bold in character and outspoken in their speech, which made Jiang Zhi blush.

Xie Qi didn't say anything, but just looked at her expectantly with his eyebrows curved.

Jiang Zhi couldn't refuse any longer, so she took the cloth and held out her hand, gesturing for him to bend down.

He then bent down with great pleasure, letting Jiang Zhi gently wipe the sweat from his face with a cloth.

Xie Qi stared at Jiang Zhi's face. She lowered her eyes shyly, her cheeks were red, and her thick eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, making his heart itch slightly.

He moved his lips as if to say something, when he suddenly noticed a sharp gaze.

His intuition, honed from years on the battlefield, made him look up and see Lu Yuan standing in the distance, leaning on his sword.

Lu Yuan's face was sullen, his eyes were expressionless, his thin lips were tightly pressed together, and he was silently staring at him, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

Xie Qi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Why is Lu Yuan here before the Crown Prince has even been found?

It's really annoying.

"Thank you, Zhizhi," he said, glancing at her before looking away. He then pulled Jiang Zhi's wrist up to his neck. "I'm sweating a lot here too, Zhizhi, could you wipe it off for me?"

Jiang Zhi had her back to Lu Yuan and was completely unaware that a gaze was fixed on her from behind.

She frowned, clutching the handkerchief, and warned Xie Qi in a low voice, "You better stop now. What exactly are you trying to do in public?"

She refused to wipe it for him anymore, no matter what.

Xie Qi laughed out loud and said to the people around him, "My wife is just shy."

"Oh, it's normal for girls to be shy," Sister-in-law Ning said, trying to smooth things over.

"Did you just get married? You're so easily teased."

"Your husband is so outstanding, you'd better keep a close eye on him!"

No one knew Xie Qi and Jiang Zhi's identities. Even Brother Ning thought Xie Qi was just an ordinary military general and joked about it.

Xie Qi raised an eyebrow at Lu Yuan in the distance, his eyes filled with provocation, "Wrong, my wife is beautiful as a flower, it should be me keeping a close eye on her."

Jiang Zhi finally realized something was wrong. She turned around following Xie Qi's gaze and her face turned pale. She felt like she wanted to die.

When did Lu Yuan arrive here?

So he saw everything just now?

At this moment, Lu Yuan stepped forward, his hawk-like gaze making Jiang Zhi's scalp tingle.

His aura was so powerful that people around him unconsciously took a half step back.

"Ah Zhi, it's time to go back after you've had your fun."

Lu Yuan followed the hoofprints all the way here.

Xie Qi was extremely skilled at concealing his whereabouts due to his years of military campaigns. Not to mention the Crown Prince's subordinates, even someone like Lu Yuan, who was adept at tracking and could see through subtle clues, was almost fooled by the false traces he deliberately used to confuse the public.

Originally, it was just to check on Azhi's safety, but unexpectedly, they ended up pretending to be a loving farmer couple here.

How could Lu Yuan possibly bear this?

Xie Qi, however, defiantly stepped forward and blocked Jiang Zhi's path, saying, "No, Zhi Zhi can't go back now."

Lu Yuan had already been restraining his anger, but now he could no longer bear it. He drew his embroidered spring knife and pointed it directly at him, saying, "If you dare to obstruct me again, don't blame me for showing no mercy."