Chapter 101 Escape and Being Hit: The pain in Pei Lang's eyes was too glaring, look...

Pei Lang took off his cloak and handed it to the servant, replying indifferently, "Where is Madam?"

"Madam and young lady wanted to go for a stroll in the streets, so she ordered a carriage to be prepared. They must be leaving the manor!"

The servant stopped outside the courtyard, wisely refraining from following him inside. He turned around shortly after Pei Lang entered, only to suddenly see two familiar faces. "Thank you..."

Before he could even greet anyone, he was suddenly struck on the back of the head, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

"Azhi, I'm back."

Pei Lang rubbed his hands together, wanting to warm them up as quickly as possible to see his daughter, but Lin Zhi didn't expect to see his pair of watery almond eyes wide open, as if he had been quite frightened.

Why do you look at me like that?

"Is Mianmian asleep? I heard from the servants that you were going to take her out?"

Lin Zhi's expression faltered for a moment, then quickly changed: "Yes, we need to go out..."

"You're back quite early today. Have you finished everything?"

Pei Lang raised an eyebrow slightly. Lin Zhi's words sounded strange today. He stared intently at the person holding the child, nodded, and sat down: "Yes, I didn't see His Majesty today. I only spoke a few words with the Empress before returning."

“A-zhi”.

Pei Lang suddenly called her name, his voice cold, deep, and magnetic, which made Lin Zhi stiffen and feel a slight tingling sensation.

"Where exactly are you taking Mianmian?"

Pei Lang thought for a moment before realizing something was wrong. Mianmian usually felt more at ease when she slept with her wet nurse.

But after Lin Zhi came back, the child refused to sleep and insisted on staying by her side.

Lin Zhi didn't want to tire her out either. She would stay far away from Mianmian when she was about to sleep, so why was she holding her like this today?

Uneasy, Pei Lang frowned, stood up, leaned closer to her, and forced her to the door.

"Azhi, tell me, where are you going?"

"We have everything we need at home, or perhaps I could stay with you, would that be alright?"

Lin Zhi tried her best to retreat, but there was nowhere left to retreat. Her body trembled uncontrollably at his approach, but Lin Zhi gritted her teeth and tried her best to stay awake.

"I...I'm just buying some things for my daughter, I'll be back soon."

But the more vague Lin Zhi was, the more uneasy Pei Lang felt.

Just as the two were at an impasse, the maid outside the door suddenly spoke up: "My lord, my lady, thank you for your visit."

Pei Lang paused in restraining Lin Zhi, frowned, and looked at her. He wanted to refuse outright, but suddenly felt a soft warmth on his cheek.

She tiptoed and planted a light kiss on his cheek, Lin Zhi blushing deeply. "You...you go first, I have something to tell you when you come back..."

Staring at her blushing cheeks, Pei Lang's ears tingled from the pure, innocent kiss.

He spoke in a hoarse voice, unable to wait any longer: "Can't you just say it now?"

But Lin Zhi turned her face away to avoid his approach: "No, you go first, don't keep people waiting."

Seeing Lin Zhi's insistence, Pei Lang was unwilling to force her and used all his patience to suppress the throbbing in his heart.

"Okay, I'll be back."

Once the door was closed, Lin Zhi finally breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She never expected Pei Lang to return so quickly... Was he worried about her and her daughter?

But the thought only flashed through her mind briefly. When she thought of Pei Lang's reaction when the two mentioned resigning from his official post, Lin Zhi couldn't help but feel gloomy again.

Pei Lang values ​​her, he values ​​Mianmian.

However, they placed power and status above them.

She would rather not have such high regard.

Xie Zheng had barely sat down and hadn't even had a sip of hot tea when he saw Pei Lang stride over, sit down imposingly, and immediately demand, "What is it? Speak quickly."

Xie Zheng was still holding the lid off the cup, frowning at him with considerable displeasure: "What's your hurry?"

"I've come to see you in this winter, can't I even have a cup of hot tea?"

But Pei Lang didn't have that much patience now. He had been teased by Lin Zhi and was now only thinking about what Lin Zhi wanted to say to him.

Is it about rekindling their relationship? Or is it about getting married again?

Whatever it is, he's willing and happy to accept it.

Even his brothers, whom he used to find annoying, now seemed much more agreeable: "You drink yours, but I have something very important to do today, so drink up, talk quickly, and let's go."

The series of dismissive attitudes only made Xie Zheng more unhappy.

The gesture of frowning while sipping tea was extremely elegant.

Finally, Pei Lang couldn't sit still any longer. Seeing that he was about to leave without saying anything, he was stopped by someone calling out softly from behind.

"What's the rush? Don't you want to know Lu Heng's whereabouts now?"

Pei Lang, who had been walking briskly, stopped in his tracks, and the joyful expression on his face vanished instantly.

He turned around with a gloomy face: "Where is that ungrateful brat?"

He would never forget the fire that day. If it weren't for Chuntao protecting her, he might never have seen Mianmian again.

That ruthless, ungrateful brat will cause trouble as long as he's around.

He could protect Mianmian before, but now there's Lin Zhi too. If Lu Heng finds out that anything has gone wrong with them, Pei Lang would rather commit suicide to atone for his sins.

Xie Zheng, however, calmly changed the subject: "I remember you have a fine black jade chessboard. Take it out and let me see it. If I'm in a good mood, I'll continue talking to you."

Pei Lang took a deep breath but didn't say anything more, and told someone to fetch it.

As the two played chess, Xie Zheng placed a piece before slowly speaking: "My subordinates reported to me a few days ago, saying that a junior leader had been promoted in the Imperial Guard. This person is not only exceptionally skilled, but also has a rather pitiful background."

"Not only was his appearance disfigured when he was young, but he was also subjected to harsh treatment when it came to food, so much so that even now, in his early twenties, he is still the size of a teenager."

"This man was rescued from the battlefield, barely alive, but he was cured."

Pei Lang's brows furrowed more and more as he listened, and he couldn't help but interrupt, "Is this person Lu Heng?"

Xie Zheng remained silent, only tapping the chessboard: "If you don't pay attention, you're afraid you'll lose the whole game."

"I don't want this kind of unfair victory."

Pei Lang was extremely frustrated, but he had no choice but to devote some of his attention to the chessboard. It took several rounds for the two to barely maintain their advantage.

“Of course, I saw this little leader from afar that day. His every move not only had the bloodshed of the battlefield, but also the shadow of another person.”

"It's your marksmanship."

Xie Zheng calmly placed a piece, his expression unchanged: "I lost. As expected, even if you multitask, you are still invincible."

Pei Lang had no desire to continue playing chess at this moment. He frowned and was about to get up and go into the palace: "In that case, I'll go and kill him with my spear!"

"Anyone who tries to harm my daughter will not survive in this world!"

Xie Zheng stared at him quietly: "Even if you're in a hurry, you can't rush things."

"Now that Princess Chaoya's affair has caused such a stir in the city, I'm afraid your entry into the palace today will only lead to another conflict with the Emperor, won't it?"

"At such a critical juncture, if you were to provoke the Imperial Guards, wouldn't you be afraid the young emperor would order your execution?"

"You don't have a second get-out-of-jail-free card anymore."

Xie Zheng's tone was somewhat strange, carrying not only contempt but also a hint of sourness, which made Pei Lang frown.

"What do you mean? Even if it's a get-out-of-jail-free card, it belongs to my family, to my wife."

"If you're jealous, start your own family sooner rather than later, and stop staring at other people."

Pei Lang's expression was somewhat cold, but Xie Zheng showed no fear whatsoever.

He couldn't help but scoff, "If it weren't for A-Zhi, you would have died countless times by now."

Hearing his sarcastic remarks, Pei Lang, unusually, didn't want to argue with him.

I know how happy I am with Azhi, so I won't say it out loud and invite jealousy from petty people.

"Forget it, even if I told you this, you wouldn't understand."

"Let's stop here for today. As for Lu Heng, I'll find a way to get rid of him without getting my hands dirty..."

Before Pei Lang could finish speaking, he suddenly heard an unusual noise coming from outside the window. Pei Lang frowned, paused for a moment, and then rushed out with a serious expression.

As soon as I went outside, I saw several men in black appearing like ghosts in the dim night.

Who are you?

Pei Lang already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on, but he still frowned and couldn't believe it.

"You corrupt official! Prepare to die!"

But the black-clad assassins ignored what Pei Lang said and immediately raised their knives to stab him.

Although Xie Zheng was here, he didn't stop them much. On the contrary, he became even more ruthless!

Amidst the flashing swords and clashing blades, Pei Lang handled the situation with ease, but he also noticed that several dark figures did not make a move. Instead, they headed in another direction... that was where Lin Zhi and the child lived!

Pei Lang's eyes widened in fury, and without a second thought, he leaped up on tiptoe to give chase.

Xie Zheng's expression froze upon seeing this. He tried to follow, but was surrounded by shadowy figures and found it difficult to escape.

Pei Lang moved faster and faster, but forgot to pay attention to his surroundings until he was slashed on the shoulder. He felt the pain and turned around to stab his throat with a sword.

"Ah Zhi!"

Pei Lang was half a step ahead and rushed into the courtyard, wanting Lin Zhi and Mianmian to hide first. However, when he rushed into the room, he looked around but found no one.

The pain in my shoulder went numb, as if the knife was poisoned.

Pei Lang frowned, ignoring his shoulder injury, and quickly searched around but couldn't find the person.

The ominous thought in his mind caused him unbearable pain. He rushed out but saw Lin Zhi being forced back by the assassin.

Standing beside her was Fang Shiyun, who looked very wary.

Lin Zhi never expected that her hasty and hasty escape would lead to such bad luck.

If it weren't for Mianmian being so fussy when she woke up, they probably would have already left the city by now.

But now, having just entrusted her child to a wet nurse, she has encountered an assassin!

Lin Zhi spotted Pei Lang at a glance; even in the winter night, he was still dazzling and eye-catching.

But thinking of her own intentions and Fang Shiyun beside her, Lin Zhi didn't dare to look at him. She was afraid of seeing the disappointment and pain in Pei Lang's eyes.

Fang Shiyun protected Lin Zhi while looking for an opportunity to let her escape, but he was unable to defend himself when the assassins attacked.

"Pei Lang! What are you doing!"

Pei Lang glared at Fang Shiyun with bloodshot eyes, their long swords clashing together, sparks flying from the friction.

"Fang Shiyun! You are despicable and shameless! You dare to coerce Lin Zhi into going with you!"

While dealing with the assassins, Fang Shiyun glared at Pei Lang and said, "What's wrong with you? Don't you understand what's more important right now?"

"Weren't these assassins here because of you? If it weren't for you, would Lin Zhi have gone through such a dangerous ordeal?"

Enraged, Pei Lang no longer cared about dealing with the assassin. He pulled Lin Zhi behind him and stabbed at Fang Shiyun.

You are not worthy to say such a thing!

Just as the longsword was heading towards Fang Shiyun, Pei Lang suddenly widened his eyes. Lin Zhi had somehow appeared under his sword and stood in front of Fang Shiyun!

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Pei Lang sheathed his sword in time, but inevitably tore her cloak in the process.

Lin Zhi turned pale with fright, but she stood still and did not flinch.

"I'm desperate for my life, that's why I want to leave. I begged them both to help me leave."

"If you're going to hold someone accountable, then you should take it out on me!"

With a trembling voice, Lin Zhi ignored the remaining surviving assassins and stood shakily in front of Pei Lang's sword.

"They are helping me; they can't let anything happen to me."

But upon hearing her words, Pei Lang's eyes turned bloodshot, and his lips became frighteningly pale: "You're leaving?"

"Why?"

Why did you abandon me again?

The pain in Pei Lang's eyes was too glaring, making Lin Zhi's heart sink, and she turned her gaze away from him.

I forced myself to harden my heart: "I have never been willing."