Lacking martial arts skills, the guards could only wield longswords and rely entirely on brute force to fight and kill the assassins.

In just a few moments, some people had fallen to the ground and died, while others were injured and bleeding.

The night was as dark as ink, and the torches they held could only illuminate a small area. Ye Qingxue lifted the carriage curtain and looked around for a while, realizing that continuing to fight like this was not a solution at all.

She released Bai Qi beside her and ordered, "Run!!"

The coachman then realized what was happening, cracked his whip on the horse's back, and the horse neighed and took off, carving a bloody path through the horde of assassins ahead, together with Bai Qi.

The carriage behind them quickly followed.

The guards behind them also did not linger in battle and quickly followed the carriage.

The enemy seemed surprised that they would run away, and in their astonishment, they gave Ye Qingxue and the others a chance to catch their breath. Ye Qingxue and the others broke through the encirclement in an instant, and after they realized what was happening, they chased after them with swords and knives.

Ye Qingxue, Granny Xing, and Qiu Shen rode together in a carriage.

The carriage behind was white in winter, light in spring, and green in summer.

Dongbai seemed to have run out to drive the carriage. She threw the coachman into the carriage, and the whip in Dongbai's hand almost left a blur as she swung it. The horse ran at its fastest speed ever.

The road was wide, so it wasn't long before Dongbai's carriage was running alongside Ye Qingxue's carriage.

"Your Highness, please come to my carriage. There's a fork in the road ahead. I'll lure those assassins away!"

Dong Bai's voice cut through the biting wind and reached Ye Qingxue's ears.

Ye Qingxue knew without a doubt that these assassins were after her. The Crown Princess's carriage was different from the servants' carriages. If she wanted to save her life, doing as Dong Bai said was the best course of action.

But does she really want Dongbai to die in her place?

"Your Highness, there's no time! Hurry!" Dongbai shouted anxiously, "We'll stop the carriages at the same time up ahead, and you and Granny Xing can switch places quickly!"

The cold wind howled, like a steel knife scraping across Ye Qingxue's face, and the howling wind at night sounded like a sob.

Chunqian and Xia Luye clung to the carriage door frame, looked at Ye Qingxue, and said, "Crown Princess, let us come and exchange you!"

The strong wind whipped the stray hairs on their foreheads and temples into a frenzy, but their expressions were resolute, as if they were ready to die!

Ye Qingxue was torn between two conflicting thoughts. She took a deep breath, feeling a burning sensation in her chest, and retreated into the carriage. She said, "Qiushen, Xing Mama and I will switch to Dongbai's carriage later. You, Dongbai, Chunqian, and Xialu will stay in this carriage."

Qiu Shen nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

Ye Qingxue said, "I made this arrangement not to send you to your deaths. With so many assassins chasing us, they certainly won't let any of us go. Even if the road forks ahead, it won't make much difference if we split up and run away."

Qiu Shen stared at her in shock.

Ye Qingxue quickly said, "So after you switch places, let Dongbai drive the carriage forward. Keep an eye out for the nearby hills and find a place to hide with Chunqian and Xialu. Although Dongbai can't use her internal energy, she still has strength. It's easier for her to escape on her own, so don't hold her back!"

Qiu Shen's nose suddenly stung with tears, and her eyes reddened: "What about you and Granny Xing?"

She couldn't help but look at Ye Qingxue's abdomen, where there was another child! It would be born in about five months.

Ye Qingxue said, "Don't worry about me, I have a brilliant plan! Get ready, we'll change cars right away. You bring Chunqian and Xialv up! Qiushen, please tell them I'll see them in Kyoto!"

After giving her instructions, Ye Qingxue pulled Granny Xing to her feet and got out of the carriage: "Dongbai, let's change!"

The carriage traveled exceptionally fast on this stretch of road, and with guards following behind, they gained valuable time, preventing the assassins from catching up for the time being.

Both carriages quickly stopped. Dongbai jumped down and helped Ye Qingxue and Granny Xing into the simple carriage, while she, Chunqian, and Xialu quickly got into the luxurious carriage, and Qiushen swiftly pulled them up.

It took no more than a dozen breaths.

By the time the assassins caught up again, the two carriages had already set off quickly, and there was a fork in the road just a mile away.

The two carriages drove off in opposite directions.

At the fork in the road, the assassins hesitated for a moment, then split into two groups and chased after each other.

The torches had long been lost, leaving only the faint, almost negligible moonlight overhead to illuminate the outline of the mountain.

But the coachman remembered the way back to the city, and so did Ye Qingxue.

“After another mile, there’s a high embankment by the roadside. If you hide down there, it’ll be hard to spot you. Uncle Yong, you and Granny Xing will hide down the embankment and slowly make your way into the valley. Once you’re in the valley and sure no assassins are coming after you, you can quietly return to the capital,” Ye Qingxue said.

Granny Xing grabbed Ye Qingxue's hand, holding back her sobs: "What will you do if we leave? You're pregnant, I can't let you go to your death alone!"

Ye Qingxue said, "Granny, I'm clever, and Bai Qi is with me. I have a way to shake them off and get home safely. But if you come with me, you'll only be a burden. Listen to me, go with Uncle Yong, understand?"

"Tell me how to shake them off, and I'll do it! You and Uncle Yong go!"

Ye Qingxue said, "I'm agile, can you do that at your age? You can't, so you can only obediently listen to me, don't talk nonsense, don't waste time! Otherwise, we'll both die. If you don't want me to die, then listen to my arrangements!"

Granny Xing burst into tears.

Ye Qingxue wiped it off for her and hugged her.

Uncle Yong obeyed Ye Qingxue's words and suddenly increased his speed. When they reached a place a mile away, Ye Qingxue used her long whip to wrap around Granny Xing's body and carried her down to the high embankment.

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