Chen Jia and Jixiang sat on the doorstep, one on each side.

Jixiang was almost a year old, with a head as big as a millstone, a body covered with thick and long hair, and a body over three feet long. His four claws were thick and hard. Chen Jia touched them secretly and they looked like bear paws. If someone who had never seen the world barged in and saw Jixiang, such a huge beast, it was possible that he would mistake it for a tiger.

Chen Jia couldn't help but sigh inwardly, the princess was really forward-looking, raising a mastiff, which would be more useful than three or four strong soldiers.

Anyway, he couldn't beat Jixiang, unless he used arrows to attack from a distance. If he got close, he would be scared to death.

Baoning and Yuanzi had already gone to bed. Nanny Liu was afraid that they would be scared, so she took a nap in the room and watched over them.

The sounds of fighting outside the city wall became quieter and quieter. The battle should have come to an end. The city was not broken. Although the days to come will not be easy, at least tonight is safe. Thinking of this, Chen Jia felt drowsy. He sat under the porch wrapped in a blanket, with his head resting on the porch column, and his eyes gradually narrowed into a slit.

Jixiang's crazy shouting woke him up.

Not only Jixiang was shouting, Ah Huang in the distance seemed to be shouting as well. Chen Jia suddenly opened his eyes and looked around vigilantly.

The screams of the women were heard: "There is an assassin! There is an assassin!"

There is an assassin? The veins on Chen Jia's forehead jumped, and he jumped up with the knife in his hand. He knocked on the door to wake up the people in the room: "Princess, wake up, someone broke in. You hide in the room and don't make any noise. I'll go check and come back soon!" After saying that, he rushed to the place where the sound came from anxiously.

Jixiang also rushed over.

"Captain Chen!" Before Chen Jia ran to the door, Nanny Liu pushed the door open and stopped him loudly, "Come in, the princess wants to talk to you!"

Hearing this, Chen Jia hurriedly stopped. He anxiously glanced in the direction of the assassin, but chose to listen to Bao Ning's words and hurried back. The situation was urgent, and he didn't care about the restraints of status. He rushed into the inner room and said, "Princess, I heard the cry for help coming from the back door. Those people should have sneaked in from the back door..."

Bao Ning sat up with her clothes on. Her face was pale due to fatigue. She held Yuanzi in her arms and interrupted Chen Jia calmly, "How many guards are left in the mansion?"

Chen Jia replied, "Most of them went to the front line to support. There are only 20 to 30 guards left. They are not elite soldiers. If the newcomers are well prepared, they can't hold out for long."

Bao Ning said, "In that case, it's useless for you to stop them. It's just one more death."

"But..." Chen Jia's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He realized that Chunyu Luan was very cunning. These were all his schemes. He first attacked the city fiercely to divert the guards of the palace, and then took the opportunity to sneak attack the empty palace. What's the next step? Is he going to cause the officers and soldiers guarding the city gate to panic, so that they can dispatch troops to fight back and then break the city in one fell swoop?

Bao Ning saw what he was thinking and shook his head, saying, "The city gates have always been heavily guarded, especially after the Shiyang Pass battle. Anyone entering or leaving needs to show a document with an official seal. Even if Chunyu Luan arranges for people to enter the city, there will be no more than a hundred people. If they want to attack from both inside and outside, these people are not enough. They must have other intentions. Besides, listen, our dozens of guards can stop them for so long, so they must not have many people."

Chen Jia hesitated and said, "Then they are..."

He suddenly figured it out, "Could it be that they want to take hostages as a threat?"

"I don't know." Baoning shook her head, "but all we can do now is to prepare for the rainy day."

Chen Jia knelt down, turned her back to her, and said loudly: "Please come up, Princess! Even if Chen Jia risks her life, she will definitely lead you out of the siege and to a safe place!" The

sound of fighting outside was getting closer and closer. Baoning's heart was pounding. She tried her best to calm herself down and think carefully. Baoning remembered what Pei Yuan said to her before he left. He said that she was the princess, and after he left, she would be the person with the highest status in the city, and she had to work harder.

Work harder.

Baoning thought to herself, she was the princess, and she got so much with this status, the respect of the people, power and wealth, and she also enjoyed Pei Yuan's endless love. She should take responsibility for this identity. She may not be able to fight on the battlefield, but at least she should not cause trouble to so many soldiers fighting bloody battles. If she can't even do these, if she is so panicked that she needs others to take care of her and comfort her, how can she bear the heavy title of Princess of Jibei?

Moreover, she can do it.

Aunt Liu also looked at her anxiously and advised: "Princess, let's go quickly. If the enemy rushes in, we can't escape."

"Where can I escape to? I'm pregnant and carrying a child. I'll be a target wherever I go." Bao Ning said, "If they can't find me, they won't stop."

She got up and patted Chen Jia's shoulder to let him stand up, and led him to the dressing table.

Chen Jia and Aunt Liu both looked at her in confusion.

Yuanzi was the first to react: "Aunt, do you want Uncle Chen Jia to dress up like you?"

Chen Jia was shocked and turned to look at Baoning's face. Seeing her nod, she almost fainted: "How can this be done! No, she will be recognized!"

Baoning winked at Aunt Liu, and the two of them pressed Chen Jia to sit in front of the dressing table. Aunt Liu took out the powder neatly, and Baoning asked Yuanzi to run and get a dress from the maid next door, then took out a knife and a black pen, shaved off the stray hairs on Chen Jia's eyebrows, and drew a woman's willow-leaf curved eyebrows.

Chen Jia still thought this move was incredible. He didn't want to cooperate. He struggled to stand up and insisted: "Princess, you believe me, I can definitely take you out!"

"Do you think they won't send people to guard every door?" Bao Ning said, "You also believe me, thieves will not leave empty-handed. They will not break into the palace just to kill a few guards. If you don't give them some benefits, they will not let it go. You pretend to be me, and they won't do anything to you unless it is absolutely necessary. When the prince returns to the city and repel the enemy, even if I spend all my wealth, I will ensure that you return to Zhao intact."

"I'm not afraid of death!" Chen Jia was almost in despair. He looked at himself in the mirror. After applying the powder, he was actually as white as a woman.

With the eyebrows drawn on, he looked like a long-faced, cold and beautiful beauty.

After putting on makeup, Yuanzi brought the dress. Baoning's skirt was too small for Chen Jia to wear. Fortunately, there was a tall and strong maid in the mansion, and her clothes fit Chen Jia perfectly.

Baoning and Aunt Liu were very skillful. It took less than half an incense stick to finish everything.

The assassin was almost at the gate of the courtyard. Jixiang screamed even more fiercely. Seeing his momentum, those people retreated for a moment.

The leader gave an order: "Leave three people to hold the dog, and the rest follow me to search the house!"

The door was quickly kicked open, and the door panel hit the wall with a loud noise.

There was no light in the house, it was pitch black, and there was only a faint sobbing sound, which turned into screaming when the door opened.

The leading Hun used the blade of his sword to open the curtain, walked slowly into the inner room, and saw the "princess" shivering on the bed. His eyes lit up, and he waved his hand and said, "Catch this woman!"

This courtyard was the most spacious courtyard he had seen so far. Looking at the antiques and treasures everywhere in the house, as well as the guarding mastiff, the man thought without hesitation that the woman on the bed must be the princess they were looking for.

He asked in a loud voice, "Where is the child named Yuanzi?"

Chen Jia was forced to lie on the bed, sobbing, with his hands tied behind his back, but he did not answer.

The man shouted again: "You are going to tell me or not! If you keep pretending to be dumb, believe it or not I will..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of galloping horses came from afar. The man realized that someone had learned the news that the palace was attacked and hurried back.

He was anxious because he hadn't found the child yet. However, time was running out and he had no choice but to order a retreat: "Mingjin, summon the gatekeepers and the brothers searching everywhere in the mansion to retreat and leave the city at the designated location!"

Glancing at Chen Jia, who was tied and staggering over, the man was relieved at first: "We have captured the Princess of Jibei, so we can report to the task."

But when he saw Chen Jia's appearance, he frowned again: "Why does she look like this? Did we capture the wrong person?"

Someone next to him said: "We have searched the entire mansion and left people guarding the door. No one escaped. This must be the one."

"I thought she was some kind of beauty with unparalleled appearance." The man looked away with a little discomfort, "The taste of King Jibei is really different."

Before the reinforcements arrived, they quickly took Chen Jia and left the palace through the back door.

When Baoning came out of the closet with Yuanzi, the palace had been taken over again. Qian Feng rushed over with a face full of guilt, knelt down in front of her and said: "I have failed in my duty and let the princess fall into danger. I am guilty of this! Fortunately, the princess is fine, otherwise I can only die to atone for my sins!"

Baoning asked: "How is the war situation outside?"

Qian Feng replied: "The snow is getting heavier, Chunyu Luan's siege on the city is not going well, so he has withdrawn his troops and is stationed fifty miles away. There will be no war in the short term. The prince is now in Dai County and will return soon. If we attack from both sides, our chances of winning are very high."

Baoning was slightly relieved. She was tormented in her heart. It was not a good feeling to let Chen Jia take the risk for her.

Qian Feng saw through her thoughts and comforted her: "Princess, our people have already chased them. After all, they are in Feng County. We are more familiar with the terrain than them and can intercept them."

...

Chen Jia was led by those people along the alleys. After walking around for half an hour, they arrived at a hidden corner of the city wall.

After moving a large stone, they found a dog hole.

The pursuers behind them were about to catch up. The leader ordered the others to crawl out of the dog hole first, leaving only a few to follow him. He pulled out a bunch of arrows with heavy oilcloth wrapped at the arrowheads from his back, lit the arrows with flints, and then suddenly released them. The

arrows fell on the roof of the hut like flowing fire, and were blown by the night wind and quickly spread.

In a moment, the fire took advantage of the wind, and it was a sea of ​​fire.

The man smiled excitedly, waved his hand and said, "Retreat!"

...

It was late at night when Pei Yuan rushed to the city of Dai County. At that time, he didn't know that his Baoning had just experienced a life-and-death ordeal.