Zhao Xiheng's eyes lit up the moment that group of people appeared with such a menacing air.
If everything goes smoothly without any setbacks, she will have to stay under Wei Li's watchful eye when she arrives in Bu Xian City, and probably won't have much of a chance to escape.
The appearance of these people undoubtedly gave Zhao Xiheng a turning point.
Zhao Xiheng felt that although Wei Li appeared calm and collected, the arm around her waist was clearly exerting force, and his muscles were tense, ready to pounce.
Although Xiao Tao was impulsive, she wasn't too stupid. Seeing this scene, although she was a little nervous, she perked up, straightened her back, and held the reins. Her heart pounded, thinking that this might be a turning point.
Wei Li and his men were all on horseback. Although the horses' hooves were covered with cloth, they would inevitably slip if they fought, so they all dismounted.
"Sit still." Wei Li glanced at Zhao Xiheng.
With the operation about to begin, Zhao Xiheng was so excited that she didn't even think about paying attention to him.
Wei Li noticed that she was clearly lost in thought, and a hint of annoyance appeared in his eyes, but he still didn't say anything, instead twirling his moon blade in a flourish.
When those people untied the reins and let the dogs out, Wei Li and the others realized that these dogs were not just for pulling sleds.
"You scoundrel Wei, these dogs are all carefully raised by me. They are fed raw meat every day and are extremely fierce. They haven't been fed for a day and a night. Just wait to be torn to shreds. The people of Pingzhou are all eager to kill you. Today, I kill you, which is to rid the people of a scourge. The whole of Pingzhou should be overjoyed!" The middle-aged man laughed loudly.
A hint of gloom appeared in Wei Li's eyes. "Coincidentally, my greatest pleasure in this life is making people unhappy."
Zhao Xiheng vouched for him, and not a single word of his statement was false.
Wei Li stopped talking and spun his blade, sending up a spray of blood.
The man gritted his teeth, then drew his bow and shot an arrow between the crowd and the dogs. In an instant, hundreds of arrows rained down, and the cries of the people and the barking of the dogs mingled together.
They weren't sharpshooters who could hit their targets every time, and it was inevitable that they would accidentally injure some of the dogs during the process. This shows that they originally intended to sacrifice the dogs in exchange for Wei Li's life.
Wei Li deflected a stray arrow, patted the horse beside him, and the horse galloped away, cleverly running to hide by the edge of the reeds.
Wei Li himself gave her the chance to escape.
Zhao Xiheng held the reins with great care, cautiously observing the battle situation on Wei Li's side while pulling at the shawl covering her face to expose her mouth and nose for breathing.
Xiao Tao was already teary-eyed and trembling with emotion. She rushed over, "Your Highness, we..."
“Run!” Zhao Xiheng immediately replied.
She turned and glanced at Wei Li, who was anxiously fighting on the battlefield. She nimbly dismounted and took Xiao Tao off with her. Just as she was about to leave, her clothes were tightened behind her. She saw that the horse was biting the hem of her clothes, kicking up its paws and snorting, blowing out a circle of hot air. It was clear that it did not want her to leave.
It's clear that Wei Li's efforts in raising it were worthwhile.
If they delayed any longer, they might be discovered. Zhao Xiheng felt her pockets and took out a cloth bag from her bosom, grabbing a piece of sweet cake from it.
The horse tried to grab the cake while biting Zhao Xiheng's clothes, but the animal's wisdom was no match for Zhao Xiheng's cunning. She stuffed the cake into the horse's mouth, then pulled off her own clothes and started running.
The two of them disappeared into the reeds.
The two of them wandered through the reeds for an unknown amount of time before finally stopping, panting and clutching their backs.
Xiao Tao asked, "Your Highness, where are we going now? Back to Jinyang?"
Zhao Xiheng shook her head; returning to Jinyang was definitely out of the question.
Not to mention that her parents are dead and that place is no longer her home; just the fact that she has returned safely while Zhao Mingxin has gone to Goguryeo for a marriage alliance means that her uncle and aunt can no longer treat her well.
"Then let's go to Ji'an County? The prefect's wife has been very good to you," Xiao Tao said, rubbing her hands together.
Zhao Xiheng shook her head. "The entire Pingzhou is under Wei Li's control. If I escape to Ji'an and he finds out, the virtuous wife of the prefect you speak of will be in trouble."
Xiao Tao was jolted awake by Zhao Xiheng's use of the word "discovered," and couldn't help but feel a pang of fear. Her body trembled. "Your Highness, what if Wei Li discovers us..."
"Could it be..." She made a throat-slitting gesture with her hand.
"I don't know," Zhao Xiheng sighed, and asked her, "Are you rested enough? If you are, let's go."
She knew very well that it was unrealistic for her to have too many desires in this world; she just wanted to live well and live a better life.
Clearly, staying by Wei Li's side is not a good choice.
If she had to say what her greatest wish was, it would be to one day see the Great Zhou Dynasty become powerful and become the kind of dynasty her father had hoped for. But, it's so difficult...
Xiao Tao's words reminded Zhao Xiheng that although she had run away, she was afraid of being caught by Wei Li. It would be a real loss if he killed her with a single blow, so she had to make two preparations.
Zhao Xiheng's mind was a complete mess. In a flash of inspiration, she didn't have time to think about anything else. She was just wondering how much truth there was in what the leader had said: that everyone in Pingping Prefecture was hoping for Wei Li's death.
Perhaps it is all true. When her father was emperor, whenever he walked the road, the people would line the streets to welcome him and throng around him. But when Wei Li was mentioned, everyone was afraid of him. In fact, wherever he went, the doors and windows were tightly closed, and there was no trace of human activity.
Even if you don't wish him dead, you probably don't like him.
Walking a little further away, they saw smoke coming from the chimneys of several houses, and Zhao Xiheng pulled Xiao Tao along and ran over.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Zhao Xiheng knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?"
The family had heard from the governor of Ji'an County that Wei Li was passing through today, so they deliberately kept their doors and windows closed and didn't dare to utter a sound.
Hearing a woman's voice, he was surprised, but the people of Pingzhou were warm, simple, and kind.
Guessing that the young woman outside was in some trouble, and wanting to help if they could, they opened the door a crack.
A middle-aged man peeked out from inside, his face partially visible. "Young lady, what's wrong?"
Zhao Xiheng burst into tears, pleading, "Please help me."
When someone pleaded with him like that, the middle-aged man's expression softened considerably, and he even seemed a little at a loss. "Oh, little girl, don't cry. What's wrong? If your uncle can help you, he definitely will. Don't cry."
The woman in their family was soft-hearted. She opened the door wide and pulled Zhao Xiheng in, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry. Just tell us what's wrong, and we'll definitely help you. What a beautiful girl you are."
Zhao Xiheng wiped away her tears and sobbed, "Uncle, when we were crossing the river, we passed through a reed bed. Suddenly, several people emerged from the reeds, accompanied by many ferocious dogs. They wanted to kill us!"
"Please, please bring people to help me..." Zhao Xiheng's sobbing voice paused. Who was Wei Li to her?
What identity should we create?
Her hesitation was interpreted by the couple as a sign that the young woman was too shy to speak up.
The relationship that's too embarrassing to talk about, hey, isn't that just being lovers!
The local customs here are simple and free; they don't oppose men and women interacting freely, so it's not surprising that young girls and boys have lovers.
"Don't worry, my husband's word is the most reliable around here. People here don't stand bad people, so he'll definitely help you save your lover," the aunt comforted her.
Although Zhao Xiheng hadn't finished speaking, her kind-hearted uncle and aunt had already imagined a dramatic scene—the young lady and her sweetheart were about to cross the river when they encountered thieves who wanted to steal her money and kill her.
Alright, since they're willing to think that way, Zhao Xiheng won't explain further and will simply accept it.
"I never imagined that besides Wei Li, there would be such ruthless bandits in Pingzhou! Bah! I'll lead my men to wipe out these scoundrels today!"
"Let's call on Lao Zhang, Lao Li, Lao Sun, and Lao Guo to come along!"
Both husband and wife were filled with righteous indignation.
Upon hearing that they used Wei Li as the lowest benchmark to judge whether a person's character was good or bad, Zhao Xiheng felt relieved.
Although she had made thorough preparations for Wei Li's benefit, she had no intention of harming anyone's life. Those people were after Wei Li, and they were all well-trained. If these fishermen rashly went to help, they would surely not fare well.
Although she had only met the couple once, they were both kind and warm-hearted people, and she certainly couldn't let them really die.
Zhao Xiheng grabbed the corner of the man who was about to run away with a hoe, and asked with tears in her eyes, "Uncle, do you all hate Wei Li?"
"Shh, young lady, don't say this person's name." The woman spat twice, as if she had heard something unlucky.
“But the person they want to kill is Wei Li…” Zhao Xiheng’s tears fell in large drops again.
The couple were clearly stunned, obviously not expecting that even someone like Wei Li would have a young woman interested in him.
"Get out! Those people aren't robbers, they're clearly righteous people! They've come to uphold justice for us ordinary folks!"
The two men shoved Zhao Xiheng out and then bolted the door shut.
Zhao Xiheng stood outside and wiped away her tears.
Well, Wei Li, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that your reputation is absolutely terrible.
Now she's not afraid even if Wei Li catches her and takes her back. She's not running away; she's looking for reinforcements for Wei Li.
Zhao Xiheng clapped her hands and led Xiao Tao out of the village.
His body suddenly froze.
just in case……
If Wei Li finds these people and discovers that she sought their help but they refused, will Wei Li kill them?
Based on his personality, there's a high probability he will.
Zhao Xiheng was genuinely disappointed this time.
She banged her head against the wall hard.
Zhao Xiheng, are you fucking brainless? Did your head just get filled with tofu like Zhao Mingxin's?
She thought she had gotten away with it, but she still ended up hurting people. If they saw her dead, they would never sleep peacefully for the rest of their lives.
You won't die, but these people will!
"Your Highness, why aren't we leaving?" Xiao Tao asked cautiously.
"I'm an idiot. If I really leave, I'll definitely drag these people down with me."
“But you are a princess, Your Highness. Human life is worthless these days. If you put a person on the market, you can’t even get a pig back.” Xiao Tao didn’t quite understand.
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