As the carriage drove further and further away, Nan Zhiyun lifted the curtain and realized she had truly left the palace. The feeling of relief didn't come; instead, she felt something was missing. Where to go? The General's Mansion? And the Empress Dowager—she hadn't known about her when she left…
Just as Nan Zhiyun's heart sank into silence, the carriage suddenly stopped. Nan Zhiyun was puzzled. Qianxia lifted the curtain and looked around, finding that there were few people in the alley and the coachman was gone. Nan Zhiyun noticed this too, and her heart tightened.
"Your Highness, don't be afraid, this servant will go down and take a look." Although Qianxia was also a little worried, she still comforted Nan Zhiyun.
Nan Zhiyun nodded. Qianxia got off the carriage first, but after waiting for a while, Nan Zhiyun still didn't hear any sound. Just as she was about to lift the curtain to look, the carriage started moving again. Nan Zhiyun sensed something was wrong, and Qianxia hadn't gotten on yet.
Nan Zhiyun lifted the curtain and saw the coachman outside, who seemed to be the same person from before: "Where is Qianxia? Where are you taking me?" Nan Zhiyun asked her.
The driver did not answer, and Nan Zhiyun felt a sense of foreboding.
"Stop!" Nan Zhiyun shouted.
"I told you to stop!" Nan Zhiyun felt a pang of panic. She didn't know where she was; there was no one around, and it was eerily quiet. Nan Zhiyun was uneasy. Was this Yu Jingchen's new tactic? What exactly did he want to do?
The carriage wasn't moving fast, nor had it gone very far. Just as Nan Zhiyun was wondering what to do, the carriage finally stopped.
The coachman didn't linger; he stopped the carriage and left. Nan Zhiyun didn't dare to move around in the carriage, but she was also afraid of discovering something unexpected, so she mustered up her courage and got out of the carriage.
She looked around, but there was really no one there. She didn't even know where she was. A sense of fear suddenly rose in Nan Zhiyun's heart.
Just then, there seemed to be some movement around them, and then Nan Zhiyun saw several masked men arrive. Was this... arranged by Yu Jingchen? Was he going to eliminate her completely in this way?
"What do you want? Did Yu Jingchen send you?" Nan Zhiyun was basically certain in her heart, and she even called Yu Jingchen by his name directly.
"Why does Consort Shu insist on leaving the palace? Then come with us," said the leader of the group, before preparing to take Nan Zhiyun away.
Nan Zhiyun was utterly powerless; how could she possibly defeat them? She slowly retreated, still terrified. She didn't know what awaited her. Nan Zhiyun wanted to call for help, but there was no one around; her heart pounded in her chest. How could they let her escape? Just as they were about to touch Nan Zhiyun, the man was struck back with a single palm strike, dying instantly.
Nan Zhiyun turned around and saw Yu Jingchen, who had changed into casual clothes. What was going on? Why was he here? And weren't these people arranged by him?
The remaining masked men were visibly shocked by the situation and immediately tried to retreat. But how could Yu Jingchen let them escape right under his nose? Just as they were about to leave, the hidden guards surged out and, in a matter of moments, all of them were killed.
Nan Zhiyun's heart nearly leaped out of her chest at the sight before her; she had been genuinely terrified. Yu Jingchen walked towards them unhurriedly. Nan Zhiyun looked at him and asked, "You arranged this, didn't you?" Her eyes were filled with tears.
"Do you think it's necessary?" Yu Jingchen asked in return.
"Who else could it be but you?" Nan Zhiyun was already convinced of it.
“Those people were Yu Jing'an’s men; they’ve been watching you for a long time,” Yu Jingchen said calmly.
Yu Jing'an? Nan Zhiyun was a little confused, not knowing what this meant.
“Your father will be returning to the capital soon, and Yu Jing’an will also be back before the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Yu Jingchen said, but Nan Zhiyun didn’t understand what he meant.
“Nan Zhiyun, you really are stupid. Your father’s only weakness is in you. Don’t you think you have enough eyes?” Yu Jingchen asked, looking at her.
Nan Zhiyun clenched her fist. So, she really wasn't from Yu Jingchen's faction? But...
“Those people weren’t arranged by me, but I’ve known about them for a long time. They’ve been following you ever since you left the palace. What do you think is the reason?” Yu Jingchen continued to ask, but Nan Zhiyun remained silent.
"Nan Zhiyun, if you insist on leaving the palace, why don't you take a look at yourself? Do you have the ability to protect yourself? Are you really safe after you leave the palace? When Nan Su comes back, do you think you will become a burden?" Yu Jingchen asked a series of questions, which completely baffled Nan Zhiyun.
“Perhaps you think they’re only after my father’s military power. Once he returns and relinquishes it, you can leave peacefully and go back to your lives. But…” Yu Jingchen’s tone shifted.
"If something had really happened to you just now, what do you think would have happened? Even if your father had really relinquished his military power, would everything really have been peaceful? Your father has 500,000 troops under his command. Do you think he can rely on just a military tally? Nan Zhiyun, can you stop being so stupid? Can you think more carefully? Do you think everything will be alright just because you left the palace? Do you think you can live the life you want after leaving the palace? Do you think your family will be safe after leaving the palace?" Yu Jingchen scolded Nan Zhiyun without any mercy.
Nan Zhiyun was speechless. It seemed that this was not true, but she couldn't find any point to refute it.
"The reason I didn't stop what happened just now was so that you could see for yourself whether you are truly safe. So, have you seen clearly?" Yu Jingchen asked her again.
Nan Zhiyun never gave an answer from beginning to end. She may have already had the answer in her heart, but she didn't want to acknowledge it.
"In this world, do you really think you're at peace? You want to leave the palace and live a carefree life with your father. But have you considered your current position, and your father's position? Can you really guarantee a smooth escape? Now that you're in this vortex, can you truly shake it off cleanly?" Yu Jingchen didn't speak harshly, but his words were still grating. Today, Yu Jingchen was merely using this small incident to make Nan Zhiyun face reality.
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