Chapter 241 Returning to the Capital
"What's wrong with it?"
But after she waited a while, Xie Tingzhou didn't say anything more.
His tall, thin body was curled up in a ball, his cheek resting on his knees. Only then could she see clearly that his eyes were closed, and he had obviously lost consciousness.
"Xie Tingzhou?"
She patted his face, the temperature of his skin beneath her hand was frighteningly hot.
There was no response, but thankfully he was still breathing.
Qi Yuxuan sighed. Well, since he's already passed out, let's loosen the ropes. At least he'll be more comfortable lying down.
Qi Yuxuan sat quietly, watching the sky outside the small cubicle begin to lighten, before rubbing her sore and swollen legs and trying to stand up.
She sat there anxiously all night, afraid that someone would suddenly burst in, and also afraid that Xie Tingzhou had died. She kept checking his nose to make sure he was still alive.
"Xie Tingzhou? Xie Xingzhi? Wake up!"
She nudged the man lying on the ground with her toe, but he didn't react.
In critical moments, one can only rely on oneself. Qi Yuxuan gave up on waking Xie Tingzhou and instead began to inspect the small house.
Last night was too dark, and the moonlight was limited, so she could only see the general outline vaguely. Afraid of not being able to see clearly and getting hurt, she closed her eyes to rest and did not make any rash moves. Now that it was getting light outside, she used the small window to see the structure of the house clearly.
The room was about ten feet square. In the corner, there was a patch of withered grass, a small, rickety table, and a bronze candlestick on the table.
She picked up the candlestick and gestured with it in her hand.
She struggled to carry the table to the small window, then climbed up holding the candlestick. The table was limping, and it wobbled violently as soon as she stood on it, but luckily she grabbed the small window and didn't fall down with the table.
The window was only the size of a palm. She lifted her left leg, stepped on it, and pushed off with all her might, instantly rising a height. She raised both hands and was able to reach the roof.
The cabin was neither large nor tall; the roof was no more than two people high, and she could only touch it by standing on the windowsill.
She held the candlestick and nudged the thatch covering the roof, and was surprised to find that it was loose. Didn't that mean she could push the thatch aside and escape from the roof?
She had already looked out the small window; there was no one outside. She just didn't know if there were any in the other directions.
She carefully poked open a hole big enough for her waist to squeeze through, and clung to the roof, peeking out with her head.
The faint morning light in the woods, along with the still slightly cool air of spring, rushed towards me, instantly clearing my mind after smelling the fragrance all night.
Once everyone had finally emerged from the roof, she sat on the roof beam and looked down, feeling dizzy and weak in the legs.
It's that scene again.
She was forced to jump off the roof when she was still called Ye Zhaodi.
Qi Yuxuan's heart pounded faster and faster, and her palms were sweating with nervousness.
I've already learned to ride a horse, so what's there to be afraid of than jumping off a roof again?
She had grown up; she was no longer that little girl. And beneath her lay soft forest soil, not hard, stone bricks that could crush a person to death…
She closed her eyes, forcing herself not to look at the height from the roof to the ground, and took countless deep breaths, her ears filled with the pounding of her heart.
Finally, she tensed her legs, her whole body like a bowstring suddenly released after being fully drawn, and with her eyes closed, she leaped off the roof and crashed to the ground.
The expected pain did not occur; instead, a broad, warm embrace caught her.
She was so frightened that she immediately opened her eyes and gripped the clothes of the person beneath her tightly.
Then, in the dim, pale light of the forest, she saw a familiar chin, followed by a pair of eyes filled with weariness and bloodshot veins.
"The Crown Prince?"
"I'm late..."
The voice, somewhere between youth and adolescence, was deep and almost drowned out by regret and remorse.
Qi Jun swept her up in his arms, cradling her shoulders and holding her close, as if she were a lost treasure that had been found again.
His knuckles were white from the force he exerted, yet the pressure he applied to her shoulder was incredibly gentle.
“Yu Xuan…”
Qi Jun called her name, his voice trembling slightly, the emotions within him indescribable.
He was wrong. He shouldn't have thought of giving her away to someone else, which almost led to a disaster today.
What does it matter if she doesn't love him now? He will gradually win her heart, like water dripping on a stone, and one day she will be willing to love him.
On the return journey, Qi Yuxuan and the Crown Prince sat facing each other in the carriage, with Xie Tingzhou lying unconscious between them.
“It was Zhao Yinchen who went to the government and said that there were artificial pits dug on the official road, which led him to find you.”
"What's the meaning?"
Qi Yuxuan frowned and asked, "Wasn't it discovered the moment she went missing?"
Qi Jun clenched his fists and placed them on his knees, avoiding eye contact with her.
"Someone informed the Zheng family and the Princess's residence that you were rescued by your friends and are unharmed..."
Qi Yuxuan: "Who sent the message?"
"Wan Niangzi from Longxing Cloth Shop".
Longxing Cloth Shop was owned by the Bai family.
"Is it Bai Mingluan?"
Qi Jun moved his lips and said with difficulty, "Yu Xuan, I'm sorry."
He found it hard to admit.
As the mother of a nation, how could she be so easily swayed by biased opinions? She didn't hesitate at all to send people to tie up Qi Yuxuan and Xie Tingzhou together, even thinking that she had found a good home for Qi Yuxuan, when Bai Mingluan and Qi Wenyue came up with such a terrible idea.
His relationship with the Empress as mother and son had finally come to an end, so it's best not to mention it to the Bai family.
"No, it's not Bai Mingluan."
Qi Yuxuan stared at Qi Jun's expression and saw a hint of guilt and remorse on the face of the nineteen-year-old boy.
Why should he do this to Bai Mingluan?
That leaves only "the Empress".
"Is it because you want to marry me, which the Empress dislikes, that you resorted to this tactic?"
Although it was a question, Qi Yuxuan's tone was confident, clearly indicating that she had already guessed most of the answer.
The carriage was more silent than ever before.
At this moment, silence is the answer.
"Yu Xuan, I will handle all of this, don't worry..."
"No need." Qi Yuxuan looked away, her voice as cold as ice and snow. "Your Highness, please take us to the Princess's residence. I'm tired and want to go back to rest."
She will take revenge herself.
Before the imperial examination, Xie Tingzhou finally recovered her health at the Princess's residence.
Qi Yuxuan was having breakfast when she suddenly heard someone say that Guard Ren had returned.
He was recently sent to Jiangnan by her, which meant he missed the time when she had an accident in Zhuangshan.
"How is it?"
Ren Shun's expression was not good; he said somewhat gravely:
"Master, Xiao Yuyao has been exposed as not being a member of the Xiao family and is dead."
"Furthermore, the Xiao family assisted the government in solving a major case in Jiangnan and has already received the emperor's permission to end their mourning period early and return to the capital to be appointed to official positions. This morning, the Xiao family and their entourage entered the capital."
"when--"
The porcelain spoon lost its grip and fell to the edge of the bowl with a soft thud.
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