Chapter 136: Killing Intentions
On the mountain road, a green cloth carriage was swaying towards the capital.
"Miss, your brows have been furrowed since you came back from the temple." Cai Lian leaned forward, picked up a piece of cut sand apple with a silver fork, and passed it to Su Cheng's mouth, "Are you worried about something?"
Su Cheng took it and took a bite of the sand apple. The sweetness of the fruit spread in his mouth. "Father left in a hurry just now. He said that there was a distinguished guest in the mansion and asked us to take the temple car back slowly. Who do you think the distinguished guest could be?"
Cai Lian also frowned and thought carefully.
This matter shouldn't have been asked to a little maid like her, but since the master had spoken, it meant that he treated her as one of his own.
"The young lady didn't see him just now. The master looked very anxious when he left, and he only left a message, asking me to take good care of the young lady." Cai Lian scratched her head and spoke tentatively, "I have never seen the master like this before. Could it be... someone from the palace has come?"
"The palace..." Su Cheng lowered his eyes and stared at the sand apples on the table in a daze.
The next moment, the car stopped suddenly, the car wall shook violently, the fruit plate on the small table fell down, and Su Cheng fell forward uncontrollably. Before she could react, Cai Lian grabbed her and protected her tightly.
"Help---"
"Miss, someone is trying to stop the car!"
The driver's words came from outside. Su Cheng slowly raised his eyes, and a sharp flash flashed in his eyes, "Cai Lian."
After the words were spoken, Cai Lian reacted instantly, lifted the carriage curtain, looked outside, and blocked most of the young lady's body.
The woman was lying on the ground, blocking the car's way. Her dress was so dirty that the original color could not be seen. Her exposed arms were covered with scratches, and there was a knife wound on her calf so deep that the bone was visible.
"Save me..." The woman's voice was as soft as a mosquito. She raised her head with difficulty to look at the woman sitting in the car, her eyes full of pleading.
There were green mountains on both sides of the carriage. The woman could only have escaped from the mountains and luckily ran into the temple's carriage.
It's just strange that the woman was covered in wounds, escaped from the mountains, and the murderer who hurt her is nowhere to be found.
Maybe it was a trick of the guys. There might be a few burly men hiding in the bushes on both sides, waiting for him to get off the car.
It’s troublesome, it’s better not to save.
"Cai Lian, take a detour."
Su Cheng spoke coldly, not even looking at the woman.
The curtain fell mercilessly. The woman's eyes widened in an instant, watching the carriage pass by her. She struggled to grab the dirt beneath her, breaking eight of her ten nails. "Wait! I'm... I'm Rongqing... Princess Rongqing!"
The car slowly stopped beside her, and a corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing the woman's delicate and beautiful eyebrows.
"Princess Rongqing?"
"Yes..." Rong Qing tried hard to raise her head, and used one hand to randomly push away the hair in front of her eyes, revealing her originally beautiful eyebrows and eyes. Although her face was dirty, one could vaguely see that she looked good.
"Miss, there is indeed a Princess Rongqing in the palace, but she was sent to the northwest to marry eight years ago. This..."
Cai Lian reminded in a low voice, the inquiry in her eyes lingering.
"Someone wants to kill me. Please...please let me get in the car." Tears welled up in Rong Qing's eyes. He regarded the woman in the car as his only hope. "I will definitely be able to explain it clearly."
Su Cheng lowered his eyes, his gaze fell on her, and said softly, "Cai Lian."
"Yes, Miss." Cai Lian responded softly, got up and got out of the carriage, helped the woman up, and took her to the carriage. She turned back and reminded the driver, "Uncle Zhang, get out of here quickly."
"Okay, miss, sit tight inside!"
With a crack of the whip, the wheels started turning again and galloped towards the capital.
Not long after the carriage left, several tall men in night clothes followed the blood trail all the way to the foot of the mountain.
"What's going on? Where are the people?"
"Look, there's so much blood here. She must have stayed here for a long time."
"The blood trail ends here. Could she have been rescued?"
One of the men squatted down, staring carefully at the tracks on the ground. He said in a deep voice, "A carriage passed by. They must have rescued her. Follow the tracks. She has something important on her. We must not let her return to the capital alive!"
"Walk!"
The fruits scattered under the car had been cleaned up by Cai Lian. The master and servant squeezed together on one side, and Rong Qing sat alone. Although the car had traveled a long way, she still couldn't help shaking.
"How do you prove you're Princess Rongqing?" Su Cheng pursed his lips, concealing the wariness in his eyes as he stared at her quietly. "Pretending to be of royal descent is a capital crime."
Rong Qing slowly raised her eyes, her fear still lingering in them. "I'm not lying. I'm indeed a princess. Eight years ago, I was ordered to marry a foreign prince. My father once said that after the Northwest Khan passed away, he would definitely bring me back to the capital..."
"The Great Khan passed away from illness half a year ago. I waited and waited, sending letter after letter home, hoping to return to my hometown. However, the Great Chu has not sent anyone to take me back, and my hope has been dashed."
"It was only after the Khan passed away that I learned about the Northwest custom of sons inheriting their father's wife. How could a person endure such humiliation in their lifetime?" Rong Qing clutched the corner of his clothes tightly, hatred flashing in his eyes. "I took advantage of their unpreparedness and escaped."
In just a few words, he revealed eight years of hardship and the difficulties of fleeing.
Cai Lian bit her lower lip gently, tears flashed in her eyes, and her face showed pity.
On the other hand, Su Cheng was not moved at all. Instead, his expression became even uglier. He put his fingertips on Cai Lian's knees, then moved down and swiftly pulled out the dagger tied to her calf, and quickly placed it across Rong Qing's neck.
Rong Qing was startled by her action and his face turned pale. "You...what are you going to do?"
"Princess, my patience is very limited."
Rong Qing's expression suddenly changed. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"Honestly, I've never doubted the princess's identity." Su Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze deep. "I hope the princess can be frank and tell me the truth. Why did the Northwest Khan suddenly fall ill and die at such a young age? Is there any involvement of the princess?"
"Escaping from the northwest to the foot of the capital, the journey was truly arduous, and yet the princess just brushed it off in two short sentences. Doesn't she treat this as a joke?"
"The northwest is just grassland, not surrounded by mountains. How did the princess escape from under the noses of the Northwest Army, which is top-notch in cavalry and archery? Eight years later, the princess still has Great Chu silver on her, enough to support her on the run?"
The capital is the very center of the Great Chu. It is unknown how long it would take to escape all the way here. Food and drink are the primary problems. Even a person with extraordinary martial arts skills cannot eat and drink while escaping.
"If the princess can be honest, I am willing to do her a favor." Su Cheng raised his eyes and looked at her steadily, not hiding the malice in his eyes. "If you lie, I will send the princess to death before those assassins do."
"Miss..." Cai Lian was almost scared to death and couldn't believe what she heard.
This is a true royal bloodline, and the young lady actually dared to kill him. This is simply treason!
"You..." Rong Qing's face turned pale. He didn't expect that his disguise would be easily seen through by the young girl in front of him. "Who are you..."
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