Chapter 38 From now on, my daughter will protect you during our escape.
When Bai Moyuan awoke, he found himself in a speeding carriage. Looking out the window, he saw the magnificent city receding further and further away, disappearing into a speck of ink on the vast land.
He was stunned for a moment, and only after sitting there blankly for a while did he realize that when he lifted the curtain and looked ahead, the person riding the horse was none other than his daughter, Bai Lian.
At this moment, she was dressed as a man, except that her figure was still too slender, and at first glance she looked like a real groom.
"Father? You're awake!" Bai Lian waved her riding whip and turned around at the right moment. "There should be a post station ahead, and we'll be able to rest soon. Change the clothes in the carriage first."
When the carriage came to a stop, it was already dark. They had arrived at an abandoned village, which seemed to have been ravaged by war many years ago and was now deserted.
Bai Lian helped Bai Moyuan to a dilapidated house. "This place can still shelter us from the wind and rain," Bai Lian thought to herself. She then found some straw and spread it out thickly for Bai Moyuan. After tidying up the place, she felt relieved and let Bai Moyuan sit down against the wall.
"Father, we should rest here for a while tonight. I'll go find some firewood to start a fire so we can be more comfortable," Bai Lian said, and started to walk out.
"You should rest for a while too. How are your injuries?" Bai Moyuan, who had witnessed Bai Lian break through the encirclement twice, was still somewhat incredulous, but he was still worried about his daughter's injuries.
"What could possibly happen to me? Am I a monster?" Bai Lian laughed self-deprecatingly. Her wounds had long since healed during her escape. This eerie talent now seemed like a blessing, at least allowing her to temporarily protect her family's safety.
"By the way, where are Mother and Brother?" Only Father was seen in the prison...
"His Majesty loves his daughter dearly, so he didn't implicate her and Ziyuan." Bai Moyuan sighed. "When I was arrested, I hid your mother. Ziyuan should have met up with her by now."
"That's good." Bai Lian breathed a sigh of relief. "Father, I will protect you from now on. I believe that as long as the family is together, there will always be a way to survive!"
Bai Moyuan looked at Bai Lian in front of him. Her eyes were shining as she spoke. Although her fair face was covered in mud and she was only wrapped in coarse cloth, she looked like a female general with heroic spirit.
Faced with such a calamity, his little daughter actually became his protector.
Bai Moyuan's eyes welled up with tears. Over the years, he had long regarded her as his real daughter and poured all his regrets and love into her. He didn't care about her true origins or the secrets she carried. As long as she could live well, he and Rao'er would have no regrets.
Before being thrown into prison, he had thought that he would be happy if he could exchange his life for Bai Lian's. But now, even though the future is uncertain, he is already content with his fate.
“Father, we may need to stay here for a few days until you feel better before setting off. I will go and check out the surrounding terrain tomorrow.”
As Bai Lian spoke, she walked back to the carriage, took out some dry food from her bundle, and discovered that there were also some basic medicines and some silver hidden inside.
These emergency supplies, along with the carriage, had been quietly waiting outside the palace gates as she carried Bai Moyuan out, as if awaiting their arrival…
In the stillness of the night, Bai Lian thought of Jia Luolin. She had lost contact with him during the few days she was imprisoned, but she could roughly guess his situation and the helplessness he had as the crown prince. But... what should they do in the future?
"Two eras have passed, yet I still couldn't hold on..." Bai Lian thought silently, wiping away her tears, somewhat moved by her own tender feelings. She used to always avoid matters of the heart, because it would dull her sharp edge. But during the years she played the daughter of the Bai family, the loss of her memories allowed her to shed her burdens and rediscover her original girlish nature.
When these two memories intertwined, they melted her icy edges, allowing her to open her eyes and listen attentively to the feelings of the person beside her. Love was no longer so difficult for her.
However, the most important thing right now is to find a way to reunite her parents and brothers. She must protect them and make sure that this time, the tragedy will not be repeated!
The sound of iron hooves shattered the tranquility of Luoyang City as Jialuolin, acting on imperial orders, led the Imperial Guards to capture the remnants of the Bai clan.
On the day the Crown Prince led his troops out, rumors spread like wildfire. The people were puzzled as to why elite troops were needed to capture the fugitive, while also lamenting that the current emperor was truly cruel, forcing a couple to kill each other.
"The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were characters that were rarely seen even in storybooks!" Manager Wang of Qingchun Restaurant in the city exclaimed to his waiter.
"They say the Crown Princess has become a demon? How can a perfectly normal person change so suddenly!"
"I think they've offended those celestial beings, and they don't want the Bai clan to have an easy time!"
"What a good man Master Bai is! He's known for his integrity and generosity. What mistakes could he possibly make?"
"Hey, shut up! These bounty posters are plastered all over the city. Aren't you afraid someone's overhearing you?"
The diners in the restaurant joined the discussion, expressing their regret over the decline of the once-ideal couple and their once-prosperous family.
A man wearing a veiled hat and dressed in black, standing not far away, put down his wine cup, got up, and left.
"Looks like he's quite popular? Another reason to die." He thought to himself, a smile playing on his lips, before disappearing into the street like a shadow.
The gossip subsided within a few days, as the Imperial Guards led by the Crown Prince made no progress: the remnants of the Bai clan were harder to find than expected.
This was unexpected by everyone, because Fengwu City is located in the core area of the capital Luoyang, but the roads leading out of the city are very limited, not to mention that they are all heavily guarded.
The city walls here are high and impregnable. Their founding emperor put a lot of effort into the selection of the geographical location and the layout of the buildings in order to gather the imperial aura here.
It was even more difficult to break out of Luoyang, a city with a strategic location, surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack the heart of the country.
Traveling along mountain paths makes it easy to get lost, while traveling by water leaves no time to escape; fugitives are usually apprehended within a short period. Never before has anyone disappeared without a trace like Bai Lian and Bai Moyuan.
She lived up to expectations.
Galo Lin breathed a sigh of relief. In the following days, he continued to lead his troops to hunt down the fugitives on the surface, but secretly sent out spies to find Bai Ziyuan's family first. He even went to see Shu Li alone.
Shuli was pregnant at this time. When she saw Jialuolin, she no longer felt the joy of a younger sister seeing her older brother. Instead, she looked terrified: "Father Emperor allowed us to be here! You can't go in!" She covered her stomach with one hand and blocked the door with the other.
His younger sister has grown up and become a brave mother, and even more so a warrior guarding her homeland.
Galorin was filled with mixed feelings. To avoid making Shuli nervous, he deliberately kept his distance and said slowly, "I came alone, and I won't take anyone with me."
"I don't know Bai Lian's whereabouts. Zi Yuan and I just want to live peacefully here. Please..."
“I knew she would come.” Galorin interrupted Shuli, believing that with Bailian’s abilities, she could reunite her family within a few days.
“But by then, I hope you can make her think carefully about how she can protect the entire Bai family for life on her own.” Galuo Lin’s words were firm and resolute. His eyes were fixed on Shu Li’s belly, which made her panic.
If he could use Shuli's words to get Bailian to surrender willingly, he would have a way to save her life. If she really had no other choice, he could help her fake her death... It would be better for her to fall into his hands than for her to be endlessly hunted and killed by the empire's army like a monster.
He had to be the bad guy. But their relationship might have no future.
Just as Galo Lin had predicted, Bai Lian was not only swift in her actions but also possessed formidable counter-surveillance capabilities. She erased all traces of their escape route and soon returned silently to Luoyang—their homeland. The most dangerous place is often the safest.
That day, Bai Lian and Bai Moyuan, disguised, entered an inn. After quickly settling her father in, she went out to look for Cuizhu. She expected it to take some time, but from afar she saw a girl resembling Dafu lingering at a steamed bun shop at the street corner, one bun in her mouth and two steamer baskets in her hands…
After several days of fleeing, even someone as strong as Bai Lian was exhausted, both physically and mentally. But now, the appearance of Cui Zhu was like a little sun, illuminating her path of despair.
Bai Lian snatched the bun from Cui Zhu's hand and ran away.
"Are you kidding me?!" Cuizhu shouted, giving chase and panting as she entered a small alley, only to discover that the "bag snatcher" before her was none other than the one she had been thinking about day and night...
"Miss~~~~~~~~~~"
"Miss, are you alright? Are you hurt? How could you wear these clothes?" Cuizhu said, her voice breaking with tears.
On the day the Bai family suffered disaster, the madam sent her away beforehand, and later Green Willow rescued her, allowing her to return to serve the eldest young master's family. She was already extremely grateful.
The pampered young lady has disappeared without a trace, while she, a mere maid, has managed to survive. The rumors circulating in the streets are becoming increasingly outrageous...
Seeing the complex emotions on Cuizhu's face, Bailian couldn't bear to say anything more and gently called out, "Cuizhu, take me to see my brother!"
Bai Ziyuan's residence was hidden in a bamboo forest outside Luoyang City.
He had originally planned to meet up with Changsun Rao'er and accompany his mother back to their old house in Jiangnan to recuperate and escape the turmoil.
But when he thought of his father and Bai Lian... he always held onto a sliver of hope that they could find him alive, so he insisted on staying in this place.
During this time, the mother's physical condition had greatly improved, and Shuli's belly was growing bigger day by day. Occasionally, a warm atmosphere would fill the house, making Bai Ziyuan feel as if he could return to the past, but it was just an illusion.
Every night, he would toss and turn, unable to sleep, hating himself for having such martial arts skills but being unable to protect his father and sister. He also hated the world and the dynasty for destroying the part of his heart that he cherished most.
Shuli, who was on the other side, also often couldn't sleep at night. She saw this and felt sorry for her.
Since their marriage, she and Bai Ziyuan have treated each other with respect. He is a responsible and good man, even if he doesn't have her in his heart... If they continue living like this, perhaps the birth of their baby will bring her husband happiness again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
