Xiao Jian spun around and used his lightness skill to easily reach Meng Dan.
"You can't take her away," Xiao Jian said firmly. If it weren't for Xiao Yanzi's matter, he would never have interfered, but now that his sister's safety was at stake, he had to intervene.
"Get out of the way, this is our only chance." Meng Dan held Hanxiang in one arm and prepared to draw his sword with the other, pointing it at Xiao Jian.
"If you kidnapped Hanxiang and then sent Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei back to the palace, how would you explain that?" Xiao Jian said calmly, confident that he could protect his own safety.
"I don't care, this is our only chance. Anyway, they are the emperor's daughters, nothing will happen to them." Meng Dan didn't want to listen to anyone else now, he just wanted to take Hanxiang away.
"That's impossible. You must leave Hanxiang here." Xiao Jian wanted to persuade him further, but seeing Meng Dan's expression, he couldn't listen to him anymore.
Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi rushed over and prepared to help Hanxiang up. Unexpectedly, when Mengdan saw this, his eyes turned bloodshot and he swung his sword at the two of them.
Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi were stunned and stood there. Xiao Jian, who had just come to his senses, immediately drew his flute from his waist and went straight to meet the attack, blocking the sword back.
"Calm down. If they can't bring Hanxiang back, they'll be in serious trouble too." Xiao Jian's face was very cold, and there was a hint of impatience in his tone. He had thought Meng Dan was a brute, but he didn't expect him to be this reckless.
With him around, there's no way Hanxiang will ever get out of that palace. One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.
“That’s right, Meng Dan. If you keep doing this, who will help you get Hanxiang out of the palace?” Fu Erkang was also frightened by Meng Dan’s actions just now.
Fu Erkang, realizing what had happened, was instantly filled with lingering fear. They were considered Meng Dan's benefactors, and yet Meng Dan treated them this way. If Hanxiang left the palace and followed Meng Dan, what good would come of it?
However, these were not things that Fu Erkang should consider; Fu Erkang simply felt that Meng Dan had embarrassed him.
After all, the guards at the gate were only letting them out of the palace out of consideration for their feelings. If he couldn't bring them back, Fu Erkang wouldn't have that much face left.
Fu Erkang's expression turned quite unfriendly, and his tone became less amiable. "Today, you can't take Hanxiang away. If you want to have a match, I'll fight you properly."
"Erkang, how could you be so foolish? The most urgent thing now is to send Hanxiang back to the palace, not to fool around here." Xiao Jian was having a real headache. How come he had so many incompetent teammates around him?
It's not the formidable opponents you should fear, but the incompetent teammates. Unfortunately, he has many such teammates around him, all of whom are trying to drag him down.
If Xiao Jian hadn't known that what they were saying was true, he would have thought they were spies planted by the emperor.
Without further hesitation, Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi helped Hanxiang walk towards the carriage. Indeed, they had left the palace quite late that day, and if they didn't return soon, they might cause trouble.
Seeing this, Meng Dan wanted to stop them, but with Xiao Jian and Fu Erkang holding him up from both sides, he didn't have the chance to stop Han Xiang immediately.
Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Meng Dan collapsed to his knees, slamming his fists into the ground in agony, howling in pain, "Hanxiang, Hanxiang!"
Fu Erkang gave Xiao Jian a look, then rode off quickly to catch up.
Xiao Jian was responsible for staying behind to handle the troubles that followed—Meng Dan.
Xiao Jian was patiently trying to persuade him at first, but when he saw that Meng Dan was still acting like he was going to die, he lost his patience. It was just pretentious for a grown man to sit on the ground crying and shouting like he was going to die when something happened.
No wonder Ali and Khoja didn't marry their daughters to him; he has absolutely no ability. He doesn't have the courage to get up and try to stop someone after being stopped or beaten down.
At first, Xiao Jian also had opinions about Ali Khoja, but seeing Meng Dan's appearance, Xiao Jian instantly understood Ali Khoja.
What good father would want his daughter to marry such an incompetent man, especially one who is also so irritable and easily angered?
Xiao Jian imitated him, leaping behind him and slapping him before tossing him onto the horse's back. He then rode back, leading his horse in a leisurely fashion.
With the excitement fading and most of the people gone, An Ke jumped down from the tree. She brushed the dirt off her clothes, clapped her hands, and exclaimed, "This is truly the best show I've seen all year!"
"An'an, do you think Hanxiang will still be thinking about Mengdan after she returns to the palace?" Qing'er asked with a worried look as she climbed down the tree with Ji Chu's help.
“No, she has seen through Meng Dan’s true colors today. Unless she’s stupid enough to jump into a fire pit knowing it’s ahead,” An Ke said with absolute certainty.
That's because Anke knew her nature. Although she loved Mengdan very much, she also loved his father. She knew what kind of annihilation her father would face after she escaped the palace and returned to her clan. So she remembered her responsibility and that she was the one who promised to come to the Qing Dynasty.
So she couldn't bring herself to elope with Meng Dan. Besides, judging from their conversation just now, Meng Dan seemed to want to abandon Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei, while Hanxiang was arguing on the side. This means that Hanxiang also didn't want Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei to end up like in the drama.
“Pathetic,” Anke’s two seemingly random words left Ertai somewhat bewildered, but Qing’er instantly understood Anke’s meaning, as if a layer of melancholy had enveloped her.
Ji Chu looked at Qing'er with heartache. He knew Qing'er's situation in the palace, and he also knew that Qing'er's parents were gone and she could only rely on the Empress Dowager to enjoy the status of a princess. She could even live a better life than those princesses who rarely saw the emperor in the palace.
But how tragic and pitiful were the women of this era! Even a princess like Hanxiang was sent for a political marriage to ensure the survival of her Hui people for generations to come. If a nation stronger than the Qing Dynasty were to emerge in the future, would the princesses of the Qing Dynasty be able to protect themselves?
Ji Chu could not promise anything about the future, but he silently vowed in his heart that as long as he was alive, he would never allow the Qing Dynasty to send princesses or imperial concubines to marry into the Qing Dynasty.
At first, Fu Ertai was a little confused, but seeing that An Ke and Qing'er's faces had lost their previous joyful expressions, he knew what they meant. He and Ji Chu silently repeated it in their hearts.
"Princess, it's getting late. Let me escort you back to the palace." Ertai looked up at the sky, where the sunset had already spread across half the sky, a truly beautiful sight.
But it was getting late, and soon the palace gates would be locked. Although he wished he could spend as much time with the princess as possible, he still had to respect and protect her.
An Ke also felt that it was getting late. She glanced at Qing'er, and the two looked at each other and nodded.
The four chatted and laughed as they embarked on their journey back to the palace, the atmosphere much better than with the others from before. Along the way, they encountered a street vendor, and Anke bought several skewers of candied hawthorns and some pastries to share with the other palace maids.
Palace maids received a monthly stipend, but they couldn't leave the palace often. Even if they could, looking at the dazzling array of pastries on the street, they probably wouldn't know which ones to buy. The prices varied greatly, and they might even hesitate to buy some.
Anke herself was craving something sweet, so she bought a lot more. She figured if they couldn't finish it all, they could just share it with everyone.
*
Inside the swaying carriage, Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi looked at each other in silence. It was the first time they had ever seen Meng Dan so furious. Moreover, they were Meng Dan and Hanxiang's benefactors. How could he treat them like this?
"Ziwei, what would we have done if Mengdan had kidnapped Hanxiang just now?" Xiaoyanzi shuddered at the thought; she didn't want to be locked up in the Cold Palace again. Life in the Cold Palace was simply unbearable. Just thinking about it sent chills down Xiaoyanzi's spine.
"It's alright, Little Swallow. He didn't manage to kidnap Hanxiang, did he?" Ziwei hadn't recovered from her earlier thoughts, but seeing Little Swallow's frightened appearance, she decided to comfort her first.
"Should we still help him?" Little Swallow was conflicted and hesitant. She didn't want to risk her life to help them.
"Let's see." Ziwei didn't know if what she was doing was right or wrong, but she knew that if she really sent Hanxiang out of the palace, then her father would be furious.
“But when Meng Dan was there saying that he and Han Xiang eloped, I really wanted to help them and I really sympathized with them. Should we ask Han Xiang again?” Xiao Yanzi’s sense of loyalty resurfaced.
At the same time, she was also a little curious. "And I really want to know what they just said that made Meng Dan so angry that he even knocked Han Xiang unconscious with one palm." Xiao Yanzi scratched her head shyly.
She knew it wasn't good for her to be so gossipy, but she was genuinely curious.
Ziwei remained silent, for she too was eager to know. However, Ziwei wasn't simply curious; she was afraid that Mengdan was hiding something from them.
A moment later, Hanxiang let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes, her right hand precisely resting on the back of her neck. "Where am I? What just happened to me? Where is Mengdan?" Hanxiang regained her senses; the last thing she saw was Mengdan's furious face.
She knew Meng Dan's temper; once he made up his mind about something, nothing could sway him.
"Meng Dan knocked you unconscious, intending to take you away while you were unconscious," Ziwei briefly described what had just happened.
Hanxiang remained silent for a moment before saying to them with deep regret, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have involved you in this matter. You've already helped me a lot. On behalf of Mengdan, I apologize to you."
"Hanxiang, what did you just say to Mengdan? He's so angry." Little Swallow seems to have no memory of her lesson and keeps pressing him for answers.
"I didn't say anything," Hanxiang said somewhat awkwardly. Although she wanted to break up with Meng Dan, she still didn't want to talk about Meng Dan in front of them. "If you can leave the palace in the future and see Meng Dan, please help me persuade him to let go of me and move on as soon as possible."
Hanxiang said earnestly that there was nothing she could do about it, and sighed helplessly, lamenting that they were destined to be apart.
Ziwei understood Hanxiang to some extent, but Xiaoyanzi couldn't understand at all. Being straightforward, she bluntly asked the question.
"Why? You eloped for so long when you were in the Hui ethnic group, and you love each other so much. Have you fallen in love with the Emperor?" Xiao Yanzi was a little confused. She remembered what An Ke had said to them in Yue Lao Town when they went on an inspection tour.
Could it be that Hanxiang is also a vain person? Did she change after entering the palace? Did she fall in love with the Emperor so quickly? Although the Emperor is very good, how could she be so hasty? Does she deserve Mengdan's deep affection?
"We are destined to be apart, it seems even the heavens don't want us to be together." Hanxiang said with a sorrowful heart, "Then let it be, let Mengdan find a woman who is in love with him, and live a good life together, and forget me as soon as possible." As she spoke, Hanxiang closed her eyes, and two hot tears welled up in her eyes.
Little Swallow hated seeing people put on such an air without saying a word. "What do you mean by this? Do you like Meng Dan or not? You two are confusing me." From Meng Dan's words, Little Swallow could tell that they liked each other.
Little Swallow isn't stupid, but seeing Hanxiang's attitude today has confused her again.
"You've eloped so many times before, don't you want to try again? What if you succeed this time, and you can stay together for life! Father Emperor has so many women in his harem, do you want to compete with them for his favor?" Xiao Yanzi was very confused. "You're still so young, do you want to become like those concubines in the harem?"
“I was sent to the Qing Dynasty by my father; I am a gift he presented to the Emperor. From now on, I will only be Consort Xiang.” Hanxiang looked extremely distressed, her heart feeling as if a gaping hole had been torn open, leaving her utterly empty. “Tell Mengdan that our past acquaintance was just a dream. Now that the dream is over, let him live a good life.”
"He came all the way from Hui territory to Beijing for you, how can you expect him to go back? Didn't he spend all his travel money?" Xiao Yanzi said indignantly, feeling sorry for Meng Dan.
"Alright, Little Swallow, stop talking. We should respect Hanxiang's decision." Ziwei felt her mind was in turmoil, and the noise around her was deafening.
"Hanxiang, are you really sure? Once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. Are you really sure you want to live in this palace for the rest of your life?" Ziwei asked earnestly at the end.
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