As the carriage entered the bustling city of Yucheng, a man beside her kept urging Di Jinghan to hide quickly, the dagger in his hand gleaming brightly at her.
Di Jinghan dawdled, noticing that he was distracted by lifting the curtain to observe the situation outside, and her mind started to wander. She quietly picked up the rope binding her hands and made a loop, intending to use it to restrain the man's hands.
She carefully hid the rope behind her back. The man turned around and glared at her fiercely: "I told you to hurry up. Don't try any tricks. We don't show mercy to women." After saying that, the man flashed the dagger in his hand.
Di Jinghan feigned fear, shrank back, and stepped one foot into the box. The man then turned his gaze to the outside of the carriage. Di Jinghan eagerly stepped forward, and just as he was about to succeed, he heard a commotion outside.
Li Yannian and his men surrounded the carriage. Looking at these burly, tall men, whose appearances clearly indicated they were not from Xijing, and with the murderous intent in their eyes still lurking, he couldn't rashly demand their people.
"This is a fortified pass outside the border of Dongyang. It is the end of the year, and I am afraid you are all unfamiliar faces. I hope you will cooperate with my routine inspection."
The lead assassin, dressed as a merchant, approached Li Yannian's horse with a fawning expression and handed him a bag of gold: "My lord, we need this shipment urgently, please do us a favor."
Li Yannian smiled slightly, took the money bag from his hand, and weighed it in his hand: "It's alright, we won't make things difficult for you. After all, it's not easy to do business when you're away from home. Just let me go up and take a look."
The man smiled obsequiously and said, "Thank you, sir. Please go ahead."
The two people in the carriage had different expressions. The man stepped forward, covered her mouth, stuffed a wad of cloth inside, tied her up, locked her in a box, and sat on it without changing his expression. As she struggled, the jade pendant that symbolized Di Jinghan's status fell out of her bosom and landed in the corner of the carriage seat.
The man threw the coiled rope into a junk box to the side.
Li Yannian dismounted, strode onto the carriage, and lifted the curtain. Inside, a man with a full beard sat calmly, his expression natural. There was no one else in the carriage; it didn't seem like a place to put people.
Li Yannian scanned the carriage and spotted Di Jinghan's jade pendant in the corner. It was made of the finest Hetian jade, inlaid with gold, exuding extreme wealth, and engraved with the character "Han". He gave the man a polite smile, which the man returned, before leaving.
Li Yannian glanced at the goods covered by a tarpaulin pulled behind the carriage and waved to his subordinates. Immediately, someone stepped forward to lift the tarpaulin and inspect the contents, which were nothing unusual—just some silk, tea, and jade vases and other similar items.
The lead assassin stepped forward and chuckled, "My lord, what do you think?"
Li Yannian was pondering how to keep the carriage. He had just figured it out: the cargo carriage behind it didn't have anyone hiding there, so it could only be the carriage in front carrying people. And there was that jade pendant from earlier—but where exactly was the Princess hidden?
Di Jinghan was trapped in the cramped space and couldn't move at all. She tried her best to knock on the back wall of the carriage, but the sound was very soft and inconspicuous in the bustling city.
Li Yannian carefully recalled the scene inside the carriage just now. Where could it be?
"Sir, now that the inspection is complete, can we pass through?"
"Wait a moment." Li Yannian smiled slightly, circled the carriage, and saw a trickle of blood flowing from the back wall. The Princess must be in the carriage, but where exactly is she?
The man kept following him, but he didn't want to get too close to examine him closely, lest he arouse suspicion.
He slowly strolled back to the carriage, the jade pendant inside and the man's smile still replaying in his mind. Right, the seat, the compartments inside the seat—though the space was cramped, the princess, being a woman and petite, could easily be hidden inside.
Li Yannian pointed at the carriage in front and said sternly, "This carriage looks very similar to the one that was lost by the Yucheng government a couple of days ago. Leave the carriage here and you can leave. I will not pursue the rest."
The lead assassin looked troubled, while Liu Xinqi's men's weapons, hidden in their sleeves, were already poised to strike.
Li Yannian narrowed his eyes as he looked at him: "What, am I not going to pursue your other crimes, or are you unwilling?"
The man waved his hands repeatedly: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. This carriage is our own property. The Xu family member looks quite similar to the one lost by the government. Please be lenient, sir."
Li Yannian nodded thoughtfully and walked towards his horse. His men also stepped back, and Liu Xinqi's men then put away their weapons, their eyes revealing a completely different kind of murderous intent.
The moment Li Yannian mounted his horse, he exchanged a glance with his trusted aide. With lightning speed, the leader of the group was slit in the throat, and the two sides clashed. Li Yannian quickly jumped onto the carriage, but the next moment the carriage shattered into pieces from the inside, and the assassin stood up with a knife to Di Jinghan's neck.
Di Jinghan had deliberately injured her finger inside, which was why blood was seeping out, confirming Li Yannian's suspicions. Now, with an assassin's knife to her neck, blood was seeping from her delicate neck; she couldn't speak, and her hands were bound.
Her large eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Li Yannian standing in front of her, feeling deeply moved. She never expected to meet him here.
"It's worth it to have your princess buried with us!" the assassin shouted, and was about to forcefully slit Di Jinghan's neck.
Li Yannian quickly stepped forward and grasped the sharp blade; blood gushed out. Di Jinghan struggled desperately, his neck and clothes covered in crimson, breathing heavily.
Both men were martial artists. They were both very strong, and they remained locked in a stalemate. However, Li Yannian feared he might lose his hand if things continued like this. He gripped the hilt of his knife with his other hand, struggling to hold onto the man and trying his best to protect his own hand.
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