Di Jingcheng hadn't slept all night; his wounds still throbbed slightly, but he had regained much of his strength. He finally made it through the long night until dawn, and eagerly got out of bed: "Someone, Cheng Er!"
Cheng Er rushed in and helped him up, asking, "Your Majesty, how are you?"
Di Jingcheng aggravated his wound, hissing softly, but still managed to put on his clothes. Cheng Er quickly and carefully dressed him and helped him out.
"Your Majesty, the carriages and horses are all ready."
Di Jingcheng gave a soft "hmm," his eyes resolute as he walked out, no longer caring about the pain in his body. He even hated his own body for being so weak, still not fully recovered after being unconscious for so many days, making his Azi wait for him for so long; she must be very heartbroken.
When Di Jinghan got up, she found that her elder brother had already left. Prefect Liu looked at the empty room with some confusion: "Princess, this..."
"It's alright, my brother will be back soon."
Fifty imperial guards remained to protect her, along with the two secret guards that Emperor Jingcheng had arranged to protect her. The rest had all gone with Emperor Jingcheng. Looking at the empty mansion again, Di Jinghan felt a little bored. She hoped her elder brother and sister-in-law were well; she was still waiting to hold her little nephew!
Liu Xinqi and Consort Wu's men failed to follow Emperor Jingcheng. They discovered a Yi tribe, but were unaware of what was happening there. Even in disguise, they struggled to enter the village, only able to investigate under the cover of night. However, due to the strict guards of Emperor Jingcheng's secret agents, they obtained no useful information.
That day, Liu Xinqi's men discovered that Cheng Yi had brought the unconscious Di Jingcheng back to the prefect's residence and immediately reported this to him. Several assassination attempts were made along the way, but all failed.
So they set their sights on Di Jinghan. Wu Pin's renewed purchase of a brother was also aimed at Di Jinghan. After learning that Di Jingcheng had left again and that the prefect's mansion was much weaker, they sneaked into the prefect's mansion that night.
Dozens of men in black landed in the courtyard where Di Jinghan lived. Two bodyguards immediately came out to fight them, and soon the imperial guards and palace guards arrived. However, they did not know that there were two groups of people. The ones who were fighting them head-on were Liu Xinqi's men, while Wu Pin's men had secretly sneaked in from the backyard.
Di Jinghan woke up with a start, staring at the man in black by his bedside, his eyes filled with terror: "Help! Prefect Liu, help!"
Tears welled in her eyes. Ning Hui was lying on the ground, and she didn't know if she was dead or just unconscious. She grabbed the pillow and blanket from the bed and threw them at the man in black, screaming for help.
The man in black stepped forward and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief laced with a sleeping potion. She struggled desperately, tears streaming down her face, and soon fainted. The man in black disappeared into the room with Di Jinghan. Two guards burst in and found Ning Hui lying unconscious on the floor, the bedding scattered everywhere, and the princess was nowhere to be seen.
The men in black outside had been subdued, and Prefect Liu ran in, disheveled, shouting, "Princess, Princess!"
"Where is the Princess?!" Prefect Liu exclaimed, looking at the mess before him. The Princess was gone! Gone!
"Hurry and chase after them! Go find them! If anything happens to the Princess, none of us will survive!" Prefect Liu roared angrily as he watched the Imperial Guards surge in.
...
Meanwhile, Emperor Jingcheng was already being carried up the mountain. The Imperial Guards moved quickly, taking turns carrying the sedan chair, and soon they arrived at the village. The Imperial Guards remained stationed on the mountainside, and Cheng Er led Emperor Jingcheng into the village.
The people had seen Di Jingcheng before, but they didn't remember the people around him. It was just that this man was so handsome that they couldn't forget him! Moreover, he was the man that Azi had personally brought back. How could he have come in from outside at this moment?
Cheng Er was a first-timer here, so he could only follow Di Jingcheng's directions to the village. After walking for a while, Di Jingcheng was covered in sweat, his back was aching terribly, his steps were unsteady, and his face was visibly paler.
But he still refused to slow down, wanting to get to Azi's side as soon as possible.
Cheng Er looked reluctant and said, "Your Majesty, let me carry you on my back."
"No need," he refused. He didn't want to see his Azi while clinging to someone else's back. Not only would it damage his image, but it would also make Azi think he was seriously injured and worry terribly.
After walking for a while, Di Jingcheng finally saw the gate of Azi's house. Just as he was about to knock on the door, a maid came to open it.
The maidservant recognized him and took a step back in surprise. She then turned and ran inside, speaking in a Yi language that neither of them could understand. Cheng Er guessed that she was saying someone had arrived.
"Help me inside, and keep walking towards the backyard."
The two entered the front yard. Ranlayobu and Nalan Mingzhu came down from upstairs and looked at Di Jingcheng, who was pale but stubborn, with complicated expressions.
Ranlayob stepped forward: "Didn't you already leave?"
Di Jingcheng released Cheng Er's hand and slowly knelt on the ground. Nalan Mingzhu wanted to help him up, but Ran Layuebu stopped him and stepped forward to help Di Jingcheng up himself. He pursed his lips and said, "My daughter is pregnant. If you don't come back soon, she and the child will be gone."
His tone was reproachful and dissatisfied, but he knew in his heart that he had been taken away. His subordinate had changed, presumably having received his due punishment. His daughter was in such a state; he couldn't possibly prevent the two from being together.
Now it all depends on what Azi thinks.
"In our Central Plains, we call our wife's father 'father-in-law' and her mother 'mother-in-law.' Please allow me to address you as father-in-law and mother-in-law. From now on, I will take good care of Azi and the children, and I will never let her down. I will love her for the rest of my life!"
Di Jingcheng's eyes were sharp, eager to gain the approval of his two elders.
Nalan Mingzhu and Ranlayobu exchanged a smile: "Go ahead, Azi is with her grandfather."
After gaining the approval of A Zi's parents, Di Jingcheng's face lit up with an unprecedentedly sunny and pure smile, which almost stunned Cheng Er, who was supporting him.
Di Jingcheng bid farewell to his parents-in-law and went to the backyard. He saw Qinghe brewing medicine in the pavilion outside, and through the open carved wooden door, he could vaguely hear the sound of the old man pounding the medicine. The faint aroma of medicine filled the air, unexpectedly having a soothing effect.
Di Jingcheng looked at the gate that was so close at hand; all he had to do was walk in and he would see the treasure he had been longing for day and night. The faint scent of medicine calmed him down a bit, and he took Cheng Er's arm and hurried inside, his eyes searching for the person he cherished most.
Qinghe lifted the pavilion's curtain and entered, carrying the medicine. She saw the emperor looking around and exclaimed, "Your Majesty!"
Carrying the medicine, she lifted the curtain of the inner room and exclaimed happily, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is here! The Emperor is here!"
Di Jingcheng hurriedly followed Qinghe's footsteps, but tripped over the low stool and almost fell to the ground. Cheng Er quickly steadied him, and as he tried to get up, he tripped over his own leg again.
An elderly gentleman who came in from the backyard quickly stepped forward to support him: "You're so young and yet so impatient. Slow down, Azi won't run away."
Di Jingcheng looked up at the old man in front of him, memories of him flooded his mind, he smiled knowingly, and sincerely called out "Grandpa".
The old gentleman chuckled and said, "Go on in!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
