The Xu brothers had a good plan, but they didn't expect that the maid was killing for the first time and didn't control her strength well. Cai Wenxuan, on the other hand, was incredibly lucky; he was hanging on the edge of the cliff but didn't fall.
Realizing that the Xu family had set a trap to kill him, Cai Wenxuan was both angry and afraid. Seeing the maidservant pale-faced and flustered as she tried to pry his fingers off, Cai Wenxuan clung tightly to the railing while attempting to coerce and entice her: "The Xu family can give you money, and so can I. I am an official of the imperial court. If you kill me, you will commit a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family. The imperial court will not let you off the hook."
The maid was already flustered and worried that if she messed up the job and Xu Sanlang found out, she would not only lose the gold but might also be punished. Therefore, she dared not call for help and just gritted her teeth, trying to pry Cai Wenxuan's hand off.
Seeing that she couldn't pry his hand off, she hardened her heart and stomped on it with her foot.
A piercing pain shot through his hand, but Cai Wenxuan stubbornly refused to let go. He was so anxious that his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he had no way to save himself. On the contrary, because he had been hanging on the edge of the cliff for a long time, his already sore and weak arms became even weaker.
Just as his life hung in the balance, he suddenly heard a voice calling him from afar: "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, something has happened at your residence. Chen Xiaoniang has sent me to invite you to return home immediately."
Cai Wenxuan was overjoyed upon hearing this; the arrival of someone from his residence at this time was simply a stroke of luck.
He glared at the maid and said, "If you let me up there, you'll be dead when my men arrive."
In her panic, the maid turned around and saw two strong men dressed as servants carrying torches and moving very fast, heading straight for the pavilion where they were.
Seeing that her scheme was about to be exposed, the maidservant no longer cared about Cai Wenxuan hanging to the side and hurriedly ran into the shadows in a panic.
Cai Wenxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her leave. He used all his strength to climb up the rickety railing, his limbs aching and his body covered in cold sweat. He picked up his robe from the ground, put it on, and shouted in a hoarse voice, "I am here."
The Xu brothers, who were drinking inside, naturally heard the commotion outside. However, by the time they rushed out, it was too late. Two servants had already found Cai Wenxuan and were helping the limp Cai Wenxuan up from the ground.
Xu Dalang was surprised that Cai Wenxuan was so lucky. His cheeks puffed out as he quickly thought of a solution, but his face showed surprise as he strode forward to look Cai Wenxuan up and down: "What happened? How did you get so drunk?"
With just one sentence, he shifted Cai Wenxuan's current predicament to being drunk. Although Cai Wenxuan was seething with hatred, he was still on Xu Sanlang's territory, and he was afraid that he would not come out on good side if he broke off relations with him. Therefore, he could only endure it for the time being and said, "I have something to do at home, so I will go back first."
He then urged the two people supporting him to leave quickly.
He was actually being helped up. He didn't recognize the two people who claimed to be servants of the Cai family, but they were clearly there to save him. Although Cai Wenxuan couldn't figure out their purpose for the time being, he still cooperated and prepared to leave the place first.
People from the governor's mansion arrived, indicating that someone in the Cai family knew that Cai Wenxuan had come to Tatar Mountain.
Xu Dalang was unaware that the two "Cai family servants" who had arrived in time were not people arranged by Cai Wenxuan. He only thought that Cai Wenxuan had been on guard against them and had a backup plan. Therefore, even though he had murderous intentions, he could only suppress them for the time being and let them leave.
Cai Wenxuan, supported by two servants, limped down the mountain.
Behind him, the Xu brothers looked grim. Xu Sanlang said, "Women are indeed unreliable. I should have done it myself. Should I send someone now to silence them?" He made a gesture as if to kill someone to cover it up.
Xu Dalang shook his head and said, "Now that Cai Wenxuan has realized it, I'm afraid there will be no more opportunities. Taking action rashly and dragging Tatar Mountain into the mess would be even more disadvantageous for us."
Xu Sanlang said, "Are we just going to let him go back like that? Cai Wenxuan will never give up easily. What if he directly pledges allegiance to the Prince of Qin—"
Xu Dalang said, "Prepare the horse, I'm going home."
*
On the other side, Cai Wenxuan, who was weak all over, was carried into the carriage by the two men.
He looked at the unmarked carriage and was unwilling to get on. However, the other person was tall and imposing, and once he was out of the Xu family's sight, his restrained aura became sharp, subtly intimidating Cai Wenxuan.
Cai Wenxuan straightened his rumpled robes, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you both for saving me, but I wonder who sent you two heroes..."
However, the other party did not respond, but almost forcefully shoved him into the carriage and drove away from Tatar Mountain.
The carriage windows were sealed shut, so Cai Wenxuan couldn't see outside at all. He could only feel that the carriage was moving very fast and the carriage was bumping.
The carriage bumped and jolted for an unknown amount of time before finally coming to a stop.
Cai Wenxuan had no idea where he was being taken. He considered all possible guesses along the way, but couldn't find any confirmation.
When the carriage finally stopped, it felt as if the sword hanging over his head had fallen at the same time, its blade pressed against his neck. Cai Wenxuan was frightened and hesitated to get out of the carriage until a voice outside urged him, "Your Excellency, please get out of the carriage."
Left with no other choice, Cai Wenxuan gritted his teeth and dragged his weak legs off the bus.
But after getting off the carriage and seeing the surrounding scenery clearly, he was shocked and his eyes widened – he had been here several times before; it was the residence where the King of Qin stayed in Xizhou City.
At this moment, the carriage stopped in front of the hall, and the surrounding area was brightly lit, allowing Cai Wenxuan to clearly see the soldiers in full armor around the courtyard.
The owner of the mansion, dressed in black, sat in the hall, looking at him with an inscrutable expression, completely different from before.
Cai Wenxuan's heart skipped a beat, realizing that although he had escaped the tiger's den of the Xu family, he was not necessarily safe.
A flurry of guesses raced through his mind. Trembling, he stepped into the hall and bowed, saying, "Greetings, King Qin. Thank you for saving my life."
Xue Shen looked up at him and saw his disheveled appearance, but he showed no surprise and said calmly, "Yesterday, the governor asked me to marry my sister-in-law to you, but today you continue to be sworn brothers with the Xu brothers. It seems that your intention to arrange the marriage is not very sincere."
Cai Wenxuan was so nervous that he didn't even notice that he had referred to Shen Youying as his "wife." He hurriedly and tremblingly explained, "Your Highness misunderstands. I have been related to the Xu family by marriage for many years, and the Xu brothers extended a warm invitation, which I could not refuse. Who knew that the Xu family would plot against me because of the divorce? Fortunately, Your Highness intervened, and I was able to save my life..."
Xue Shen chuckled and swiftly drew his sword from the table. The silver blade reflected a blinding cold light, causing Cai Wenxuan to instinctively take a step back.
"Now that things have come to this, are you still going to hide your dealings with the Xu family?"
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