escape
Chapter Twenty
"Your Highness, what are you doing?" My back was covered in cold sweat, but I still managed to force a smile, even adding a touch of coquettishness. "Your two subordinates are so rude! Tell them to let go!"
Prince Amuyue smiled sinisterly, reached out, and unceremoniously touched my face. My head throbbed with heat, and my right leg, as if possessed, kicked forward, striking Prince Amuyue squarely in the knee. Using the force of the kick, I spun halfway through the air and kicked the two lackeys in the face, eliciting two screams of delight.
Aunt Xian once told me that when it comes to strength, no matter how hard a woman tries, she can't match a man, so don't try to fight them head-on or compete in strength, especially in the upper body.
However, as the saying goes, arms are not as thick as thighs. In fact, in terms of leg strength and agility, there is no huge difference between women and men, but rather each has its own advantages.
The fighting techniques she taught me were mainly based on the lower body. When I was engrossed in learning these skills, I never imagined that I would actually use them one day, or that they would become my life-saving moves!
Their grip loosened, and I was instantly free. I lightly touched the shoulder of the bearded man with my toes and ran towards the horses.
They each have a horse. If I seize one of their horses and escape, even if Prince Amuyue relentlessly pursues me, he will only have two mounts to ride. He might not be able to catch up with me, or he might catch up with me separately. I will have much more room to maneuver than if I were to deal with all three at the same time.
Unfortunately, while my plan worked out perfectly, I overlooked something extremely important: those two dogs.
They escaped my surprise attack unscathed, and true to their loyalty, they charged toward me, barking as they ran, as if I were a fox that had dodged a flying arrow.
I dared not look back, and with a determined effort, I fled. Just as I was about to leap onto the horse, fate seemed to be against me. A loyal dog pounced on me from behind. Hearing its chilling bark, I had no choice but to turn halfway around and strike the dog's neck with my arm. I lost my balance and my speed immediately slowed down.
In the blink of an eye, another dog lunged forward, baring its sharp white teeth at my right calf. I had to turn around abruptly and kick it in the head before it could succeed. It fell back to the ground, whimpering, and tried to come back again.
Unfortunately, it had no chance—an arrow struck my right shoulder, and the pain made my whole body go numb in an instant. I fell to the ground in a more disheveled state than the dog, staring in disbelief at the long arrow stuck straight in my shoulder.
The pain was excruciating; I almost couldn't hold back my screams. I looked up at the right moment and, sure enough, saw Prince Amuyue's sinister face. His arrogance silenced me. Although I gritted my teeth, I managed not to let his smugness be further amplified by my painful cries.
He tossed the bow to one of his followers, stepped forward, knelt down in front of me, his gaze sweeping over my shoulder. He clicked his tongue and sighed, "Luckily, no bones were broken. Otherwise, well, if it hadn't been treated properly, your right arm might not have been able to lift even half a bucket of water."
A chill ran through me. I managed to calm my trembling lips and forced a smile as I asked, "Your Highness, please forgive my ignorance... Are you making an enemy of Eastern Chu?"
The eldest prince burst into laughter: "Enemies? No, no, no, I don't think so at all. On the contrary, I want to become your son-in-law before Asa!"
Son-in-law? I paused, wondering if he had confused the words "husband" and "son-in-law," but even though Prince Amuyue used the wrong words, his meaning was still precise and to the point, making me feel completely lost and hopeless.
I desperately told myself not to panic or be afraid, and forced a smile again: "Prince Amuyue is interested in vying for the position of Crown Prince of Eastern Chu, and may certainly submit a petition to His Majesty..."
"It's not that complicated." Before he finished speaking, Prince Xiong had already pulled me up from the ground and dragged me into the woods. "Aren't you a gift sent by your emperor? As long as I get you, the throne of Bozhou will be mine!"
I suppressed my anger and refrained from immediately unleashing the foul language of the unruly youths of the capital.
Prince Amuyue's mind is probably no better than that of a real bear. How could he believe the rumor that obtaining a woman would grant him the throne? What an idiot he is! His idea of treating the Emperor of my Great Eastern Chu as one of his own is still laughable even in this desperate situation.
As my uncle said, the position of ruler is not suitable for the ignorant and incompetent. Even if you try every means to put him on the throne, he will find a way to get rid of the position.
I peered up at him and saw that Prince Amuyue's face was solemn, without any lewd or evil expression. Was he really planning to execute me on the spot with the intention of achieving great military and national goals?
Suddenly, I recalled what my older brother had told me the day before yesterday. This rumor was clearly absurd, yet it was told in such a detailed and convincing way that even Prince Amyo and Prince Asa believed it. There must be someone behind this doing everything they could to spread it.
But the things I can't understand are still the same. I'm not Zhuge Liang, who could divide the world into three kingdoms with his help. Besides, even Zhuge Liang couldn't truly unify the world.
Prince Amuyue abruptly pulled me back to reality. He threw me into the grass and tried to pin me down. The stench emanating from him, like that of a wild beast, made me feel nauseous. I knew I couldn't show any weakness at this moment, so I squeezed tears from the corners of my eyes and choked out, "Your Highness, wait... I'm willing... Please listen to me..."
Prince Amuyue stopped what he was doing. He probably saw me as a fish in a net or a bird in a cage, and no matter how much he tried to make me change, I couldn't. He smiled menacingly and said, "Fine, I'll listen to you, little princess. Don't you Han women value chastity the most? Don't worry, I'm very capable. Even if there are many women in my family, I will never mistreat you!"
I felt like vomiting blood, but I still managed a weak smile. I glanced at the two attendants just ten paces away and pleaded with a pitiful expression that even made my own skin crawl: "Your Highness, you know that women of Eastern Chu value integrity. Do you know that a virtuous woman would rather die than be dishonored? If Your Highness insists on this—you will be forcing me, Zhao Xi, to my death. At that time, not only will the ruler of Bozhou be affected, but Your Highness will also worry about the Eastern Chu army entering the country and frequent wars between our two nations."
"...You want to die?" Prince Amuyue looked bewildered. "What's wrong with me? You followed me, and I became the ruler of Bozhou. I'll give you the position of principal wife, and you'll be the mistress of the entire Bozhou. Everyone except me will have to listen to you. Isn't that much better than being a silent princess in Dongchu?"
I really wanted to swear, I was about to lose control—I couldn't swear, I absolutely couldn't swear. The eldest prince's simple thinking should be my chance, it's better than him dismissively refuting me: the emperor of Eastern Chu is busy exterminating the enemies in the north and can't spare the time to deal with the southwest. Besides, even if they are hostile to Eastern Chu, Bozhou can turn to Tuluo and collude with the enemy state of Eastern Chu. Then we'll see who's in a mess—that's much more reassuring.
Judging from his tone and expression, a hint of darkness crept into his seriousness, it seemed this Prince Bear was extremely confident in his masculinity. I couldn't let him feel too defeated, so I amplified my pitiful act, lowering my head shyly and weeping, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. How could I not want to follow you... It's just... it's just..."
I didn't continue speaking, but pointed with my finger at Prince Amuyue's two attendants.
Perhaps because I was in so much pain that I was crying, truly like a pear blossom in the rain, Prince Amuyue stared at me in a daze. I didn't know what he was thinking, so I could only steal glances at him while continuing to sob. After a while, the eldest prince asked, "Hmm, does the little princess find those two people in the way?"
I nodded slightly, my voice trembling, "Your Highness, I'll obey you, but can't you just go along with me a little? If I really become the Queen of Bozhou, but the servants have witnessed such disgraceful things, I... you might as well kill me!"
Just then, Prince Amuyue recklessly climbed onto my shoulder, where an arrow was still stuck. I gasped in pain, and hot tears streamed down my face.
“That’s true,” the eldest prince sighed. “But I can’t take you back to the palace to do it. The second prince is cunning and knows how to win people over, plus he has the old king’s little slut helping him. You have to give me your body first before I’ll trust you, otherwise—”
Seeing the fierce glint in his eyes, I quickly said, "Your Highness, can't you just drive your two subordinates away?"
Prince Amuyue looked at me, then back at his two attendants who clearly didn't know what had happened, and hesitated.
As I wiped away my tears, I cursed inwardly. He's agonizing over such a trivial matter for so long, and he still dreams of becoming a ruler? He's really dreaming big!
After much deliberation, and perhaps realizing that I posed no threat whatsoever, the eldest prince gestured for his two attendants to step back, all the way to the side of the mountain path. Then he turned back and asked me, "Is this alright?"
I sat up halfway, looked around, pointed to a big tree at the front of the woods, and whispered, "Can we go there? I can also..."
"Alright, alright!" Prince Amuyue frowned. "You Han women are so meddlesome. Don't you learn how to serve men at home?"
Despite his complaints, he still pulled me up and dragged me, who was stumbling along, behind the tree.
When we arrived, Amuyue couldn't wait to pin me to the ground and start tearing at my clothes, ripping open a large section of my shirt. Seeing that I was turning my face to the side without resisting, he grinned lewdly and forced my face to turn towards him, then leaned in and kissed my face.
I finally waited for this moment. I leaned back and met his tongue with all my might. A bloody taste instantly filled my mouth, and a soft lump fell into my mouth.
As Amuyue screamed, he clenched his fists and pounded them into my chest. I felt as if I had been hit by a boulder weighing ten thousand pounds, and filth, blood, and that disgusting thing all came out of my mouth at the same time.
He covered his mouth and eyes and fell backward. I felt dizzy and saw stars, but I gritted my teeth and pulled the arrow out of my shoulder. I pounced on him and plunged the entire arrowhead into Amuyue's chest.
He let out another scream and kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying four or five feet away.
I had no time to care whether Amuyue was alive or dead. I heard the shouts of the attendant getting closer and closer. I struggled to move my heavy, leaden body and desperately crawled forward. After crawling for a short while, I saw a slope in front of me. Without thinking, I covered my head and rolled down it.
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