Although she hadn't been here for long and had only left the palace a very limited number of times.
But she actually knew where this "Golden State" was located.
Not only did she know about it, she had also been there.
This was the small town she passed through when she accompanied the emperor to the western border to quell the rebellion.
This city is located near the border and is an important transportation hub for trade and military rest.
Basically, all of them fall under the jurisdiction of the King of Dingbian.
Could it be that what Zhou Jing'an said was true? Was it really true that the Prince of Dingbian sent people to kidnap them?
But why go through all that trouble to kidnap them and bring them to Jinzhou?
This question was answered two weeks later.
After half a month of hardship and traveling day and night, the group finally brought them to Jinzhou and even "kindly" booked a small inn so that Jian Yang and Zhou Jing'an could take a good bath.
In the past two weeks, Jian Yang has been eating and sleeping poorly, and the weight she had painstakingly gained in the palace has been completely lost. Her face, which was originally a little chubby, has become much thinner, making her look strikingly beautiful.
She looked in the mirror of the inn and tsk tsk, no wonder the King of Dingbian loved to call her a vixen.
If this face were paired with a seductive makeup look, she would be the very embodiment of a wicked empress who brought ruin to the country.
She sighed again. Half a month had passed, and the dog emperor still hadn't come to rescue her. He must have given up on her.
After all, Consort Xian could do all the work in the harem; she wasn't irreplaceable.
Her future is uncertain; let alone becoming empress, she would be lucky to even survive.
However, she always held onto hope for the future. As long as she didn't die, with her modern wisdom and skills in both medicine and cooking, surviving in this era shouldn't be a problem.
The problem is how she can escape now.
Along the way, the kidnappers probably didn't have time to take care of the two old men, so they reduced the dosage of the muscle relaxant for them. Although they couldn't run away, taking care of themselves wasn't a problem.
Jian Yang never gave up hope of escaping. Although she fought and failed repeatedly, she never showed the slightest sign of frustration from the first day she was captured.
Seeing this, Zhou Jing'an couldn't help but praise, "The Empress is truly an extraordinary woman."
Having spent so much time together, Jian Yang had long since abandoned all court etiquette and bluntly retorted, "What's with the sarcastic tone?"
Zhou Jing'an didn't understand that this was an insult, but he could understand the phrase "sarcastic".
He quickly denied it, saying, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. I had no intention of being sarcastic. I just felt that if this had happened to an ordinary woman, she would have been crying and terrified. But Your Majesty remained calm and composed, which I truly admire."
Hehe, Jian Yang wasn't buying it at all.
She retorted without hesitation: "Stop labeling us women and stop stigmatizing us. It's not like you men are always calm and collected in the face of danger."
Knowing that Jian Yang didn't like him, Zhou Jing'an quickly laughed it off.
They thought Jinzhou was their destination, but the kidnappers rested for a night and then tied the two of them up on the carriage the next day.
The carriage sped westward.
Beyond Jinzhou lies the western border.
Further west are the small western countries.
As they approached the border, Jian Yang finally started to panic.
If she were in the country, even if the emperor didn't care about her, her father and brothers would definitely come back to find her once they received the news.
However, once they were abroad, even if Prime Minister Jian and Jian Hong had extensive connections and great power, they were powerless to do anything.
Soon, the carriage crossed the border and entered the territory of Huangchi Kingdom.
The Huangchi Kingdom borders the Dawu Kingdom and is adjacent to their Xia Kingdom; the three kingdoms have always been at odds.
Now that the Great Wu Kingdom has signed a friendship agreement with their country, according to the theory that the friend of the enemy is the enemy, if the Huangchi people knew where they came from, they would probably want to tear them to pieces.
After the carriage entered the territory of Huangchi Kingdom, its speed finally slowed down.
After entering the city, the carriage swayed and bumped its way into the human trafficking market.
Human trafficking market?!
Jian Yang, who was lying by the bed observing the outside world, was immediately stunned.
What are these people doing at the human trafficking market all of a sudden?
A sense of unease suddenly arose in her heart.
She soon learned the truth: the kidnappers really did want to sell them both!
After finding a good spot, the kidnappers immediately dragged the two men off the carriage and stuck a straw in each of their heads.
Jian Yang: "..."
Soon, the two's outstanding appearance attracted many customers, and in less than half an hour, their stall was surrounded by people.
Someone even pointed at Jian Yang and asked, "Boss, how much is this woman worth?"
The kidnapper leader said, "Minimum five hundred taels of silver, no bargaining!"
Someone else pointed at Zhou Jing'an and asked, "What about him?"
The kidnapper leader replied without hesitation, "Eight hundred taels!"
Jian Yang: "???"
Why should she be three hundred taels cheaper than Zhou Jing'an?
The surrounding buyers were unhappy when they heard this.
"Isn't this blatant robbery? How can a slave cost so much?"
The kidnapper leader said, "They're not slaves. They're important figures in Xia Kingdom. Taking a few hundred taels from you is already a bargain for you!"
Upon hearing that she was an important person, and given Jian Yang's stunning beauty, a fat man with a protruding belly quickly declared, "This girl is mine."
He made no attempt to conceal the greed and lust he felt when he looked at Jian Yang. After paying the money, he immediately ordered his servants to carry Jian Yang away.
Jian Yang was immediately flustered.
If this fat man really buys her, she probably won't survive.
Just as she was hesitating about whether to run away, Zhou Jing'an suddenly patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I can protect you."
"You?" Jian Yang looked at him suspiciously. "You should think of a way to save yourself first..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Jing'an suddenly shot out like an arrow.
With lightning speed, he snatched the knife from the kidnapper's waistband and took down several of them before anyone could react.
Jian Yang instantly understood why Zhou Jing'an had been throwing away his food these past few days; he didn't want to take any more of the cartilage-inducing powder, all in preparation for a powerful strike at the crucial moment.
At this moment, the onlookers realized what was happening. Some fled, while others ran away. The kidnappers, armed with weapons, confronted Zhou Jing'an head-on.
As a prince trained by the royal family, Zhou Jing'an's explosive power and combat strength were far superior to those of these lowly soldiers.
He quickly resolved the predicament, grabbed Jian Yang's hand, and started running.
The two of them didn't know how long they ran until they entered a dilapidated courtyard. Zhou Jing'an seemed to have all his strength drained away and collapsed straight to the ground.
Jian Yang quickly caught him, but felt a wet, slippery sensation in her palm. When she looked up, she found her hand was covered in blood.
Zhou Jing'an is injured.
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