Night finally fell, and the cold moonlight shone on the trees in front of him that were as tall as a person. The trees kept shaking, and the sound of hurried footsteps and shouts was getting closer and closer. In the deep forest on the other side, there was a chance of survival or a dead end. Xiao Du frowned tightly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He opened his clenched fist and finally made a decision, saying, "Your Majesty's words count!"

Zhao Yan put his hands behind his back and stopped looking at him, fearing that he would immediately regret it. He only managed to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth: "Don't joke."

With a clang, Xiao Du endured the severe pain in his shoulder, picked up the sword that fell to the ground, and ran wildly into the dense forest. The moonlight stretched his shadow, and finally disappeared in the depths of the rustling trees.

Zhao Yan turned his head and looked in the direction he left, his eyes revealing a complex emotion. At this time, the jungle behind him was parted, and Xia Qing finally arrived with a team of Yulin guards. When he saw Zhao Yan's imperial robe stained with blood and the corners of his clothes were torn, he immediately knelt down and apologized, saying: "I failed to protect the emperor well, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Zhao Yan looked at the two Yulin guards lying on the ground and said calmly, "They risked their lives to save me. Xiao Du fled over there. He is injured and cannot get far. Go and chase him quickly."

Xia Qing immediately followed the order. He sent two imperial guards to protect the emperor and chased in the direction Zhao Yan pointed. At this time, he heard the usually humble monarch order in an unquestionable tone: "If you catch up with him, kill him without mercy. Remember to bring his head back to me."

The cold voice echoed in the dark night, making Xia Qing feel a little chilly, but he quickly replied loudly: "I will definitely fulfill your mission!"

In the dense forest covered by the night, some people fled in panic with hope, while others pursued them with murderous intent. Xiao Du was like a trapped beast, hiding in the forest. Fortunately, although he was seriously injured, he had much more experience in the wild than the Yulin Army who had always stayed in the imperial city. He deliberately left traces in several bushes and then took a detour, so that the pursuers behind him could not figure out the direction and took many detours. But he knew that he could not be careless. The shadow of death was always sticking to him. If he relaxed a little, it would pounce on him and swallow him.

He couldn't die here. He had promised someone that he would definitely go back, and he couldn't let her wait too long.

Finally, he staggered to the foot of the mountain, looked up at the rugged mountain road, and realized that he could not hold on any longer with his physical strength. He held his wounds and gritted his teeth as he leaned against the ridge. His legs were already numb, and the Yulin Army could arrive at any time.

Could it be that this is a dead end... Xiao Du closed his eyes helplessly, and it seemed that he saw those gentle eyes again, clearing away the thick fog in front of him and lighting up the light for him. She was still waiting for him to come back. This thought gradually made his mind clear, so he quickly opened his eyes and quickly searched around for something that could be used to disguise. Finally, after he was sweating profusely and forcing himself to set the trap, he heard many footsteps approaching this side, and he quickly dodged and hid behind a big rock.

Xia Qing led a team of Yulin soldiers and came in hot pursuit. Suddenly, he raised his hand to ask the people behind him to stop. Then, in the moonlight, he saw something glowing faintly in the grass in front of him. It looked very much like the ornament worn by Xiao Du.

A Yulin guard behind him was about to run over to check, but Xia Qing stopped him, picked up a stone beside him and threw it towards that place. Sure enough, the stone fell down with a "bang". It turned out that there was a trap hidden under the grass vine.

The Yu Lin guard behind him was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. Xia Qing squatted there and said, "I'm afraid this was set by the hunters in the mountains to catch wild beasts. It happened to be discovered by Xiao Du, so they covered it again, trying to lure us into falling in." The Yu Lin guard became more scared after hearing this. There are usually sharp knives buried in the traps for catching wild beasts. If you fall into it, you will either die or be injured.

At this time, Xia Qing said, "It's too dark here, and we can't tell the size of the trap yet. You must be careful. Go around here and continue to search up the mountain."

The Yulin Guards immediately took orders, and Xiao Du, who was hiding behind a big rock, breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, the trap was set by him on the spur of the moment, and it was only a few feet deep and would not cause any harm to anyone. However, since Xia Qing had discovered the trap, he would have chosen to bypass it for the sake of caution, and he never expected that he was hiding behind the trap.

Hearing the footsteps gradually going away, Xiao Du held onto the stone wall and used the tip of his knife to support himself and walked out. Just as he was about to take a short rest and leave as soon as possible, he suddenly heard a voice behind him saying, "The Marquis really has a good plan."

Turning around, he saw Xia Qing standing next to the trap with her arms folded, staring at him with her head tilted and a relaxed look on her face.

Xiao Du's expression suddenly changed, and his hands unconsciously tightened the hilt of the knife, but suddenly his expression relaxed, and he threw the knife aside, leaning against the mountain wall and said, "Commander Xia deliberately sent those Yulin troops away, what exactly does he want to talk to me about?"

Xia Qing smiled brightly, walked forward to support him, and said, "Sir, please allow me to talk to you for a moment."

The two found a secluded place. Xiao Du's body was already exhausted. He sat on the ground and said in a hoarse voice, "Is there any water?"

Xia Qing took off the water bag from her body and threw it towards him, then said with a smile: "I didn't expect that the Marquis could still see my hint in such a chaotic situation just now. The Marquis Xuanyuan is indeed worthy of his reputation."

Xiao Du swallowed a few times, and finally felt the burning sensation in his chest ease. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "When you saved me, you deliberately gave me a hint to hide and see you alone. It seems that you also saw what the Lord was planning today."

Xia Qing also lifted his robe and sat beside him, saying, "I am just guessing. I only know that the emperor helped me up these years because the queen mother needed someone with the surname Xia to take charge of the Yulin Army, and I am the one in the Xia family that he can pull the most. But the Xia family has been getting more and more greedy these years. I know that the emperor can no longer bear it. All he needs is an opportunity and an excuse. He will find a way to take back the military power in my hands sooner or later. So when those men in black rushed out today, I guessed something was wrong. When I saw the token with the word "Xiao", I realized that he wanted to kill two birds with one stone and get rid of you and me at the same time."

Xiao Du smiled faintly and said, "I didn't expect Commander Xia not only has a way with women, but also has a very clear understanding of the situation."

Xia Qing ignored the teasing in his words and said, "It's only because I have to read people's expressions since I was a child that I can live well and get the position I have today. But I didn't expect that the Marquis would burn his boats and use this self-torture strategy to buy himself a way out."

Xiao Du's face froze. In fact, even he himself could not tell whether he pounced on Zhao Yan for his life or for his own life. Perhaps this was always the way between them. Calculation, precaution and remaining friendship were always intertwined. He was just betting that no matter what Zhao Yan's intentions were, he would always remember the young man who regarded him as a brother in his heart.

At this time, Xia Qing looked at the sky outside and said, "It's getting late, there's no point in beating around the bush. Excuse me, your situation is very bad now. The Xia family and the emperor want to kill you. The three books and six ministries in the court are almost all controlled by the Xia family. If something really happens, the Xiao family army will be unable to help. But I have the power to control the imperial guards in the imperial city. If I can help you secretly, the situation will be completely different."

Xiao Du glanced at him and said, "How can I trust you? After all, your last name is Xia."

Xia Qing laughed, but that laugh was filled with deep coldness. "Then I'll tell you the truth. Xia's life or death, or even Xia Mingzhong's life or death, has nothing to do with me. I just want to keep everything I have now. I don't care about anything else."

Xiao Du couldn't help but sneer and said, "How can I be sure that you will do your best to help me?"

Xia Qing turned to look at him, smiling more meaningfully, and said, "That's easy. All you have to do is marry your sister to me. Since we are in-laws, I will naturally not treat you, my brother-in-law, badly."

Xiao Du's expression finally changed. He was stunned for a moment before he realized what was going on. "You mean Xuan'er! You want to marry Xuan'er?"

Xia Qing's eyes flashed with cunning, and she said, "Yes, it's the third lady of the Marquis' Mansion, Xiao Zhixuan."

Xiao Du said coldly, "How dare you! Xuan'er just came of age this year. Do you think I would marry her to a notorious playboy who is a dozen years older than her just for the sake of profit?"

Xia Qing was a little annoyed by what he said, and her gaze on him gradually became colder, but Xiao Du stared back at him without giving in. Finally, Xia Qing turned around and put on that nonchalant smile and said, "It's okay, it's normal that the Marquis can't accept it for the time being. One day, I will make the Third Miss willingly marry me."

"You!" Xiao Du became even angrier. Xuan'er was the sister he had taken care of since she was a child, how could he let such a person touch her.

At this time, footsteps began to be heard outside. Xia Qing listened attentively for a while, then suddenly stood up and sneered, "Let's put this matter aside for now. The Marquis is probably still worried about whether he can get out alive. His Majesty said that I must bring your head to see him."

Xiao Du snorted coldly and said, "If I die, you won't be able to live either."

Xia Qing naturally knew that what he said was true, but he couldn't think of a good idea for a while. He stared at the situation outside and said, "You hide here first. I will lead them away, and then you can find a chance to escape."

Xiao Du sat for a long time, and now he finally recovered some of his strength. He shook off the dust on his body and said, "If I run away, my family will take the charge of treason for me. Now you help me to see the emperor, I have my own way to get you and me out of this together."