Chapter 645 You did this on purpose, didn't you!
Just then, one of their men came to report, "The soldiers have started searching the mountains and will find us soon. Aunt Zhao, we have to leave."
Zhao Jin then had people pack their belongings to prepare to leave the cave. "Madam, what about her?"
Su Qingqing said coldly, "Take him away first."
Zhao Jin then tied the rope to Jiang Fenghua's hands. Jiang Fenghua said, "Aunt Zhao, we've cleared up all the misunderstandings, why do you still want to tie me up?"
Zhao Jin said, "Of course we're taking you hostage. We went to great lengths to bring you here because we're afraid you'll run away. You'd better behave yourself, or if my sword accidentally pierces your throat, you'll be dead."
“It’s dark outside, I won’t run away.” She then said to Su Qingqing, “Mrs. Su, I really won’t run away. I don’t know anyone here, where can I run to?”
"Aunt Zhao is just being safe, so please bear with it for now! We'll release you once you leave here." Su Qingqing was also furious that she had captured the wrong person and exposed her whereabouts. Now she wanted to use Ah Xian to take revenge on the Jiang family and Xie Shang.
They didn't dare light torches. There were faint lights in the distance. Su Qingqing said softly, "Let's go quickly."
Jiang Fenghua nodded. It was pitch black outside, and her hands were tied with rope. She had to find a way to untie the rope and buy some time. Now that she was outside, she wasn't afraid of Su Qingqing taking action. Su Qingqing didn't seem to know martial arts, but her aunt Zhao Jin was probably a master.
Suddenly, she slipped and fell, "Ouch!"
Zhao Jin walked up to her. "What's wrong?"
“The mountain path is too slippery and I fell. Unlike you, I can’t grab onto anything for support. Why don’t you knock me out, Aunt Zhao, and carry me like you did during the day?” she said.
Zhao Jin was speechless. The visibility was good during the day, and besides, it had taken a lot of effort for their men to carry her. How could they carry her at night? She helped Jiang Fenghua up and said, "You want to be carried around with me? You're dreaming. You're our hostage, not a young lady."
"I was just kidding."
Looking at the dark forest, Jiang Fenghua said, "How terrifying! Maybe we shouldn't go any further. I wonder if there are ghosts in these mountains!"
"Where did this ghost come from? Don't talk nonsense," Zhao Jin said.
“When I first entered the palace, two concubines died, both of them pregnant. I saw them die in childbirth, and their babies suffocated in their wombs. It was horrific.” She unconsciously moved closer to Zhao Jin and said, “Aunt Zhao, hold your sword a little higher. In our southern country, there is a legend that carrying iron weapons can ward off evil spirits.”
After hearing her words, Zhao Jin and her men felt a little apprehensive and raised their swords higher.
Jiang Fenghua tripped and fell again after walking only a few steps.
Zhao Jin asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"I couldn't see where I was going, and it felt like I tripped over something," she said.
Su Qingqing had never experienced such hardship before, but she had been suffering for the past two years, running away from home and living in constant fear. It was always the assassins trained by the Su family who helped and rescued her. She was somewhat agitated: "Aunt Zhao, untie the ropes on her hands and let her come over to help me walk. The mountain road is indeed difficult to walk on."
Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager was truly formidable, causing unrest in the palace. Back then, she had heard about the feud between the Empress Dowager and Xie Jing, which was almost like mother and son becoming enemies. That's why the Empress Dowager didn't live in the capital but was instead demoted to the Hengyang Palace to worship Buddha.
Zhao Jin was stunned. "Let me help you walk, Madam!" She was still wary of Ah Xian.
Jiang Fenghua laughed and said, "It seems that Aunt Zhao still doesn't believe me. Madam Su, you don't need to worry about me. It's fine if I'm tied up like this. I can walk slowly."
Hearing her say this, Su Qingqing said, "Untie her. There are so many of us, are you afraid she'll run away? If she dares to run, I will kill her myself."
Jiang Fenghua shrank back, "How could I dare to run away!"
Jiang Fenghua's rope was loosened again, and she obediently held onto Su Qingqing's arm. "Madam, please be careful. The mountain path is too slippery and difficult to walk on."
Even in the dark, Su Qingqing couldn't see Jiang Fenghua's expression clearly.
After walking a few steps, Jiang Fenghua and Su Qingqing both fell to the ground at the same time, as if they had been tripped by a wooden stick.
Jiang Fenghua quickly went to help her up, "Madam, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?"
Zhao Jin quickly helped her up and asked with concern, "Is Madam alright?"
Su Qingqing couldn't see very clearly either, and didn't know how she slipped. "My hand hurts so much, it seems like I scraped my skin and it's bleeding."
Zhao Jin shoved Jiang Fenghua away, "You did this on purpose, didn't you!"
“I told you the mountain path was difficult to walk on, and my eyesight isn’t good either, I couldn’t see the path! I fell too, and my feet hurt. Aunt Zhao didn’t believe me. Look! It hurts so much too.” She added, “I want to see what tripped me and my wife.”
Jiang Fenghua picked up a thick, wet wooden stick and said, "See? It's this that tripped us up. It's not my fault."
Zhao Jin was furious. She had gone to great lengths to kidnap Su Qingqing, and she really didn't know what Su Qingqing was thinking, why keep her around.
Zhao Jin was always wary of Jiang Fenghua, and Jiang Fenghua was also wary of Zhao Jin.
At this moment, the torches in the distance were getting closer and closer. Su Qingqing said, "Let's go quickly and get out of here first."
Zhao Jin personally helped Su Qingqing. They dared not light the dark mountain path. Jiang Fenghua walked slowly behind them, with Zhao Jin's men behind her, holding swords and pointing them at her.
She said, "Raise your swords a little higher, then no ghost will dare to get close to you."
The assassin was stunned for a moment. He wasn't afraid of ghosts; it was Aunt Zhao who had instructed him to keep an eye on her.
Jiang Fenghua's steps slowed down, as if she had really fallen and injured herself. She limped towards one of the handsome young men and said, "Young master, could you help me up? It's too dark, I'm afraid I'll fall again."
The pale-faced young man was stunned for a moment, and his face turned red in the face of such a beautiful girl.
He was a little embarrassed, so he took the scabbard and asked Jiang Fenghua to help him up. Jiang Fenghua glanced at him, smiled, and actually helped him up with the scabbard, saying, "Thank you."
She noticed that Zhao Jin had been taking extra care of this assassin while they were in the cave.
The closer she got to him, the more she noticed that his breathing even became heavier.
Jiang Fenghua couldn't guess what he was thinking. She thought to herself, "I heard Xie Shang say that Su Qingqing was the late emperor's favorite concubine. The late emperor probably didn't value her beauty, but rather the power of the Su family back then. Empress Dowager Cheng is also quite beautiful, but her brother's attitude towards her is worse than that of a stranger."
Su Qingqing has been on the run for many years, and her youth is long gone. Xie Shang has been investigating for so long but has not been able to find her. Is it because she is too lucky, or does she really have helpers behind her?
And Jiang Zhiqin, they had already caught him, how could he have been rescued again?
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