Chapter 296 Encountering Danger
Wen Zhiming left Meng Lingge in this safe place, where, in addition to Qiu Lan and Lu Shui taking care of her and the eight soldiers on the surface, he also arranged for four secret guards to protect her in secret.
These people were more than capable of easily dealing with these few individuals, but in order not to alert them and attract more enemies, Meng Lingge did not order an attack on them.
“I don’t want to go back for now. Go back and tell the King of Northern Frontier that unless he comes to fetch me in person, I’m staying here.”
The round-faced soldier looked troubled. "Your Highness, I am just a servant and cannot take you back. The Prince will blame me."
Meng Lingge feigned dissatisfaction.
"So you dare to make things difficult for me? Did the King of the Northern Frontier order that if I don't want to leave, you're going to kidnap me?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare," the round-faced soldier waved his hands repeatedly.
Qiu Lan slammed the door shut.
"If you dare not, then get out of here! If you disturb the Princess's peace again, you will not be let off lightly!"
The eight soldiers outside all had angry expressions on their faces, looking like they would deal with him if he didn't leave.
Qiu Lan observed from behind the window and saw the round-faced soldier reluctantly turn around twice before finally leaving with the four soldiers.
"Miss, that person has left."
“We’re being watched; they’ll definitely come back. Pack your things and get out of here as soon as possible.” Meng Lingge’s fingertips traced the edge of the table, the feeling of panic still lingering.
Wen Zhiming would not easily reveal her hiding place to others, so the person who came this time must have been sent by someone Wen Zhiming trusted extremely.
Was it one of his three generals? Or another secret guard?
Should we leave immediately or stay and try to lure out the person behind the scenes?
With her hand gently placed on her abdomen, Meng Lingge felt the first obvious fetal movement, and her eyes instantly filled with tenderness.
For the sake of the children, safety should always come first.
They were only staying here for a day or two, had very few belongings, and were ready to leave at any time, so they didn't have much to pack and finished everything in a quarter of an hour.
However, just as the group stepped out of the room, Cao Ran led a squad of personal guards into the courtyard.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I have come on the orders of the Prince to escort you to the capital."
When Meng Lingge saw that the person who came was Cao Ran, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Among Wen Zhiming's generals, the two trusted Cao Ran the most. Not only was he the first person to fully support Wen Zhiming, but he also treated Wen Zhiming and Meng Lingge very well in their daily interactions, like an uncle.
Meng Lingge said gently, "Fortunately, General Cao arrived in time. This place may have been discovered by others. Just now, an unfamiliar soldier led four soldiers, who also said that they came to pick me up on the orders of the prince. I just sent them away."
"Oh?" Cao Ran looked shocked. "There's such a thing? We shouldn't delay, let's leave immediately."
Meng Lingge had the same idea, so she ordered her soldiers to take the packed luggage onto the carriage, and she and Qiu Lanlushui got into the carriage together.
The eight soldiers protecting her were positioned in front of and behind the carriage, while the men brought by Cao Ran were scattered around them.
The group walked along the official road. As night deepened, only the faint moonlight and the torches in the soldiers' hands guided them.
Meng Lingge would occasionally ask Qiu Lan to open the car window so she could look outside.
Qiu Lan comforted her, "Don't worry, Miss, we've always been on the official road. General Cao has traveled all over the country; he wouldn't go astray on this road."
"That's good." Meng Lingge nodded.
For some reason, she felt increasingly panicked.
Qiu Lan thought she was afraid Cao Ran would take the wrong path, but actually she was afraid Cao Ran would do something to harm her.
When she got into the carriage, she was surprised to find that Cao Ran stared at her abdomen for a couple of seconds, and his gaze was not very friendly.
She hadn't told anyone else in the military camp about her pregnancy, except for the two maids and Wen Zhiming. But now that she was further along in her pregnancy and her belly was starting to show, and since Wen Zhiming trusted Cao Ran, it was possible that she might have let it slip to him.
In short, Cao Ran clearly already knew that she was pregnant.
Cao Ran had always been happy about her relationship with Wen Zhiming, so why did he look at her with such a calculating expression when he learned that she was pregnant?
Did the previous group of people have any connection with Cao Ran?
Unable to guess the answer, Meng Lingge had no choice but to remain vigilant at all times.
Suddenly the carriage made a sharp turn, and Meng Lingge quickly said, "Quick, look, are we still on the main road?"
Qiu Lan rolled up the carriage window and shook her head, saying, "We've turned onto a side road. This road is only wide enough for a carriage, so our guards can only follow behind the carriage."
"Stop the carriage!" Meng Lingge's expression changed upon hearing this, and she shouted, causing the carriage to stop immediately.
Cao Ran's voice rang out from outside the carriage, "Your Highness, why have we stopped?"
Meng Lingge lifted the carriage curtain and met Cao Ran's calm and composed expression.
"Why not take the official road? It's late at night, the road is narrow, and extremely dangerous. If we're not careful, the carriage could overturn into the ravine, and we'd be gone forever."
A hint of surprise and panic flashed across Cao Ran's face, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. I'm keeping an eye on things from behind. Nothing will happen. His Highness is eager to see you. This shortcut will get you halfway there. You want to see His Highness sooner, don't you?"
"No matter how anxious I am, safety is the most important thing." Meng Lingge said firmly, "Either General Cao or I take the main road with me, or I take my men and take the main road, and General Cao takes your men and takes the side road. Go back and report first."
Cao Ran's expression was rather unpleasant; even Wen Zhiming had never publicly humiliated him like this.
After a brief standoff, seeing that Meng Lingge had no intention of backing down, Cao Ran chuckled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. I came here specifically to fetch you, how could I possibly return first? Since Your Highness is not in a hurry, then we will proceed as you wish and continue along the official road."
The carriage stepped back a few paces and returned to the official road.
The group continued walking forward at a leisurely pace.
Above the torch, Cao Ran's face flickered in and out of focus, his cold gaze becoming all the more vivid.
Inside the carriage, both Lvshui and Qiulan sensed something was amiss. Qiulan simply rolled up the window and kept staring out, wary of any further changes in the route.
Lu Shui placed one of the two soft cushions inside the carriage behind Meng Lingge and the other over her abdomen.
The three sat in a row, trembling with fear; danger had finally arrived.
In the darkness, a sudden barrage of arrows rained down, aimed directly at the carriage where Meng Lingge was sitting. Two arrows entered through the carriage window; one grazed Meng Lingge's ear and embedded itself in the carriage behind her, while the other pierced Qiu Lan's arm, causing blood to gush out immediately.
"Get down!" Meng Lingge pulled the two maids and they lay down inside the carriage without regard for their image. Immediately, several more arrows flew over the three of them.
Qiu Lan's arm was covered in blood, but she didn't bother to bandage it. She and Lu Shui used their bodies to shield Meng Lingge and protect her.
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