Not free
Pei Wenjin was just talking nonsense, and of course Xiao Diting wouldn't dare to actually have the commander perform a scene for her on the spot.
Putting aside whether it can relieve boredom, with the Commander being so eager, Xiao Diting should prioritize saving his own life.
He sat in the car, bored out of his mind, and dozed off once. When he slowly woke up, he heard whispers outside the car.
She shifted unconsciously, her clothes rustling against the cushions, and the voices outside stopped.
Xiao Diting opened her eyes groggily. Someone tapped the car window sill with the handle of a knife, startling her awake. She sprang up from the cushion, but her forehead hit a metal ornament inside the car. Fortunately, it was covered by soft material, and she was almost disfigured.
Because of the princess's presence, the Imperial Guards couldn't travel at full speed, and their pace naturally slowed down considerably.
Xiao Diting helped herself up from the cushions. The carriage seemed to have stopped for a while. She reached out and lifted a corner of the curtain to peek out: "Lord Pei, how long have I been asleep?"
"His Highness rested for half an hour, which is a good opportunity for us to rest and recuperate as well."
Pei Wenjin considerately raised his arm to help Xiao Diting, who deftly assisted him, nimbly jumped off the carriage, and quickly distanced himself from the man.
Pei Wenjin chuckled and casually asked, "Your Highness, where are you going in such a hurry?"
Xiao Diting turned around, lifted her skirt to avoid the pebbles on the ground, and nimbly dodged to the side, forcing a smile: "Commander, your aura is so strong. I am not in good health and I am afraid that you might have something on me... After thinking it over, it is better to stay away."
Unless she's out of her mind, she couldn't possibly have so quickly forgotten about the mess that happened in the prison not long ago and just wiped the hatchet with this guy surnamed Pei.
Despite her sarcastic tone, Pei Wenjin showed no displeasure. In fact, he was quite amiable, saying, "I was overstepping my bounds earlier, please forgive me, Your Highness."
Something unusual must be going on. Xiao Diting was too lazy to play along with him. She narrowed her phoenix eyes and said, "I certainly don't have the same shrewd mind as Lord Pei. If you have something to ask of me, just say so."
Pei Wenjin nodded in satisfaction, a handsome smile curving his lips. He stepped aside to let him pass, pointing towards the abandoned post station behind him: "Third Prince, please—"
This is the closest post station to the capital, nestled in the mountains and forests.
Pei Wenjin left only a portion of the Imperial Guards with him, while the rest of them searched the vicinity with Song Pingzhang. Xiao Diting took the lead and stood in front of the gate, falling silent as he stared at the wooden door covered with countless layers of cobwebs.
She turned to look at Pei Wenjin beside her, her eyes clearly filled with suspicion: "Should I say that your Embroidered Uniform Guard is inefficient?"
Pei Wenjin grasped the point and quickly replied, "Your Highness, you know that although the Embroidered Uniform Guards are not busy with countless affairs every day, as His Majesty's henchmen and eyes, we are not—doing nothing!"
Although it was said to be an investigation, Xiao Diting obviously wouldn't believe it if someone told her that the Imperial Guards hadn't even checked the post stations so close to the capital.
She was too lazy to listen to Pei Wenjin's nonsense, and as she kicked open the wooden door, Pei Wenjin's tone suddenly changed.
He tried to push Xiao Diting away, but Xiao Diting reacted faster and moved aside before he could warn him.
A rusty short arrow whistled through the air, grazing the hair that had been tossed about by Xiao Diting's neck. It completed a beautiful parabola in mid-air before embedding itself in the open ground behind them.
If Xiao Diting hadn't reacted quickly, that short arrow would have pierced her throat by now!
Xiao Diting stood to the side, panting, having narrowly escaped death. She was truly terrified. Pei Wenjin coolly told her, "Your Highness is unaware that the post station was built in the forest, and to prevent banditry, some small traps were set up... Your forceful breaking of the door just now naturally triggered the traps."
Xiao Diting was furious: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Pei Wenjin raised his hand in a salute: "Fortunately, Your Highness is blessed with boundless good fortune and is unharmed; otherwise, I would not know how to explain this to His Majesty."
The person before him spoke so sincerely, his eyes even seemed to be slightly red with emotion, as if he were about to cry. Xiao Diting glanced at his colleagues around him, and the other Imperial Guards all lowered their heads and trembled slightly, seemingly impressed by the Commander's amazing acting skills.
I'm trying so hard to hold back my laughter.
Unable to find a reason to lash out, Xiao Diting could only choose to forgive, a forgiveness fueled by burning anger.
She suppressed the lingering rage in her heart and, through gritted teeth, praised Pei Wenjin: "I am still shaken by what just happened. Let Lord Pei take the lead this time."
The commander, skilled at disguise, readily agreed.
Xiao Diting thought to herself that this person was definitely up to no good, but she was very patient and wanted to see what Pei Wenjin was up to.
Upon entering, a thick layer of dust hit him. Xiao Diting covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and looked around. The post station had been in disrepair for years, and the wooden furniture inside was covered with fungi, giving off a rotten smell.
Xiao Diting stopped behind Pei Wenjin and, after confirming that there was no other danger, asked, "Lord Pei, where are the account books?"
Pei Wenjin looked up at the dilapidated staircase not far away: "It's not on the first floor, Your Highness. Be careful, or I won't be able to catch you in time."
His words carried an ambiguous teasing tone, so Xiao Diting simply bypassed him and took the lead. She was nimble on her feet, lifting her pomegranate-colored skirt to avoid the loose stair treads, and steadily walked up to the second floor.
A row of tightly closed doors came into view, mostly private rooms for guests and storage rooms. Xiao Diting stepped towards the innermost part, but the tassels on his embroidered shoes got caught on the rough edge of the wooden floor.
Xiao Diting moved slightly, inwardly grumbling that ancient attire was indeed too inconvenient for movement.
While she was cursing, the Imperial Guards went upstairs one by one behind her. Pei Wenjin gave instructions in a low voice: "Ji Chuan, take a team to check the private rooms... As for Your Highness..."
Pei Wenjin gripped the hilt of his sword and looked at her in surprise, as if asking why she was standing there frozen in place.
Xiao Diting chuckled dryly: "You all investigate first, I'll take a look by myself."
Pei Wenjin is a person who likes to laugh, but it's always just superficial politeness and restraint. Or rather, when he's too lazy to make any extra gestures, he'll just force a smile to show that he's speechless.
This was the first time Xiao Diting had ever seen him smile properly. His smile was particularly meaningful, and a pair of shallow eye bags appeared under his long, beautiful eyes. Xiao Diting thought that if he had a beauty mark under his eye, he would be very alluring.
It's a pity that Xiao Diting was unmoved by her soft and hard tactics. Lord Pei was mocking her; this man has always had excellent eyesight, and he couldn't be fooled at all.
As the boots rolled over the dusty floor, Xiao Diting could vaguely feel the vibrations caused by the other party slowly approaching him.
Xiao Diting arrogantly raised his chin, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other Imperial Guards going in and out of the side rooms, with no one paying attention to their movements.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Diting took a step forward provocatively, and pretended to sniff Pei Wenjin's collar, frowning as he looked up at Pei Wenjin with a slightly surprised expression.
She praised him very sincerely: "Lord Pei is quite refined, the incense smells very nice."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and walked confidently and openly to the far end of the corridor, leaving the shocked Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard alone in the dust, lost in silence.
Xiao Diting was very pleased to have won back a point. At the far end of the corridor was the accounting room where the account books were kept. She walked around the small room but did not find any clues worth investigating.
There are definitely no ledgers. After all, when a post station is abandoned or relocated, the first thing taken away are these things that record financial transactions, and only then are the miscellaneous items inside... etc.?
Xiao Diting was still basking in the good mood of "getting an advantage from Pei Wenjin" when he belatedly realized that something was wrong.
The accounting office was fully furnished with desks and chairs. Apart from the accumulated dust, it did not look abandoned or relocated. Rather, it was because the people inside had all left when the post station was still in operation.
Xiao Diting's heart immediately went into overdrive. Pei Wenjin wouldn't do anything pointless. The fragrance on his body contained calming ingredients, and although he looked energetic when he was causing her trouble, Xiao Diting always remembered the day they first met, when he leaned alone against the octagonal pavilion, looking dejected and exhausted.
Pei Wenjin had somehow wandered over to her vicinity again. The commander leaned quietly against the threshold, calmly watching her as she diligently searched the area, perhaps remembering something.
He condescended to raise his chin and gave Xiao Diting, who was grabbing his hand, some pointers: "On the right, in the second drawer, reach in and feel around carefully, there's a hidden compartment."
Xiao Diting squatted down and did as she was told. She didn't expect Pei Wenjin to lend a hand. Pei Wenjin seemed to be lost in thought at the moment and had no intention of helping.
But having Lord Pei standing guard at the door like a gatekeeper is actually quite reassuring.
Xiao Diting tucked her skirt in and, using it as cover, squatted down on the ground and reached out to grab it. Sure enough, she touched the hidden compartment that Pei Wenjin had mentioned.
Just as she was about to pull it open in the direction it was loose, she remembered her previous experience and, being cautious, called out to Pei Wenjin: "Lord Pei, such an important thing couldn't possibly be stored in just one hidden compartment, could it?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Wenjin became very interested and praised without reservation: "Your Highness is clever. Usually, the design of such a hidden compartment is accompanied by a small mechanism that can attack the person who opens the hidden compartment indiscriminately."
Xiao Diting felt a thousand horses galloping through his heart, and with a fishbone stuck in his throat, he withdrew his despicable hand, stood up abruptly, and glared at Pei Wenjin: "Why didn't you say so earlier, Lord Pei!"
Pei Wenjin shrugged innocently: "This subordinate thought you had taken precautions from the beginning."
These words conveyed an intention that was difficult to answer. Xiao Diting smiled maliciously, shut his mouth, and chanted "Amitabha" twice to calm himself down. He let out a breath of turbid air, which twisted eighteen times in his abdomen before finally bursting out of his throat.
Xiao Diting still decided to teach Pei Wenjin a lesson; she simply couldn't swallow this insult!
They said it like this at the entrance of the post station, and now the case is still being investigated in the accounting office. This person doesn't tell the whole story at all and doesn't care whether she lives or dies.
He was the one who invited them to leave the city together, he was the one who said he "couldn't bear to see His Highness suffer the hardships of travel," and he was the one who allowed Xiao Diting to unknowingly enter the dangerous area!
After several heartbeats, Xiao Diting was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He didn't care about his appearance and rushed over to deal with Pei Wenjin.
Whether it was bad luck or the old, worn-out wooden floorboards, Xiao Diting stepped onto a floorboard that was clearly loose, and with a "whoosh," a brand-new arrow aimed straight at the back of her neck and pierced straight down.
She pulled out a hidden knife from her sleeve for self-defense, swung it and cleaved the arrow in two. The sharp arrowhead pierced her long sleeve and embedded itself in the threshold at Pei Wenjin's feet.
She was just about to ask Pei Wenjin if she was unlucky and had stepped on some kind of trap when she turned her head and found that the arrow was coming from the second-floor window.
Beyond the large tear in the window paper lay dense, lush tree branches, but Xiao Diting caught a chilling glimpse of light through the gap.
"An assassin!"
She shouted almost instinctively.
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