Chapter 538: After finding it, there is no need to report, just kill it on the spot!
An Yi's brow furrowed, a deep scar carved into his forehead. His voice was unusually hurried, "The prince has led his troops north this morning! Several northern cities have been ravaged by civil unrest caused by corrupt officials embezzling disaster relief grain. The war is raging. The prince received a secret report and assembled his troops overnight, rushing off at full speed."
When Lan Xiyue heard this, a cold light flashed in her eyes, and she suddenly understood. No wonder Mo Liyuan said last night that he would leave the capital for a while.
She made a quick decision, "An Yi, go and get Chu Chun and Chu Xia right away! We must leave the house immediately!"
An Yi felt a little relieved, thinking that the princess was avoiding the Queen Mother's attack and retreating to advance. This was a wise move. He did not dare to delay, nodded heavily, and flashed out of the main courtyard like lightning.
But Lan Xiyue was not simply trying to avoid disaster as he thought. The Queen Mother was attacking her at this time, and she could not wait until after her brother's wedding. The opportunity was fleeting, and now was the time!
She moved swiftly, turned around and rushed back into the inner room.
Her bare hands brushed across the gilded wardrobe, and the clothes in the wardrobe, the fine jewelry in the dressing table, and even the few frequently read books on the desk, disappeared without a trace in an instant, all being incorporated into her space.
When she stepped out of the room again, Chuchun and Chuxia were already waiting in the corridor with anxious faces, breathing heavily, "Princess?"
Almost at the same time, the clanging sounds of weapons clashing, heavy footsteps and the sharp shouts of eunuchs were heard outside the courtyard gate. The empress dowager's ceremonial guard had surrounded the main courtyard with murderous intent!
The situation is urgent! Lan Xiyue's eyes were as sharp as an eagle. She clasped Chuchun's wrist with her left hand and said in a deep voice, "An Yi, take Chuxia with you! Let's go!" Before she finished speaking, she tapped her toes and rose from the ground like a wisp of smoke, carrying Chuchun with her, and rushed straight to the towering eaves of the back wall.
An Yi also reacted very quickly. He grabbed Chu Xia with his big hand and protected her by his side, following closely behind her like a shadow.
Several dormant auras surged silently. At An Yi's secret gesture, all the secret guards in the main courtyard retreated quietly like the tide, following the master and servants in evacuating.
In front of the main gate of the palace, the housekeeper learned that the empress dowager was heading to the main courtyard with her guards. Just as he was about to go over, he suddenly saw Lan Xiyue and others rushing towards him, and was shocked.
Lan Xiyue continued walking, speaking rapidly but clearly, "Housekeeper, the Queen Mother has come here to provoke a fight. To avoid conflict, I need to temporarily avoid the spotlight. The prince is currently leading his troops north to quell the rebellion. This is a matter of great importance. Please do not tell him about this and disturb his mind!" Her eyes were calm. "I will return when the prince returns, but I will only be away for a few days. There is no need to worry, and there is no need to send a message to Mo Liyuan."
The butler looked at the princess's calm face and knew this was the best solution. He suppressed his worries and bowed, saying, "This old servant understands. Princess... please take care of yourself!"
Lan Xiyue nodded slightly, said no more, and quickly got into the prepared green-covered carriage.
Chuchun and Chuxia also got into the carriage. An Yi jumped onto the shaft, whipped the horsewhip, and the wheels rolled. They quickly merged into the sparse crowd in the imperial city in the early morning.
The butler sighed as he watched the princess' carriage leave.
The vermilion lacquered gate of the main courtyard was tightly closed, isolating the murderous intent from both inside and outside.
The Empress Dowager outside the doorway had a murderous look in her eyes, her face gloomy and almost dripping with water. She was dressed in elaborate palace attire, shrouded in a suffocating aura of oppression. Her voice was icy and piercing: "Lan Xiyue! How dare you shut the door on me? Break it open! I will take this bitch's life today!"
"As you wish!" Several burly guards armed with swords stepped forward, bumping and kicking. "Bang! Bang!" With a few loud noises, the heavy courtyard door opened, the bolt broke, and wood chips flew everywhere.
Anya stood beside the Queen Mother, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, a hint of subtle doubt flashing in her eyes: "Mother, the main courtyard gate was broken, why didn't a secret guard show up to stop it?" This silence was abnormal.
The head nanny beside her quickly bowed and said with a hint of flattery, "Your Highness, you're worrying too much. No matter how powerful the secret guards of the Regent's Palace are, they have to hold their breath and lie low when the Empress Dowager arrives in person. How could they dare to act rashly?"
The Queen Mother waved her sleeves impatiently, her phoenix eyes sweeping across the empty courtyard. She sternly shouted, "Search me! Dig three feet underground to find Lan Xiyue! Kill her right here!"
The guards rushed into the main house like wolves and tigers, and soon filed out.
The leading guard knelt on one knee, his voice filled with a subtle sense of panic: "Your Majesty, the main house... is empty! The Princess Regent... is nowhere to be found!"
Anya's pupils shrank slightly, and she blurted out, "Mother! She must have gotten wind of it and escaped first!"
The Queen Mother clenched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white. Her eyes were filled with rage as she shouted, "Pass the order! Seal the city gates and search the entire city for me! Find him alive or dead! Once you find him, there's no need to report back. Kill him on the spot!"
"Yes, sir!" The guards received the order and immediately took action separately, with murderous aura spreading in the air.
A carriage sped along the official road outside the city. Inside, Chuchun and Chuxia, still in shock, stared at each other. After a long pause, Chuxia timidly asked, "Princess... where are we going?"
Lan Xiyue, who had closed her eyes in concentration, slowly opened them, her eyes clear and calm.
She had just quickly calculated in her mind: If the Queen Mother couldn't find her, there was no guarantee that she would vent her anger on her brother and good friend Qian Duoduo in the capital. She needed to find a safe place to stay and wait and see what happened.
"An Yi," her cold voice penetrated the carriage curtain, "Change your route and go to the western outskirts of the city, to the prince's villa outside the city."
"Yes, Princess!" An Yi, who was sitting on the shaft of the carriage, responded calmly. He shook the reins in his hand, and the horse's head immediately turned towards the fork in the road leading to the villa.
Chuchun and Chuxia looked at each other, and both saw confusion in each other's eyes. Why did the princess suddenly want to go to the prince's villa?
Lan Xiyue didn't explain. She leaned back against the cushions, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hem of her sleeve. Her thoughts were already racing: If the Queen Mother was only targeting her, she could just hide away for a few days; if she dared to touch her closest friends and relatives... then she would have to do it once and for all and take them far away! This imperial city, this palace, she didn't care. A gleam of determination flashed in her eyes.
Lan Xiyue suddenly thought of Mo Liyuan, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Mo Liyuan, if you knew your mother wanted to kill me, what would you do?" After all, she was Mo Liyuan's biological mother after all. She had killed the Queen Mother's own son for the mission, so the Queen Mother hated her. It was only natural. She was in the wrong. This time, she gave in and left, not confronting the Queen Mother head-on. This gave her a reason to leave. She was just a little regretful that she couldn't attend her eldest brother and Duoduo's wedding.
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