Upon hearing Ruan Qing'an's words, the bandit leader was stunned: "What did you say? You don't actually think I'll let you go, do you?"
"No, it's just that there's no need to keep running."
Ruan Qing'an coughed softly twice, then sat up with some difficulty. She wrapped her fox fur coat tighter around herself, straightened her back, and looked down at the bandits. Although she was frail and sickly, her attitude was cold and arrogant.
She casually stroked the horse's mane, tightened her grip on the reins, and then raised her hand: "Come out."
"Wh-what's coming out?"
A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in the bandit leader's heart.
The next moment—from behind Ruan Qing'an, in that hidden place with dense thorns, many guards emerged from within. They were all guards from the Yongle Marquis's residence.
The guards were certainly not worth being wary of, but the guards of the Yongle Marquis's mansion were different. After Ruan Changhong retired from the battlefield, some of his wounded or unwilling subordinates left with him, and that's how the guards of the Yongle Marquis's mansion were formed.
They were only responsible for guarding the house, but killing people wouldn't be so bad.
The bandit leader's face immediately turned ugly, but neither he nor the other bandits made a move.
"I didn't expect you to have an ambush."
"No."
Ruan Qing'an shook her head slightly, narrowed her eyes, and stared at the bandit leader: "I was just worried about something going wrong, so I arranged for people in advance. I didn't expect that they would actually be used now."
Ruan Qingan coughed before raising his voice.
"Your Highness, may you come out now?"
Upon hearing this, the bandit leader's face darkened even further, and he immediately retorted, "What the hell are you talking about—"
"Alright, you may leave."
Just then, a gentle voice came from the mountain bandits, who immediately made way for Ji Wuyu. He held a knife in one hand, the tip of which pointed diagonally to the ground, and a drop of blood fell down the blade.
Despite being discovered by Ruan Qing'an, Ji Wuyu still wore a gentle smile, remaining the same unparalleled and elegant gentleman, and even the color of his eyes did not change.
Ji Wuyu chuckled: "I didn't expect you to find out."
“As I said, Your Highness, we are the same kind of people. We are both self-interested people who act for our own benefit. If you are still not at ease with my overtures, how could I not make thorough preparations?”
Meeting Ruan Qing'an's leaden gray eyes, Ji Wuyu suddenly laughed. He found this matter increasingly interesting.
Most importantly—Nguyen Thanh An himself.
With a casual flourish, Ji Wuyu twirled the longsword in his hand, wiped it clean, and asked, "You figured out their identities a long time ago."
Ruan Qingan nodded slightly.
"Yes, I felt something was wrong when I was in the carriage. They didn't check the carriage, so how did they know I was the only one inside? There were three of us in total."
"Not to mention, when the guards behind me appeared, these so-called bandits, who were obviously at least guards, knew that they had seen blood and had actually killed people on the battlefield."
"But what truly revealed their weakness was that the 'mountain bandits' group shouldn't have such strong organizational discipline. Faced with someone who was clearly not someone to be trifled with, they didn't scatter like beasts, but instead stood still and chose to fight back."
Meeting Ji Wuyu's interested gaze, Ruan Qing'an chuckled and said, "They're all your men, Your Highness, aren't they?"
Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, the bandit leader immediately knelt on one knee, his face full of shame: "I'm sorry, Master—"
"Alright, go down and receive your punishment."
Ji Wuyu said casually, staring at Ruan Qing'an with an ambiguous look: "In that case, we can indeed have a talk."
037 speechless: [If you had been any later, you would have been dead. For the male lead, this is just the beginning?]
“No, for Ji Wuyu, only the abilities and troublesome nature I have demonstrated now qualify me to discuss cooperation with him. Otherwise... I can only serve as a stepping stone for him to ascend the throne.”
Ruan Qing'an made a cold and rational judgment.
Even so, Ruan Qing'an became even more interested in winning over Ji Wuyu—no one enjoys conquering a weakling.
Clearly, Ji Wuyu is a cold-hearted and ruthless fellow.
Noticing Ruan Qing'an's unexpected excitement and her unconscious madness, 037 shuddered.
Don't destroy the little world, don't destroy the little world...
Hearing 037's nagging, Ruan Qing'an raised her eyebrows in displeasure, as if she were some kind of villain.
037 thought to himself: "Damn it, aren't you the same, ancestor?!"
Ji Wuyu raised his hand slightly, and the "bandits" behind him immediately left in an orderly manner. Ruan Qing'an narrowed his eyes and also raised his hand, and the guards moved away from the area again. Both sides stood guard around the area, leaving them space to talk.
At this moment, Ji Wuyu stepped forward. Even though his true identity was exposed, he did not feel ashamed for almost killing Ruan Qing'an. He smiled gently and asked, "Do you need me to carry you down, Qing'an?"
"……good."
Ruan Qing'an wouldn't be polite to him.
After Ji Wuyu opened his arms, she fell to the side and into his strong embrace. Ji Wuyu used his internal energy to disperse the force of gravity as she fell and easily caught her.
As Ji Wuyu's fingertips brushed against Ruan Qing'an's slender waist, his eyes darkened. He subtly withdrew his hand, letting her fall to the ground.
She's vulnerable enough, and smart enough, which is quite good...
Ruan Qing'an didn't care what Ji Wuyu was thinking. She cupped her hands slightly and said, "Your Highness, I won't hold it against you for why you attacked me today. It was nothing more than wanting to get rid of me and gain the support of the Yongle Marquis's mansion."
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?"
Ji Wuyu's smile remained, but the killing intent in his eyes grew stronger. He bent down and stroked Ruan Qing'an's neck with his fingertips.
Ruan Qing'an was not afraid at all, and smiled gently: "Your Highness would not gain anything more from me than from killing me."
"...That makes sense."
Ji Wuyu couldn't help but laugh out loud, finally looking Ruan Qing'an in the eye, and said, word by word, "What can you bring me?"
"The Yongle Marquis's residence, and... my support."
Ruan Qing'an looked up at him and said confidently, "Your Highness, the Yongle Marquis's mansion is nothing, but I will not let you suffer. On the road to seizing the throne, allies must be reliable."
"First, I am a woman and will not threaten you. I will even say that I will be your princess consort in the future."
"Secondly, the Yongle Marquis's Mansion is now feared by His Majesty and could be destroyed at any time. His Majesty has tied the two of us together so that there is an opportunity to eliminate the Yongle Marquis's Mansion."
"Third, when the princes vie for the throne, apart from Your Highness who has no foundation, the other princes are merely icing on the cake, far less important than providing you with help in your time of need!"
There are only three points, but precisely because of these three reasons, it's impossible to refuse.
Ji Wuyu finally stopped laughing. He looked at Ruan Qing'an calmly, as if he were judging something.
She blinked, looking somewhat playful: "As I said, I hope Your Highness can give me an answer in three days. If you agree to my cooperation, you won't lose out. You'll gain an ally, and in the future, I, the princess consort, will be helping you more."
"Power, beauty, what more could you possibly want?"
"Now, is Your Highness willing to cooperate?"
Ji Wuyu paused, then said, "I..."
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