Zhao Ping had already honed his skills during his previous escape from famine, and coupled with his short stature and agile movements, he quickly slipped away.
He climbed over the wall again, grabbed Anan who was still waiting for him outside, and started running.
"Zhao Ping, what happened? Is Third Sister inside?" Although Anan was being dragged along, he kept asking questions.
Zhao Ping took a back path to avoid those people, but even so, he couldn't answer his question and could only say, "There's no time to talk now, let's hurry up and go. Once we get back to Tianxiang Tower, we'll be safe."
They wandered around for a long time before finally seeing the lanterns of Tianxiang Tower.
Xu Yuehuai waited and waited, but did not see the two of them. Fearing that something had happened to them, she couldn't calm down and decided to go out to check. Coincidentally, as soon as she went out, she heard the two of them panting heavily.
She immediately brought the two of them in and handed them each a glass of water.
Once their breathing had calmed down, she asked, "How are you?"
“It was Marquis Ningyuan who kidnapped Third Sister. He wanted you to keep the appointment, so he planned to capture me as well. Fortunately, I escaped. Manager Xu, you should go into hiding for a while. I’m afraid Marquis Ningyuan won’t let you off easily,” Zhao Ping said quickly.
Xu Yuehua pursed her lips.
She knew that if it involved Marquis Ningyuan, then it was a force beyond her control. Moreover, with Third Sister still in his hands, she absolutely could not act rashly.
Meanwhile, Marquis Ningyuan already knew he had lost the person he was chasing, and he was furious.
An Ye, one of his subordinates, quickly suggested, "My lord, since we know those two people are from Xiangmanlou, why don't we just arrest them? That way, Xu Yuehuai will have no choice but to submit."
"Ha, do you think Xu Yuehuai is a pushover? The fact that she managed to escape the famine and befriend the Regent already speaks volumes about her abilities. Not to mention, she has the Duke of Zhenguo protecting her. How can we rashly make a move?" Marquis Ningyuan kicked An Ye, venting all his anger.
The third sister-in-law had been listening to their conversation the whole time.
Since Marquis Ningyuan dared not act rashly against Xu Yuehuai because of the Duke of Zhenguo, all the troubles could be resolved if Xu Yuehuai sought the Duke of Zhenguo's protection. Moreover, Zhao Ping already knew that the person who captured him was Marquis Ningyuan, so Marquis Ningyuan was no longer hiding in the shadows.
Their chances of winning have increased significantly.
After venting his anger, Marquis Ningyuan still came to see Third Sister.
His eyes held a hint of mockery as he deliberately sowed discord between the two: "Third Sister, it seems that Manager Xu doesn't really consider you a good sister. At this critical moment, he only sent two children. Clearly, he doesn't take you seriously."
"Why don't you heed my advice and pledge allegiance to me? I will guarantee you wealth and honor." Marquis Ningyuan's eyes were filled with smugness, as if he was certain that Third Sister would agree.
But the third sister's eyes were filled with resentment.
Marquis Ningyuan ripped the cloth out of her mouth, expecting her to kneel and beg for mercy, but unexpectedly, Third Sister spat at him fiercely.
"You don't need to sow discord between me and A-Yue. I don't want her to risk her life to save me either. Marquis Ningyuan, you've colluded with the Mingyue Kingdom. You'll definitely suffer a terrible death in the future," she cursed.
*Snap.*
Marquis Ningyuan slapped her across the face and then grabbed her by the neck: "Don't be so stubborn. My patience has its limits. I was originally planning to release you after Xu Yuehuai surrendered, but now it seems there's no need for that."
"I will definitely torture you properly when the time comes, and make you beg for mercy on your knees." After saying this, he stuffed the rag back into Third Sister's mouth.
Meanwhile, Xu Yuehuai in Tianxiang Tower paced back and forth anxiously, sitting down and getting up again, worried about what to do.
Looking at her like this, Zhao Ping felt a little dizzy and quickly said, "Manager Xu, please sit down and think of a solution. This is making my head spin! Anan, have you come up with any good ideas?"
“The power of Marquis Ningyuan is not to be underestimated. If we want him to compromise, we must find someone with a higher status than him.” Anan already had a plan in mind, but he didn’t know how to bring it up with Xu Yuehuai.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
If what Anan said is true, there is indeed a way, but she doesn't want to use that method, especially since she can't yet determine whether the other party is friend or foe, or whether they have any connection with Marquis Ningyuan...
Unfortunately, there are no other options at the moment.
Zhao Ping's attention was entirely focused on Anan. Seeing his expression, he knew that Anan had an idea, so he quickly said, "Anan, if you have an idea, don't keep me in suspense. Look how anxious Manager Xu is."
Looking at Xu Yuehuai's appearance, Anan hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Manager Xu, although Aqi has only been back in the palace for a short time, he is still the Crown Prince. Perhaps he can be of help."
He and Xu Yuehuai had the same idea.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Qianqian suddenly appeared behind them.
"Qianqian, why did you come down?" Xu Yuehuai asked, feeling a little guilty.
She didn't want Jiang Shichen and Jiang Qianqian to worry, so she didn't tell them about San Niang's situation. Now that she saw Jiang Qianqian, she was naturally worried about how much the other woman had overheard.
"Auntie, has something happened to Third Sister?" Jiang Qianqian didn't try to brush it off.
On the contrary, Xu Yuehuai intended to make excuses.
“You don’t need to hide it from me, I heard everything just now, Aunt. Don’t feel burdened by asking Ah Qi for help. We’ve come this far together and are like family to him. He must really want to have a chance to help us.” Jiang Qianqian immediately stepped forward and took her hand. “Aunt, you don’t need to keep holding on like this all the time. You should rely on us sometimes.”
As she spoke, she gave Xu Yuehuai a big hug.
Such a surge of emotion left Xu Yuehuai speechless for a moment.
She used to be able to discuss things with Zhou Wan and San Niang, but now, she's all alone—no, she also has these little brats.
"Okay." Xu Yuehua nodded.
It was already getting light.
She tidied her clothes slightly, and remembering to take the threatening letter with her, she found a carriage and went to the palace.
As soon as Xu Yuehuai arrived at the palace, she hurriedly got off the carriage and sent someone to inform Aqi.
"Your Highness, Xu Yuehuai, the manager of Tianxiang Tower, requests an audience outside the palace gates." Aqi's eyes darted around, full of curiosity, but after a moment's hesitation, she quickly had someone bring him in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com