On this day, Thirteen, who rarely gets a day off, took Heyue out for a walk to relax. Heyue had long been impatient staying at home, so she readily agreed.
Before they left, Irgen Gioro repeatedly reminded the two of their safety and to avoid crowded places.
Heyue and Shisan agreed, and with Li Shun'er and Hailan by their side, they went to the Slender West Lake.
Because Heyue was pregnant and it was not advisable for her to travel by boat, Shisan took her to a nearby restaurant to listen to a storyteller for a while, and then went to the lakeside to see the lotus flowers.
The pink lotus flowers stand gracefully like young girls, their green leaves clustered together, clinging tightly to the lake surface like jade plates, as lively and bustling as the crowd.
After walking for a while, Thirteen noticed that it was getting quite hot and worried that Heyue might get tired and not be able to keep up. So he pointed to a pavilion not far away and suggested, "Let's go sit in that pavilion over there for a while."
He Yue was tired, so she nodded, and the group headed in that direction.
Her five-month belly was already quite large, and Yue walked rather slowly. Shisan carefully supported her waist to prevent her from falling or being bumped by passersby.
There were three or four children, around seven or eight years old, reaching for the lotus flowers on the lake. Their small bodies were leaning out, which looked quite dangerous, and there was no adult with them.
Thirteen frowned and shook his head: "Whose child is this, with such careless parents?"
Heyue shook her head: "I think they're just being naughty. They ditched their parents and ran here. Their families must be worried sick." She glanced at him and scolded, "Let me tell you, when the children are older, you have to be careful. Never let them play alone."
Thirteen nodded with a smile: "Don't worry, my wife, I will definitely protect our children. If they dare to disobey, I will teach them a lesson." He then gestured to Li Shun'er to persuade the children not to fall into the water.
Li Shun'er said "Yes" and jogged over.
Just as Heyue and Shisan were about to continue walking, they heard a startled shout from not far away: "You little brats! Who gave you permission to come here!"
The two looked behind them at the sound and saw a woman in her forties, dressed in simple clothes and wearing a hairpin, hurrying over, her face covered in sweat and anger, running towards a group of children reaching for lotus flowers by the lake.
The children were startled and all looked at the woman.
Coincidentally, Heyue and Shisan were standing on the straight line between the woman and the children at that moment.
Therefore, the direction the woman ran from was exactly the same direction that Heyue and the others were heading.
Thirteen instinctively shielded Heyue and moved aside, when suddenly a silver needle flew from the side and shot straight at Thirteen.
Heyue's waist was instantly loosened, and the next moment she saw Thirteen standing two steps away from her, also looking in her direction with an anxious expression.
He Yue remained calm and composed, shaking her head at him with a smile, showing no sign of panic.
Just as he was about to rush over, the woman had already reached Heyue's side. Her anxious eyes suddenly revealed a hint of ruthlessness, and her face became ferocious.
He Yue met those familiar yet ruthless eyes, and at the same time, a hand suddenly attacked He Yue's body, while behind He Yue was the Slender West Lake.
Thirteen's expression changed drastically, but it was already too late.
...
Half an hour later, the woman was captured by the soldiers. She knelt on the ground, struggled a few times to no avail, and showed resentment and anger on her face.
Thirteen carefully supported Heyue's waist, his face pale, still shaken. He gently examined her body and asked anxiously, "Are you alright? Is anything bothering you?"
He Yue smiled and shook her head: "I'm fine." She squeezed his hand, then looked at the woman who was being restrained by the soldiers, her expression instantly turning cold.
Several children by the lake were escorted over by Li Shun'er. They all looked fearful and trembling, not daring to look at the soldiers who had suddenly appeared.
He Yue's expression softened, and she leaned down slightly to pat one of the children's heads, revealing a gentle smile: "Don't be afraid, everything is alright now."
The little boy looked at the kind and gentle smile, and his expression gradually relaxed.
Heyue pointed to the woman and asked her, "Do you know her?"
The little boy glanced at the woman and shook his head blankly: "I don't know her."
Heyue nodded, praised her as a good girl, and then asked the other three children with a smile, "Do you know her?"
Seeing that the woman in front of them was beautiful and gentle, the children were no longer as afraid as before. They shook their heads and answered loudly, "We don't know her."
The woman suddenly looked up, her gaze like a sharp blade piercing straight at Heyue.
He Yue met her gaze fearlessly, a faint smile playing on her lips, as if mocking her overestimation of her abilities.
The woman grew even more furious, gritting her teeth in hatred.
At Thirteen's prompting, Li Shun'er quickly stepped forward, groped the woman's face, and soon peeled off a layer of skin, revealing her true appearance.
He Yue looked at that familiar, handsome face without the slightest surprise.
Apart from being a bit colder than before, his face remained unchanged.
The onlookers had been driven away by the soldiers, leaving only some government officials and those involved in the matter. The once bustling lakeside was now eerily quiet.
It turned out that Heyue had just recognized the woman as Pinggu in disguise. At the critical moment, fortunately, the guards protecting her injured Pinggu, who was disguised as a woman, with a hidden weapon, which allowed Heyue to escape a disaster.
Prior to this, whenever the Heyue couple went out, they were always secretly followed by people to protect them, just to prevent anyone from attacking them again.
Now that Heyue is pregnant, Thirteen dares not be careless, but unexpectedly, something almost went wrong.
Fortunately, He Yue reacted quickly, pushing Thirteen away when he was attacked by the silver needles, and also signaling to the guards hidden in the crowd.
When Thirteen had no choice but to release Heyue, he saw the woman reach out to push Heyue and turned pale with fright. In the next moment, Heyue was already safe and sound.
Seeing that Heyue was out of danger, Thirteen quickly engaged Pinggu in a fight and entangled her.
The people were terrified and fled in all directions. One of the guards in the crowd took the opportunity to report to the authorities.
Ping Gu wasn't the only one who tried to assassinate her. Seeing that Ping Gu had failed, five or six masked men appeared, intending to rescue her. However, in a one-on-one fight, none of them were a match for Thirteen, let alone with the help of guards. Soon, those men were at a disadvantage.
Finally, Pinggu signaled to one of the masked men. The masked man, who had originally intended to rescue Pinggu, hesitated for a moment after seeing the situation was not good and receiving Pinggu's signal, before finally leading the rest of the men to retreat.
When the soldiers arrived, only Pinggu was left fighting with Thirteen, and she was quickly subdued by the arriving soldiers.
It was precisely because Thirteen was clinging to Pinggu that the soldiers had time to capture her.
Although the others escaped, judging from the hesitant attitude of the man in black, Ping Gu must be very important. Even if only Ping Gu is captured, the others probably won't be able to escape.
Just then, a man dressed in the robes of a fourth-rank official strode out from the crowd.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Heyue and Shisan quickly stood respectfully to the side, with Shisan carefully supporting Heyue.
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