Chapter 133 You two, stop!
"Release her." His eyes were icy cold, his voice filled with suppressed rage. "How is the Crown Prince's behavior any different from that of a bandit?"
Xiao Xuanyou merely turned his head to the side, his gaze sharp and menacing. "Commander Lu, do you dare to lay a hand on me?"
Although he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was actually filled with even greater anger.
He never imagined that Lu Yuan was involved in this.
But then I thought about it again. Lu Yuan was willing to cooperate with Jiang Zhi in order to get clues about Yan Wenhong, so the relationship between the two must be extraordinary.
Does this mean that Lu Yuan actually has feelings for Jiang Zhi...?
Xiao Xuanyou's pupils were as dark and thick as ink, and the light in his eyes was like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, as if it wanted to destroy everything around him.
"Get out of here," he hissed sternly.
Lu Yuan didn't even move an inch. "This humble official only obeys His Majesty's orders. I'm afraid I cannot do as His Highness the Crown Prince wishes."
He drew his embroidered spring knife from his side and held it horizontally in front of him, his eyes filled with undisguised killing intent. "Please, Your Highness, move aside."
Xiao Xuanyou turned his head away, his sarcasm even more pronounced, "If I don't listen, what will Commander Lu do?"
"I have long heard that Your Highness the Crown Prince studied under the top martial arts master in the palace and has become exceptionally skilled through diligent practice. I have never had the chance to witness it," he said, holding his sword horizontally in front of him, the muscles on his arms bulging like rolling hills. "I wonder if I could ask Your Highness for guidance today?"
Xiao Xuanyou did not answer.
Instead, he used his fingertips to wipe away the water stains from the corners of Jiang Zhi's lips, and then wiped away the lipstick that he had messed up. Only then did he reluctantly turn around and glance at Lu Yuan.
"It just so happens that I have heard that Commander Lu is the number one person in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Today, I will let you see your abilities and see if you are worthy of this position."
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing suppressed anger and a fleeting murderous intent in each other's eyes.
If Jiang Zhi hadn't been there, a fight might have broken out on the spot.
The two flew to the courtyard outside the house.
Jiang Zhi was surprised that Lu Yuan returned and that he had seen her being harassed by Xiao Xuanyou. Before she could react, the two of them were already fighting in the courtyard after exchanging a few words.
Ruying and Anyue came out when they heard the commotion. Sensing the heavy atmosphere in the courtyard, they immediately dismissed the other maids and servants who had come.
Both were exceptionally skilled in martial arts, and it was difficult to determine a winner for the time being.
Xiao Xuanyou wielded a soft sword and attacked without mercy.
Lu Yuan is also very experienced in actual combat, and every move he makes is crisp and clean, containing killing intent.
The two exchanged over a hundred blows, fighting from the ground to the courtyard wall, and then back down to the ground.
The flowers and plants that Jiang Zhi had carefully nurtured in the courtyard were now a mess, as if they had been through a storm.
Both of them had sustained injuries of varying degrees. Xiao Xuanyou had been slashed in the arm, and blood was trickling down his sleeve from his fingertips.
Lu Yuan's face was slashed by Xiao Xuanyou's sword, and drops of blood dripped down his jawline.
Seeing that the two of them showed no sign of stopping, Jiang Zhi frowned.
"Young Miss, please try to persuade them." Ruying and Anyue also sensed that things were not going well.
If word gets out that Xiao Xuanyou was injured in Jiang Zhi's courtyard, it will only bring disaster upon the young lady.
"Enough, you two, stop!" Jiang Zhi's cold voice rang out in the courtyard.
However, the two seemed not to hear, continuing their fight.
Jiang Zhi, having reached her limit, said, "If you don't stop, I'll have no choice but to call the patrol battalion over. I can't care how much suspicion this will cause once word gets out."
Xiao Xuanyou and Lu Yuan exchanged a glance, their faces showing apprehension, and both stopped their attacks.
Although the two had fought, the ferocity in their hearts had not dissipated. Their chests heaved slightly as they looked at each other as if they were enemies.
Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
“Commander Lu is indeed exceptionally skilled in martial arts,” Xiao Xuanyou said, casually wiping the blood off his hands with the handkerchief handed to him by Ruying and Anyue. “No wonder Father values him so highly.”
Lu Yuan's voice was not without sarcasm, "His Highness the Crown Prince is no ordinary person, as he can break into a woman's boudoir in the middle of the night."
Xiao Xuanyou ignored him, strode up to Jiang Zhi, and stared down at her, "No matter what, I will never let go."
Jiang Zhi pursed her lips and turned her face away, refusing to look at him.
Xiao Xuanyou snorted coldly, gave Lu Yuan a deep look, and then turned and left.
Lu Yuan casually wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve.
What had just happened was enough to shock him.
The seemingly gentle and virtuous Crown Prince Xiao Xuanyou actually harbors such feelings for Jiang Zhi.
Appearances can indeed be deceiving.
An indescribable sense of crisis welled up within him.
"It seems Miss Jiang's marriage will not go as planned." His tone was ambiguous, whether it was sarcasm or worry.
Jiang Zhi was exhausted, both physically and mentally. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Lu. I will handle it myself."
It seems it's time to discuss with Shen Ci'an about bringing the wedding forward.
The next day, Jiang Zhi went to the Shen residence to wait for Shen Ci'an after court, saying she had important business to discuss with him.
When Shen Ci'an returned, he was still wearing a blue round-necked court robe, a black horn belt around his waist, and cloud-patterned shoes. Although he had only been an official for a short time, he seemed to have the composure and demeanor of someone who had been immersed in officialdom for many years.
Upon hearing that Jiang Zhi had arrived, he instructed the housekeeper to serve tea and invite her to the front hall.
"If Miss has something to say, she can simply have Qingxing deliver a message. There's no need to wait for her." His voice was cool and detached.
Jiang Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Does the teacher not want to see me?"
Shen Ci'an immediately replied, "Of course not, it's just that our wedding is approaching, and according to custom, we cannot meet."
“What you say is true, Master. Then I shall take my leave.” Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi stood up to leave.
Shen Ci'an hurriedly stopped her, "I didn't mean to send you away."
Jiang Zhi turned to look at him. Although his face was calm, there was a hint of regret in his eyes.
She couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile, then sat back down and got down to business, "I've come to see you today because there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Please speak freely, young lady."
Jiang Zhi looked straight at him, her face showing little of the shyness one would expect from a woman. "I'd like to move the wedding date forward. We'll get married within the next two days. What do you think, Master?"
Shen Ci'an had mentioned to her before that he wanted to move the wedding date forward, so although Jiang Zhi said she was discussing it with him today, she knew he would definitely not refuse.
However, to his surprise, Shen Ci'an just stared at her for a long time, a look of hesitation on his face, and finally sighed heavily.
“The young lady wants to get married ahead of schedule, which makes Ci’an very happy, but it’s probably not possible now.” He frowned, his eyes filled with deep concern.
"What happened?" Jiang Zhi subconsciously recalled Xiao Xuanyou's words from last night.
Sure enough, Shen Ci'an said, "Sizhou has been hit by floods. His Majesty has ordered me to supervise the army that is escorting the imperial relief grain and silver from the national treasury to Sizhou to comfort the disaster victims. We will be setting off south in two days."
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