Chapter 2: Fleeing at Night The ruler wants his subject to die, so he flees at night...
"Oh," Li Jin's sigh pulled her back to her senses. "I heard she was a beautiful woman in distress, sold to Baihua Tower. She finally managed to escape here to make a living, but now, her fate is so unfortunate. It seems she's going to be captured and taken back..."
Lou Wanqiao withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, lowered his head to pour a glass of wine, raised his hand and drank it all in one gulp.
"Zizhao, don't just drink, would you like to talk to me?" Li Jin came up to him with a smile, "Tell me, what if..."
"Your Highness," Lou Wanqiao interrupted him, stood up and said distantly, "Your humble servant has important matters to attend to..."
Bang!
There was a noise downstairs, and their attention was drawn there again. They saw a man burst in through the door and was about to reach out to drag the young woman away, his mouth full of obscenities: "You have been bought by me, so you are naturally my person. How dare you run away? I will interrupt you... Ouch!"
Before he could finish his words, he cried out in pain and put his hands on his head: "Who?! Who dares to attack me?"
A teacup fell to the ground not far away and was broken into pieces. It was obviously the piece that Lou Wanqiao had just pinched in his hand.
Lou Wanqiao was about to speak when Li Jin, who was standing beside him, leaned against the window first, squinting down. "Wow, robbing a woman in broad daylight? What a grand gesture! If I'm not mistaken, you must be... Lord Sun's son, right?"
The big man looked up and saw Li Jin. His expression instantly faltered, and he spoke haltingly, "Yun... His Highness Prince Yun!"
The people around were shocked and bowed down to their knees.
"No need to be so polite. I came here today to taste tea and drink wine, but I never expected to see such a scene. So this is Lord Sun's family style?" Li Jin's tone was still slow, but it inexplicably carried a sense of oppression.
"I'm sorry for being rude!" The man was sweating profusely. "I will definitely apologize to... this girl."
"They are all decent girls, please don't tarnish their reputation." He returned to his smiling face. "If the Dali Temple gets to know about this, I'm afraid even Lord Sun won't be able to resolve it."
"...I will remember your highness's teachings."
Li Jin closed the window, slumped back onto the soft seat, and turned to look at her. Lou Wanqiao was standing behind him, having remained invisible until now, so no one had noticed.
She had always been cautious over the years, and would have noticed the slightest sign of trouble. Otherwise, she would have long since become a pile of bones under the imperial city.
Something so serious happened last night, it was only a matter of time before someone with ulterior motives found out, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. She had considered many possibilities for this morning, but she hadn't expected it to be Prince Yun, the seemingly most laid-back Prince, who would ask her out, and his words and actions seemed to be intended to be intimate.
The court was not stable at the moment, with several forces surging in the shadows, but imperial power remained relatively stable. The current emperor was twenty-three, still young, and had ascended the throne after weathering many bloody storms.
He met Lou Wanqiao's eyes that seemed to be smiling but not laughing.
"Why is Zizhao looking at me like this?"
Lou Wanqiao whispered, "Your Highness has a kind heart."
"Hey, compared to Zizhao, he's still a little bit behind." Li Jin waved his sleeves. "You just took action to help her, didn't you? I was just going along with it. It's just that Zizhao doesn't seem as difficult to approach as the rumors say..."
"Your Highness, there is a woman outside the door. Come and express your gratitude."
"Oh?" Li Jin raised his eyebrows, "Let her in."
The girl was led into the room and bowed gracefully, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving me."
"Hey, no need to be so polite. If you want to thank someone, thank this young master." Li Jin pointed the end of his fan in the direction of Lou Wanqiao, with an expression of anticipation. "This young master made the first move, and I was just following suit."
She raised her head slightly and looked at the boy in front of her.
He wore a navy blue uniform, tucked into his waistband to reveal his lean torso. His dark hair was tied up high, his brows were cold, and his features were sharply defined. Though not as tall as the Cloud King beside him, he inexplicably exuded a powerful, oppressive aura.
When she looked over, Lou Wanqiao was looking back.
If they were only somewhat similar when viewed from a distance just now, now that they are viewed up close the degree of similarity has reached five points.
She was speechless, looking at the face in front of her that looked so similar to her elder sister, and she couldn't help but be a little dazed.
Lou Wanqiao asked, "Where are you from?"
The girl lowered her eyes and replied softly, "My name is Rong Yan. I live in Tingyang. I was separated from my family during the escape. I wanted to make a living, but I was tricked into a building and harassed by a bully, making it difficult to escape... Today, I am grateful to you for saving me."
"It's clear as day that he defied the law and must be punished." Lou Wanqiao softened his tone. "You don't have to go back to the building. If he bothers me in the future, just report him to the Dali Temple."
"I understand..."
Li Jin held his chin and looked at the two of them, his face full of interest, but he didn't say anything.
"I have something important to attend to, so I'll take my leave first." Lou Wanqiao had no intention of staying any longer, so he bowed to Li Jin and walked out.
At this moment, a cold light flashed.
"My benefactor!"
As Rong Yan screamed, Lou Wanqiao opened his eyes wide.
An arrow pierced her chest, blocking her and she slowly fell down.
Lou Wanqiao caught her steadily with one hand, and drew out the embroidered spring knife in his hand, stabbing at the oncoming person.
Killed with one blow.
When he drew out the long knife, blood splattered all over his face, and his vision was stained with blood.
Lou Wanqiao looked around, his brows furrowed.
The feeling that something was wrong was too strong.
The person in her arms was breathing weakly. Rong Yan stretched out a trembling hand and touched her shoulder. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but finally her hand fell down weakly in front of her.
Lou Wanqiao turned around and looked at Li Jin behind him.
Prince Yun, who has always been a romantic and leisurely person, covered half of his face with a folding fan in his hand, revealing a pair of fox eyes, whose emotions could not be seen.
Before she could speak, Li Jin slightly widened his eyes, looked past her at the person on the ground, pointed with his folding fan, and his tone suddenly rose in surprise: "Ah... Isn't this Lord Song!"
Lou Wanqiao was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the assassin she had killed earlier. The secret guards beside Prince Yun stepped forward and tore off the disguise on his face.
Lord Song from the Ministry of Justice.
"It is said that Lord Song has been secretly operating to capture traitors recently. And in this room, Lord Lou and I are not traitors, so the only one is..."
He smiled ambiguously: "Master Lou, you have a close relationship with this girl."
Upon hearing this, Lou Wanqiao attacked without hesitation. The dart in his sleeve pierced the chest of the guard in front of Li Jin, and then he turned around and jumped down the stairs.
She ran very fast, leaving everything behind. The wind blew past her ears and her figure passed the street corner like a flying swallow.
After running for an unknown amount of time, Lou Wanqiao stopped and turned back, panting.
All the pursuers were shaken off, and no one was following.
What is there that is not clear at this point?
What Prince Duan said last night really came true...
The current emperor took great pains to set up a trap, luring her into it and wanting her to die in it.
…
"So... you've come to seek refuge with me?" The young man in the green brocade robe frowned, sensing something fishy going on. "Why are you so sure His Majesty wants to kill you? While you haven't been behaving well these days, you haven't been to the point where His Majesty would take action, have you?"
"Then I don't know." Lou Wanqiao shrugged. "It's not about seeking refuge, but I just want you to send a message to my parents, asking them to be extra careful these days."
She knew years ago that the path she was about to take would inevitably be stained with blood. However, the Lou family had been so kind to her that she couldn't let them become the second Liu family to be wiped out.
Lou Wanqiao and Lou Daren conferred overnight, reaching a decision. The next day, news of a falling out between father and son spread, and soon after, Lou Wanqiao and his "son" separated. The following year, Lou Wanqiao entered the imperial court as an official, and Lou Daren retired, returning to his hometown with his wife.
Firstly, the court was filled with the invisible smoke of war. As a veteran of two dynasties and a witness to tragedy, Lord Lou now only hoped to spend his later years in peace with his family. Secondly, if Lou Wanqiao did something that displeased the emperor in the future, they would be able to escape in time.
Such foresight came in handy now. If she sent a message back now, if the emperor really wanted to capture him, he would probably have been gone by then.
After shaking off the pursuers, Lou Wanqiao slipped past everyone's sight and, under cover of night, arrived at Jiang Suihuai's residence. He was the current heir of the Heisei Marquisate and a trustworthy friend she had made. She felt safe entrusting such matters to him.
Jiang Suihuai nodded: "I understand. But I am a little curious, how did you know that it was His Majesty who set this up?"
Lou Wanqiao stood there, but his thoughts went back to a few hours ago.
Prince Yun shares the same mother as the current emperor. Though he appears to be a laid-back prince, surviving the succession struggle is certainly more complex than meets the eye. When Li Lianhan ascended to the throne, he annihilated several other rivals, leaving only a handful of princes. Only four remain, one of whom was sent to a neighboring kingdom as a hostage early in life. Another, whose mother had offended the empress, was sent to a Taoist temple to pray for blessings as a child and has never returned. The one who has fared the best is Li Jin, who spends his days happily admiring flowers, playing with birds, and drinking tea. He appears uninterested in power, absorbed only in song, dance, and beautiful women. And the last one... is Prince Duan Lie, whom she captured yesterday. His mother's family is powerful, and his maternal grandfather was a general protecting the country, so he's able to protect himself.
If he didn't even have this analytical ability, then Lou Wanqiao would have served as an official in the Dali Temple for so long in vain, and would have died on the way to the court long ago.
The brothers Li Lianhan and Li Jin belong to the same camp, one in the open and the other in secret. Li Lianhan sits firmly on the throne, holds real power, and suppresses those who disobey with thundering means, while Li Jin appears to be uninterested in state affairs, but in fact uses this as a cover to secretly set up schemes or engage in luring and investigations.
In this way, you will have the country in your hands and have no worries.
Li Jin asked her out under the guise of drinking and having fun, but in fact he set her up a dead end from which she could not escape.
It seems Rong Yan was a pawn planted from the beginning, tied to her in this way, so that she could not escape the charge of "colluding with the spies". Then let the Ministry of Justice investigate, and then use her to kill Lord Song, and Prince Yun Li Jin was the best eyewitness.
In this way, the charge that Dali Temple Shaoqing Lou Wanqiao colluded with spies to kill Lord Song from the Ministry of Justice was confirmed. With Prince Yun's testimony, no one could help her escape.
Lou Wanqiao clearly remembered that Lord Song had supported the establishment of the eldest prince in his early years, but later when the third prince Li Lianhan came to the throne, for various reasons, he still left a group of people behind.
Perhaps because their roots were too deep, or because their forces were too diverse, Li Lianhan did not eliminate the factions of all other princes. With the death of the prince, these forces also fell apart, fearing that they would be implicated.
I didn't expect Li Lianhan to use such a trick.
He neither did it himself nor let people suspect him, but set a dead end and let Lou Wanqiao eliminate this person personally.
As the ruthless Dali Temple official, Lou Wanqiao was known for his decisiveness and sharpness, and his unruly and unruly nature. If anyone attempted a murder, he would undoubtedly meet it with a knife.
What a great way to kill two birds with one stone.
"Just leave the matters with your uncle and aunt to me, but what about you? This is not a solution..." Jiang Suihuai looked worried.
Lou Wanqiao glanced at the plum blossoms in front of the window and said in a relaxed tone, "Perhaps it's because of something I did, or perhaps it's because he's been wary of me for years, or perhaps he's long wanted to use me to eliminate that Lord Song... I don't know the reason at the moment, but the emperor has a murderous intention and can't tolerate me. If that's the case, I can't let His Majesty get upset..."
Jiang Suihuai was stunned and responded somewhat slowly: "So...what do you mean?"
Lou Wanqiao looked at him, the corners of his lips slightly raised to reveal a classic dark smile, and he made a gesture of raising his hand and striking with a knife.
Jiang Suihuai:?!
"Pfft!" Lou Wanqiao couldn't help laughing and patted his shoulder. "I was just joking, don't be nervous..."
"Brother, your joke is too real." Jiang Suihuai glanced at her and sighed, "Forget it, just do what you want to do. If there is anything I can help with, just let me know."
"I'm going to leave the capital for a while. Just give me some money. Besides that, take care of yourself." She smiled wantonly, "If the king wants his subjects to die, he will run away at night and disappear."
Jiang Suihuai readily agreed: "No problem, just take the worldly things."
"The prince is so generous!"
"Um...Brother Wanqiao," Jiang Suihuai was silent for a while, then whispered, "Return safely."
Lou Wanqiao laughed heartily: "Don't worry, your brother Wanqiao is omnipotent and will not die."
At the hour of Yin, in an inconspicuous little house in the suburbs, a secret passage led to an underground secret room.
Lou Wanqiao stared at the empty rack in front of him and cursed under his breath.
There is a traitor.
Yesterday, Prince Duan was captured and imprisoned here, but he disappeared today. It seems that there was a traitor among her, and she was careless for a moment.
As for who sent the traitor, there was no way to know for now. All I could do now was protect myself first and investigate later.
Lou Wanqiao didn't linger any longer and turned away.
But as soon as she went out, her face darkened.
Li Lie, who was not far away, was covered in blood and horrified, but with a smile on his face and malice in his eyes.
"What a coincidence, Lord Lou, we meet again. You have caused me great pain."
The shadow guards around him appeared, and Lou Wanqiao's expression darkened. He drew the long sword from his waist and said, "The prince is indeed powerful. I was careless."
"I don't blame you. I've always said that the strong prey on the weak, and that's just how it is." Li Lie raised his hand and said, "Catch him alive."
The secret guards beside him rushed forward, and Lou Wanqiao met the enemy with a long sword. His movements were nimble and his moves were decisive and fierce.
But the gap in numbers is too big.
Although she didn't know what method Prince Duan used, the people she was guarding nearby should have been killed, and now there was no one to ask for help.
Among the thirty-six strategies, running away is the best one.
Lou Wanqiao dealt with the enemies around him while keeping an eye out for flaws.
He glanced at the blood-soaked Li Lie from the corner of his eye, and instantly came up with a plan. He swept his long sword, unleashing a set of Flowing Wind Returning Snow to deflect the attack, and with a kick of his foot, he charged towards Li Lie.
His pupils suddenly shrank, and his body subconsciously moved backward, but when Lou Wanqiao was a few feet away, he drew out the sword from his sleeve.
The young man in front of him was like a sharp sword, his expression remained unchanged, still cold and indifferent.
Li Lie's attack was also very ruthless. He pretended to attack from the side, but actually leaned forward to avoid the blow. Before the opponent could turn around, he held the short blade and struck the opponent in the heart.
Having exhausted too much physical strength, Lou Wanqiao turned around and swung his sword. When Li Lie attacked, the blade scratched his arm. Both sides were ready to fight to the death. Blood splattered and the short sword also brushed past her.
There was the sound of robes being torn.
Taking advantage of the moment of misalignment, Lou Wanqiao was able to find a flaw and break out of the siege.
She didn't dare to slow down or look back, and almost used up all the escape skills she had learned in her life. Fortunately, there were many jungles in the suburbs, so she was able to hide her body.
Li Lie's eyes were gloomy. He looked down at the winding and hideous bloodstains on his arm, then looked at the direction where Lou Wanqiao fled, and a strange color flashed in his eyes.
His body was severely injured and his martial arts could not be exerted at his usual level, but this move of killing one thousand enemies but injuring eight hundred of his own should have taught this arrogant Shaoqing of the Dali Temple a lesson.
Just now...
The blade cut through the boy's clothes, and he saw blood and something else.
"Master, do you want to continue searching?" the secret guard asked, kneeling beside him.
Li Lie waved his hand and turned around: "You take a few people to continue searching, and the rest of you will escort me back."
"yes."
“Hu…Hu…”
Lou Wanqiao leaned against a tree, with a long knife stuck in the ground to support his body. He was breathing rapidly, and his clothes were stained red.
It hurts so much.
I finally managed to escape. This place is close to the stream, so I should be able to survive tonight.
She let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and after recovering, she staggered forward.
The stream water is clear, and the surface reflects the moon and the thin boy.
Lou Wanqiao pulled his clothes tightly together. The cloth that had just been cut let in the cold wind, and the chill penetrated into his bones.
She suddenly remembered that winter night fourteen years ago.
But her trance had not yet begun, and the instinct honed by her body over a long period of time made her alert and stop.
Looking up, I saw a leg dangling from a branch. My eyes followed the leg upwards and I saw the owner of the leg sitting among the thickest branches, with his arms behind his head, looking comfortable and carefree.
He tilted his head back, his face facing the moon in the sky, and his face could not be seen.
Lou Wanqiao's eyes flashed, and his palm rested on the hilt of the knife at his waist.
But the man did not move, just maintained his posture, as if he was really immersed in appreciating the moon.
She didn't move, but just looked at the person on the branch cautiously in silence.
In the reflected light, you can see that the man is wearing a moon-white short coat. The material of the fabric cannot be seen clearly, and there are no obvious features on his body. The black lower body is pressed into the long boots from the calf, and the soles of the boots are stained with mud.
As Lou Wanqiao looked up at him, the man seemed to sense something and turned sideways to look down.
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