Chapter 11 Assassination Attempt
The Empress Dowager looked terrible. She lay on her side on the bed, but the sharpness and scrutiny in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
Despite the rumors circulating in the palace, she remained cautious.
"It is my blessing that the princess is so filial."
Despite saying that, Liu Xi still felt a sense of distance from the Empress Dowager.
"The Emperor has ordered that rumors about a bewitching concubine be strictly prohibited in the palace. Princess, there is no need to worry."
The Empress Dowager tried to gauge Liu Xi's reaction, but Liu Xi skillfully deflected the question.
"Grandson is only worried about when the Empress Dowager will recover. The end of the year is approaching, and if there is no Empress Dowager to celebrate with me, I will be extremely sad."
The Empress Dowager's tense nerves were eased by Liu Xi's few words, and her eyes showed more affection when she looked at Liu Xi.
She took off her personal jade pendant shaped like two fish and gently placed it in Liu Xi's palm.
"Go on, good boy."
The emperor soon learned that the four princesses were going to Lingshan Temple to pray for the Empress Dowager. This was the first time he had personally visited Liuxi at Yihuai Pavilion.
Huo Lin was dressed differently from usual. He was wearing a black robe, his long hair was tied into a high ponytail, the fabric wrapped around his lean body, and a long, jet-black sword was at his waist.
"I have ordered General Huo Lin to escort you out of the palace. Lingshan Temple is far away and the road is high. Princess, please be careful."
At the gates of the imperial city, a grand procession of carriages and chariots passed by.
They put on a lot of useless pomp and circumstance. Liu Xi was just going to the temple to pray for blessings for three days, not to go to war.
On the city wall at the gate of the imperial city, the imperial concubine stood in a sheltered spot, wearing a cloak.
"You little slut, you're really good at acting cute."
"Your Majesty, why don't we take advantage of the Empress Dowager's serious illness and press our advantage to drive her out of the palace in one fell swoop?"
"Fool! Do you want to curse me to suffer the same fate as Consort Wang, being demoted and confined to my quarters!"
The Imperial Concubine scolded, and Xiangying immediately knelt down.
"Hmph, now it should be said that it is Consort Wang."
She shook her hand and said angrily.
"His Majesty simply didn't want to disrupt the smooth running of the Grand Court Assembly. Once New Year's Eve is over, that little wretch won't be so lucky anymore."
Liu Xi sneezed twice in the carriage.
Before Zhixiang could react, Huo Lin anxiously asked from outside the carriage window.
"Has the princess caught a cold?"
Helpless, Zhixiang could only silently push the charcoal stove for warmth closer to Liuxi.
Liu Xi adjusted the outer robe on her shoulders.
"I just suddenly felt a chill..."
Huo Lin stopped the procession and leaped onto the carriage.
He lifted the curtain, letting in a gust of cold wind.
"If the princess is unwell, we can find a suitable place to rest and recuperate."
Liu Xi looked around a few times. "Where is it convenient to rest in this desolate wilderness? The road will be even more difficult to travel once it gets dark."
"Thank you for your concern, young general. I am fine. Please continue on your way."
Zhi Xiang looked at Huo Lin with a strange expression. After the carriage started shaking again, Liu Xi couldn't help but ask.
"Zhixiang, is something wrong?"
She immediately realized that her gaze had been too impolite, and even the princess had noticed it.
"This servant has been impolite, please punish me, Your Highness."
Liu Xi winked at her, signaling her to quickly tell the truth.
Zhi Xiang lowered her voice, "Uh, this servant just feels that General Huo is being far too attentive to you, Princess."
"And the way the general looks at you, well, it just feels a bit awkward."
Liu Xi was somewhat slow to realize this.
"...Is there?"
Zhi Xiang nodded vigorously, "Princess, please be careful. This servant feels that General Huo's purpose in approaching you is not pure."
Liu Xi secretly lifted the curtain with her fingers and peeked out through the gap.
Huo Lin rode a tall horse, slowly following beside Liu Xi's carriage.
Facing the direction from which the light shone, his facial features and bone structure appeared exceptionally distinct. Liu Xi couldn't help but let her gaze slide down his jaw to his Adam's apple, and subconsciously swallowed.
What a beautiful woman!
Huo Lin turned his head and precisely caught Liu Xi's gaze.
"Princess?"
"It's nothing!"
Liu Xi abruptly withdrew her finger, and the gap she had created suddenly disappeared.
Through the curtains, she heard Huo Lin chuckle softly outside.
As dusk fell, the surroundings grew increasingly quiet.
The eerie silence made Liu Xi uneasy. She subconsciously counted the chaotic sounds of horses' hooves around her, trying to figure out the source of her unease.
Huo Lin suddenly raised his hand, and the convoy came to an abrupt stop. Liu Xi's heart also stopped abruptly.
A gust of wind lifted the curtains of the carriage, and the sound of arrows piercing the night sky cut through the air.
Huo Lin drew his sword, sparks flying as the metal struck the metal, flashing before Liu Xi's eyes.
The surrounding silence was instantly shattered as a group of masked assassins emerged from all directions, surrounding the carriage.
Before he could react, Huo Lin immediately killed the approaching assassin, the bright red blood staining half of his face.
The strong stench of blood awakened the lingering fear in Liu Xi's heart of her past life, the fear of dying tragically at the hands of Liu Yan's dagger.
She trembled all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar and was unable to move.
Huo Lin dealt with the three men in one go, then turned around and jumped into the carriage, kneeling on one knee in front of Liu Xi.
"Princess, let me take you away first."
Like a startled fawn, Liu Xi's eyes widened, and although she clearly heard Huo Lin's words, she was unable to react at all.
She pinched herself hard with her hand under her sleeve, barely managing to move her legs.
"Zhixiang, what should we do about Zhixiang?"
Zhixiang was clearly frightened by the scene, but she mustered her courage and stammered.
"Princess, don't worry about me! I... I can protect myself!"
Huo Lin took off his own hidden arrow and quickly put it on Zhi Xiang.
"The assassins' target is not you. Once I take the princess away, they will definitely choose to chase after us."
"Miss Zhixiang, hide well inside the carriage. My bodyguards will protect your safety."
Zhixiang asked in a panic, "What about the princess? We can't let her be in danger!"
Huo Lin grabbed Liu Xi's hand and pulled her towards him.
"Princess, do you trust me?"
Liu Xi reacted quickly, "Instead of staying here and being trapped like a turtle in a jar, we should rush out."
"Okay! Hold on tighter to my neck!"
Huo Lin scooped Liu Xi up in his arms with one hand, leaped onto the horse's back using the carriage as a stepping stone, and used his other hand to cut the connecting rope with his longsword.
"drive!"
Instead of fleeing along the mountain path, they disappeared into the dense forest on both sides.
Branches whizzed past the two of them. Huo Lin used his arm to protect Liu Xi's head, but the sharp branches still left some light and some heavy marks on Liu Xi's body.
She gritted her teeth, enduring the excruciating pain.
Under these circumstances, she didn't want to become a burden to Huo Lin.
The two rode their horses at breakneck speed for an unknown distance, leaving the assassins behind them some distance away.
Huo Lin stopped at a mountain stream. The terrain here was flat, with paths leading in all directions.
He helped Liu Xi off the horse while explaining.
"The assassins will catch up soon. This horse can buy us some time. We need to find a place to hide first."
Liu Xi held onto Huo Lin's arms, and the hot, wet touch made her fingertips tremble.
She lowered her head and stared at her palm, which was stained with blood.
"You are badly injured."
Huo Lin didn't answer. He naturally took Liu Xi's hand and chose a more conspicuous path.
Going against the grain is the most dangerous yet safest option.
Before long, it got completely dark.
Using the flickering moonlight, Huo Lin found a narrow cave.
The cave was damp, but sheltered from the wind, so the two wouldn't freeze to death in the cold autumn night.
Liu Xi's tense nerves relaxed instantly, and the combination of fatigue and pain made her body go limp, causing her to collapse directly into Huo Lin's arms.
Her forehead was burning hot, and the wounds on her body were showing signs of worsening.
Huo Lin had grown up in the military, so even though his scars were much deeper than Liu Xi's, they didn't have much of a negative impact on him.
It is still more than ten miles away from Lingshan Temple. If the princess were to walk against the cold wind, her body would certainly not be able to withstand it.
Huo Lin touched Liu Xi's forehead with concern. For now, all he could do was light a fire in the cave to keep the princess warm.
To prevent the firelight from revealing their hiding place, Huo Lin cut down several low trees and used them to cover the entrance of the cave before returning inside to light the fire.
Clean stream water seeped from the cave walls, which provided some relief in the immediate crisis.
Huo Lin tore off a piece of his shirt, washed it clean with the stream water, and applied it to Liu Xi's burning forehead.
Liu Xi was delirious from the fever and murmured a few sobs.
"Why... I don't want to die..."
"It was my negligence that caused the princess to suffer."
Huo Lin repeated tenderly, carefully pulling Liu Xi into his arms.
And so, Liu Xi nestled in Huo Lin's arms and fell into a deep sleep, until the next morning when the sky brightened again.
Liu Xi shifted her body, feeling something warm beneath her. She groggily opened her eyes and realized that she was lying on top of Huo Lin.
Huo Lin's chest rose and fell steadily, and his eyelashes trembled slightly as he closed his eyes, indicating that he was probably still asleep.
He was only wearing a thin inner garment, with his outer robe tightly wrapped around Liu Xi's body.
Liu Xi quickly got up, added some wood and leaves to the fire next to her, and covered Huo Lin with clothes to keep him from getting cold.
She rolled up her sleeve to examine the wound and was surprised to find it covered with a paste of herbs.
No one knows how many things Huo Lin did on his own that night.
Liu Xi lay down beside Huo Lin and carefully tugged at his undergarments.
"You picked herbs, why didn't you apply some to yourself as well?"
Huo Lin woke up after muttering something under his breath.
When their eyes met, Liu Xi pinched Huo Lin's collar with two fingers, revealing his fair chest.
The next second, Liu Xi jumped up on the spot, pointed at herself and then at Huo Lin lying on the ground, and spoke incoherently.
"I want to see your body, not your body, but your wounds, what wounds..."
Seeing the helpless look on Liu Xi's face, Huo Lin couldn't help but chuckle.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine. But Your Highness, are you feeling better?"
He stood up and put his robe back on. Liu Xi's face was burning hot, so she simply turned her back to him.
Only after the rustling sounds stopped did Liu Xi speak softly.
"With the general acting as a human heater, it's hard for things not to go well."
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