Chapter 12 Brother
Huo Lin pretended not to hear Liu Xi's words, but unfortunately, his wildly upturned lips still gave him away.
Although a night has passed, it's hard to say whether the assassins have given up their pursuit of Liu Xi.
Liu Xi couldn't understand why she had any merit to have an enemy willing to send a team of assassins to kill her, just because she had left the palace in such a glorious manner to pray for blessings.
It couldn't be the Imperial Concubine. The title of "reincarnation of a vixen" hasn't been pinned on her yet. How could the Imperial Concubine be willing to let Liu Xi die so hastily?
It couldn't possibly be Liu Yan; that idiot is still locked up in the Censorate.
Liu Xi looked at Huo Lin beside her with suspicion.
Could this assassin be after him?
"General Huo..."
"Your subject is present."
"If I am killed or seriously injured by an assassin, you, the person His Majesty appointed to protect me, will be accused of dereliction of duty, and will be dismissed from your post or executed."
Huo Lin's expression tightened, "Your Majesty, I will not allow..."
"Yes, I know!"
Liu Xi slapped Huo Lin's arm hard. "General, are you out of your mind?"
After pondering for a while, Huo Lin understood what Liu Xi meant.
"Your Highness is implying that the assassin's target was actually me, which would implicate you."
"There's no point in dwelling on these things now. We're in the same boat, so there's no question of whether we'll be dragged down or not."
Liu Xi has a very open mind; she focuses on the present and, more importantly, on how to get out of this predicament.
"It might not be wise for us to just follow the mountain path toward Lingshan Temple like this. We should find a village at the foot of the mountain to change into clean clothes first."
"I wonder how things are going with Zhixiang..."
Huo Lin immediately reassured him.
"Princess, rest assured, with my personal guards escorting you, Miss Zhixiang will be safe and sound."
"Moreover, the assassin did not silence them immediately. The person behind it must have wanted the news of the princess's assassination to reach His Majesty's ears as quickly as possible. If my guess is correct, Miss Zhixiang should have already returned to the capital."
That made sense, and Liu Xi finally felt completely relieved.
Before long, the palace will send out the Imperial Guards to search for the princess's whereabouts; they want to find her alive or dead.
If Liu Xi could just hold out with Huo Lin for a little longer to prevent the assassins from finding them before the Imperial Guards, everything would be fine.
After much deliberation, the two decided to go down the mountain first and settle in a village at the foot of the mountain.
This place is remote and surrounded by mountains. Many bandits have taken over the mountains, and the people mostly live in misery.
Liu Xi felt a bit scared. She and Huo Lin were lucky that they weren't kidnapped by bandits in the mountains last night.
They stood at the village entrance. The villagers, seeing the two men in such a disheveled state and covered in blood, assumed they had escaped from a den of thieves. Fearing trouble, they dared not speak to them.
Huo Lin quietly reminded Liu Xi not to reveal her identity as a princess. Liu Xi gave him a knowing look, then took a jade hairpin off her head and quickly caught up with a woman.
"Benefactor, please help us!"
“My brother and I were on our way to the capital to do business when we passed through this place. We never expected to be ambushed and killed by a group of bandits. Only the two of us managed to escape.”
"Now all we want is a meal and warm clothes. We wonder if our benefactor would take us in for the time being, considering how precious this jade hairpin is."
They were all unfortunate people; the value of a single jade hairpin was enough to feed her family for three or four months.
Seeing the woman's face full of struggle, Liu Xi quickly took off the silver armlet she was wearing.
“Jade is not easy to sell. My benefactor, you can melt down this silver ornament and make it into silver scraps. I beg you, my brother is covered in wounds and he is about to collapse.”
Left with no other choice, the woman finally relented.
"Follow me."
Upon entering the village, she realized that the people living there were far more impoverished than she had imagined.
The dilapidated house had layers of wooden planks nailed to the walls for wind protection, and the interior furnishings were old and broken. Even the mats on the bed were stuffed with straw.
The woman brought two pieces of linen clothing and presented them to Liu Xi.
"I made this myself. If you don't mind, please put it on."
The clothes in front of them were clearly brand new, but the woman was wearing old clothes with many patches.
She let Liu Xi and the other person stay in the main house for the time being, but she moved her own things to the storage room, which made Liu Xi feel a little guilty.
"Once we return to the capital safely, I hope the young general can make another trip to bring this lady to live in the capital, carrying my heartfelt wishes."
Huo Lin nodded, "A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude in return."
Soon, this "drop of water" gradually developed into a "spring".
The woman took Liu Xi's jade hairpin and went out, only returning late at night.
She untied the cloth bag she was carrying on her back, and a number of bottles and jars rolled out.
"These are all top-quality wound medicines, and these are freshly baked flatbreads from the market, filled with meat."
The woman looked travel-worn, and even her once neatly combed hair was now disheveled.
Liu Xi observed her carefully for a while and found that although the woman was of advanced age, the wrinkles around her eyes could not hide the radiant beauty that time could not take away.
Moreover, she clearly knew the value of that jade hairpin, which was far beyond the reach of an ordinary mountain woman.
But Liu Xi did not immediately show her doubts.
"Thank you so much, my benefactor. I will repay this great kindness tenfold in the future."
"Eat slowly and get some rest. Leave as soon as it gets light tomorrow."
After Liu Xi responded, the woman pushed open the door and left.
"What has Xi'er noticed?"
Huo Lin spoke, and Liu Xi staggered on the spot when he choked on his words.
"I hope Your Highness will forgive my rudeness. However, addressing you as Your Highness in this place may cause a lot of inconvenience."
Huo Lin lowered his voice and leaned closer to Liu Xi with a wicked grin.
Liu Xi frowned slightly.
"Then, should I address the General as my elder brother?"
"Why doesn't Xi'er call me Ah Lin more generously, like when we were little?"
"Call me then," Liu Xi said loudly, flicking her sleeves.
"Ah Lin!"
After fooling around for a while, Liu Xi put on a serious expression.
"I feel there's something wrong with this woman."
“She seemed completely out of place compared to everything here. I ask you, what kind of woman would have any knowledge of the quality of jewelry?”
"A merchant selling gold, silver, and jade? Or a noblewoman?"
After saying that, Huo Lin also fell into deep thought.
"The wound medicine she brought back today all have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Such wound medicine is not something that ordinary people can buy at high prices."
"Looking at it this way, something really doesn't seem right."
Liu Xi paced back and forth. "However, she doesn't seem hostile towards us. Let's play it by ear."
After a day and a night of tossing and turning, Liu Xi was starving and quickly devoured a meat pie in a few bites.
Huo Lin intended to share his portion with Liu Xi, but in the time it took to turn his head, Liu Xi had already fallen asleep on the bed.
As a princess, although she wasn't considered pampered because she wasn't favored by the emperor, she was still a girl who grew up in luxury.
"You've really worked hard under such difficult conditions."
Huo Lin said softly.
The next morning, Huo Lin was awakened by a strange noise coming from outside the door.
He tiptoed out of bed and leaned against the door to carefully discern the sounds outside.
It sounded like several women talking.
As the sound drew closer, Huo Lin lay back down on the bed, pulled Liu Xi close to him, and embraced her, closing his eyes as if to sleep.
The door was pushed open from the outside, and someone was tiptoeing toward the bed.
Sensing the man's hand reaching towards Liu Xi, Huo Lin raised his hand and pulled a silver hairpin from Liu Xi's hair, holding it in his hand and decisively pressing the sharp end against the man's neck.
"Ahhhhh, sir, spare me! Spare me!"
A woman, or a young woman.
Huo Lin asked warily, "Who are you?"
The commotion startled Liu Xi awake. She nestled under Huo Lin, her eyes fixed intently on the woman before her.
“I…I am the daughter of this family. My mother told me that the girl who stayed in this house had an injury and asked me to come and see if it was infected.”
Liu Xi and Huo Lin exchanged a glance. He slowly withdrew his hand and casually hid the hairpin in his sleeve.
"My brother and I were terrified by the robbers, which is why we were so suspicious and sensitive. I think that frightened my sister."
Liu Xi got up and helped the girl sit on the edge of the bed, patting her back gently while looking her over.
The skin on her hands was delicate, indicating that she hadn't done any rough or heavy work.
The clothes she wore were made of fine fabric, completely different from the coarse linen made by the old woman.
The girl even had face powder on her body, which looked like a style that had become popular in Kyoto in recent years.
"Sister, you look somewhat familiar. Have we met before at the shop?"
Liu Xi tentatively inquired, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am a spice merchant who travels between Kyoto and Huai Township. I also have several shops in Kyoto."
The girl's name was Wang Zhimeng, and the old woman in the outer room was her mother.
From her words, we learned that Wang Zhimeng did not live with her mother from a young age, but was instead raised in Hongxiangyuan in Kyoto, which was a famous brothel in the entire capital.
The group didn't talk much, and Liu Xi didn't have a suitable reason to ask Wang Zhimeng about her background.
Her mother was in a hurry to kick her out of the house, muttering that it would be too late if she waited any longer.
These puzzling words left Huo Lin with unresolved suspicions. The breakfast prepared by Madam Wang was laid out on the table, but neither he nor Liu Xi dared to touch it.
This place is not safe to stay in. It's best to leave as soon as possible.
Liu Xi stood up, about to say goodbye to Madam Wang, when the sound of chaotic hooves stopped her.
"The Imperial Guards are ordered to search for wanted criminals. Anyone who disobeys will be killed!"
Huo Lin quickly led Liu Xi into the house and peered out through the crack in the door.
"He's not one of my men. Be careful, it might be a trap."
The house has only one door and window, and it faces the courtyard directly. It would be a pipe dream to sneak out of the house without anyone noticing.
"Damn it, we're trapped here."
Liu Xi initially thought that the woman had betrayed them and exposed their whereabouts, but to her surprise, those men who claimed to be imperial guards did not break into Wang's courtyard. Instead, they stood at the gate and spoke to her respectfully.
Wang glanced instinctively into the inner room and met Liu Xi's gaze through the window.
She shook her head calmly, then turned her back to block the doorway.
That look gave Liu Xi a strong premonition.
This woman may have a very important background.
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