Chapter 367

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

His guards saw how determined I was and wanted to seize me by force and take me away directly.

Right at that critical moment, I reacted instantly, grabbing a teapot from beside me and smashing it hard onto the ground; shards flew everywhere in an instant.

I quickly picked up one of the sharp shards and, without the slightest hesitation, pressed it against my own throat to threaten them.

I glared wide-eyed, utterly unafraid, and shouted: "Either you carry me away in an eight-man grand sedan chair, or I die right here!"

Faced with such a resolute attitude from me, they clearly had some apprehension and dared not act rashly. In the end, they helplessly went back to report the situation to Prince Li.

After a night of deep consideration, I felt this might be a rare opportunity.

So, when Prince Li indeed came to fetch me the next day with an eight-man grand sedan chair as I had demanded, I deliberately pretended to be extremely unwilling and reluctantly went with him.

I entered through the back gate — what does that imply? That's the treatment for a concubine! I knew that perfectly well, so I pretended to be furious, and only quieted down when there was truly no other choice; he arranged for me to stay in a courtyard not far from his.

Hearing this, Yan Wang's expression darkened; he was clearly angry, but he forcibly held back from interrupting and continued pressing: "And then?"

Qianqian took a sip of water, moistened her throat, and continued: "After I reached the courtyard, the maid told me Prince Li had important matters to discuss in the study.

I secretly calculated that by then, Fourth Brother, you should have already taken Yi Tai Cheng with your troops, right? He was definitely in the study conferring with people on how to respond.

Time ticked by second by second until night finally fell. I had bathed early and even specially lit incense; everything was prepared perfectly. Just as I waited in eager anticipation, he finally came over.

Hearing this, Yan Wang could finally hold back no longer; the veins on his forehead bulged, and he demanded furiously: "And then!!"

I naturally knew Yan Wang was angry, so I hurriedly got to the key point: "That incense contained knockout drugs and hallucinogens! But I took the antidote beforehand, so naturally I was fine.

When he first came in, he was still somewhat clear-headed; I told him to have a drink of wine first — after all, today is a great joyous occasion.

But who knew he was quite alert; I wouldn't drink, so he wouldn't drink either. However, I didn't tamper with the wine at all; he drank it and nothing happened.

I secretly calculated, deliberately stalling for time by chatting idly with him. As time passed second by second, the drug's potency gradually took effect; he began to feel dizzy and his body felt off.

In that state, he naturally couldn't contend with me; although he realized something was wrong, he had already lost all strength. I seized the moment and struck without mercy, taking his life with a single blow.

He didn't even have time to let out a cry before he fell silently. I stood quietly in place, looking at his corpse, feeling hardly any ripple in my heart. After all, this was part of my plan, and a necessary means for survival and completing the mission.

The waiting time is always long; I just kept silent vigil in the darkness all night. Finally, a pale glimmer appeared on the horizon — dawn was near. I quickly changed into a set of Prince Li's men's clothing, employed lightness skill, and sped toward the city gate like a flying bird.

Just as I was about to reach the city gate, a figure suddenly appeared before me. I looked closely — it was actually A Ming! He was clearly also there to gather intelligence. I had no time to think; I grabbed his arm and dragged him along in a mad sprint.

A Ming was startled by my sudden action, but he didn't ask questions, just followed me tightly. Taking advantage of the city gate having just opened at dawn, with the crowds not yet heavy, the two of us burst out like twin bolts of lightning.

Having run clear out of the city gate in one breath, we dared not pause for even a moment, continuing to flee at a relentless pace. Only after entering the next town did I finally breathe a slight sigh of relief.

To avoid being recognized, I immediately found a place, applied makeup, and slightly altered my appearance.

However, just as I finished applying makeup, the sound of a patrol suddenly came from outside. A Ming and I exchanged a glance, knew the situation was bad, and without a word took off running. Shiyi and Shi Er followed behind to clean up for us, erasing traces.

However, due to these two days of nonstop rushing about and toil, I was utterly exhausted, so I slept soundly for a whole day in the inn.

A Ming stood guard outside the door the whole time, not leaving an inch. Only when Shiyi and Shi Er returned and learned I had woken did they hurry over to tell me your army had already fully withdrawn back to Yu Zhou. Only then did A Ming and I hastily get up and rush back without stopping.

Along the way, we slept in the wind and dew, utterly exhausted, but I could only briefly outline the general situation to A Ming. After all, he didn't know the specific details.

All he knew was that in this chaotic time of war, he had to do his utmost to protect my safety."

After hearing my account, Yan Wang felt his scalp go numb.

He finally couldn't restrain himself; turning into a Tang Monk, he nagged on and on: "Do you know how dangerous this was! What if Prince Li hadn't fallen for the knockout drug?

What if he took the drug but you still couldn't beat him — what then? What if the escape failed and you were caught and taken back — the consequences are simply unimaginable! Did you ever think about those consequences?

I didn't even know you'd come to Nan Liang, let alone could I have rushed to save you in time. If something really had happened, Mother Consort would probably cry her eyes blind, and Father King even more so — he'd spend the rest of his life in regret, hating himself for ever handing the Dark Guard Camp over to you!

Originally Imperial Uncle sent me to wage war, and Prince Li was one of my targets anyway; you had no need to wade into this mess at all. You could have simply accepted the mission and dispatched someone else to bring word to me, and then I would have gone and killed Prince Li.

That way, you'd only need to stay in the capital and wait to collect the money — no need to personally risk danger. I would naturally handle everything properly; why did you have to secretly run here behind Mother's back? Seeing your letter, wouldn't she be consumed with worry, weeping day and night?"

Yan Wang is usually not a talkative person, but at this moment he was like a floodgate opened, talking incessantly without stop.

Qianqian, on the other hand, was like a frightened little quail, shrinking her neck tight, not daring to let out a breath. For a moment, the atmosphere in the whole room became exceptionally heavy, as if shrouded by an invisible chill.

Right in this suffocating silence, a crisp knock on the door suddenly sounded, as if shattering this frozen atmosphere.