"No..."
Наn Yаn's mind wеnt blаnk. Instinctively, shе lungеd forward, driving thе Plum Blоssоm Тhоrn intо thе man's baсk. The man's hand trembled, аnd sеizing the mоment, Наn Yаn shоved Zhuаng Наnming аsidе ontо the carriаgе. As thе man raised his blаde to strikе, Han Yаn, unаblе tо dоdgе in timе, actеd fаster thаn thоught. Shе flipрed оntо the cаrriаge аnd, with a flick of hеr left hand, plungеd thе Рlum Blоssom Thorn intо thе hоrse's hindquаrtеrs.
Тhе саrriagе hоrse lеt out а long whinny, rеarеd its frоnt hоovеs, аnd immеdiаtely boltеd into a frenzied gallоp. Inside the сarriagе, Hаn Yаn stumbled frоm the violent jolting. No matter how swift the man's movements, they were no match for a runaway carriage. Amid the chaotic, panicked crowd, such a carriage actually provided an excellent shield. The horse trampled countless people along its path. Han Yan worried about Ji Lan, but the carriage was already careening uncontrollably, making it impossible to know what was happening outside.
Amid the chaos, Fu Yunxi instinctively searched for Han Yan's figure, but his eyes were met only with the clamoring crowd scattering like a burst pot. Han Yan, being small in stature, was swallowed by the throng, impossible to locate. Never before had he lost his composure like this. He knew there were many in this world who wished harm upon the Xuan Qing Prince Consort. If anything were to go wrong... he dared not even think of it. With this thought, he spoke coldly, "Mufeng, Muyan."
"Your subordinate is here," the hidden guards appeared before him at the opportune moment.
"Dispatch men immediately to protect the Prince Consort."
"Yes," the guards accepted the order and departed. Fu Yunxi glanced up at the high tower where the royal family resided, his phoenix eyes narrowing, then abruptly soared into the air.
"Ming'er!" The carriage had already broken through the crowd and raced into the eastern city's back mountains, an area full of steep cliffs and precipices. Han Yan watched with a pounding heart, shaking Zhuang Hanming while observing the scene outside. They were in a forest, silent and deserted, yet the greater the silence, the greater the danger. The Plum Blossom Thorn was still embedded in the horse's hindquarters, and the animal had gone mad, dragging the carriage in an uncontrolled frenzy with no end in sight. Unable to stop the carriage, Han Yan was frantic with anxiety. Ahead lay a sheer cliff—were she and Zhuang Hanming to perish here?
The ground beneath grew increasingly treacherous, leaving no time to react. Supporting Zhuang Hanming with one hand, Han Yan gritted her teeth, flung open the carriage curtain, and prepared to pull Zhuang Hanming with her as she leaped from the carriage.
Just then, the sound of galloping hooves echoed ahead. Immediately after, she saw her own horse suddenly rear its front hooves high, coming to an abrupt halt right before the steep cliff. The carriage jolted violently from the sudden stop, slamming Han Yan and Zhuang Hanming against the backrest, nearly causing them to cough up blood. Struggling to steady herself, Han Yan finally lifted the curtain to see who had saved them.
Before the carriage lay a fallen horse and a man. The horse appeared injured, and the man was dead, an arrow piercing his back. Presumably, this man had ridden here on horseback, already at his limit, yet by sheer chance, he had startled Han Yan's carriage, thus saving them. As Han Yan moved forward to investigate, she saw a child crawl out from beneath the dead man. The child was covered in blood but wore resplendent golden robes. The moment Han Yan clearly saw the child's face, she couldn't help but gasp in shock: "Crown Prince!"The Crown Prince was being pursued and attacked today, and it was only thanks to the protection of a guard along the way that he did not die under the chaotic blades. However, upon reaching this place, that guard also perished. After all, he was still young and had never experienced such life-and-death matters before, so he was already panicked and at a loss. Unexpectedly, he then saw Han Yan.
“It’s you?” the Crown Prince said suspiciously, before his tone turned arrogant and rude: “You’re not dead yet?”
Han Yan’s heart stirred—the Crown Prince’s words seemed to imply something. Unfortunately, before she could speak, she faintly heard the sound of hoofbeats and voices in the distance. At the moment, the carriage had stopped like this, its wheels already broken, and the horse injured, rendering the carriage unusable. If they wanted to leave this place, they couldn’t act rashly for the time being. They would have to find a place to hide first and then wait for the searching guards to come to their rescue.
Without thinking anything else, Han Yan could no longer care about etiquette or propriety at this moment. She glared at the Crown Prince, supported Zhuang Hanming with one hand, and said in an unfriendly tone, “If you want to die, stay away from me.” After saying this, she took the unconscious Zhuang Hanming and tried to find a place to hide.
The Crown Prince was dumbfounded, almost flustered with anger. However, with the pursuers approaching from afar, he still felt a chill in his heart and didn’t know what to do for a moment. Seeing Han Yan leaving, he grew anxious and said, “You cannot abandon this Crown Prince.” After speaking, he followed her.
Han Yan hadn’t actually intended to abandon the Crown Prince. For one, this child hadn’t done anything seriously wrong; for another, if it were discovered that she had left the Crown Prince to die, she feared that once The Emperor found out and held her accountable, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough to pay for it. Lastly, this Little Crown Prince was, after all, Fu Yunxi’s nephew, so she might as well lend a hand. However, having this Crown Prince by her side was uncertain whether it would bring fortune or disaster. In any case, she would just have to take things one step at a time.
All around were straight trees that appeared dense but could actually be seen through at a glance—a vast expanse of lush greenery. On ordinary days, this would be a fine place to enjoy the scenery, but at this moment, Han Yan truly had no mood for sightseeing. There really was nowhere to hide here. Han Yan supported Zhuang Hanming as they ran for a while, growing increasingly anxious, when she suddenly caught sight of a small cave opening not far away. It was likely an abandoned animal den, located by a cliff wall, with clusters of wild grass growing outside that just happened to conceal the entrance thoroughly. Han Yan dragged Zhuang Hanming inside, and the Little Crown Prince, seeing this, followed them in. The cave inside was deep but not very large, and the three of them squeezed together was quite a tight fit.
Finally able to relax a little, Han Yan could now calm her mind to sort out the cause and effect of the events. She had had a premonition about today’s incident but hadn’t expected things to escalate to such an extent. After all, killing someone in broad daylight in front of the royal family was truly quite audacious. This definitely couldn’t have been aimed at her. Han Yan looked at the Crown Prince—this royal offspring who had always lived in luxury was now covered in bloodstains. Although he was trying hard to remain composed, his eyes still betrayed a hint of nervousness.
To have even the Crown Prince implicated—could this not be a coincidence?
She looked at the Crown Prince and asked, “Your Highness, how did you end up here?”
The Little Crown Prince was already very displeased with Han Yan, especially since she had been disrespectful to him earlier. Now, when Han Yan questioned him, he immediately put on the airs of a Crown Prince: “What status do you hold that you dare speak to this Crown Prince in such a manner?”Han Yan was not annoyed. She smiled and continued to examine Zhuang Hanming's injuries on her own.
The Crown Prince felt snubbed. After a long while, Han Yan still did not speak, and he grew somewhat irritated. Eventually, he asked, "Why aren't you asking further?"
Han Yan looked at him calmly and composedly. "Your Highness will speak when you wish to. If Your Highness feels that Han Yan is not worthy of your status, you need not speak to me. With pursuers closing in, I merely wish to uncover a clue or two."
The Crown Prince was taken aback. He glanced at her again. He had heard from many that the Xuan Qing Prince Consort was an exceptionally intelligent woman. Though he disliked her, he could not help but ask, "Can you truly find clues?"
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