Chapter 368: I Am the Princess
In the dark, cramped space, three children wore expressions of pure terror.
Xie Xian, naturally timid, was so frightened that tears streamed down her face as she covered her mouth to stifle her sobs.
Though Xie Shiyun was a boy, he was only just over seven years old. Trembling with fear, he hugged his knees tightly.
Chu Changsheng knew that her two friends had been implicated because of her.
If only she hadn't left the mansion to pick fruits, this wouldn't have happened.
But she also understood that with so many villains hiding near the rear gate of the royal residence, it must have been a long-planned scheme. Even if she hadn't gone out, those people would have infiltrated the mansion anyway.
If they had captured just her, it might have been manageable, but if they had taken Jue Ge'er instead, it would have been far more troublesome...
"Don't be afraid," Chu Changsheng whispered reassuringly. "My father is now the Crown Prince and can command all civil and military officials. He will definitely rescue us. Don't be scared!"
"Yes, I'm not afraid, I'm not scared," Xie Xian said, grasping Chu Changsheng's hand. "We're right under the Emperor's nose. These people wouldn't dare harm us. Let's all stay brave."
The three children comforted each other, and gradually, their emotions stabilized.
Just then, someone unlocked the door, pushed it open, and entered holding a torch.
The torchlight swept across the three faces.
A man with a rough voice asked, "There are two girls. Which one is the princess?"
Another replied, "Between the maid and the princess, you can tell by their clothing."
The two men stepped forward for a closer look but found that the fabrics of both girls' dresses were similar.
The dress Xie Xian wore had been personally embroidered by Concubine Jiang using the fabric Yun Chu had sent over. The material was top-grade, and the needlework was exquisite. Xie Xian had only worn it because she was visiting the royal mansion. Such fine clothing made it impossible for these assassins to distinguish between them.
As for Chu Changsheng, all her hair accessories had fallen off during the abduction.
In the dim light, with the two young girls sitting together, it was genuinely difficult to tell which one held the higher status.
The two men called over another person.
Chu Changsheng noticed that this newcomer looked different from the first two and spoke with the authentic accent of the capital.
So, there were insiders for these people right in the capital! The Great Jin Kingdom had traitors!
"Which one of you is Chu Changsheng?" the man asked with a smile. "You must be starving, Princess. We've prepared a meal. Come with us to eat."
Chu Changsheng remained highly alert.
These people had violently abducted her, thrown her onto the cold, hard ground—why would they prepare a meal for her?
As she pondered this, Xie Xian stood up beside her. "I am!"
Chu Changsheng immediately snapped out of her thoughts.
She grabbed Xie Xian's arm. "What are you doing?"
"I haven't eaten all day. I'm hungry," Xie Xian said, shaking off Chu Changsheng's hand. "In a situation like this, this princess can't afford to worry about you anymore!"
Chu Changsheng was stunned.
She suddenly understood what Xie Xian was doing.
These assassins were after her, though she didn't know why—whether to kill her or something else. Xie Xian was trying to protect her.
"No, I am the princess!" Chu Changsheng stood up immediately. "Whatever you want to do, do it to me."
"How amusing."
The man's smile widened.
Children will be children—just a little temptation with food, and they start turning on each other.The man's gaze fell on Xie Shiyun, coaxing him patiently: "Tell me who the princess is, and I'll let you eat roast chicken."
Xie Shiyun swallowed hard: "Really?"
The man grew somewhat impatient: "Of course it's true. Quickly tell me which one is the princess."
Xie Shiyun raised his arm and extended his index finger.
His index finger pointed toward Xie Xian's direction: "It's her."
Xie Xian breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She had genuinely feared Xie Shiyun would endanger Changsheng for a piece of roast chicken.
She was merely a commoner—her death wouldn't matter.
But Changsheng was the princess, the cherished daughter of the royal mansion adored by all, destined to grow up surrounded by affection, not fall into the hands of villains...
Xie Xian sniffled and deliberately proclaimed arrogantly: "Weren't you supposed to take me, the princess, to dine? Hurry up! If you offend me, my father will not spare you!"
Chu Changsheng hurried to pull Xie Xian back.
But Xie Shiyun grabbed her arm, yanking her forcefully so she stumbled and fell to the ground.
Immediately after, the door closed, plunging the room back into darkness.
"Xian... mmph!" Chu Changsheng's voice was cut off as Xie Shiyun covered her mouth.
"Princess, you must live," Xie Shiyun said, enunciating each word clearly. "Only if you survive will Xie Xian have a chance. If you die, both Xie Xian and I will perish too."
Chu Changsheng broke down in silent sobs.
Xie Xian was the most timid—even more fearful than her—yet she had mustered the courage to pretend to be the princess in front of those villains.
What would those villains do to Xie Xian? Would they kill her?
"No... we can't wait..." Chu Changsheng wiped her tears and stood up. "Shiyun, we must escape, we have to get out! My father must have already sealed off the capital. We're probably still near the royal mansion. If we can just escape this place, we'll be saved! We need to find help quickly to rescue Xian!"
Xie Shiyun scanned the room—there wasn't even a window. He had no idea how they could possibly escape.
"You said you wanted roast chicken," Chu Changsheng's voice turned calm. "When someone comes in later, I'll ambush them."
"How?" Xie Shiyun's face showed clear disapproval. "The two of us combined couldn't defeat a single adult. If we anger them, you'll be in danger!"
"Then what? Wait for something to happen to Xie Xian? Wait for them to kill us both to silence us? My father and mother both said that in dangerous situations, the worst thing to do is sit and wait for death!" Chu Changsheng gritted her teeth. "Even if we can't win, we have to try."
Xie Shiyun was moved by her determination.
Yes—if they just waited passively, death would be their only fate.
He pulled a writing brush from his sleeve—a gift Chu Changsheng had casually given him earlier at the royal mansion, which he had carefully hidden in his sleeve.
He snapped off the brush tip with force, leaving the broken end sharp and pointed.
"Princess, I'm stronger—let me do it," he whispered. "Use this wooden plank to hit his head and distract him."
He picked up a thick plank from the floor and pressed it into Chu Changsheng's hand.
The two children exchanged a look and nodded firmly.
Xie Shiyun began pounding on the door, shouting loudly: "Roast chicken! Where's my roast chicken? You promised me roast chicken! You're liars! Big fat liars! Waaah!"
"So annoying!"
The guard outside rubbed his ears in irritation, impatiently pulling out keys to unlock the door.Since there were no important people inside the house and only two children were locked in, only one minor guard was assigned to watch them.
The guard pushed the door open abruptly, only to be met with a large wooden plank smashing against his head. He saw a young girl standing on a broken chair, daring to ambush him.
As he bent down to grab the girl by her collar, Xie Shiyun seized the moment. Gripping a pen holder, he stabbed it into the guard’s neck.
Once wasn’t enough—he struck several more times.
Countless nights, he had fantasized about plunging this very pen holder into Xie Shi’an’s neck to avenge his mother.
For this, he had even studied medical texts, learning which part of the human neck was most vulnerable and how to deliver a fatal blow…
“Shiyun, stop! He’s not breathing!”
Chu Changsheng, drenched in sweat, pulled Xie Shiyun back, gasping for air.
Xie Shiyun withdrew the pen holder, concealed the bloodied weapon in his sleeve, and said softly, “Drag him inside. We need to escape quickly!”
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