On the bumpy mountain road, the two carriages following closely behind drove side-by-side.
This path was originally meant exclusively for the imperial temporary palace, and it was deserted on normal days.
Ji Zizhao pressed her back firmly against the carriage wall, her arms outstretched to steady herself. Yet, despite this, she was still tossed about, swaying from side to side by the jolting of the carriage.
Wen Hui was already scared silly, slumped entirely on the carriage, bumping and crashing around within the commotion.
Suddenly, the carriage gave another violent lurch.
Completely losing her balance, Wen Hui crashed directly towards the carriage window beside her.
Seeing the danger, Ji Zizhao grabbed the window behind her with one hand, freeing the other to grasp Wen Hui's hand. She pulled Wen Hui to her side with all her might.
Wen Hui, still shaken, looked at the two carriages drawing ever closer outside the window. She was truly terrified. When she turned to look at Ji Zizhao beside her, her eyes were filled with accusation, "If it weren't for you insisting on going to town to investigate privately, how would we have encountered this?"
Ji Zizhao had no time to deal with Wen Hui at the moment. She simply asked the palace attendants driving the carriage, "Can we shake them off?"
The attendant's voice was also trembling, "I'm afraid we can't shake them off."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire carriage suddenly plunged into darkness.
The two carriages that had been speeding along had now sandwiched Ji Zizhao's carriage between them.
The carriage curtains were lifted, and several burly men with thick waists leaned out of the carriage windows and, without a word, swung their clubs into the carriage.
Ji Zizhao sidestepped with the momentum, and seeing Wen Hui still frozen in place, she quickly grabbed Wen Hui and pulled her to the center of the carriage.
Wen Hui looked at the ferocious men and gritted her teeth, "I am Princess Wen Hui. If you dare to harm me in any way, my father will surely have your heads!"
The burly men seemed surprised to learn that a princess was in the carriage, and they all hesitated.
Wen Hui raised an eyebrow at Ji Zizhao, clearly indicating that this time, she had saved her life.
Ji Zizhao, however, felt no relief at all, her brows furrowed tightly.
Seeing no hint of gratitude on Ji Zizhao's face, Wen Hui's expression also darkened.
How could someone so ungrateful become a daughter-in-law of the royal family?
Wen Hui moved her lips as if to say something, but before she could utter a sound, the clubs, haphazardly thrust into the carriage, struck them again.
The "ping pong" sound of the impact echoed through the carriage, and the men's force seemed to have increased.
Some of the burly men even attempted to climb into their carriage!
Wen Hui's eyes widened in shock. Watching the clubs fall directly in front of her, she even forgot to dodge.
At the critical moment, Ji Zizhao tackled Wen Hui down beneath her.
Wen Hui looked at Ji Zizhao, who was now pressing down on her, "Are they insane? They still dare to act even knowing my identity?"
Ji Zizhao looked at Wen Hui's extremely unsightly face and let out a scoff, "Since they caught up, they don't intend to let any living soul escape. Whether it's Princess Wen Hui or this humble servant, in their eyes, we are already as good as dead. How much is our identity worth?"
Wen Hui bit her lip and cast a blaming look at Ji Zizhao again, "This is all because of you. Don't think that just because you saved me, I'll thank you."
Ji Zizhao coldly curled her lips, "This humble servant merely wishes Princess Wen Hui to shut up for the time being."
Wen Hui: "..."
You have the nerve!
"Bang!" Another dull thud sounded.
A club as thick as an arm heavily struck Ji Zizhao's lower back, causing her to grunt in pain.
Immediately after, the other indiscriminate clubs seemed to have found their target and all swung towards Ji Zizhao.
Wen Hui's face turned deathly pale with fright, her hands tightly clutching Ji Zizhao's collar, as if afraid Ji Zizhao would run away.
Ji Zizhao certainly wouldn't run.
And she couldn't dodge!
If Wen Hui were to get injured, the Emperor would surely hold her accountable.
The Fifth Prince was already watching intently; who knew how he would exploit this matter?
In the Emperor's rage, the innocent would inevitably suffer.
This matter also implicated her fourth sister. If she couldn't receive timely help because of this, it would be a huge loss.
In comparison, Ji Zizhao would rather bear everything herself.
But the prerequisite was that she had to survive!
Her peripheral vision caught a flicker of movement, and Ji Zizhao turned her head to see a burly man stepping a foot into the carriage through the window.
Ji Zizhao's dark eyes deepened, the starry sky devoid of light, and a chilling killing intent swirled in her cold eyes.
Although she was reluctant to reveal anything in front of Wen Hui, no one could stop her on the path she intended to take.
Even Wen Hui sensed the chill emanating from Ji Zizhao. Watching Ji Zizhao flip her wrist, a premonition of dread suddenly washed over Wen Hui.
She had a strange feeling that Ji Zizhao's killing intent seemed to be directed at her.
Just as Wen Hui was stunned, Ji Zizhao's hand slowly moved upwards from Wen Hui's back.
Ji Zizhao knew the human anatomy so well that she could find it with her eyes closed, so she knew exactly how to make someone faint without them being prepared.
As the burly man who had stepped into the carriage bent down and squeezed through the window, Ji Zizhao unhesitatingly tensed her palm and brought it down towards Wen Hui's nape.
Suddenly, the voice of the palace attendant driving the carriage exclaimed with surprise, "Fourth Prince... it's the Fourth Prince with people!"
Following closely behind were the sounds of chaotic horse hooves. SuDan Novel Network
Upon hearing that the Fourth Prince had arrived, the burly men visibly began to panic. The two carriages that had been flanking them on either side started to pull away from Ji Zizhao's carriage.
A cold glint flashed outside the window, and the piercing sound of horses neighing filled the air.
"The horses, the horses are injured! They're uncontrollable!" The attendant's voice cried out in terror.
Ji Zizhao's eyes flickered. Seeing the burly man who had intended to enter the carriage quickly retreating out the window, she grabbed Wen Hui by her clothes and hurled her towards that man.
The burly man, caught off guard, tumbled out of the carriage along with Wen Hui.
At the same time, the injured horses, pulling the carriage, bolted wildly into the distance.
Wen Hui landed on the roadside with the burly man as a cushion. Although she was not seriously injured, she was in great pain all over. As she looked up and saw Xie Jinglan riding towards her, her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Xie Jinglan pulled his horse to a stop a step away from Wen Hui, dismounted with clean, swift movements.
Huo Nian Gong, leading the rest of the men, continued to ride forward, pursuing the two carriages.
Wen Hui looked at Xie Jinglan, who was now within arm's reach, and tears streamed down her face, "Why are you only here now?"
Xie Jinglan did not answer immediately. Instead, he walked over to the burly man beside them. Seeing that the man had been knocked unconscious by Wen Hui's fall, he ordered Tang Di behind him to apprehend him.
After everything was handled, Xie Jinglan finally looked at Wen Hui, "Why did you leave the temporary palace privately?"
Wen Hui looked at the man in front of her with a dazed expression. The face was the same as she remembered, but why did he feel so unfamiliar?
When she was still in the palace, no matter what happened, he always cared about her. Unlike now, with his palpable indifference and questioning tone.
Wen Hui's pride certainly wouldn't allow her to admit that she had wanted to see Ji Zizhao make a fool of herself. She bit her lip and said with more grievance, "This afternoon, I saw the Eldest Daughter of the Ji family in a hurry to leave the temporary palace. I just wanted to lend her a hand, so I accompanied her to town..."
Before she could finish speaking, her arm was suddenly grasped by long, slender fingers.
"Where is she?"
Xie Jinglan stared at Wen Hui, his low voice laced with a tremor he himself hadn't noticed, "I'm asking you, where is Ji Zizhao?!"