"Let's go, we're exposed!" Cheng Zhiye shouted, and he and Zhou Yuncheng pulled Zhao Jingyu and ran away.
Wei Jun, Huangfu and the shadow guard hiding behind were responsible for covering their retreat.
On the other side, Mu Yuan had already raised his hammer-like fist, and was about to hit Song Jingxing in the face. Xie Nanjia was very excited, thinking that his plan was about to succeed. Unexpectedly, the guards' shouts of "Catch the assassin" suddenly came from the distance, which immediately attracted everyone's attention. Mu Yuan also let go of Song Jingxing and rushed to check.
Xie Nanjia couldn't help feeling disappointed, but then he thought that the assassin was most likely one of his own. His heart instantly rose to his throat, and he ran after Mu Yuan.
However, she failed to run away as Song Jingxing grabbed her arm.
"Where are you going?" Song Jingxing asked.
Xie Nanjia turned her head and looked at his face half hidden under the hood.
Although she had guessed that Song Jingxing was King Yuze's collaborator and had been waiting for Song Jingxing's arrival all night, when she saw Song Jingxing for the first time, her emotions were out of control for a moment. She felt nervous, uneasy, and a little emotional.
Come to think of it, it has only been more than half a year since Song Jingxing went to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to pay New Year's greetings on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. However, when the two met again in this foreign country, it seemed as if half a lifetime had passed. The former Crown Prince had become a fugitive on the run, and the former little girl had turned into the Crown Princess.
Everything is like a dream. When you wake up, everything is different.
This earth-shaking change was obviously a huge blow to Song Jingxing. He was much thinner than before and looked lifeless. Six months in prison had made his face pale as if he had never seen the sun. His eyes were empty, reflecting the light of two bonfires, like a netherworld with ghost lights burning.
Xie Nanjia was shocked by his change until Song Jingxing came to her with King Yuze, pulled her in front of him without saying a word, and said sinisterly to her face, "Miss Xiu'er, we meet again." Only then did she suddenly come back to her senses from the shock.
At that time, Mu Yuan was right opposite her, standing side by side with King Yu Ze. She pretended to be frightened and tried desperately to break free from Song Jingxing's hands. She saw the anger in Mu Yuan's eyes, and she thought that if Song Jingxing was more presumptuous, Mu Yuan would definitely take action. Sure enough, Song Jingxing actually put his arm around her waist in full view of everyone and forcibly brought her to the dining table.
While struggling, she turned around to look at Mu Yuan, looking at him for help.
Mu Yuan and King Yu Ze followed behind them. Although they showed no expression on their faces, they quietly clenched their fists at their sides.
Xie Nanjia knew that he was on the verge of exploding, and only a small spark would ignite him.
So, when Song Jingxing asked her to drink with him, she splashed the wine on Song Jingxing's face without hesitation.
Song Jingxing was enraged and lost control and was about to attack her. At the critical moment, Mu Yuan stepped forward and grabbed Song Jingxing's wrist.
Everything was going according to the steps she had planned, but she didn't expect that she would be interrupted by the sudden appearance of an assassin at the last moment, causing her to fail.
If the assassins were really one of their own, she felt that Zhao Jingyu must be among them. Zhao Jingyu must have seen Song Jingxing going to hit her, so she lost control and exposed her target.
Although she was disappointed that her plan had failed, Zhao Jingyu's arrival was like a reassurance pill taken with chicken blood, making her excited and relieved.
Now that Zhao Jingyu is here, can the imperial army be far behind
She looked at Song Jingxing deeply and said calmly: "Where I go is none of your business. You should think about how long you can live!"
"How long I can live depends entirely on you. As long as you are here, no one can do anything to me." Song Jingxing grinned and gave her a sinister smile, "So, from now on, I won't let you leave me even a step. Even when we sleep, you have to sleep in the same bed with me."
Xie Nanjia couldn't help but shiver. She was not afraid, but she just didn't like Song Jingxing's gloomy look, like a ghost crawling out of hell.
"Don't even think about it. I'd rather die than sleep in the same bed with you!"
"Die?" Song Jingxing sneered, "You made me live a life worse than death, why do you think I will let you die, no, I won't let you die, I will also let you taste the taste of living a life worse than death!"
Xie Nanjia saw a kind of madness in his eyes, which made her want to destroy herself and him, so she took a step back and tried hard to break free from his hand.
Song Jingxing naturally would not give her a chance to break free. He hit her on the back of the neck with a fierce palm, and ignoring the commotion caused by the assassin at the scene, he picked her up by the waist and strode away.
Mu Yuan ultimately failed to catch the assassin. When he returned, he found that all the women had left, and Song Jingxing and Xie Nanjia were also missing.
"Father, where is Young Master Song?" he asked, suppressing his inner uneasiness.
"Master Song has gone back to rest." King Yuze said, and then asked him, "Where is the assassin?"
"The assassin ran away." Mu Yuan was thinking about Xie Nanjia, so he answered briefly and then asked, "Where is Miss Xiu'er?"
"I went to rest with Master Song." King Yuze was not satisfied with his answer and asked, "Where did the assassin come from? How come so many guards couldn't catch even one assassin?"
"I don't know, son." Mu Yuan answered absentmindedly, and then asked, "Where is Mr. Song placed?"
The father and son asked their own questions, but in the end neither of them got the answer they wanted. King Yu Ze finally discovered his son's abnormality and slapped him in the face.
"There's an assassin in the palace, and your brothers are busy trying to catch him, but you're obsessed with that woman. What do you want to do?"
Mu Yuan was awakened by the beating, his face was burning with pain, and he quickly knelt down to admit his mistake to King Yu Ze.
Prince Yuze was very displeased: "I have already told you that things should be done step by step, but you are obsessed with that woman. Just now you even wanted to take action against Mr. Song for her. You disappoint me so much!"
Mu Yuan looked ashamed, and put his hand on his chest and said, "Father, please calm down. I know I was wrong, and I will never do this again."
King Yuze didn't want to create a rift between him and his son because of a woman, so he sighed and helped him up: "Father beat you to wake you up. Father has invested too much effort in you. Only you can unify the world with father, do you understand?"
"I understand, son." Mu Yuan said respectfully.
King Yuze's expression softened: "Did you find out anything about the Red Dress Order?"
"No, the woman was beaten but she still said nothing."
"Then keep beating her until she speaks."
"…" Mu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Yes, my son will continue the trial tomorrow."
Prince Yuze hummed, and then said, "Tonight's assassin is most likely from the Great Zhou. Take your men to search outside the palace carefully. Don't let them get away."
"Yes." Mu Yuan took the order and left.
After Mu Yuan left, the second prince Mu Ke came back, covering his arm and breathlessly reporting to King Yu Ze, saying that he had chased the assassin all the way out of the palace and was about to catch up with him, but was shot by the assassin's arrow and failed to catch him.
"It's all my fault because of my incompetence that the assassin escaped. Please punish me, father." Mu Ke knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness.
King Yuze liked his second son's cleverness and understanding very much, so he helped him up himself. Seeing that the cloth wrapped around his arm had been soaked with blood, he asked him to go back to the imperial physician for bandage and have a good sleep.
Mu Ke said that an assassin had entered the palace and he was worried. After bandaging the wound, he would continue to search for the assassin.
Prince Yuze looked at him with a different eye and said gently, "Since you are injured, don't take risks again. If you are really worried, take the guards to patrol the palace. Also, send more people to Xiangfu Palace. Young Master Song will live there temporarily, so you must protect his safety."
"Yes, father, don't worry, I will protect Young Master Song." Mu Ke pleased his father and left happily.
His arm wasn't injured at all; he had cut the horse's leg and taken the blood from it.
Mu Yuan led people to search for the assassin, but he was always nervous. He had promised his father that he would not think about that woman anymore, but his mind was out of control. All he could think about was where Song Jingxing had taken the woman to, and what to do if Song Jingxing had any bad intentions towards her.
He remembered the look she gave him for help, which was like a frightened elk under the hunter's arrow, filled with panic.
He brought her out of the capital and tied her up along the way, but she never showed that kind of look in his eyes. Instead, she mocked him and made him furious from time to time. He thought that she must be very scared, so she showed weakness to him and asked him for help.
Does this mean that compared to Song Jingxing, she feels differently about him? She asked him for help, which shows that she trusts him.
He thought again of her dancing and singing with him arm in arm, her smile like a blooming peony. If she didn't have a crush on him, how could she have had so much fun with him
And now, she was taken away by Song Jingxing. He didn't dare to think about how she would spend this long night.
No, I want to go find her!
He turned his horse around and said to Shan Hu, "Take the men to search. I have other things to do."
"What's the matter?" Shan Hu asked.
Mu Yuan did not answer and rode away.
At this time, Xie Nanjia was waking up slowly on a big bed.
She did not open her eyes immediately, but listened carefully to the movements around her. She slowly opened her eyes until she was sure there was no one around.
The first thing she saw was the colorful gauze hanging from the roof. She turned her head and looked at the whole room through the gauze. From the luxurious decoration in the room, she guessed that this should be the palace that King Yuze carefully prepared for Song Jingxing.
Song Jingxing is such a shameless man. He really brought her to his place. Does he really want to sleep in the same bed with her
This wouldn't do. She didn't want to sleep with that evil ghost. She had to find a way to escape.
However, didn’t Song Jingxing say that he would stay with her all the time? Why is he not here now
She sat up gently and was about to get out of bed when the door opened. Song Jingxing, wearing a white shirt and with wet black hair, walked in silently, like a water ghost who had just crawled out of a pond.
Xie Nanjia was startled and stopped moving.
Song Jingxing glanced at her and said calmly, "Awake?"
Xie Nanjia looked at him without saying anything, secretly thinking about how to escape.
"Thinking about how to escape, huh?" Song Jingxing sneered, "Your clever brain is really not idle for a moment."
Xie Nanjia still didn't say anything and just looked at him quietly.
He is now a man who has suffered both mental and physical trauma, and his emotions are easily out of control. She was worried that she might say something wrong and provoke his anger. Although she was not a weak woman who could not even tie a chicken, the other party was a man after all, and she could not guarantee that she could beat him.
But she forgot that silence is sometimes a form of contempt. Song Jingxing frowned tightly in her silence, his eyes gradually became manic, and he rushed over to grab her neck, gritting his teeth and said, "You hate me and think I'm not worthy of talking to you, right?"
Xie Nanjia was caught off guard and hurriedly explained to him: "I didn't, I just didn't know what to say to you. I know you hate me, and I'm afraid you will hurt me."
Song Jingxing tightened his grip and looked at her intently: "So, you mean you don't hate me?"
Xie Nanjia had difficulty breathing and shook her head vigorously: "I don't hate you."
"Do you think I will believe you, you sinister and cunning woman!" Song Jingxing tightened his grip even more, his face becoming distorted due to the force.
Xie Nanjia pried his hands apart with all her strength and said in a hoarse voice, "You think too much. I really don't hate you. Didn't you say that how long you can live depends on me? If you kill me, it's the same as killing yourself..."
Song Jingxing's hand paused, and after a moment, loosened a little.
Xie Nanjia took the opportunity to take a deep breath.
Before he finished taking a breath, Song Jingxing suddenly tightened his grip again: "Since you don't hate me, prove it to me."
"How, how to prove..." Xie Nanjia suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the next moment Song Jingxing coldly ordered her: "Take off your clothes!"
Xie Nanjia's body froze.
Song Jingxing seemed unable to wait even a moment, and pushed her down on the bed, pressing down on her.
The water from his hair dripped onto Xie Nanjia's face. Xie Nanjia shuddered, knowing that something bad would happen if she didn't take action, so she reached out to touch the candlestick on the bedside.
With a swish sound, her collar was torn open by Song Jingxing, and at the same time, she grabbed the candlestick.
Just as she gritted her teeth and smashed the candlestick at the back of Song Jingxing's head, another person suddenly appeared in front of the bed. That person got there first, raised a wooden stick, and smashed it hard on the back of Song Jingxing's head. Song Jingxing groaned and fainted on Xie Nanjia.
"Come with me quickly!" The man helped push Song Jingxing off Xie Nanjia, pulled her up and ran out.
At this time, there was a knock on the door, and someone asked outside: "Mr. Song, what happened?"
(End of this chapter)