The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

The most dangerous place is also the safest. He asked Qi Zaiqing to lead him to sneak into the secret passage of the Li residence to hide.

Qi Zaiqing followed the plan, but Lin Yao was seriously injured, and he could not bring a doctor back quietly. So he sneaked out at night to buy medicine, but unexpectedly, he was discovered and tracked by Li Qu's men.

To lure away the pursuers and protect Lin Yao in the secret passage, he had no choice but to lead the enemy out of the city.

If Xie Yanzhao and his group hadn't happened to pass by and offered their help that night, he probably would have perished in the wilderness.

"When Brother Lin woke up, he mentioned that he entrusted the most crucial evidence to his trusted confidant, Zhao Yin. I was about to go find Zhao Yin when I saw that you had rescued her first."

Qi Zaiqing looked at Shen Tinghe, his eyes filled with relief.

"Today, Li Qu is hosting a banquet, and the mansion is in a flurry of activity. I intended to take this opportunity to find an exit or some food and medicine, but as soon as I pushed open a hidden door, I saw you standing in the hall... In my haste, I had no choice but to abruptly pull you in. I have witnessed your medical skills, and Brother Lin's injuries cannot be delayed any longer!"

Shen Tinghe understood after hearing this.

It turns out that this was a series of unexpected twists of fate.

She looked at the unconscious Lin Yao, and then thought of how furious Xie Yanzhao would be when he discovered she was missing, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

Right now, we must first save Lin Yao's life, and then try to make contact with Xie Yanzhao.

She crouched down and checked Lin Yao's condition again, then said to the worried Qi Zaiqing, "Let's find a safer hiding place first. His injuries still need careful treatment."

As darkness fell...

The Li family mansion is no longer the magnificent building it once was; it has been completely demolished.

The soldiers finally found the main entrance to the most hidden secret passage.

Xie Yanzhao stood at the edge of the ruins, his dark robes almost blending into the twilight.

His face was expressionless, yet he exuded an almost tangible chill, as if even the air itself was about to freeze.

Shen Chengbai stood beside him, his palms sweating profusely. His sister's whereabouts were still unknown, and every passing moment felt like it was burning his heart.

"Your Highness, Li Qu has been brought in." Two soldiers dragged forward a limp figure, Li Qu, who had been captured from the side of the official road outside the city.

Xie Yanzhao slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Li Qu.

There was no anger or hatred in those eyes, only a bottomless void that chilled one to the bone.

He raised his hand, and Yuan Chi silently handed over his sword.

The soft hum of a sword being drawn was exceptionally clear amidst the deathly silence of the ruins.

Li Qu trembled violently, his teeth chattering, as if he could see a deadly demon walking towards him step by step.

"Your Highness... have mercy... I know my crime, I will tell you everything! I am willing to offer up all my wealth... I will retire now and never..."

"My Crown Princess," Xie Yanzhao began, his voice eerily calm, silencing all his futile pleas, "where is she?"

Li Qu's pupils constricted sharply, his face a mixture of confusion and fear: "The...the Crown Princess? I...I don't know anything about her! I've never seen Her Highness the Crown Princess! Your Highness, please understand! Even if I had ten thousand lives, I would never dare to harm the Crown Princess in the slightest! Please believe me, Your Highness..."

Xie Yanzhao closed his eyes.

In that instant, Shen Chengbai seemed to see the Crown Prince's straight back sway almost imperceptibly.

Xie Yanzhao was angry, angry that Li Qu hadn't lied.

This realization extinguished his last shred of hope.

do not know.

This means that his Yuan Yuan was not kidnapped by Li Qu, but rather fell into another unknown danger.

Who took her away? What was their purpose? Is she safe now? Is she injured? Is she afraid? Every thought was like a red-hot needle, piercing his nerves, which were already stretched to their limit.

Beneath the cold exterior, a torrent of anger and panic surged, desperately needing an outlet.

When he reopened his eyes, the way he looked at Li Qu was as if he were looking at a dead object.

"I don't know..." Xie Yanzhao repeated slowly, a faint, cruel smile even curving his lips.

"Then, die."

Before the words were even finished, the sword flashed like cold lightning, piercing the twilight.

There were no unnecessary movements, just a precise and extremely fast horizontal slash.

Li Qu's pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt.

His eyes were wide open, as if he still felt a lingering sense of disbelief and astonishment.

The next moment, the head separated from the body, and the blood-stained thing rolled into the dust, covered in dirt among the rubble, and finally stopped moving.

A few drops of splattered blood landed on Xie Yanzhao's dark robe, quickly seeping into a deeper shade.

He gripped the still-dripping longsword, and with his other hand he suddenly raised it to press hard against his throbbing temples.

My head was throbbing, as if countless shrieks were crashing inside my skull, accompanied by a primal, destructive, and violent impulse.

The killing intent did not subside because of this sword strike; on the contrary, it surged even more fiercely.

"Find..." he said hoarsely, forcing out the command through clenched teeth, each word tinged with the stench of blood.

"Go find her again! Search every inch of Lingzhou, dig three feet into the ground, and bring the Crown Princess back!"

The soldiers and guards were all horrified, having never seen the Crown Prince in such a terrifying state, as if all the strings of their reason had snapped.

Shen Chengbo took half a step forward, but ultimately stopped.

At this moment, any words of comfort would be futile.

He knew that, apart from his sister, no one could stop Xie Yanzhao at this moment.

Deep in the dense forest, Shen Tinghe and his two companions found a cave.

In stark contrast to the desolate and tragic ruins of the Li family mansion, warm orange flames flickered here.

The cave wasn't deep, but it was enough to shield us from the night wind.

The fire that Qi Zaiqing had set up crackled and popped, and the two fat fish skewered on it were roasted to a golden brown, sizzling with oil and emitting a fragrant aroma.

Lin Yao lay on the stone wall covered with dry grass, his face still pale, but his breathing had become much more steady, and he was still in a deep sleep.

Shen Tinghe sat by the fire, hugging her knees, watching Qi Zaiqing skillfully flip the grilled fish, occasionally sprinkling on some fragrant bits of grass leaves he had found in the forest.

The flickering firelight reflected on her face, giving her the specially applied dark rouge a warm glow, and her eyes sparkled.

She suddenly burst out laughing.

Qi Zaiqing looked up, scratching his head sheepishly, "What are you laughing at, Miss Ayuan? Is my grilled fish cooking skill laughable?"

"No," Shen Tinghe shook her head, her smile deepening, carrying a sense of novelty and relief.

"I just think...it's really interesting."

This experience was completely foreign to her.

In her previous life, she was confined to a hospital ward. In this life, although she lives more freely in the capital than many noble ladies, she is still a young lady from a high-ranking family and the future empress. Her words and actions must be within bounds.

Moreover, Xie Yanzhao always protected her under his wing.

Riding horses on spring outings and holding poetry gatherings in gardens are considered unrestrained, but never before have we been in such a desolate place, hiding from pursuers, taking refuge in a cave, and waiting for a meal of the most primitive grilled fish.

On the way to Lingzhou, I have seen a wider world, experienced a real crisis, and now I am feeling this rough yet free atmosphere.

She suddenly realized that the freedom she had previously thought she possessed within the confines of the capital city...

Perhaps it is just a kind of freedom that has been carefully outlined and is within a permitted range.