Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Zong Xian kicked the man in black hard, sending him flying five or six meters away. He collapsed to the ground and died instantly.

Upon seeing this, another man in black revealed a fierce glint in his eyes and immediately charged towards them.

But then, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Suddenly, a tall, thin man in black rushed over and kicked the other man in black away.

The man in black widened his eyes when he saw that his attacker was also dressed in black, but then he realized something and shouted to his companion, "There's a traitor!" He then raised his knife and attacked the attacker.

Unfortunately, before he could get close, he was pierced through the heart by an arrow and died on the spot, his eyes filled with resentment before he died.

Lin Han gripped the hilt of his knife, stepped forward to deliver a final blow, and also deflected other assassins in the process, while taking a quick glance at Ming Yi.

However, Mingyi did not look at him.

Zong Xian held Mingyi's waist and said to her, "Hold on tight to me, close your eyes if you're scared."

At this moment, Mingyi didn't care about the proper separation between men and women. She just wanted to live, so she raised her hand and hugged the man's neck tightly, closed her eyes and buried her head in his chest.

She was scared and clung to him tightly, fearing that he would see her as a burden and throw her out to take the blows.

Those assassins in black were after Zong Xian.

While protecting her, he calmly dealt with the situation, killing three or four people in the blink of an eye, with none able to get close.

Everything happened so fast that in the blink of an eye, many people were lying sprawled on the ground.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the remaining assassins in black all retreated.

"No need to chase after him." Seeing that Lin Han was about to give chase, Zong Xian said coldly.

Lin Han then stopped and deftly sheathed his knife.

Zong Xian looked down at the little woman in his arms and said in a deep voice, "You can relax now."

Mingyi was so frightened that she was still in shock. She didn't even realize that the hand around her waist had let go of her.

Hearing Zong Xian say that she could let go, she suddenly opened her eyes and hurriedly withdrew her hand.

Mingyi subconsciously looked around and saw the dead bodies scattered all over the ground, which shocked her so much that her face turned pale.

"girl!"

Laurel ran towards her.

Mingyi turned around and saw that the little girl was alright. She breathed a sigh of relief and took Yuegui's hand.

Just as Yuegui was about to say something, she suddenly noticed two more men in black on the field and instantly became alert. "Miss, be careful! There are two more!"

Despite being terrified, she still spread her arms to protect Mingyi.

The two men in black didn't take them seriously. One of them stepped forward respectfully and asked, "Young Master, are you alright?"

"These smashed things can't hurt me." Lin Han pulled off his mask, and Mingyi finally recognized him.

Mingyi gently tugged at Yuegui's sleeve. "It's alright, we're all on the same side."

Lin Han's eyes lit up as soon as he saw Mingyi. He immediately walked towards her, wanting to talk to her and ask if she was frightened.

Mingyi didn't look at him, but turned to Zongxian beside him and said, "Thank you for saving me, Second Uncle."

Lin Han interjected, "I just saved you too, why aren't you thanking me?"

He spoke as if they were old friends, but they had only met twice before, making this their third meeting.

Mingyi looked at him and said respectfully, "Thank you very much, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful."

Lin Han smiled and said, "It was nothing, nothing to mention. You can just call me Lin Han."

Mingyi frowned slightly: "That's against the rules."

"Alright then, you can call me whatever you want."

Mingyi didn't know what to say, so she just hummed in response.

Lin Han stepped forward, wanting to get closer to her, but Zong Xian interrupted him, "I've captured someone alive, and I'm handing them over to you."

Lin Han: "Oh."

After dismissing Lin Han, Zong Xian lowered his eyes to look at Ming Yi. He didn't ask her why she was there, but simply said in a low voice, "Go back to the manor first. Don't say a word about what happened today."

"Okay." Mingyi's voice trembled slightly.

Chang Yu brought an ordinary horse-drawn carriage, and Yuegui helped her up. Chang Yu then became the driver and escorted them back.

Before leaving, Mingyi lifted the curtain with her fingertip and looked outside.

The black-clad man who had been captured was pinned to the ground by the guards. He cursed something viciously at Zong Xian, and then suddenly vomited mouthfuls of blood, dying from bleeding from all seven orifices.

They are suicide squad members.

Mingyi lowered the curtain, still feeling lingering fear.

Perhaps only Prime Minister Wei would dare to assassinate a high-ranking official in the imperial city in broad daylight.

"Young lady, why is the heir of the Rongguo Duke's mansion mixed in with the men in black?"

Mingyi held Yuegui's hand, glanced out of the carriage, and then shook his head at her.

Yuegui then remembered that Steward Chang was still outside, so she quickly shut her mouth and said no more.

Mingyi gripped the herbal packet in her hand, closed her eyes, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

She didn't want to know why Lin Han was among the men in black, or what he was plotting with Zong Xian. The more she knew, the faster she would die.

Moreover, she was not interested in matters of the court and only wanted to live her own life.

-

That evening, news of Zong Xian's assassination spread, and everyone in the Zong family knew about it.

Yuegui overheard something outside and rushed over to tell Mingyi, "It's terrible! I heard from the servants at Songhe Garden that the Second Master is seriously injured, and even the imperial physician has come!"

Songhe Garden is located in the East Garden and was Zongxian's residence.

Mingyi's expression changed slightly.

"But, Second Master wasn't injured at the time, so how come he suddenly..." Yuegui was very puzzled.

Mingyi shook her head. She didn't know either, but she had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

Mingyi had kept this from her younger brother, but Ji Mingzhe knew they had gone out, so he came to ask.

Ji Mingzhe glanced at Yuegui, who was still somewhat dazed, and said gently, "It's good that you're alright, sister."

He then said with utmost seriousness, "If anyone hurts my sister, I will never let him get away with it."

Mingyi gently patted his head, feeling very gratified, but she didn't take the words of a nine-year-old child to heart.

"Okay, I understand. You're still sick, go back and rest."

After Ji Mingzhe went back to his room to sleep, Yuegui thought for a moment and said to Mingyi, "Young Master is growing up, and I feel that his thoughts are becoming more and more complicated."

Just now, after being glanced at by him, Yuegui almost thought he had seen through her.

Mingyi dismissed it: "No way, he's only nine years old, not ninety. He's just a child. How could he be so deep?"

Mingyi changed the subject: "But he's experienced so much at such a young age, so it's inevitable that he's more mature than his peers. Being more composed isn't a bad thing. It's also my fault; my abilities are limited, and I can't give him a better life."

Yuegui immediately said, "Why be so hard on yourself, young lady? You're only seventeen, not much older than that."

Mingyi thought to herself, "I'm not just seventeen anymore. If I add up my past life and this life, I'm probably around forty."

She looked at Laurel and asked, "How old are you?"

Yuegui said with a smile, "This servant is only two years older than you, Miss."

"She's almost twenty, it's time to get married."

Upon hearing this, Yuegui immediately stopped smiling and said aggrievedly, "This servant will never get married! This servant swore to follow you, Miss, for the rest of my life!"

Mingyi pinched her chubby cheeks and threatened her, "If you don't get married, you'll become an old maid and won't be able to get married."

"That would be best, then I can serve you for the rest of my life." Yuegui took Mingyi's arm. "Besides, you're not married yet, so why should I be in such a hurry?"

"When you and your cousin get married, I'll be your dowry maid," Yuegui said playfully.

Mingyi tickled her armpits, "Who wants an ugly girl like you as part of my dowry?"

"Hahaha... It itches so much, girl, have mercy, have mercy!"

The two fell onto the bed and started playfully fighting, quickly forgetting the terrifying scene from earlier that day.

After that day, Zong Xian never looked for her again, and no one knew that Mingyi was also there that day. As for Lin Han, the heir of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, no one mentioned him at all.

His Majesty, showing compassion for Zong Xian, allowed him to recuperate at home and not attend court until he recovered, thus avoiding the limelight.

Three days later, Mingyi received a reply from Xie Huaiyu.