She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

I pushed it hard.

The door was bolted from the inside and couldn't be opened.

His heart skipped a beat: "Jiang Ruining!"

There was still no response from inside.

Instead, the noise disturbed the guests in the other rooms, who impatiently pounded the wall: "You son of a bitch, why are you yelling at the middle of the night? Are you trying to summon my soul?!"

Xiao Che gathered his energy and kicked several times.

The bolt cracked instantly.

The moonlight on the sixteenth was bright, and a thin ray of light shone through the window screen, so the room wasn't too dark.

Xiao Che had excellent eyesight and quickly reached her bedside.

Then she belatedly sat up, looking as if she had been startled awake and hadn't yet realized what had happened.

Jiang Ruining's mind was heavy. She vaguely felt as if someone was kicking her door. She shook her head hard and became a little more awake. When she looked up, she saw someone standing in front of her bed. She was so shocked that her heart ached.

Her mind was racing, trying to find the dagger under her pillow, but she was several beats slow to react before frantically turning to grope under the pillow. She tried her best to appear calm, but her dry voice betrayed her fear: "Get out! If you dare come any closer, don't blame me for being rude!"

Seeing her trembling, Xiao Che sighed, "Jiang Ruining, it's me!"

Jiang Ruining was stunned for a few moments before she recognized who he was.

Her tense nerves relaxed, and she angrily threw the dagger at him: "What are you doing barging into my room in the middle of the night? You scared me to death!"

Xiao Che stepped aside, ignoring her disrespectful behavior: "Why didn't you respond when I called you!"

Jiang Ruining rubbed her throbbing temples and said irritably, "I'm going to sleep!"

Xiao Che frowned: "You didn't fall?"

Jiang Ruining: "..." Pointing to herself, then to the bed: "Why don't you open your beautiful eyes and take a look?"

Xiao Che: "..."

He turned and went to the back window.

Sure enough.

The back window had been pried open, and outside, a person lay unconscious, a dagger gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Jiang Ruining leaned closer, saw what was happening below, and was startled.

That dagger was used to pry open door and window latches, and it was also a weapon used to coerce people into giving them money and sex!

In a previous case in Beijing, the father-in-law used a dagger to pry open the back window of his daughter-in-law's bedroom under the cover of night and climbed in...

"Is this an inn or a crime den?!"

Xiao Che then checked the lamp oil she had used, and sure enough, it contained a trace amount of sleeping potion!

Jiang Ruining saw a shadow flash in his eyes and her heart tightened: "Drugged him?"

Xiao Che gave a faint "hmm".

Jiang Ruining's face turned pale instantly!

The window was pried open, and the person trying to climb into the bed fell down. With such a loud noise, no wonder she didn't notice at all!

I thought that changing into men's clothing would make me safer, but I didn't expect to still be targeted!

Looking back, the very first step I took out this time was into great danger.

Eleven Crane was, after all, a man, and a man with high martial arts skills at that. She was just lucky, and he was kind by nature. Otherwise... the consequences were unimaginable.

She ultimately oversimplified the world and everything else!

A wave of fear, like a tsunami, swept over her, making it hard for her to stand. She stumbled backward, trying to grab the wall for support, but missed and fell backward.

Xiao Che reacted quickly, steadying her and pulling her into his arms: "It's alright!"

Jiang Ruining was still shaken, her trembling body going limp.

Xiao Che picked her up and placed her on the bed, letting her bury her face in the crook of his neck, just like on many of the nights she had been terrified. He pressed his arm under her neck firmly against her back, holding her tightly so she could feel the warmth she could rely on: "It was a false alarm, nothing happened, don't be afraid!"

Jiang Ruining gripped his collar, not daring to close her eyes, waiting for the first light in the empty space in front of the bed, and straining her ears to listen to the sounds around her.

An unknown amount of time passed.

The cool, deep fragrance emanating from him seemed to have a calming effect, and she slowly regained her composure: "There are so many people in the inn, why would they target me?"

Xiao Che sometimes really suspected that she used all her intelligence to observe the undercurrents in the court, and was practically a fool in everything else.

"The other people in the inn are all large groups of bodyguards and thugs, not to be trifled with. And look at you, with your delicate skin and fair complexion, you're clearly a young master from a wealthy family. You're also very generous, and you only bring one servant with you when you go out. Naturally, they'll be keeping an eye on you!"

Jiang Ruining disliked the basins in the inn that had been used by countless people, and since she had forgotten to buy new ones when she went to the county town, she gave the waiter one tael of silver. She couldn't be too stingy to ask someone to run errands on such a hot day.

I never expected to become a target for others!

hateful!

Having fought countless battles, Xiao Che had long been accustomed to the wickedness of people: "Those who can open inns near official roads either have government officials or江湖客 (jianghu people, martial arts practitioners) as their backers, and stealing and robbing guests' property is commonplace."

Jiang Ruining had been in the capital for a month and always heard people say that the people were living in peace and contentment. Little did she know that the world in the capital was in such chaos!

She kicked him: "It's all your fault!"

Xiao Che pinched her waist lightly: "Unreasonable."

Jiang Ruining said angrily, "If you hadn't allowed Shiyihe to help me, I wouldn't have dared to fake my death and escape the capital, and I wouldn't have encountered this terrible situation!"

Xiao Che was speechless at her self-righteous accusation.

It's as if she wouldn't have been foolish enough to come out and pick up bargains if it weren't for Shiyihe!

But since she was frightened, I'll let it go for now.

He patted her back gently: "Go to sleep! I'll stay here tonight and we'll find a safer inn tomorrow."

He understood, and Jiang Ruining decided to be magnanimous and forgive him a little, saying in a low voice, "I don't have money, I can't afford anything better."

Xiao Che: "I do." He paused, then added, "Consider it another favor you owe me."

Jiang Ruining: "..." This is a robber!

But for safety reasons, she reluctantly agreed to change inns.

As for owing favors?

The secret she gave him already made him owe her a favor! But there's absolutely no way he could owe her one!

Close your eyes and go to sleep!

Suddenly, she remembered something else and needed to ask about it first, otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly.

"Is the five thousand taels of silver and the wine you gave me a loan, or a thank-you gift?"

Xiao Che: "Thank you for the gift."

Jiang Ruining felt instantly relieved.

Although we can ask our father for it later, it's all for the sake of protecting him.

But if it's not paid back in a day, it's a big deal weighing on your mind.

"That's more like it."

Xiao Che didn't realize that when he heard her sweet and cheerful tone, his usually cold and aloof eyes softened. He patted her and said, "Sleep!"