She refused to marry.

Su Wanwan opened her eyes.

She found herself lying face down on the back of the emperor, bound tightly to Feng Chenjun by two ropes.

Low trees and withered grass brushed past my eyes from top to bottom.

? ?

She suddenly came to her senses, hurriedly looked around, and realized her situation.

My breath caught in my throat, and my legs went weak instantly.

She and Feng Chenjun were on a cliff edge at that moment.

Below, a bottomless abyss lay, with swirling clouds and mist, and the valley below was clearly visible in the distance.

Feng Chenjun was climbing up the cliff with his bare hands. The cliff was already slippery, and carrying her as a burden made it even more difficult.

Su Wanwan choked up, her eyes welling up with tears.

She buried her face between Feng Chenjun's shoulder blades, and with each exertion of his strength, the slight cracking of his bones reached her ears through her clothes.

"Don't look down..." Xiao Xuanjing's voice was hoarse.

Su Wanwan hugged her lord tightly and stopped moving.

She looked up; there were still hundreds of meters to go, and the steeper the cliff became as she went up.

After climbing twenty zhang (approximately 33 meters), the cliff face became even steeper, almost perpendicular to the ground.

The stone surface was covered with moss, and you could barely stand on your toes.

Good heavens, this is much more painful than being stabbed to death.

She grabbed the fabric of his clothes at his waist and tried to press her weight against him, bringing her center of gravity closer to the rock face and reducing the burden on his shoulders.

Xiao Xuanjing's body stiffened slightly.

"Don't move..."

"Your Majesty, just keep climbing." Su Wanwan pressed her face even closer, wrapped her arms around his waist, and combined their weight into one.

One zhang, then another zhang, and yet another zhang.

Su Wanwan's torment at this moment was even greater than every day she spent in the capital.

Finally, Feng Chenjun let out a muffled groan and leaped upwards, half of his body clearing the top of the cliff.

Su Wanwan was on his back, and he lifted her up with him.

The two of them fell heavily onto the barren grass at the top of the cliff.

Su Wanwan lay prostrate behind the emperor, not daring to move.

Looking around, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. The area below was a jungle, and the path was easy to walk on.

"Your Majesty, please put me down... I can walk..." Su Wanwan said weakly.

He was suspended for two days, and half of his hands and heels were ruined, but he could still walk.

"You're weak, don't move around..." Xiao Xuanjing's voice was hoarse.

They tightened the rope a bit.

Su Wanwan touched Feng Chenjun's white hair, "When did Your Majesty grow white hair?"

According to the original plot, Feng Chenjun should have set off last year, and at the beginning of the year, the Eldest Princess received the bad news.

Three months have passed, and Lord Fengchen is still alive.

Does this mean that, like her, I managed to dodge it?

"I forgot..." Xiao Xuanjing carried her on his back and walked down the mountain step by step.

A month ago, the soldiers suffered heavy losses, and only three thousand elite troops managed to break through the encirclement.

Later, Qingshan asked, "Is Your Majesty's white hair due to the soldiers?"

"There's water over there," Su Wanwan pointed.

Xiao Xuanjing looked up and saw a small pool of clear spring water splashing out from under a large rock not far away.

Walk to the side and put her down.

Su Wanwan's hand was injured, so she couldn't hold the water to drink.

Xiao Xuanjing squatted down and cupped the water to her lips.

Su Wanwan carefully placed her hand into the Lord's palm.

Her lips had been chapped for several days, and the moment they touched water, she groaned in pain.

Xiao Xuanjing hurriedly took out a handkerchief, soaked it, and gently wiped her mouth.

"Bear with it, there's a village once you get down the mountain. We can find some sesame oil to apply then."

A woman came to this war-torn land; I wonder where she got the courage.

Su Wanwan endured the pain and slowly leaned against the rock, her voice barely a whisper, "Your Majesty, why must you lead a commoner like me into such danger..."

"Miss Su has traveled a long way to deliver the grain; your spirit is commendable. Even if I were to die, I would protect you first." Xiao Xuanjing walked to the side, lowered his head, knelt down, took a few small sips of the food, rested for a moment, and then drank heartily.

Su Wanwan gazed at the towering pine trees overhead, "Has Your Majesty decided not to kill this common woman?"

Xiao Xuanjing paused for a moment, walked up to her, and tied her to his back. "We'll talk about it when we get back to the capital."

Su Wanwan chuckled softly.

"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Xuanjing asked, standing up.

"It's so good that Your Majesty is alive," Su Wanwan said, leaning close to his back.

Xiao Xuanjing's breath hitched. "Miss Su, where do you place the young master with these words?"

"This humble woman and the Crown Prince were merely using each other... Why must Your Majesty hold onto the Crown Prince so tightly?" Su Wanwan wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me..." Xiao Xuanjing looked around for edible fruits, picking a couple every now and then and putting them in her hand.

Su Wanwan babbled on and on, talking in fits and starts the whole way.

Suddenly, Feng Chenjun put her down and used a dagger to dig up a wild ginseng from the ground.

Pull out a piece about the thickness of two fingers, wash it clean in the running water, cut it into small pieces, and serve it to her.

"Eating this will make you feel better."

Su Wanwan took it, picked up a piece, and brought it to his lips, "Your Majesty, please eat first..."

Xiao Xuanjing frowned, grabbed her chin unhappily, pried open her mouth, and threw a piece of food into it.

"Rest here first. After we get down the mountain, we'll address each other as brother and sister. Remember that."

Su Wanwan nodded, her eyes crinkling into a smile, "Yes, brother."

Xiao Xuanjing's gaze lingered slightly; the smile so close, he couldn't help but want to look at it a few more times.

He never dreamed he would see them again in this lifetime.

After descending the mountain, it takes a day's journey by horse-drawn carriage to reach Ying Zheng's camp.

Sending her there at that time should be enough to keep her safe.

Thinking of this, I suddenly felt a strong sense of reluctance.

Su Wanwan noticed the emperor's gaze, lowered her head slightly, and blushed.

The two rested for two hours.

Su Wanwan had some strength left and followed behind the emperor for about a day.

In the evening, we finally arrived at the foot of the mountain and saw the bustling village.

Xiao Xuanjing chose the most secluded house near the mountainside.

This courtyard is large; although the roof is thatched, a small courtyard is enclosed by mud walls.

He knocked on the courtyard gate.

Is anyone home?

After a while, footsteps were heard in the courtyard, and an old man opened the door.

"Who are you?" the old man asked, recognizing them.

"Old man, my brother and I are refugees. May we stay the night?" Xiao Xuanjing asked, bowing.

The old man's gaze shifted to the woman's face beside him. "You're a refugee?"

"Yes, these are all medicinal herbs gathered from the mountains today. They are extremely precious. The old man can take them down the mountain tomorrow and sell them for a good price." Xiao Xuanjing placed the medicinal herbs in his hand in front of the old man.

The old man's eyes lit up when he saw the medicinal herbs.

"Wild ginseng and Cistanche deserticola are both top-grade medicinal materials," Xiao Xuanjing said in a hoarse voice.

"Come in."

The old man opened the courtyard gate, welcomed the two into the yard, took the medicinal herbs into the house, and spoke quietly with the people inside for a while.

Then, the two of them came out from inside.

The woman leading the way had a shrewd look in her eyes. She sized the two of them up and down. "Where did you come from? There's war everywhere these days. How did you end up here? Go away, go away..."

After saying that, he threw the medicinal herbs in front of the two of them.