I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Zhao Mingzhu pushed Lu Yuan's hand away and took two steps back.

"Are you crazy?"

"Impersonating a prince is already a capital offense, how dare you impersonate the crown prince?"

She turned to look at the entrance of the criminal investigation department.

Several officials stood on the steps, bowing in their direction.

Zhao Mingzhu quickly pulled Lu Yuan to the wall, using her body to block the official's view.

"How many heads do you have?"

"The Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Guards, and the Five City Garrison all saw you wearing the Crown Prince's robes!"

Lu Yuan lowered his voice.

"To save you, I'd give you my life, not just one, but ten."

Zhao Mingzhu paused for a moment, then loosened her grip on his sleeve slightly.

"Don't try to fool me with those kinds of lies."

"Yesterday you called yourself the Ninth Prince at the Zhao family, and today you have the people from the Ministry of Justice call you the Crown Prince."

"If you are exposed, the Zhao family will also be implicated."

"So you have to keep this a secret."

Lu Yuan took her hand and gently removed her fingers one by one from her sleeve.

"The real Ninth Prince is still in the palace."

"I look like him; I was his stand-in."

"The officials from the Ministry of Justice cooperated with me in this charade to trick Wu Yu into telling the truth."

Zhao Mingzhu stared at his face for a long time.

"Who was the person in the prince's carriage on Suzaku Avenue yesterday?"

"Of course, it's the real Ninth Prince."

"I clearly saw that he looks exactly like you."

"I already told you, I'm a stand-in."

Lu Yuan raised his hand to cover half of his face.

"You only saw his profile; it's normal to apologize through the car curtain."

Zhao Mingzhu walked around him for half a circle, then reached out and pinched his chin, making him turn his face to the side.

"Not similar."

"They are exactly the same."

There will always be people in the world who look alike.

"Then why did you have the imperial sword yesterday?"

"His Highness lent it to me."

"Why do the Ninth Prince's personal guards obey your orders?"

"They know I'm a body double."

"Why did the official from the Ministry of Justice refer to you as the Crown Prince just now?"

"To deceive Wu Yu."

"Wu Yu has already been dragged away, why are they still bowing to you?"

Lu Yuan paused for a moment.

The suspicion in Zhao Mingzhu's eyes grew stronger.

"Can't keep making this up?"

"They got too into character."

Zhao Mingzhu raised her foot and kicked.

Lu Yuan moved aside, but her hand still brushed against his trouser leg.

"Miss Zhao, it's inappropriate to attack me right after I saved you, isn't it?"

"I don't think you're telling the truth at all!"

Zhao Mingzhu chased after him for half a street.

Lu Yuan would sometimes hide behind the stall, and sometimes use passersby for cover.

Fearing that she would attract the attention of the officials, she dared not actually draw her sword, and could only chase after him and pull at his belt.

Lu Yuan protected his waist.

"Pulling off a man's belt in public."

"You still say you're not lusting after me?"

Zhao Mingzhu's face flushed, and she immediately let go.

"Who's drooling over you?"

"I just want to see your identification badge."

"Even stunt doubles have waist badges."

Lu Yuan took out the Crown Prince's token, flashed it in front of her eyes, and then quickly put it back.

Zhao Mingzhu could only make out one coiled dragon.

"You even dare to forge the Crown Prince's token?"

"If you're going to be a stunt double, you have to do the whole thing."

"Otherwise, how can I protect His Highness from assassins?"

Lu Yuan pulled up his left sleeve, revealing the arrow wound that had not yet healed.

When Zhao Mingzhu saw the wound, her anger subsided somewhat.

"How did you get hurt?"

"A few days ago, someone attempted to assassinate the Ninth Prince."

"I drew the assassin away from him and was shot in the left arm with an arrow."

"He was worried that Wu Yu would target you again, so he sent me here today to rescue him."

Some of these things are true, and some are false.

Zhao Mingzhu recalled the steward who went to the Ninth Prince's residence to deliver the message yesterday, and also the scene of Lu Yuan leading his men to break into the Ministry of Justice today, and gradually began to believe it.

She reached out and supported Lu Yuan's arm, carefully examining the wound.

"Does it still hurt?"

"You chased me for half a block. It didn't hurt before, but now it does."

Zhao Mingzhu glared at him, but her movements became much gentler.

"Who told you to always lie to me?"

"Don't do this kind of thing for the real Ninth Prince again."

"Wu Yu has confessed, and Lu Cheng has been crippled."

Lu Yuan lowered his sleeves. "After this is over, I won't need to continue impersonating him."

Zhao Mingzhu had just breathed a sigh of relief when she frowned again.

"Too many people know about your impersonation of the Crown Prince today."

"What if the emperor investigates?"

"The Ninth Prince will protect me."

"If the emperor is determined to kill you, can he protect you?"

Zhao Mingzhu pulled Lu Yuan into a clothing store, using the clothes racks to block the view from outside.

"You cannot stay in the capital."

"I know several caravans that are heading to Jiangnan."

"We'll leave the city tonight and head to Yangzhou by water."

"You want to run away with me?"

"Or else you'll be beheaded?"

Zhao Mingzhu took a jade pendant from her waist and put it into his hand.

"This piece of jade can be exchanged for several hundred taels of silver."

"After we leave the capital, let's buy two fast horses first."

"Let's open another security escort agency in Yangzhou."

"Do you know how to use fists?"

Lu Yuan shook his head.

"Won't."

"Can you handle escort missions?"

"Won't."

Do you know the way?

"I don't acknowledge it."

"So what can you do?"

"Eating, sleeping, spending money."

Zhao Mingzhu closed her eyes, as if reconsidering why she had saved this person.

Lu Yuan put the jade pendant back into her hand.

"If I just run away with you like this, your family will definitely look down on me."

"I have neither fame nor money."

"I was still penniless when I arrived in Yangzhou."

Zhao Mingzhu re-tied the jade pendant to his waist.

"I'll support you if you don't have money."

"The Zhao family has been a镖局 (bodyguard/escort) for many years. They may not have much else, but they do have some silver."

"If my parents don't accept you, you can marry into their family."

When the words "marrying into the family" were mentioned, Zhao Mingzhu's face immediately turned red.

No... what am I even saying?

How could a girl like her say such a thing?

How is this any different from expressing affection in public?

but……

She looked up and stole a glance at Lu Yuan.

I don't know why, but the thought of Lu Yuan's face and his shameless personality makes me feel...

Her heart started pounding uncontrollably.

After hearing this, Lu Yuan's eyes lit up.

Is this girl confessing her love to me in public?

interesting!

He took a step forward.

"There are certain conditions for marrying into another family."

Zhao Mingzhu instinctively stepped back, her back bumping into the clothes rack.

"What kind of conditions?"

"There's only one way to get Boss Zhao's head bodyguard to accept a poor kid of unknown origin."

Lu Yuan reached out and straightened the hairpin in her hair, his fingers gently touching her earlobe.

Zhao Mingzhu turned her face away, but did not avoid it.

"How do we solve this?"

"Cooking raw rice into cooked rice."

Zhao Mingzhu raised her hand and pushed him, and the blush on her face quickly disappeared.

"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll send you to the authorities!"

"I'm impersonating the crown prince; I'll be finished once I see the officials."

"Never mind then!"

Lu Yuan took a step back, maintaining a certain distance from her. "So you can't bear to part with me?"

"No one would ever want to part with you!"

Zhao Mingzhu turned around and left the clothing store, but stopped after taking a few steps.

"What time will we leave the city tonight?"

Lu Yuan followed her and whispered in her ear.

"I'll send someone to the Zhao family tonight to pick you up."

"Remember to change into some loose-fitting clothes, and don't tell your mother."