But a moment later, there was a rumble as the carriage came to a sudden stop.
"What's going on? Why aren't we moving forward? "
The woman's eyes widened as she called out to the carriage.
"Lady, someone's blocking the way."
Coachman's voice came from outside the carriage.
"Who is it? Don't they know that parking is strictly prohibited here? "
The woman's eyelids twitched, and she was a little angry. However, in the next moment, she heard a familiar voice.
"Since you're leaving, why don't you come down and say hello?"
Bzzz! The woman trembled as if she had been struck by lightning.
It was quiet outside the carriage. The woman said nothing, and the people outside quietly waited for her reply. No one answered, and the atmosphere was deathly still.
The woman's face alternated between green and white, and her eyes constantly flickered. After some time, perhaps because she understood that she could no longer escape, the woman took a deep breath and quickly regained her composure.
Creaaak!
The carriage door opened, and the woman calmly walked out. In front of her was a golden carriage, luxurious and luxurious, parked in the center of the palace alley. The images of dragons on the carriage clearly indicated the noble status of the carriage's owner.
Several figures were lined up in front of the carriage, and in the very center was a young and handsome prince. It was none other than Fifth Prince Li Heng.
"Your Highness!"
Upon seeing Li Heng, Du Zhiqi gave a slight bow, her expression natural and unflustered. It was like this was just a chance encounter.
"You despicable and shameless woman! Even at this stage, you still want to pretend? Our Highness has treated you with sincerity, but you actually want to harm him! You're worse than a beast! "
Before Li Heng could speak, Li Jingzhong angrily stepped forward and harshly rebuked.
If looks could kill, Du Zhiqi would have died countless times over.
"Uncle Jing!"
Li Heng suddenly shouted, but his gaze had never left Du Zhiqi.
Li Jingzhong trembled, immediately realizing that he had misspoken and fell silent.
No matter what sort of person Du Zhiqi was or what she had done, she was still the Fifth Prince's woman, and the Fifth Prince was deeply in love with her. With the Fifth Prince present, it truly was not his place to speak.
"Why?"
Li Heng looked across.
"Your Highness, what happened? Why are you here? "
Du Zhiqi asked in surprise.
"Why?"
Li Heng added. His expression and tone did not change at all.
"Your Highness, did Zhiqi do something wrong? Your Highness, please don't be angry. Tell me and I will definitely change! "
Du Zhiqi said with a terrified expression.
"You still want to lie to me at a time like this?"
Li Heng looked forward and closed his eyes, his body trembling in pain.
The person he trusted the most, the person who slept by his pillow every day, the person who even wanted to dig out his heart to give to her, turned out to be a spy sent by someone else.
She kept saying that she loved him, but she always wanted to kill him. Even at this point, she still wanted to lie to him.
"Your Highness, are you blaming Zhiqi for leaving without saying goodbye? I know it's my fault, but Zhiqi received a letter from my sister. Mother is seriously ill, and she wants me to return immediately. "
Du Zhiqi suddenly said. She lowered her head, her expression bitter.
"I have three thousand books in my study. That day, only you saw me put that list into the Book of Songs and place it in the corner of the study.
"When Imperial Father sent someone to take that list, he didn't touch a single book in the three thousand books, only that page in the Book of Songs. Moreover, he didn't even destroy that page. Anyone who wasn't familiar with it would never have been able to do this. Tell me, besides you, who else could have done this, and who knows where that list is. "
Li Heng closed his eyes.
Du Zhiqi's body trembled, and she was instantly rendered speechless. She had no idea that the Holy Emperor would send someone so stupid as to take that list without even flipping through it.
"Your Highness, I don't know anything! Someone must be framing me!"
Du Zhiqi's face was bitter as she knelt on the ground.
"This woman, even at a time like this, she's still so stubborn!"
Li Jingzhong clenched his fists, his heart burning with rage.
"It doesn't matter if you don't admit it. Tell me, where is the letter your sister gave you? You should still have it on you after such a short period of time! "
Li Heng's voice suddenly drifted into her ears, causing Du Zhiqi's body to tremble and her beautiful face to instantly turn ghastly pale.
Her sister's letter and her mother's serious illness were just excuses she had come up with on the spot. There was no such thing as a letter. Even if she wanted to write it, there was no time.
"Hmph, your cleverness can be your own downfall. What else do you have to say for yourself!"
Li Jingzhong responded and sneered.
It was the Fifth Prince who had reacted quickly, immediately grasping the flaw in her lie.
"It was the Third Prince who sent you, right?"
Li Heng said.
"Since Your Highness believes that it was Zhiqi who did it, Zhiqi has nothing to say. If you want to kill me or torture me, do as Your Highness pleases!"
Du Zhiqi clenched her teeth as she knelt on the ground, her hands hanging by her sides as she waited for death.
"Get up. Don't kneel before me!"
Li Heng closed his eyes in disappointment.
"Our relationship ends here. From now on, I don't know you, and you don't know me. Treat everything as a dream. I can only take it that I misjudged you. Leave!"
Du Zhiqi's body trembled, her face even paler than before.
"Your Highness!"
Li Jingzhong panicked. He had never expected Li Heng's reaction. He had originally believed that Li Heng would at least capture her, but he had actually let her go.
"Uncle Jing, there's no need to say anything more. I have my own plans!"
Li Heng extended a hand to stop Li Jingzhong, his expression and tone leaving no room for doubt. Li Jingzhong was dumbfounded, momentarily speechless.
In all the time he had been with Li Heng, this was the first time he had felt the dignity and bearing of a superior.
"Your Highness has matured!"
Li Jingzhong suddenly understood. He didn't say anything else and retreated.
Compared to a woman, the lesson and growth Li Heng had received from this incident were far more precious.
From this point of view, this matter was not necessarily a bad thing.
"It seems that the Marquis had long anticipated this scene!"
Li Jingzhong recalled what Wang Chong had said a few days ago: no matter what the Fifth Prince decided, he was not to stop him, and he suddenly understood.
"Your Highness, I know that it's too late to say anything. Zhiqi will never be able to repay Your Highness's kindness, but I will always engrave it in my heart. Zhiqi bids farewell! "
Du Zhiqi stood up, a complicated look in her eyes. She did not return to the carriage, instead brushing past Li Heng and heading for the palace gate.
Until she disappeared, Li Heng's eyes were tightly shut, and he didn't turn his head. But when the final gate opened and a rumble came from the distance, Li Heng's body fiercely trembled.
Li Jingzhong coldly watched on, and he couldn't help but sigh. Even in the end, Li Heng couldn't bear to do it and couldn't do it.
"Your Highness, we truly must thank Young Master Wang this time. If not for him, we would still be in the dark, not knowing that this woman was a spy sent by another prince. If not for Young Master Wang's vigilance and arrangements, we really would have been in danger. The Third Prince would have already succeeded. "
Li Jingzhong said, a look of lingering fear on his face.
He only knew that the prince was lustful, so he had found Wang Chong to persuade Li Heng. But he hadn't expected the Young Marquis to be even more vigilant than him and see through Du Zhiqi at a glance.
At the start, the Fifth Prince would never have believed it, but when he did as Wang Chong had said and left early to see his master, everything was instantly revealed.
Frankly speaking, when he had seen Du Zhiqi's actions from the crack in the study, even Li Jingzhong, who had been wary of her, had been given a fright.
The Du Zhiqi in the study had been nimble, nimble, and alert, completely different from her usual demure and dignified self.
"Mm."
Li Heng nodded and raised his head. His eyes flickered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. Whether it was leaving the palace, returning to the palace, meeting with the master, leaving a list, or even finding someone to disguise his handwriting and interacting with the border generals …
All of this had been Wang Chong's idea.
In the end, not only was he safe, Third Prince Li Ju had entered the Imperial Clan Court, and he had even gained a thorough understanding of the Secret Heaven Bureau, which had not received much attention, which pleased his imperial father and won his imperial father's favor and favor. This was something that Li Heng had not expected at the start.
Misfortune and fortune depended on each other, and fortune lurked within misfortune. This was something that could not be understood no matter how many books one read or how many levels of martial arts one reached.
But now that he thought about it, this journey had been fraught with danger. The slightest carelessness would have resulted in complete defeat.
"Tell the Young Marquis that I thank him for his warning. I owe him a favor. In addition, inform Du Hongjian and Wei Shaoyou that I want to see them. Now that the matter of the fake list is over, even if I meet with Du Hongjian, no one will dare to say anything.
"In addition, I want to focus on my lessons and cultivation. If there's nothing important, don't disturb me."
Li Heng said, his eyes shining with the resoluteness and wisdom of his former self.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Li Jingzhong was overjoyed. For so long, the Fifth Prince had been with Du Zhiqi this entire time, neglecting his studies and martial arts.
This was the first time he had heard Li Heng mention studying and cultivating on his own initiative.
Moreover, after this matter, Li Heng had clearly matured. He now knew how to use this chance to rope in Du Hongjian and Wei Shaoyou.
This was something that the Li Heng of the past would never have done.
"This servant will do so!"
Li Jingzhong was overjoyed and quickly left.
… …
Outside the palace gate, a figure walked out of the Imperial Palace. As she stood on the bustling street, Du Zhiqi finally turned her head and glanced at the majestic golden palace walls behind her.
With no one else present, Du Zhiqi felt a little sad and perplexed, but all of this quickly vanished. She melted into the crowd, got her bearings, and quickly left.
"Marquis, are we really going to let her go like this?"
In a nearby restaurant, Old Eagle and Wang Chong stood side by side, gazing in the direction that Du Zhiqi had left, their brows deeply furrowed.
A two-faced woman who had even tried to move against Fifth Prince Li Heng. In his opinion, such a woman should not be allowed to live. Nurturing a tiger would only invite calamity.
"Since the Fifth Prince isn't willing to kill her and let her leave the Imperial Palace alive, what right do we have to do anything?"
Wang Chong leaned against the railing and indifferently said, his expression rather calm.
"Moreover, a tree is not a plant, so how can it be emotionless? Although she's a spy sent by someone else, after spending so much time together, she might not have no feelings for the Fifth Prince. Perhaps she's already been punished, so what need is there for us to do anything? "
A hint of surprise flashed through The Eagle's eyes, as if he understood.
"Okay, let's not worry about that. The Fifth Prince's matter is over, so we should get back to our own business. "
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