Shouts and screams could be heard from all directions as the carriage sped up. The three girls swayed left and right in the carriage and each of them found a protruding spot to stabilize themselves.
Jing Mei and Jing Lan were already pale with fright, but they still forced themselves to remain calm. The arrows hit the walls of the carriage one by one, as if the walls would be pierced through at any time.
"Your Highness," Jing Lan trembled and said, "the carriage … will the carriage be pierced through?"
Just by listening to the sound of the arrows outside, they knew what kind of rain of arrows was outside. If it weren't for the special carriage, they would have been shot into sieves.
Li Rong supported himself and listened to the sounds outside. He calmly said, "Don't panic, the carriage can't be pierced through. It might overturn in a while. Hold on tight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the horses outside screamed, and the carriage suddenly turned upside down. Li Rong used his strength to stabilize himself so that he wouldn't roll with the force of the carriage, but he was still hit by a huge force and hit the wall of the carriage.
Li Rong took a breath and saw a guard lift the curtain and anxiously said, "Your Highness, come out quickly."
Li Rong didn't have time to care about his manners and hurriedly rushed out. He ordered Jing Mei and Jing Lan, "Run to another place."
After saying that, Li Rong followed the guard and rushed to the side. He mounted the horse and galloped towards the Butterfly Gorge.
Jing Lan and Jing Mei climbed out of the carriage and rushed towards the other side of the forest.
Shangguan Ya had already set up an ambush on the mountains on both sides of the Butterfly Gorge. They had to hurry to find Shangguan Ya.
Li Rong rushed towards the Butterfly Gorge under the protection of the guards. The guards and the killers behind him fought and retreated, leading the killers to rush in. Shangguan Ya stood on a high ground and watched the killers being led into the Butterfly Gorge by Li Rong. Seeing that more than half of the killers had rushed in, Shangguan Ya shouted, "Falling stones!"
As soon as his voice fell, stones fell from both sides of the gorge, cutting the killers' team in half.
Pei Wenxuan was playing the zither when he heard the sound of rapid horse hooves. He looked up and saw Li Rong, dressed in red, rushing towards him under the protection of the guards. Pei Wenxuan's pupils constricted, then he heard a loud bang. The entrance of the Butterfly Gorge was blocked by a huge rock on the spot, raising the dust. Li Rong and right as Li Rong, trampling the stream and right and the peonies on the ground. Pei Rong right, Pei Wenxuan, get out of the way!
The killers and the guards behind her were engaged in a fierce battle. The two groups of people were killing each other in the sea of flowers. Pei Wenxuan could only see the peonies being trampled by them. They slashed at the flowers one by one, and the petals danced in the air. Li Rong, dressed in red, galloped through the sea of flowers.
Pei Wenxuan's face turned pale. He looked at the peonies that he had spent a lot of money to scour the entire Huajing area to find. He watched as the peonies turned into petals flying in the air during the battle, but those people were completely unaware of it. They were fighting so fiercely that it was difficult to separate them.
He was so angry that his whole body trembled. He was speechless.
Li Rong rode his horse to his side and jumped down. He pulled him up and said, "Why are you still standing there? Run! "
As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan was pulled by Li Rong and ran forward. The killers chased after Li Rong and rushed over. The guards blocked the killers from behind. Li Rong turned his head to look at his guards and shouted, "Retreat! Take everyone and retreat! "
"Your Highness." Pei Wenxuan finally reacted. He realized what had happened. He looked up at Li Rong and hurriedly wanted to say the words that he had prepared for a long time. "I'm waiting here for …"
"Hold your breath!"
Without waiting for Pei Wenxuan to finish speaking, Li Rong pushed him into the cold lake.
Li Rong pushed him directly and decisively, as if he used all his strength. Pei Wenxuan was not prepared and was directly pushed into the lake.
The lake water rushed into Pei Wenxuan's mouth and nose. Fortunately, he subconsciously listened to Li Rong's words and held his breath.
After falling into the water, the most important thing was to calm down. Pei Wenxuan panicked for a moment and calmed down. He adjusted his posture and then felt someone pulling him forward.
Pei Wenxuan knew that it was Li Rong and hurriedly followed Li Rong. The two swam forward for less than a hundred meters. Li Rong pulled him up. As soon as he appeared, he felt the ground shake. Pei Wenxuan grabbed Li Rong and held on to the shore. Then the two quickly climbed ashore.
The winter was cold. As soon as the two came ashore, they felt a biting cold.
Before Pei Wenxuan could ask what was going on, Li Rong trembled and hurriedly went to the side. She took out a bag and took out clothes. She threw one to Pei Wenxuan and said with a trembling voice, "Change."
As she spoke, she didn't care that Pei Wenxuan was here and directly began to take off her clothes.
Pei Wenxuan hurriedly turned around and didn't dare to look at her. Things happened too fast and Pei Wenxuan didn't have time to think. He could only quickly change his clothes with Li Rong.
After changing his clothes, his hair was still wet, but the warmth calmed his nerves a little. Li Rong turned around and looked at Pei Wenxuan. She smiled and said, "Did I scare you?"
Pei Wenxuan didn't speak. He pursed his lips and stared at Li Rong.
"Your people should be fine." Li Rong saw that he was dissatisfied and thought that he was worried about the safety of the people outside. She comforted him, "I just asked someone to command your people to withdraw. There is a safe area within the range of these explosives. Before coming here, I told them that unless it was a last resort, they must ensure that everyone is in the safe area before igniting the explosives."
Pei Wenxuan didn't speak. He nodded, looking a little embarrassed.
Li Rong saw that his expression was strange and couldn't help but ask, "What did you want to say to me just now?"
"Nothing."
Pei Wenxuan turned his head and hid his expression. He turned his head and looked at the light outside the cave, "Was everything arranged by Your Highness today?"
"Don't you know?" Li Rong laughed, "Don't be angry, I know what to do. Just now, I've already separated their people into two sides. A small number of people are blocking the outside. I asked Shangguan Ya to capture some of the people outside alive. The evidence of the Chen family's assassination is stable. "
"Your Highness is using yourself as bait." Pei Wenxuan's voice was very low. Li Rong sneered, "I don't have the patience to waste time with them. They come out from time to time, I can't guard against them every day. It's better to lure them out and catch them all in one fell swoop."
"It's too risky."
Pei Wenxuan lowered his voice. He seemed to be a little absent-minded and was trying hard to restrain himself. Li Rong could also see it. She hesitated for a moment and finally said, "It won't happen again in the future. Don't worry."
Pei Wenxuan looked outside the cave and didn't say anything. Li Rong glanced at Pei Wenxuan's messy hair and the clothes he took off. She then noticed that Pei Wenxuan was wearing white today.
He hadn't worn white for many years.
Li Rong didn't know why, but she felt a little nervous. She wanted to say something, but Pei Wenxuan was silent. She didn't know where to start.
The sound of fighting outside gradually faded. After a while, Shangguan Ya's voice came from outside. He shouted, "Your Highness, are you okay, Your Highness?"
"I'm here."
Li Rong immediately raised his voice. Shangguan Ya followed the voice and led people in. She looked happy. It seemed that she had encountered something good. She saluted Li Rong and then nodded to Pei Wenxuan. "Lord Pei."
Pei Wenxuan silently returned the salute. Shangguan Ya then turned to Li Rong and said, "Your Highness, we captured twelve people alive today. Ten of our people were injured, but the rest are fine."
"Take them back for interrogation first."
Li Rong immediately said, "Take the corpses back and check them one by one."
"Yes."
After Shangguan Ya finished speaking, he looked at Li Rong from head to toe. "You go back first. Don't catch a cold. Leave the rest to me."
With that, Shangguan Ya looked at Pei Wenxuan and smiled. "Prince Consort, you have made a great contribution this time. His Highness said that he will reward you handsomely."
Pei Wenxuan's expression did not change. He only said respectfully, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Li Rong nodded. He did not know what to say. He could only raise his hand and point outside.
"Let's go."
Pei Wenxuan nodded and directly walked out. Shangguan Ya also felt that something was wrong. She walked beside Li Rong and whispered, "Your Highness, Prince Consort looks very unhappy."
Li Rong responded. He looked at Pei Wenxuan's thin back and gently tapped the small fan in his hand. He seemed to be thinking about something.
After walking out, Li Rong saw a mess. The corpses fell in a sea of flowers. The stream was dyed red with blood. The table, chairs, and qin that Pei Wenxuan had prepared were all smashed to the ground. The stove that warmed the wine had rolled to the side.
Pei Wenxuan looked at this scene. He paused. After a moment, he did not say a word. He put his hands in his sleeves and stepped on the sea of flowers. He walked all the way forward.
He was wearing a black cloak. His hair was scattered. The wind blew the chopped peony petals to his face. Li Rong looked up and saw the man's back walking out of the valley.
"It's winter." Shangguan Ya was a little surprised. "Where did he get so many peonies?"
Li Rong's gaze fell on the peonies. She was stunned for a moment. Then she walked to the qin table.
She raised her hand and touched the qin. She saw the words "green sandalwood" engraved on the qin. She instantly remembered that this was Pei Wenxuan's favorite qin.
The mountain was full of peonies. His most cherished qin. If he wanted to cooperate with her to lure the enemy, why would he spend so much effort?
Li Rong looked at all of this in a daze. Shangguan Ya was surprised for a moment. She immediately reacted. She hurriedly ran to Li Rong's side and stuffed the qin into Li Rong's arms. She anxiously said, "Your Highness, why are you still in a daze? Quickly chase after them! "
"Chase …" Li Rong looked up blankly. "Chase after them?"
"Chase after them. Otherwise, Prince Consort will be sad." Shangguan Ya pulled Li Rong up with a serious face. She pushed her and said, "Hurry, I'll help you disperse the people. You can speak without worry."
Li Rong held the qin. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. Shangguan Ya kept pushing her. After a moment, she reacted and said coldly, "Don't push, I'll go over."
As she spoke, Li Rong held the qin and walked through the crowd.
She walked very fast, but she was extremely restrained. She was like a taut string that had expended a lot of energy. She wanted to catch up with that person, but she was afraid that she would lose her composure. She quickly walked behind Pei Wenxuan and called out loudly, "Pei Wenxuan."
Pei Wenxuan stopped. He didn't look back. Li Rong pursed her lips and whispered, "Your qin."
Pei Wenxuan was silent for a long time. His voice was a little hoarse. "The qin is broken. You don't need it."
Li Rong didn't know what to feel. She felt like her heart was hit by this broken qin.
Pei Wenxuan didn't seem to mean that he didn't want the qin, but …
Li Rong didn't let herself think. She just held the qin and said coldly, "This qin has been with you for a long time. It can still be used after some repairs."
"I've repaired it too many times." Pei Wenxuan said slowly. "No need."
Li Rong grabbed the body of the qin. Pei Wenxuan gently turned his head and looked at Li Rong. Li Rong's face was expressionless. He looked at her seriously. After a long time, he smiled. "Your Highness, I prepared for a long time today. I bought the peony at a high price. The clothes were also praised by Your Highness in the past. Everything was according to Your Highness's preferences. I was just afraid that Your Highness wouldn't like it."
As he spoke, he seemed to feel embarrassed. He lowered his eyes and looked at the petals on the ground. He smiled. "Your Highness should have told me in advance."
"I thought you knew."
Li Rong said calmly, "You've always been smart. You can see the big picture from small details. I thought you'd already noticed the assassination and secretly investigated me. That's why you cooperated with me to move these flowers to Butterfly Gorge."
Pei Wenxuan didn't speak. Li Rong lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "It's you who lost your usual rationality."
"Your Highness is right." Pei Wenxuan smiled. "In the past, I didn't understand why Your Highness was so resistant to love. Now I understand."
Pei Wenxuan looked up at Li Rong. "If there is someone in your heart, it's inevitable that you will lose yourself. I have already noticed Your Highness's strange behavior, but I thought that it was Your Highness's goodwill to me. I lost my sense of propriety and almost disturbed Your Highness's plan."
Every word Pei Wenxuan said pierced Li Rong's heart. Li Rong held the zither tightly. It was the first time she knew that ordinary words could be so hurtful.
But she couldn't show it. She listened indifferently as Pei Wenxuan spoke. "It's my fault. Your Highness, don't worry. It won't happen again in the future."
After Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, he bowed elegantly and turned to leave.
Li Rong watched Pei Wenxuan leave. Her fingers clasped tightly on the zither. Seeing him walk far away, she finally couldn't help but call out to him. "Pei Wenxuan!"
Pei Wenxuan didn't look back. He continued to walk forward. Li Rong gritted her teeth and shouted, "Why do you have the final say? You said we should be friends, so we should be friends. Now you said we shouldn't be friends, so we shouldn't be friends. You can come and go as you please. What right do you have to throw a tantrum with me?! "
"That's right." Pei Wenxuan stopped and turned his head. He cursed like Li Rong. "I don't have the right. I never had the right. I wasn't in your heart before. Now, no matter what I do, it won't stay in your heart. I'm not in your heart, so I don't even have the right to like you, accompany you, and pursue you, right? "
Li Rong's eyes widened. Pei Wenxuan looked at her expression and laughed mockingly. "Are you surprised? Didn't you already know? "
As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan walked forward. He clenched his fists and restrained himself. He lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. "You clearly knew everything, but you hid it in your heart. You pretended not to know. You just hoped that I could be like before and maintain this so-called friendship with you, and then continue to treat you well."
"You didn't want to be with me." Pei Wenxuan's voice was trembling. "But you couldn't bear to part with my talent and my kindness to you. So, on one hand, you expressed goodwill to me to keep me, but on the other hand, you rejected me when I got close. But Li Rong, "Pei Wenxuan's eyes were red." You can't trample on feelings like this. You can say that you don't like me, but you should at least respect this love. "
"If you had paid attention to what happened today, you wouldn't have been in the dark."
"I can't guess your conspiracy. It's not that I'm stupid. It's just that I'm more willing to believe that you called me out because you really wanted to go somewhere with me to relax. It has nothing to do with these conspiracies."
"And you knew my intentions, but you couldn't guess my actions. It's not that you don't understand, but in your heart, you're more willing to believe that I'm playing a conspiracy, and not …" Pei Wenxuan paused. He stared at the woman in front of him, whose expression didn't change at all after he finished speaking.
He suddenly felt tired and embarrassed. He even felt that if he said those words, he would really lose everything. He would completely lose even his last bit of dignity.
"Not what?" Li Rong raised her head and looked at him quietly.
Pei Wenxuan looked at her extremely calm eyes and couldn't help but laugh. "Your Highness is still better."
He turned his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness still has important matters to deal with. This humble subject will take his leave."
"Pei Wenxuan." Li Rong's voice sounded tired. She looked at the ground and whispered, "I've never said these words to you."
"You're not the only one who feels that your feelings have been trampled, and you're not the only one who feels pitiful."
Pei Wenxuan was stunned. After Li Rong finished speaking, she felt that she had lost her composure. She took a deep breath and turned around with her zither. She tried to calm herself down. "You go back first. I still have things to do."
"Your Highness …"
"Go back!"
Li Rong shouted. Pei Wenxuan didn't say anything. He quietly looked at Li Rong's back. After a long time, he raised his hand and bowed to Li Rong.
"This humble subject will wait for Your Highness to return home."
His voice was very low and carried a hint of pleading.
Li Rong stopped in her tracks. After a long time, she replied, "Yes."
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