The guards immediately sprang into action, scrambling to grab their weapons and search for Shang Yuanjian.
Li Zhengwen hurriedly said to Xin, "Your Highness, rest assured, I have long stationed guards at the exits. She absolutely cannot escape. That lowly wretch must still be here."
Xin's gloomy expression finally eased slightly. It was good that she hadn't escaped. The place wasn't that large—they would find her sooner or later.
When that time came, he would certainly not let that lowly wretch die too easily.
The entire banquet was instantly thrown into chaos because of Shang Yuanjian. The young masters and ladies attending the gathering could no longer sit still. They set down their cups and retreated to the sides, each clinging tightly to their own guards.
Shang Wantang was so frightened that her soul seemed to have left her body. Her face pale as a sheet, she hid behind a guard, her knuckles turning white as she clutched a silk handkerchief.
For some reason, Shang Wantang felt an intense sense of familiarity with the fleeing beggar, yet she was certain she had never seen such a person before.
Xin was so furious he could have ground his teeth to dust. He had finally managed to invite Shang Wantang out, hoping to impress her, only for this incident to occur and frighten her.
Damn that lowly wretch! This prince will tear you to pieces!
Xin was so angry he could almost spit blood. He wanted to quickly go and comfort Shang Wantang, but when he glanced at the two personal guards who had been following him, his anger flared up again.
"Are you two just freeloaders? You didn't even notice someone escaping right under your noses."
"Why are you still following me? Go find her now!"
"We are here to protect Your Highness…" Mo Yi hesitated.
Xin rudely interrupted, "Does this prince need your protection? This is my territory. Who would dare harm me?"
Mo Yi helplessly glanced at his companion, and both bowed to Xin. "Yes."
Xin turned to head toward the viewing platform to comfort Shang Wantang, but before he could take two steps, he sensed a gust of wind from behind. A cold gleam of a blade suddenly closed in on his face.
Xin's pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he stepped back, the blade grazing the bridge of his nose.
But the next moment, Xin's knee was kicked hard. He grunted and uncontrollably fell to his knees.
"Ah—!"
Xin gasped sharply, his face contorted with pain.
"Don't move!" a hoarse voice sounded in his ear. The icy sensation against his neck sent shivers down Xin's spine.
Xin quickly realized who had attacked him. Anger flashed in his eyes, and he instinctively reached for the dagger at his waist to counterattack.
But before he could touch the dagger, the person behind him seized his right arm and twisted it violently.
Another wave of excruciating pain shot through him, and Xin cried out in agony.
"Your Highness—!!!" Shang Wantang covered her mouth in terror, but a fearful cry still escaped her throat.
Part of Shang Wantang's fear stemmed from Xin being taken hostage, while another part came from an uncontrollable sense of familiarity and disgust she felt toward Shang Yuanjian.
She had only ever felt this way toward one person, but it couldn't be. Her father wouldn't have let her live. Shang Wantang dismissed the thought without hesitation.
"You lowly wretch, how dare you!" Xu An also saw Xin being pinned to the ground by Shang Yuanjian and cried out in shock.
Xu An's shout instantly drew everyone's attention to Xin. Their eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before them.
The beggar they had been searching for actually dared to show himself, and even held a knife to Xin's neck.
It was simply audacious.
"Put down that weapon at once, lest you harm His Highness!" Li Zhengwen condemned Shang Yuanjian's act of insubordination, his hands trembling with rage.
Xin's face was deathly pale, unable to utter a word. The pain from the fractures in his knee and right arm nearly made him pass out.
What did this lowlife eat growing up to be so strong? Xin deeply regretted sending Mo Yi and Mo San away. With their skills, this wretch would never have been able to get close to him.
"Do you know who I am? How dare you treat me like this?" Xin forced out through the pain.
Ignoring Xin, Shang Yuanjian raised her eyes to the restless guards, pressing the blade firmly against Xin's neck. "Don't move, or I'll kill him."
"You wouldn't dare!" Xin gritted his teeth. In over a decade of life, this was the first time someone had held a knife to his neck and threatened him.
"You think I wouldn't?"
Shang Yuanjian's hand shifted slightly, and the sharp blade instantly cut Xin's neck, drawing blood.
"You…" Feeling the sting on his neck, Xin fell silent. Only now did he realize his predicament. This lowlife was ruthless and showed no regard for his status. If provoked, she might truly kill him.
As a prince, he had been taught martial arts from a young age by specialized instructors—partly for physical fitness, but also to protect himself in emergencies.
Unfortunately, Xin had lived a life of luxury, indulging in wine and women for years, long forgetting the martial skills of his youth. Years of neglect left him utterly incapable of handling a life-or-death threat.
"What—what do you want?" Seeing the blood, Li Zhengwen was terrified out of his wits. If anything happened to Xin, he would be buried alongside him.
Shang Yuanjian scanned the crowd, her gaze shifting to the hunting ground exit, now heavily guarded—not even a mosquito could slip through.
"Withdraw the troops from the exit and let me out," Shang Yuanjian stated her purpose.
Xin's actions today made it clear to Shang Yuanjian that whether she killed the brown bear or not, he would never let her go. Thus, she had no choice but to take a riskier approach.
Fortunately, her gamble paid off. Xin was terrified of death, and his self-defense skills were abysmal—so poor that even Shang Yuanjian, a minor with no martial arts foundation, could control him with a few tricks.
With this, she had taken the first step toward escape.
"As long as you release His Highness, we will let you leave immediately," Li Zhengwen agreed at once.
Shang Yuanjian sneered. "Do you take me for a three-year-old child? If I release your prince, do you think I'll walk out of here alive today?"
"Then what do you propose?" Li Zhengwen asked, frowning.
"Give me a carriage. No one is to follow. Once I reach a safe place, I'll release your prince," Shang Yuanjian said.
"Absolutely not!" Meng Tongji cried out from the side. "This lowlife has repeatedly offended His Highness. How can we let him go so easily?"
Meng Tongji wasn't doing this for Xin's sake. Previously, he had thought Shang Yuanjian was merely a plaything for their amusement and had repeatedly spoken words intended to lead her to her death. Now that Shang Yuanjian dared to even take Xin hostage, if they let her leave today, there was no guarantee she wouldn't come seeking revenge against him in the future.
It would be best if she died here today.
Shang Yuanjian raised an eyebrow as she looked at Meng Tongji, her tone faintly chilling: "I almost forgot about you."