Seeing the situation turn dangerous, the coachman turned and fled.
Mingyi’s eyes narrowed slightly as she spotted a tall figure being forced into retreat by a group of black-clad assailants.
When she clearly saw the man’s face, her gaze suddenly brightened.
“General Shen!”
Shen Kuo was taken aback, but the woman had already swiftly grabbed him and pulled him toward the back of the carriage.
He stared at this stunning woman who had appeared out of nowhere, his expression filled with shock and suspicion.
But there was no time for questions now. He took hold of Mingyi and ran.
His strides were swift and powerful.
…
“Shen Kuo, there’s nowhere left to run. Surrender now!”
Mingyi instinctively looked toward the tall young man.
The two of them stood at the edge of a cliff.
Before them were pursuers; behind them, a bottomless abyss.
Trapped between a rock and a hard place.
This was truly a script written by heaven!
A faint thrill stirred within her.
Running into Shen Kuo here was unexpected.
Speaking of Shen Kuo, he actually had some history with her.
Shen Kuo was an adopted son of the Xue family.
Although the Zhou family’s residence was small, it was just one street away from the Xue family’s.
General Xue had an adopted son, and the Xue family had long suspected he was the result of General Xue’s romantic indiscretions outside.
Thus, young Shen Kuo had a difficult childhood.
Not only was his identity constantly questioned, but he was also openly and covertly ostracized by the Xue family.
At his worst, he couldn’t even get a proper meal.
Zhou Mingchong, pitying him, brought him home several times.
Mingyi would prop her chin in her hands and watch him eat.
She loved watching him eat.
Because Shen Kuo ate fiercely, like a starving ghost reincarnated.
Yet there was an inexplicable intensity to it.
Zhou Mingyi was a picky eater as a child, so Zhou Mingchong would scare her by saying that if she didn’t eat, she’d end up like Shen Kuo with no food at all.
Mingyi was a delicate, soft-spoken little girl back then, and she wanted to eat just like Shen Kuo.
So she propped her chin in her hands, stared at him, and tried to imitate him.
Unfortunately, she never quite managed it.
Later, she realized that Shen Kuo ate that way because he was starving.
As time passed, Shen Kuo grew up, learned skills, and never appeared again.
After her rebirth, Zhou Mingyi thought of Shen Kuo.
She had specifically inquired about him and heard he had been sent by the Xue family to serve as a soldier at the border.
It was called training, but in truth, it was to send him far away, out of sight and out of mind.
As an adopted son of the Xue family, Shen Kuo’s position was awkward.
To say he wasn’t part of the Xue family—he was their nominal adopted son, had received their favor, and even nearly married General Xue’s daughter.
To say he was part of the Xue family—his childhood experiences made it clear he hadn’t had an easy life with them.
He likely held no loyalty toward the Xue family in his heart.
If Princess Chaoyang were to send her to the border, the most likely destination would be Qingzhou.
Because Qingzhou was closest to the capital and the thoroughfare to Chongzhou, Youzhou, and even Liangzhou.
She could seek out Shen Kuo.
With the favor of those many meals from childhood, she could rightfully demand his help.
If Emperor Qianwu truly wanted to find her, it wouldn’t be impossible.
If he chose Princess Chaoyang instead, she had ways to provoke him.
Fortunately, Princess Chaoyang did not disappoint her expectations—Shen Kuo had practically delivered himself to her doorstep.
…
“Shen Kuo, will you surrender willingly, or shall we take action ourselves, capture you and your little lover, and then, right in front of you, show your little lover some… affection?”
The black-clad men roared with laughter.
“They say General Shen is chaste and avoids women. It seems the rumors are untrue.”
“Such a peerless beauty is rare in this world. Shen Kuo, if you are willing to submit to our Khan and offer this woman to him, we might spare your life. What do you say?”
Shen Kuo’s hawk-like eyes fixed deeply on Zhou Mingyi.
“Young lady, today I have implicated you. A man’s duty is to protect his home and country, to lead the charge, and to fight to the death.”
“Rest assured, I will not tarnish your reputation. I will kill you first, then leap from this cliff myself. I will never allow you to fall into the hands of those Hu people!”
Zhou Mingyi:…
Thank you so much!
It seemed he hadn’t recognized her.
Zhou Mingyi also had no interest in staging a tearful reunion with Shen Kuo in front of these Hu people.
She grabbed Shen Kuo’s wrist. “General Shen! Mingyi is willing to die with you!”
With that, she pulled Shen Kuo toward the edge of the cliff.
At the same time, she spoke to the System in her mind: “Protect my vital signs.”
…
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study.
An Imperial Shadow Guard knelt before Emperor Qianwu, reporting Mingyi’s whereabouts.
“Your Majesty, I have confirmed that An Shi Yi took Jieyu Zhou and placed her on a carriage bound for Qingzhou. When I arrived with my men, the carriage was empty, and a coachman who had been dead for some time lay beside it.”
“The other coachman is missing.”
“I also discovered traces of… Hu people activity.”
Emperor Qianwu lowered his gaze, his eyes shadowed with gloom.
Especially upon learning that the Meiren who was about to enter the palace had been sent by his beloved daughter to the Qingzhou military camp. Although there had been complications along the way, the involvement of Hu people…
His expression darkened like still water.
Zhou Mingyi was his woman.
A woman belonging to the Emperor, even if he no longer wanted her, was not for others to claim.
Least of all the Hu people.
If Zhou Mingyi were to be defiled by Hu people…
The thought of her perhaps seducing Hu men just as she had seduced him beneath him caused Emperor Qianwu’s rationality to crumble inch by inch, pushing him to the brink of fury.
Emperor Qianwu was well aware that this was a man’s possessiveness at work.
Perhaps there was more…
Just then, another Imperial Shadow Guard arrived to report.
“Your Majesty, there is news of Jieyu Zhou!”
Emperor Qianwu suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed intently on the guard.
In an icy, grave tone, he commanded, “Speak!”
His voice was so chilling it sent shivers down the spine.
Suppressing his fear, the guard hurriedly replied:
“Jieyu Zhou… was unconscious when placed on the carriage to Qingzhou. After a day’s journey, the two coachmen… grew lustful. Jieyu Zhou stabbed one of them with a golden hairpin.”
“I have captured the other coachman. According to his confession, after Jieyu Zhou injured his companion, they encountered a general who was being pursued by a group of men in black.”
“Upon investigation, I found that those men in black were disguised Hu people.”
“When I searched the area, I found this by the cliff.”
The object in the guard’s hand was a small embroidered shoe.
The shoe seemed to still carry the faint fragrance of the beauty.
“Investigate!”
Emperor Qianwu’s tightly clenched fingers suddenly relaxed.
Zhou Mingyi was indeed as he had imagined—a woman of unwavering virtue.
“I command you to immediately take men and search below the cliff. I want her found alive or dead!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
As the guard withdrew, Emperor Qianwu did not even glance at the Imperial Shadow Guard responsible for protecting Zhou Mingyi.
“I ordered you to protect Jieyu Zhou, yet you lost her. This is your failure. Go and receive your punishment.”
“Yes!”
An Shi felt a wave of relief.
Being ordered to receive punishment on his own meant the Emperor was not blaming him outright.
It also proved the position Jieyu Zhou held in His Majesty’s heart.
Though not as significant as Princess Chaoyang, it still carried considerable weight.
However, An Shi felt wronged in his heart.
If it hadn’t been An Shi Yi who made the move, he would not have been completely unaware beforehand.
He and An Shi Yi were both top talents among the Imperial Shadow Guards, their martial skills evenly matched and abilities nearly identical.
To him, An Shi Yi was a formidable opponent.
Yet he was in the light, while An Shi Yi was in the shadows.
He had lost fairly.
…
At the bottom of the cliff, Zhou Mingyi woke up before Shen Kuo.
There was actually a deep pool at the base of the cliff, its water dark blue and bottomless.
Half of her body lay in the water, her head resting on soft sand. Aside from some scrapes, she had no serious injuries.
Shen Kuo’s condition, however, was far more severe than hers.