Before leaving, Jiang Sihe went back to give Princess Yuemi a bit more knockout drug, so that the princess would stay there quietly and not wake up too soon...
When she rushed back to the place where the signal was sent, she didn't see Yan An. She guessed that he must still be fighting with Lu Xing.
Not wanting to waste any more time, she decided to go to the cave alone to look for evidence.
She used Princess Yuemi's dagger to cut her cumbersome skirt into a style that would make it easier for her to move around.
After she finished all this and was about to leave.
"Sihe...?"
Jiang Sihe looked down the mountain and saw Pei Yanchao looking up at her anxiously.
She waved at him hurriedly. "Lord Pei..."
Pei Yanchao looked up the mountain. He saw that Jiang Sihe's skirt was torn and her hairpin was a bit messy. Not knowing what had happened to her, he quickened his pace up the mountain.
"My lord, please slow down..."
The guard following Pei Yanchao quickly tried to support him.
"It's okay. You go up first to check if Miss Jiang is in any danger. I'll be fine..."
Knowing that he wasn't as fast as the guard behind him, he didn't try to be brave. Instead, he asked the guard to go up first to check on her.
While waiting for them to come up, Jiang Sihe looked around Lingyin Temple again. She could basically guess that the cave led to the back yard of Lingyin Temple.
She noticed that Pei Yanchao had only brought two guards with him. Adding the guards at the main entrance of Lingyin Temple and the two guards the First Lady had given her, there were only about a dozen people in total. If there was really something wrong with Lingyin Temple, they might be trapped there.
She silently made a plan in her mind. Later, she would ask Pei Yanchao to lead the others back to call for reinforcements while she stayed behind to look for evidence.
Pei Yanchao wasn't much slower than the two guards. As soon as they steadied themselves, Pei Yanchao had already arrived.
He took a breath and stepped forward to ask Jiang Sihe, "Did something happen?"
"I tied Princess Yuemi to a tree trunk halfway up the mountain!"
Pei Yanchao remained calm after hearing this. "Why?"
"She found out that I followed her into the cave..."
Jiang Sihe told Pei Yanchao what had happened when she followed Princess Yuemi into the cave.
"So, there's something wrong with Lingyin Temple... I think my lord should go back and make early arrangements..."
Pei Yanchao's gaze swept over Jiang Sihe. There was a dagger tucked into her waist and there were remnants of a torn skirt on the ground...
"What's this...?"
Only then did Jiang Sihe remember that she looked a bit disheveled at the moment. "The long skirt was in the way, so I used the dagger to cut it off..."
"Where did the dagger come from...?"
"I snatched it from Princess Yuemi..."
After saying this, Jiang Sihe felt a bit embarrassed. Did she look like a female bandit?
Pei Yanchao's originally cold and solemn eyebrows and eyes lifted slightly at the corners of his mouth, showing a hint of a smile when he heard that she had snatched the dagger from Princess Yuemi.
"You really are full of surprises..."
The guard beside him couldn't help but praise, "Miss Jiang is both brave and resourceful. When we saw the signal just now, my lord was extremely worried..."
"Cough..." Pei Yanchao coughed lightly to stop the guard from saying more.
"Alright, time is limited. One of you go find Yan An and help him control Lu Xing. The other ride back to find Yan Yiheng..."
"What about you, my lord?"
The two guards were Yan An's personal guards assigned to protect Pei Yanchao. Now that they were being assigned other tasks, they quickly asked.
"I'll go explore the cave with Miss Jiang!"
"No..."
"No!"
Jiang Sihe and the two guards spoke at the same time. Pei Yanchao couldn't stay. He might be invincible in the court, but in this kind of environment, his self - protection ability might not even be as good as hers!
"Do as I say. Don't waste any more time!"
The two guards naturally didn't dare to object anymore. Jiang Sihe still wanted to say something.
"I didn't stop you when you decided to come to Lingyin Temple yesterday, so you have to listen to me this time!"
Even if it was his own guard, he wasn't at ease entrusting Jiang Sihe to him. So he had to stay.
Jiang Sihe thought that since he had said so, she gritted her teeth. If there was any danger later, she would just protect him...
"Okay!"
After the plan was set, everyone went their separate ways.
Jiang Sihe walked in front to lead the way, and Pei Yanchao followed behind. Suddenly, he asked in a deep voice, "Do you always carry knockout drugs with you?"
"Isn't it because He Wenyu plotted against me once? I've learned my lesson. But my drug is much more powerful than hers. Princess Yuemi inhaled quite a bit of it even with her veil on. It seems I have to prepare more in the future..."
Pei Yanchao looked at the vibrant girl in front of him. It seemed that she wasn't afraid of any danger ahead.
"Why did you come here, Lord Pei?"
Jiang Sihe was just asking casually, but Pei Yanchao's heart tightened slightly.
Knowing that Princess Yuemi had ill intentions, she still insisted on accompanying her to Lingyin Temple. How could he be at ease?
After dealing with the affairs in the court, he brought two guards and rushed over. On the way, he saw Yan An's signal, which made him even more anxious...
When he saw her standing in front of him safe and sound, his heart finally settled down.
"After carefully analyzing what you said last night, I guessed that this should be the place where Princess Yuemi meets with the person behind her... It seems my guess was right..."
"But you didn't have to come here in person. It's very dangerous here at the moment. You should be in charge in the capital. We can handle things here..."
Pei Yanchao looked at Jiang Sihe, who had a dagger tucked into her waist and walked forward aggressively. He couldn't help but rub his forehead and didn't respond to her.
"Well, it's good that you're here. Maybe you can recognize the person Princess Yuemi met..."
When they reached the place where she had tied Princess Yuemi, she even took Pei Yanchao there to check on the princess.
"I tied her right here..."
Jiang Sihe moved the dry branches away. Pei Yanchao saw the princess of Dongyue Country tied to a tree trunk with vines. He silently thought about how to explain this to Dongyue Country when he got back.
Even if Princess Yuemi had colluded with the officials of Dajing, being treated like this by Jiang Sihe... I'm afraid the other side wouldn't let it go easily...
Forget it. He would handle this matter for her and wouldn't let her be implicated in the slightest.
"Let's leave her here for now. I'll leave a mark for Yan An and the others to take Princess Yuemi away!"
Jiang Sihe nodded. "Okay, then let's go to the cave quickly. The person inside must not have left yet..."
Pei Yanchao left a mark on the tree trunk.
Jiang Sihe was about to step forward when Pei Yanchao grabbed her wrist. "I'll walk in front. You follow me..."
"But you don't know the way...?"
"Just like last time. You give me directions from behind!"
Pei Yanchao's expression was firm. Jiang Sihe took out the dagger from her waist and handed it to him.
"A weapon..."
Pei Yanchao couldn't help but smile. "You keep it. I don't need it!"
He didn't let go of the hand that was holding her wrist. He pulled her and walked towards the cave.
Jiang Sihe looked up and saw Pei Yanchao's cold, fair, and handsome side profile. The line from his eyebrow bone to the bridge of his nose was sharp and clear, and his eyebrows and eyes were cold and intimidating.
"Lord Pei, Princess Yuemi said she wants to marry you in a political alliance. Do you know about this?"