In the end, it all boils down to power and influence. Otherwise, how could they come up with such an outlandish plan? Zheng Yuanqing, thousands of miles away, heard the scheming sounds coming from the capital and couldn't help but let out a cold sneer. His heart was filled with a sharp chill.
Jingzhe looked up upon hearing this and glanced at him. "What's wrong?"
"..."
Zheng Yuanqing looked into Jingzhe's cold and clean eyes. All of a sudden, he felt that it was somehow hard to talk about those people's schemes. So he paused for a moment.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Jingzhe lowered his eyes and continued to wipe his sword.
If he didn't want to talk, then so be it.
Jingzhe never had much curiosity or patience with others.
"It's a letter from the capital." Seeing that Jingzhe seemed uninterested, Zheng Yuanqing couldn't help but speak up again. "It's from my uncle. He said he's found a noble lady for me to marry when I get back."
What he said was actually quite euphemistic, but there was a hint of coercion in it.
Zheng Yuanqing's uncle's family didn't have the power to interfere in his marriage, but they still dared to act boldly with his mother's tacit approval. His mother thought he wouldn't resist, and the emperor didn't value him either.
So Zheng Yuanqing was a prince who was out of favor but was quite suitable to be used as a bargaining chip.
"Oh." Jingzhe responded and looked up at him. "So you mean you don't want to marry her?"
"…Yes." Zheng Yuanqing lowered his eyes. After a long while, he finally mumbled a reply. "I don't want to."
"Then don't marry her." Jingzhe said. "Anyway, you're not going to lose your life because of this. So there's nothing to be afraid of."
Zheng Yuanqing instinctively wanted to refute, but after thinking it over in his mind, he found that there was indeed nothing wrong with what Jingzhe said.
"What about you? What kind of person do you want to marry in the future?"
Zheng Yuanqing asked Jingzhe, his face showing curiosity.
"I don't know." Jingzhe had been in the world for too short a time to distinguish between the concepts of "marrying" and "being married into a family." He simply thought they were the same, so he said, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."
After saying that, he buried his head and continued to wipe his sword.
Once again, it was Zheng Yuanqing who fell silent. He looked at Jingzhe's profile gloomily and found that there was a hint of indescribable envy in his heart.
He envied Jingzhe for being free, highly skilled in martial arts, able to come and go as he pleased, and being so open - minded about everything in the world.
"Forget it. Given their status, they won't be able to find a noble lady I can't refuse."
Zheng Yuanqing had come to terms with it. Ignoring the slight uneasiness in his heart, he continued to say to Jingzhe, "Has Lord Jingzhe finished wiping his sword? We need to go to the military camp today."
"Okay."
Jingzhe put down the cloth, sheathed his sword, stood up, and looked at him. "Let's go."
After saying that, he walked out of the house and stood at the door, looking outside.
The road out of the city was a bit desolate, perhaps because it had rained the day before.
Zheng Yuanqing lifted the curtain and looked out. He saw Jingzhe sitting on his horse, guarding one side of the carriage, with a calm expression on his face.
Suppressing the desire to talk to him, Zheng Yuanqing pursed his lips. His mind was racing. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Jingzhe's expression change.
His heart sank instantly.
Jingzhe turned to Zheng Yuanqing and said, "There's an ambush. I'm not sure how many people there are. How was your whereabouts exposed?"
"If something happens later, I'll cover you. Go find Song Huaizhi. Remember to run fast."
After saying that, he drew his sword, and his gaze swept coldly towards the front like the sword in his hand.
Only then did Zheng Yuanqing realize that he and Jingzhe were now on a small path. The coachman of the imperial carriage was obviously bribed. The path was difficult for the carriage to pass through, and the road ahead was muddy.
Hearing this, the guards beside the carriage changed their expressions greatly. One of them jumped onto the carriage and held the coachman hostage.
Unexpectedly, the coachman took out a dagger without hesitation, stabbed the horse in the buttocks, then drew out the knife and slit his own throat. In an instant, he lost his life.
Zheng Yuanqing stared blankly at what was happening in front of him. He didn't expect this assassination to be so dangerous. He let out a few exclamations.
"Jump."
Jingzhe's face also changed. He tightened his grip on the sword and tried to control the frightened horse. He said to Zheng Yuanqing, "Jump out quickly."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Yuanqing struggled to move out of the carriage and reached the door. Just as he was about to jump down, he saw several masked men on horses rushing out from the front, holding long knives in their hands.
"Get down!" Jingzhe also saw the men and said to Zheng Yuanqing without hesitation, "Hurry!"
If he didn't jump, there were assassins waiting for them ahead. Moreover, he was now standing at the entrance, and the carriage was shaking violently.
Jingzhe didn't really want to see the target of his first mission die under the horse.
Zheng Yuanqing gritted his teeth. He thought that he would rather be trampled to death by the horse than be captured by the assassins. So he closed his eyes and jumped down.
Jingzhe grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him onto the horse. "Hold on tight."
The next moment, the assassins had rushed up.
Zheng Yuanqing bent down slightly to make it easier for Jingzhe to swing his sword.
Several guards also protected them in the middle and suffered some minor injuries.
"Something's not right." Jingzhe pulled his sword out of the shoulder of a black - clothed man, bringing out a shower of blood. He lowered his voice and said, "There should be more people behind. I covered someone and let them run just now. Song Huaizhi should send someone."
"Be careful." Jingzhe stabbed his sword into another man's abdomen. The man struggled to stay on the horse but was then kicked off by Jingzhe with a flying kick. He let out a shrill scream. "If something goes wrong, run away quickly by yourself."
How could he leave Jingzhe behind and run away! Moreover, Zheng Yuanqing was very clear that with his own martial arts skills, he couldn't even last five moves against Jingzhe.
Running away would only lead to a dead end.
Before Zheng Yuanqing could say anything, he heard Jingzhe let out a muffled groan. Then Jingzhe said, "Hold on tight. Rush out!"
They couldn't stay any longer. Once the reinforcements of these people arrived, they had to find a way to avoid them.
Saying that, Jingzhe tightened the reins and rushed out with Zheng Yuanqing in tow. The guards covered them.
The reinforcements of the other side arrived and fought with them.
Zheng Yuanqing's eyes were slightly red. He steadied his body firmly and didn't dare to distract Jingzhe.
They rushed out of the encirclement, but there were still people chasing them from behind. However, they were blocked by the self - sacrificing guards. This assassination was so fierce that Zheng Yuanqing didn't even have the determination to survive.
It wasn't until they were far away from the sound of the fight that Zheng Yuanqing felt a wetness on his back. Thinking of Jingzhe's muffled groan just now, his already heavy heart sank even further.
"Find a way to take a detour. I left marks. Song Huaizhi will be able to find us."
Jingzhe's voice was a bit low. He said to Zheng Yuanqing, "If there's another ambush later, I'll take you to rush out, and then you ride the horse and escape."
Zheng Yuanqing couldn't say a word.
"Let's stay together." He rubbed his eyes and said to Jingzhe, "How could I watch you stay here alone?"
Jingzhe was surprised. He said to him, "Do you plan to die here together?"
Zheng Yuanqing fell silent.
They ran further into the forest. Suddenly, the forest became quiet, and the surrounding trees were getting taller and taller.
"That's about it." Jingzhe dismounted and said to Zheng Yuanqing, "If we go any further, we might end up as food for the wild beasts."
"I hope Song Huaizhi can arrive before it gets dark." Jingzhe was unexpectedly talkative. "Get off the horse."
Zheng Yuanqing got off the horse in a sorry state. Looking at the red stain on Jingzhe's left shoulder, his throat went dry.