“—Princess, why don’t you stay in the Pei residence instead?”

After leaving the alley where the Pei residence stood, Gu Bing’an looked at Lizhu, who refused to even ride in the sedan chair, and after much thought, couldn’t help but advise her:

“Before the Mountain Lord departed, he repeatedly instructed me that if we encountered danger, I must prioritize protecting the Princess. If things truly escalate tonight, the Princess must not appear together with us bandits of Hongye Stronghold. Otherwise, wouldn’t that ruin the Princess’s plan and put you in danger?”

“Not showing myself is what would put everyone in danger!”

Lifting her skirt, Lizhu hurried after the bandits.

She had left Xuan Ying behind at the residence and only allowed Lu Yu to bring the more than twenty true Jinwu Guards who had joined him a few days prior to escort her.

The torches flickered, their light and shadow falling upon the young girl’s face, which was tense with deep thought.

“Gu Bing’an, something’s wrong. This whole thing, came far too coincidentally.”

Gu Bing’an was no brute. When the dancing girl had tried to frame Pei Zhaoye earlier, he had been the first to react.

Now, with just a few words from Lizhu, his anxious mind immediately began to clear.

The Jiacao Canal suddenly turned against Hongye Stronghold; Pei Zhaoye returned to preside over the situation; and then came the news from Danzhu’s side—murder.

One chain of events after another, tightly linked together—within a single day, Hongye Stronghold had been pushed into the very center of the storm.

Who possessed such ability to orchestrate these seemingly coincidental happenings?

Faces flashed rapidly through Gu Bing’an’s mind.

As he pondered, Lizhu suddenly broke into a light run. Lu Yu went ahead to clear a path for her, allowing her to squeeze into the front ranks of the bandit troop.

“Everyone—”

Night had already deepened. Ahead of this alley was a fork in the road. The surroundings were silent except for the crackling of torches.

The night wind tousled Lizhu’s temple hair. She raised her voice and addressed the crowd:

“I understand that all of you are worried for Miss Danzhu’s safety. However, I fear that tonight’s upheaval may well be a trap. I beg you all, brave men, to listen to my words—allow me and the Jinwu Guards to go ahead first to assess the situation and mediate if possible. Should our strength prove insufficient, we will then inform everyone to take action. That would be the best course. Please, do not act rashly, lest you fall into the enemy’s—”

“Third Master’s life is hanging by a thread! How can we afford such delay!”

Someone cut her off.

Another immediately followed: “If the Princess is afraid, then just stay behind. We’ll fight in front, and once we’ve rescued Third Master, we’ll come meet the Princess!”

This had nothing to do with being afraid or not!

These fifty-some bandits were all men of valor, swift in action. Seeing she could not stop them, Lizhu felt her throat tighten with frustration, her eyes reddening.

She had always had this flaw—she cried easily when upset, and just as easily when anxious or angry.

But right now, she must not shed even a single tear.

She already held little authority among these bandits. If she were to start crying at a time like this, who would respect her? Who would listen to her?

Unbidden, Lizhu once again thought of Pei Zhaoye.

If he were here, what would he do?

Taking a deep breath, under everyone’s astonished gazes, Lizhu drew the sword from Gu Bing’an’s waist at her side.

In the night, the heavy long sword rested in the young girl’s hand, its cold gleam flashing—steady, without the slightest tremor.

“Gu Bing’an, what were your Mountain Lord’s instructions before he left?”

Gu Bing’an immediately understood and replied, “The Mountain Lord said that all actions must follow the Princess’s command, and that every decision must place the Princess’s safety above all else.”

“Just now in the residence, you first listened to others’ slander and defamed your Mountain Lord; now you refuse to obey orders and act without command. In the army, there are military laws—do you not know how your stronghold punishes those who disobey orders?”

Gu Bing’an: “In wartime, they are to be executed.”

“Good.”

Holding the sword, Lizhu stood before them all and said calmly:

“You all have protected me for many days, out of loyalty and friendship. I am deeply grateful and would have rewarded you generously. However, if I were to let you recklessly rush forward today, I would only be harming you. In this situation, I have no choice but to draw my sword against you, lest I betray the trust your Mountain Lord placed in me when he entrusted you to my care.”

The bandits exchanged glances.

Wasn’t it them who were supposed to protect this frail, delicate princess?

How had it turned into her being entrusted with them?

“Whoever steps out of this alley before me—rather than die at another’s hands, it would be better that I, on behalf of your Mountain Lord, cut you down myself!”

Though her tone was neither sharp nor harsh, her words were steady, her gaze resolute—no one doubted that she meant every word.

Gu Bing’an’s heart pounded violently.

He looked at the princess before him, her hairpins disheveled, and never could have imagined that this noble young woman—whom they had abducted halfway as a golden branch and jade leaf—would, at a time like this, stand up to stabilize the situation for their Mountain Lord.

She could have escaped earlier with that young master from the Tan clan amidst the chaos, why didn’t she?

They had known each other for barely half a month, yet why would she go so far for the Mountain Lord, for them?

Perhaps moved by Lizhu’s sincerity and unshaken resolve, the uproarious bandits finally fell silent.

Lizhu took two steps back, returned the sword to Gu Bing’an, and said,

“We will go first. Two quarters of an hour later, you circle around from the other side.”

That way, even if she truly couldn’t handle it, they could still provide timely support.

As they exited the dark alley, Lu Yu caught sight of the princess beside him lifting her sleeve to rub her eyes forcefully.

When she lowered her arm, not a single trace of tears remained.

When the group arrived at the Mei family residence mentioned by the physician, they indeed saw blazing torches all around. A dense crowd of soldiers, weapons in hand, surrounded the gates.

Seeing Lizhu approach, the guards at the door shouted, “Who goes there!”

Lu Yu: “This is the Phoenix Carriage of Princess Qinghe! Upon seeing Her Highness, why do you not kneel!”

A crowd of officials and soldiers fell to their knees in unison.

Only a few among them—those surrounded and standing at the front—though they bent slightly at the waist, did not truly kneel. Instead, they half-squatted, heads raised, meeting Lizhu’s gaze directly.

The one leading them, the Assistant Prefect Zhao Weizhen, spoke with a faint smile:

“Tonight, bandits infiltrated an official’s residence and committed murder. The criminals were ruthless, killing more than ten people within the estate. The culprits have yet to be apprehended. Your Highness truly should not have set foot in such a place.”

From the Mei residence ahead drifted faint traces of blood.

Lizhu’s heart leapt violently, and she unconsciously clenched the edge of her sleeve.

What exactly had happened?

Though Danzhu was straightforward, she was not reckless. How could she suddenly have gone on a killing spree, handing these people such a convenient excuse?

Her gaze swept over each face, until it landed upon one that was unfamiliar.

The man wore a chainmail armor with a chest mirror and had an official seal hanging at his waist. If she guessed correctly, he must be the new Yiling Commandant replacing Xu Bi.

The new Commandant… Xu Bi…

Lizhu lowered her eyelashes, then said after a brief pause:

“To tell the truth, I only learned of this today. When I was kidnapped by Hongye Stronghold earlier, one of my guards apparently had a tangled relationship with a female bandit in the stronghold. Today, when he did not return for a long time, I inquired and discovered that he went together with my imperial physician to treat the illness of that female bandit’s elder sister.”

“Oh? So that’s the case?”

Zhao Weizhen spoke languidly.

“You gentlemen are handling the case, so it would be improper for me to interfere. However, that guard is under my command. I ask Assistant Prefect Zhao to hand him over to me for handling.”

The Assistant Prefect, his head round like a fat fish, gazed at Lizhu with a seemingly affable expression.

“Of course, of course. It’s just that he and that criminal refuse to surrender and are still attempting to fight their way out. We’ve been at a stalemate for some time, and we are helpless. If the Princess could persuade him to lay down his arms, that would be most ideal.”

Hearing this, Lizhu slowly exhaled a breath of relief.

Good—both of them were still alive.

The soldiers parted to make way, allowing Lizhu and her retinue to enter.

Following the white-sand path eastward, the stench of blood grew stronger.

The officers in charge of public security had surrounded the courtyard so tightly that not even water could pass. Lizhu pushed through the layers of soldiers before she finally saw two blood-covered figures.

“Princess…”

At the sight of Lizhu, Chang Jun burst into tears at once, and even Danzhu’s eyes turned red in an instant.

Before them stood two people, while another lay in Chang Jun’s arms. Her moon-white skirt had been soaked into a dark red; her arm hung limp and motionless, her life or death unknown.

“Chang Jun!”

Lizhu bit back Danzhu’s name and quickly asked, “What on earth happened? How did it become like this!”

Before Chang Jun could speak, Danzhu’s eyes locked fiercely on Zhao Weizhen standing behind Lizhu.

“What did they say?”

Lizhu froze.

Zhao Weizhen said coldly, “You two colluded with the bandits, broke into the residence of Registrar Mei to commit murder. The evidence is conclusive, what else is there to argue?”

“Despicable wretch!”

Danzhu shouted, tears spilling before her words could.

“Your son, Zhao Ji, was a guest at the Mei residence for a banquet. After drinking, he forced himself upon my elder sister, leaving her with child. He then gave the Mei family money and promised to promote Mei Changping in the future, thinking that would settle the matter! Why don’t you dare to speak of that!”

Lizhu’s heart pounded violently, and she whipped her head toward Zhao Weizhen.

But Zhao Weizhen’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. That round, peach-like face still smiled pleasantly, gentle and harmless as ever.

“Nonsense,” he said with a chuckle. “Just desperate excuses to escape a murder charge.”

“Murder?” Danzhu’s voice shook with rage. “The people I killed were these beasts! The entire Mei household failed to protect my sister. To cover up their disgrace, her mother-in-law first poisoned her to force a miscarriage, causing her to fall gravely ill. When the child still wouldn’t come down, her father-in-law beat her belly with a stick!”

Every word from Danzhu’s mouth burned like fire, hatred searing through her veins as if she wished to burn the entire Mei residence to ashes.

“My father didn’t dare demand justice for my sister, but I’m not afraid of you! The killer tonight is Zheng Danzhu! I won’t just kill these beasts of the Mei family. Once I save my sister, Zhao Weizhen, the next to die will be you and your son!”

In her hand, she held a bloodstained blade, its edge already nicked and bent from hacking.