Chapter 141: If We Leave, We All Leave Together

Xiang Taifu spoke, his face full of guilt, “Yao’er, why are you here?”

Xiang Xinyao smiled slightly, “Father, if I’m not mistaken, you’re planning how to secretly send me away, right?”

With a guilty expression, Xiang Taifu rose and placed his slightly trembling hands on Xiang Xinyao’s shoulders.

“Child, as your father, I don’t want to send you away either, but I can’t bear to see you fall into a den of wolves!”

Xiang Xinyao looked calm. “But Father, have you thought about what would happen to you, Mother, and my brothers and sisters if I left?”

“But do you understand the danger you’d face if you stayed? You’ve endured eleven years of hardship outside; as your father, I can’t let you escape one den of wolves only to fall into a tiger’s lair!”

Mo Jinnan spoke up, “Xinyao, don’t blame your father; he’s also reluctant to send you away.

“The Emperor has set his sights on you, and you won’t escape. Over the years, few women he’s taken into the palace have survived longer than three years.”

Xiang Xinyao asked, “And if you send me away, how will you handle the Emperor’s wrath?”

Xiang Taifu sighed, “Ah! Yao’er, let me think of a way. I’ll try to have your three brothers and sister leave with you.

“As long as I can keep you siblings safe, I’ll be content.”

Xiang Xinyao’s expression darkened, “Father, are you saying you’re willing to sacrifice yourself and Mother to protect us? Have you asked our opinion on this?”

Xiang Taifu paused, “Child, nothing is decided yet. Unless there’s no other choice, I won’t make such a decision.”

Xiang Xinyao spoke seriously, “Father, do you understand how pitiful children without parents are?

“I endured eleven years without parental love, and now that we’re finally reunited, can you really bear to leave us?

“Father, if we must leave Bianjing, then let’s all go together. Let’s never separate again, alright?”

Xiang Taifu’s eyes reddened. “Child, we can’t escape. With all I know about him, we can’t escape.

“And Princess Helian is still in his hands. If we make any move, he’ll use her life to force the prince’s hand against us.

“We can’t escape!”

Xiang Xinyao shrugged, “Then we just need to rescue the Princess, right?”

Mo Jinnan’s face showed pain, “You make it sound easy, but with my current strength, I simply can’t do it.

“He’s arranged a group of masters to watch over my mother. I’ve tried many times but couldn’t rescue her, nearly losing my own life in the process.

“To save her, nearly a hundred of my secret guards have died.

“I can’t risk their lives again.”

Xiang Xinyao looked up into Mo Jinnan’s eyes, seeing pain, despair, and heartache.

Heartache for Xiang Xinyao—she shouldn’t have been brought back, drawn into the palace’s entanglements.

She could have lived a carefree life in the countryside.

The Xiang family could have recognized her without bringing her back.

It was all due to his lack of forethought.

Xiang Xinyao licked her lips, “I have a way to rescue the Princess, but we’ll need to plan carefully.

“Father, Mo Jinnan, if you’re both ready to abandon everything in Bianjing, then let’s discuss this properly.

“If we leave, we leave together!”

Xiang Taifu said, “There’s nothing in Bianjing that we can’t give up. Nothing is more important than the family’s safety.”

Mo Jinnan nodded in agreement, “That’s right. Don’t be fooled by my title as a prince with military power; in reality, the power I hold is pitifully little.

“Hah! The title of ‘Virtuous King’ is empty. If it weren’t for my mother, I would have abandoned it long ago.”

Xiang Xinyao slapped her thigh, “Then there’s no problem! Father, you all wait here. I’ll go call my three brothers so we can discuss our next steps.”

Xiang Taifu nodded, “Go ahead. This is too important to keep from your brothers.”

Xiang Xinyao turned and left the study.

A quarter of an hour later, she returned with her mother and three brothers. She hadn’t called Xiang Xinyu because she didn’t manage any businesses and had no marriage arrangements. Moreover, she had made it clear she wanted to stay with Xiang Xinyao in the future. Xiang Xinyao decided not to involve her, to avoid causing her unnecessary worry.

Once in the study, Xiang Xinyao closed the door securely.

Lowering his voice, Xiang Taifu said, “Wife, Zhuo’er, Lin’er, Chen’er, I’ve called you here today to discuss something very important. Please, sit down, and we’ll take our time to go over it.”

Xiang Yanzhuo asked, “Father, what’s the matter? Why so serious?”

Xiang Taifu sighed slightly, “Ah! Today, the Emperor summoned Yao’er to the palace. From the way he looked at her, it was clear he’s set his sights on her.

“He wants her to stay in the palace, claiming it’s to learn etiquette from the Empress. But the way he looked at her was too heated—his intentions are obvious.”

Bai Jing and Xiang Xinyao’s three brothers all turned dark-faced, their eyes full of murderous intent.

That vile old beast!

Even the Crown Prince was older than Xiang Xinyao, yet he still had his sights on a girl who hadn’t even come of age.

Xiang Yanzhuo remained the most composed. With a stern face, he asked, “Father, what do you plan to do about this?”

Xiang Taifu replied, “There’s nothing in Bianjing worth clinging to. We must find a way to leave; otherwise, Yao’er’s life will be ruined if she enters the palace.”

Xiang Xinyao spoke up, “There’s no way I’ll enter the palace, and I’m not leaving you all behind. If we leave, we all leave together.

“I’ll find a way to rescue the Princess. Meanwhile, everyone should quickly sell off their assets.

“Under the Emperor’s watchful eyes, it’ll be difficult for us to escape Bianjing in secret. Our best bet might be to somehow have him exile all of us.

“As long as we’re out of Bianjing, we can fight our way through and live together in Dawai Village.”

Mo Jinnan took a sip of tea, “Selling our family assets can’t be too conspicuous. It’s best to keep it hidden from everyone.

“Getting that person to exile us is one thing, but exile also means confiscation of property, so it’ll be difficult to bring our wealth out of Bianjing.”

Xiang Xinyao responded with a serious look, “Don’t worry about that. No matter how much property you have, as long as you entrust it to me, I can get it all out—without leaving a single coin for him.

“Also, to rescue your mother, we need someone with a similar build and, ideally, a skilled makeup artist. We’ll swap her out under cover.”

Mo Jinnan shook his head, “It won’t work. I’ve tried that trick before, and it’s nearly impossible to pull off.”

Xiang Xinyao’s face was full of confidence, “Just follow my instructions, and I guarantee I’ll rescue your mother.”

Mo Jinnan asked, “How sure are you?”

“At least ninety percent.”

Mo Jinnan was stunned. He hadn’t even had fifty percent confidence, yet Xiang Xinyao claimed at least ninety percent.

How could she be so confident?

“Can you tell me your plan?”

Xiang Xinyao smiled lightly, “All I can say is, I’ve learned a skill called ‘magic’ from a mysterious teacher. I can make your mother disappear with a trick, but I’ll need a double.”