As dusk settled in, the moonlight streamed through the half-open window.

Qin Zheng estimated the time, planning to send Lin Zhao to scout the path once the night grew darker.

Unexpectedly, a group of guards barged into the courtyard.

Hong Ye entered the room, her face pale, and handed a red velvet cloak to Qin Zheng. “Madam, you can rest once you’re in the carriage.”

Seeing her red-rimmed eyes as if she had been crying, Qin Zheng asked, “What happened?”

Hong Ye held back her tears and shook her head.

After fastening the cloak around Qin Zheng, she helped her outside.

Lin Zhao also came out from the next room, having heard the commotion.

She exchanged a look with Qin Zheng, understanding her intention, and obediently followed the guards out of the mansion without causing trouble.

As they passed through the front yard, Qin Zheng glanced around and saw two nearly lifeless figures on the punishment bench: a maid and a servant.

Qin Zheng didn’t recognize the servant, but the maid was clearly Lu Luo.

Her lower half was soaked in blood.

Her hands, possibly in agony from the torture, had clawed at the bench so hard that her fingernails were torn, and blood flowed freely.

Now, her arms hung limply by her sides, blood dripping onto the stone floor, lifeless.

Hong Ye saw it too, her hands trembling as she supported Qin Zheng, lowering her head to hide her sorrow.

Tears fell onto the stone floor, leaving faint marks.

Qin Zheng noticed Hong Ye’s trembling but remained silent, gripping her palm tightly to mask any emotions.

Lu Luo’s death likely had to do with revealing the location of their other residence.

Was this why Shen Yanzhi was suddenly moving her and Lin Zhao?

A cold sensation settled in Qin Zheng’s heart.

As they approached the main gate, they encountered Shen Yanzhi.

The lanterns at the gate swayed gently in the night breeze.

His thin figure emerged from the darkness, wearing a dark cloak over his red official robes.

His pale, frail features seemed icy and stern.

Seeing Shen Yanzhi, Hong Ye’s hands trembled even more as she supported Qin Zheng, bowing her head, not daring to look at him.

Shen Yanzhi’s gaze softened upon seeing Qin Zheng. “I’ll be heading south soon. I’m sending you to a quieter place. They have many fine-leaf and peacock lotuses there. I think you’ll like it.”

Qin Zheng showed neither joy nor resistance, as if his words had nothing to do with her.

She calmly asked, “Where?”

The lantern’s warm orange light shone on her white dress embroidered with delicate golden lotuses.

Wrapped in the red velvet cloak, a strand of black hair fell over her shoulder.

Her serene yet striking appearance resembled a watercolor painting of red plum blossoms, stunningly beautiful and captivating.

Shen Yanzhi was momentarily lost in her beauty, then smiled gently, a hint of obsession and darkness in his eyes. “You’ll know when you get there.”

With that, Qin Zheng asked no more and headed straight for the carriage.

Shen Yanzhi, standing five steps away, raised his hand to assist her.

Seeing this, Hong Ye hesitated but let go of Qin Zheng.

As Shen Yanzhi’s hand reached out, Qin Zheng avoided it, quickly moving towards the carriage.

Lin Zhao, witnessing this, laughed and caught up with Qin Zheng.

As Qin Zheng was about to board the carriage, Lin Zhao grabbed her hand, saying loudly, “Sister Azheng, hold my hand as you get in.”

Hong Ye cautiously glanced at Shen Yanzhi’s expression.

Seeing that he didn’t seem angry, she lifted her skirt and hurried after Qin Zheng.

Chen Qing rode up quickly from a distance, his face grim. “Master, the men we sent to intercept the messenger were killed halfway.”

Shen Yanzhi turned, his jade-like face partially hidden in the shadows. “Send more men to pursue.”

Chen Qing promptly obeyed, not daring to delay.

Shen Yanzhi was currently in a standoff with the court over Shen Chan.

The emperor seemed aware that Shen Chan was pregnant, but with Shen Yanzhi commanding thirty thousand elite soldiers and the situation in Minzhou critical, the emperor feared that Shen Yanzhi might ally with Prince Huaiyang and strike at the heart of the court.

Thus, the emperor dared not harm Shen Chan but also couldn’t let her leave the palace.

Shen Yanzhi insisted on waiting for the troop transfer order before heading to Minzhou to ensure Shen Chan’s safety.

The order’s arrival would mean the Shen family had reached an agreement with the emperor.

However, if the emperor learned that Shen Yanzhi was hiding the former crown princess, it would give him a legitimate reason to accuse Shen Yanzhi of treason.

The carriage wheels rolled as Shen Yanzhi rode ahead, accompanied by hundreds of guards.

Qin Zheng, unfamiliar with Qingzhou City, peeked out of the carriage, seeing nothing but darkness.

She didn’t know where Shen Yanzhi was taking them.

Lin Zhao whispered, “We’re taking the main road; it looks like we’re leaving the city.”

As she spoke, her gaze subtly shifted towards Hong Ye, huddled in the corner of the carriage.

Qin Zheng had only just obtained the address of their other residence at noon, and by the evening, Lu Luo had been beaten to death by Shen Yanzhi.

They were being relocated, clearly connected events.

Only Qin Zheng and Hong Ye knew the address when Lu Luo mentioned it.

If Hong Ye had betrayed them, her current display of sorrow would be hypocritical.

Lin Zhao bluntly asked, “What did Lu Luo do to be punished?”

Hong Ye, choking back tears, replied, “I don’t know. I only heard that Guard Chen arrested a servant from the outer courtyard for interrogation this afternoon, and then Lu Luo was taken away too.”

Lin Zhao and Qin Zheng exchanged glances, understanding something unspoken.

The servant from the outer courtyard must have committed some offense, and Lu Luo had contact with him.

This meant Shen Yanzhi likely hadn’t discovered their plan to find the other residence’s address but had been alerted to some other force’s investigation, prompting the sudden move.

That force could either be the court or Qiyun Village.

The former posed a danger to them, but if it were the latter, connecting with Qiyun Village might offer a chance to escape.

The carriage left the city, continuing its journey through the night. Aas the wheels rolled on, Qin Zheng felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding, her heartbeat quickening.

The originally smooth carriage ride was suddenly jolted violently.

The horses neighed, and a lantern hanging from the carriage eave was shot down by an arrow, plunging them into darkness.

In the next instant, countless arrows rained down on the guards around the carriage, the sound of arrows piercing flesh and bodies thudding to the ground echoed.

“Assassins!” someone shouted in the dark.

Chen Qing immediately rode to Shen Yanzhi’s side, drawing his sword to deflect the incoming arrows.

Shen Yanzhi, however, ignored everything else and turned his horse toward the carriage, shouting, “Protect the carriage!”

Chen Qing, along with a few guards, hurriedly followed, shouting, “Form a shield wall!”

The well-trained guards, after a brief moment of chaos, dismounted and formed a shield wall around the carriage and Shen Yanzhi.

Bows, crossbows, and spears pointed outward through the gaps, ready to strike at any movement.

Another group of guards, using the shield wall for cover, advanced towards the bushes and trees from where the arrows had come, lighting torches with pine oil to illuminate the area.

The flickering firelight cast eerie and sinister shadows of the tall trees.

The guards slashed through the bushes and grass with their swords, but found no one.

Just as they were puzzled, the sound of horse hooves echoed from the main road.

Clear and solitary, it sounded like a single rider.

The guards turned their attention towards the road.

The mountain wind howled, and clouds obscured the moon.

In the dim night, a lone rider emerged from the shadows, his black robe billowing in the wind, a long sword gleaming in the firelight.

He seemed like a ghostly figure, dragging the thick darkness and ominous tree shadows behind him.

The guards, gripping their swords and knives, watched as he approached, swallowing nervously, sweat forming on their foreheads.

The rider halted his horse about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) away from the convoy.

The clouds parted, and the half-mask on his face gleamed coldly under the silver moonlight.

His gaze swept over the guards, indifferent and cold, as if all things in the world were insignificant.

Shen Yanzhi stood behind his men, locking eyes with the rider from a distance.

His fierce, predatory gaze and clenched teeth drew blood from his gums.

Chu Chengji!

Even if he turned to ashes, Shen Yanzhi would recognize him!

“Kill on sight!” Shen Yanzhi almost spat the words through gritted teeth, the fury in his chest threatening to consume him.

The sound of arrows whistling through the air filled the night, making one’s scalp tingle.

The arrows, like a spider’s web, covered Chu Chengji, seemingly intending to strip him of his flesh.

Chu Chengji did not dodge.

Instead, he spurred his horse directly into the arrow storm, his inner strength stirring the wind.

His robe flapped loudly, and the clash of sword and arrows rang out sharply.

In a blink, his horse had charged through, the guards unable to evade being trampled.

Behind him, arrows deflected and embedded into the ground, creating a dense field of fletchings along both sides of the road.

Chen Qing immediately shielded Shen Yanzhi, shouting, “Cover the heir’s retreat!”

He then led a dozen guards to confront Chu Chengji head-on.

Chu Chengji, his eyes calm, picked up a spear from a fallen guard with his sword.

As he switched to holding the spear, he blocked a guard’s horizontal slash with an upward motion, using the spear to knock the guard off his horse.

Then he swept the spear horizontally, striking several guards with such force that they fell to the ground.

Chen Qing, the most skilled among the guards, aimed for Chu Chengji’s horse’s legs, but Chu Chengji swung the spear at Chen Qing’s waist, knocking him off his horse without even using the spearhead to stab.

Chen Qing rolled on the ground, spitting blood.

Shen Yanzhi, seeing this from his horse, grabbed a crossbow and aimed at Chu Chengji.