The large boat silently sailed on the dark, steep river.

The crown prince’s high fever had not subsided.

Now that there was hot water on the boat, Qin Zheng had been using a cloth soaked in warm water to wipe him down and cool him off.

Around the fourth watch of the night, the crown prince’s temperature finally dropped a bit.

Qin Zheng had stayed up all night and was exhausted.

She lay down by the bed and fell asleep.

Around the fifth watch, someone knocked on the door, “Madam Cheng, the boat has docked.”

Qin Zheng wasn’t sleeping deeply and woke up when she heard the knock. She responded, “Okay, I got it.”

The person outside left.

There were no toiletries or mirrors in the room.

Qin Zheng washed her face with cold water and tried to tidy up her hair, which she had messed up last night, using the vague reflection in the basin to make herself look less disheveled.

When they disembarked, the crown prince was still carried off on the plank by others.

The sky was gradually brightening, and Qin Zheng noticed that where the boat had docked was a shallow bank.

The cliffs on both sides of the river were dozens of feet high, bare and without a single tree, as if the two banks had originally been connected, but were forcibly split apart by a sword, creating this river that ran through them.

Although there was a place to step on the shallow bank, there were only some shallow bushes growing near the bottom of the cliff.

Further up, there was still a steep cliff over ten feet high. How were they going to climb up?

Just as Qin Zheng was wondering, she saw the man in short brown clothes from last night walking towards her with a black cloth strip, “The Liangyan Mountain Range is named for being sandwiched between the Yuzui Weir and the Dadu Weir. The mountains are all steep cliffs, and the path up the mountain is not known to outsiders. I hope Madam Cheng can understand.”

Being blindfolded and taken up the mountain was something Qin Zheng had only seen on TV before.

She hadn’t expected to experience it herself one day.

She took the strip obediently, “I understand the concerns of the leader.”

There was a difference between men and women, and the man still respected her, letting her tie the blindfold herself.

Qin Zheng didn’t want to play clever at this time. She tied the strip tightly, blocking out all light.

After being blindfolded, she was led for a while by someone holding a stick.

They were going uphill, but she didn’t feel any branches, as if they were not walking through the shallow bushes.

After a while, someone whistled, similar to the cuckoo she had heard last night, but slightly different.

Soon after, she faintly heard the sound of wheels turning above her, followed by the voice of the man in short brown clothes, “Madam Cheng, take ten steps forward, there’s a hanging basket there.”

Qin Zheng obediently walked over and indeed felt a rattan basket that was half a person tall.

The man in short brown clothes continued, “Madam, just sit in it.”

Qin Zheng groped her way into the hanging basket and found that the space inside could accommodate two people. She held onto the edge of the basket and asked, “What about my husband?”

“Don’t worry, Madam Cheng, we will safely bring Master Cheng up the mountain too.”

After the man in short brown clothes said this, there was another short whistle. Qin Zheng felt the hanging basket slowly rise. After reaching a certain height, she clearly felt that the hanging basket was no longer suspended, but was supported by something below.

The hanging basket ascended vertically. The support below couldn’t be the mountain rock.

Qin Zheng guessed it should be some kind of weight-bearing board built by humans, which was pushed out when the hanging basket needed to be placed.

The man in short brown clothes must have ascended from another hanging basket. His voice sounded nearby, “Magpie, help this lady down.”

“Yes.” A brisk female voice responded.

Qin Zheng felt a strong hand supporting her arm.

Thinking it must be someone from the village coming to meet them, she let the person support her and groped her way out of the hanging basket.

Luckily, her body had some inherent advantages.

She was tall with long legs. Otherwise, she would have had to crawl out using both hands and feet, which would have been even more embarrassing.

After stepping out of the hanging basket, Qin Zheng pretended to stagger a bit, deliberately making her steps heavier.

As expected, she heard the sound of iron plates under her feet, further confirming her previous guess.

The man in short brown clothes turned his head and looked at Qin Zheng, but spoke to the woman supporting her, “Magpie, assist the lady.”

“Yes,” the same word, but this time with a hint of fear.

The path up the mountain twisted and turned, but with Magpie supporting her, Qin Zheng managed to walk smoothly.

After the road underfoot became flat, the man in short brown clothes had Magpie untie the black cloth covering Qin Zheng’s eyes.

Before her eyes was a gate nearly two zhang (about 6 meters) tall, with eaves on both sides reaching into the sky. In the middle, a wooden plaque hung, with the words “Qiyun Village” written in vigorous and forceful clerical script.

The man in short brown clothes clasped his fists towards her and said, “Madam Cheng, you have been through a lot on the way. This is Qiyun Village, please.”

With that, he raised his hand in a gesture of invitation.

Qin Zheng declined, “Please, lead the way, sir.”

The man in short brown clothes insisted, “You and Master Cheng are honored guests in the village and should be treated as such.”

Seeing his determination, and still concerned about the injury on her husband, Qin Zheng didn’t refuse again.

After entering the village, Qin Zheng found that the village was even larger than she had imagined.

What surprised her was that not everyone living here was the rough-looking men she had seen on the boat; there were also elderly people and children.

When the children saw the man in short brown clothes and his group, they were not afraid but excitedly shouted, “The village chief is back!”

The most ferocious-looking man, the one with the scraggly beard, was the most welcomed by the children.

One boy, who had only a tuft of hair left on his head, reached into his pocket, but didn’t find what he was looking for.

He looked unhappy and said, “Uncle Biaozi, where’s the candy?”

The scraggly man slapped him on the head and laughed, “Go away, you bunch of little brats! I went to deal with the pirates, not to the market. Where would I get candy from?”

The other men also seemed much more approachable after returning to the village.

One was even called back home halfway to go back to plowing the fields.

Qin Zheng suddenly felt a strange feeling in her heart. This place, rather than being a den of bandits, seemed more like a village.

---

The man in short brown clothes arranged for her and the prince to stay in a clean courtyard.

As soon as the men carried the prince into the house and placed him on the bed, an old doctor with a goat-like beard came over with a medicine chest.

He glanced at the prince’s injuries before starting to check his pulse.

His old face, like the bark of a pine tree, looked especially serious. Before finishing feeling the pulse, he shook his head three times.

Qin Zheng was frightened by his words and hurriedly said, “Doctor, you must save my husband!”

The old doctor glanced at Qin Zheng and said, “I’ve been practicing medicine for decades, and I’ve never seen someone survive such injuries.”

He unwrapped the bandage around the prince’s chest and saw the blurry arrow wound. He shook his head repeatedly, “With such severe injuries, he must have been submerged in water before. His vital energy and blood are deficient, and cold qi has entered his body. He’s already halfway to death… How can I treat him?”

Qin Zheng’s face turned pale instantly.

The man in short brown clothes also changed his expression, “Zhao Shu, think of a way. They saved A Zhao before; they are my benefactors.”

The old doctor hesitated, “Chief, it’s not that I don’t want to save him, but this man really can’t be saved. To treat these injuries, we must use strong medicine. But once the medicine is administered, his body will inevitably heat up! His current physical condition cannot tolerate heat. Once he gets a fever, he most likely won’t survive.”

The more the old doctor spoke, the colder Qin Zheng’s heart felt.

But how could they not use medicine? These injuries would surely kill him if left untreated.

Qin Zheng remembered that he had a fever last night, and she had lowered his temperature by wiping him with warm water.

She gritted her teeth and said to the old doctor, “Please, administer the medicine.”

They had to try.

The doctor wanted to say that using the medicine might hasten his death, but seeing Qin Zheng’s determination, he agreed.

Before preparing the medicine, he reminded her again, “I’ve said it before: if he doesn’t make it, don’t blame me.”

Qin Zheng said bitterly, “Doctor, you have my gratitude for trying to save my husband. I won’t blame you. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.”

After enduring so much together with the prince, Qin Zheng felt a heavy burden in her heart.

Now that they had a place to stay temporarily, but his life was in danger, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

With her words, the doctor didn’t say anything more and went to prepare the medicine.

The man in short brown clothes looked at Qin Zheng and comforted her, “Nothing is absolute. Master Cheng will be safe.”

After all they had been through, Qin Zheng’s face was visibly weary. She replied, “Thank you, sir.”

The man in short brown clothes hurriedly entered the courtyard and said, “Chief, the second-in-command and his men are causing trouble in the western stronghold!”

The man’s face changed, and he said to Qin Zheng, “Madam Cheng, please stay here with your husband. If you need anything, just let me know. I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

Qin Zheng noticed that the people in the stronghold called the man the chief, but when he introduced himself, he said he was the master of the Liangyan Mountain. Now, there was also a mention of a second-in-command.

His external self-identification and the way people in the stronghold addressed him seemed intriguing.

She replied, “Please go ahead and take care of your business. Don’t worry about us.”

The man clasped his fists and left. As he departed, he instructed a woman with a sharp bun hairstyle, “Xique, take good care of Madam Cheng and her husband.”

“Yes,” the woman replied.

After the man left, Qin Zheng sat on the bed, looking at the prince’s pale face without a trace of color.

For a moment, her mind went blank.

Xique noticed that she wanted to be alone for a while and said, “Madam must be hungry. I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare something for you.”

Qin Zheng forced a smile, “Thank you.”

After Xique left, she closed the door behind her.

With only the two of them in the room, Qin Zheng looked at the prince for a while and said despondently, “Last time, the imperial physicians said you couldn’t be saved, but you woke up. Maybe you can pull through this time too?”

The prince’s face was lifeless, and his once beautiful lips were now cracked.

Qin Zheng picked up a cup of warm water from the table and carefully fed it to him.

However, most of it flowed out of his mouth.

Qin Zheng felt frustrated.

The thought that the prince might really die made her nose tingle inexplicably.

Since she had crossed over, she had been fleeing with the prince all the way.

If the prince couldn’t make it this time, where would she go in the future?

Amidst the sadness, Qin Zheng was more confused than ever.

When they left Bianjing, the Duke Qin’s Mansion was already surrounded by rebel forces.

She didn’t know the current situation. In the original book, Shen Yanzhi saved the Duke Qin’s Mansion, but that was when she and the prince died in the Eastern Palace, and the rebel forces no longer posed a threat.

Now that she and the prince had fled, she had no idea what was happening in Bianjing, which was probably in turmoil.

---

In the capital.

A pale and handsome young man stepped up the steps of the Hanbaiyu Hall, dressed in a red robe with a jade belt.

His noble bearing was evident.

The eunuchs newly promoted in the palace all respectfully called out, “Shen Shizi is here. His Majesty is waiting for you in the hall.”

Shen Yanzhi nodded coldly and walked past him into the hall, while the chief eunuch continued to smile without a hint of resentment.

The chief eunuch knew that the man in front of him was a favorite of the emperor. On the day the city was breached, he directly drew his sword and killed the emperor’s own brother in the Eastern Palace.

Yet, the emperor did not blame him; instead, he praised him for his strict military discipline and rewarded him generously.

Although it was still early, the hall was already lit.

As Shen Yanzhi glanced at the two rows of candlesticks with hundreds of candles burning below the jade steps, a hint of ridicule flashed in his eyes.

Those who clamored for rebellion against the unjust previous dynasty were now doing the same things as the former tyrant.

He lowered his eyes and restrained all emotions, bowing respectfully. “Your Majesty.”

Li Xin, seated on the dragon throne, raised his head from the memorial.

He was just past his prime, with a beautiful beard and fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

His eyes were slightly sunken, sharp like an eagle’s hook, and his gaze was as sharp as a knife.

“Minister Shen is here.” Li Xin put down his brush and blew on the decree he had just finished reading. “Any progress on the investigation into the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s whereabouts?”

“I am incompetent.” Shen Yanzhi, already bowing, bent down three more times. “On that night, the carriage of the Prince’s consort left the palace with the Crown Princess inside.

I heard the news and went after them, but I was too late.

The carriage dropped its load midway, and when I caught up, the carriage I found did not contain the Crown Princess.

These past few days, I have rigorously interrogated the confidants of the Prince, but I have not been able to extract any clues.”

The Prince mentioned was the general killed by Shen Yanzhi in the Eastern Palace that night, Li Yi, Li Xin’s younger brother.

He had indeed taken a carriage out of the palace that night and claimed to the outside world that the Crown Princess was inside.

After Shen Yanzhi killed him, he came up with a plan to say that he had abducted the Crown Princess for her beauty, causing the Prince to follow, and only then did he kill him in a fit of anger.

With such a righteous reason, and being from a prominent family, if Li Xin still wanted the old officials in the court to submit to him, not only could he not touch Shen Yanzhi, but he also had to promise him high-ranking positions and great wealth.

Upon hearing his explanation, Li Xin smiled faintly and said, “Forget about it. Put aside the matter of the remnants of the previous dynasty for now. There is a tricky matter here that Minister Shen needs to attend to.”

He threw the decree to the ground in front of him.

Shen Yanzhi picked it up and read it, his face changing abruptly.