“Madam, hurry! Run towards Duhu government street!” Aunt Guo protected Jiang Yanyi as they retreated out of the alley.

Jiang Yanyi was completely dazed; she had anticipated someone targeting her but hadn’t expected they would want to kill her directly.

Such a grand scheme just to kill her…

The only person Jiang Yanyi could think of was the male lead from the original story.

After all, the Hu family, being merely merchants, didn’t have such capabilities.

It felt like every arrow was aimed directly at her, yet Aunt Guo deflected them with her soft sword at a tricky angle.

Jiang Yanyi had never seen such a scene before; her heart raced, and her legs felt weak, practically being dragged along by Aunt Guo.

Aunt Guo’s impressive sword skills certainly exceeded Jiang Yanyi’s expectations…

She should have anticipated this; after all, a butcher who had slaughtered pigs and sheep for decades would be more skilled than an ordinary master in dealing with sheep.

The clash between the soft sword and the arrows produced a harsh ringing sound.

Jiang Yanyi hesitantly asked, “Aunt, are you from the Feng residence?”

Aunt Guo knew what she wanted to ask and while parrying arrows from all directions, she replied, “The prince only instructed this old servant to protect you. What I said that day was something I wanted to tell you myself. For the first time in so many years, the prince has shown interest in a girl. I hope he has someone by his side who understands him.”

Having retreated to the alley’s exit, Aunt Guo pushed Jiang Yanyi. “Madam, go quickly!”

Jiang Yanyi staggered back a few steps, and seeing several assassins jump down from the wall, Lu Linyuan had a few dark guards protecting him and was unharmed.

She knew that staying here would be of no help; it would only hinder Aunt Guo’s efforts to protect herself.

Holding back her tears, she left behind a “Be careful, Aunt,” gritted her teeth, and ran towards the street.

The assassins targeted Jiang Yanyi; seeing her run, they abandoned the fight and chased after her.

Aunt Guo managed to hold off half of them, and seeing this, Lu Linyuan instructed his dark guards, “Hold them off!”

Jiang Yanyi ran wildly, her fear overwhelming her so that she didn’t feel tired, but it felt like all the blood in her body was flowing backward, causing her limbs to turn cold and uncontrollable.

She worried that Aunt Guo was outnumbered and shouted for help, but no one on the street responded.

For the first time, Jiang Yanyi wanted to cry out of sheer fear.

She clenched her teeth and ran towards Duhu government street as Aunt Guo had advised.

Compared to the officials, she now trusted the soldiers of the Duhu government more.

Behind her, several assassins quickly caught up.

Jiang Yanyi lost one of her shoes while running but still couldn’t outpace these trained fighters.

One assassin threw a knife at her just as Jiang Yanyi’s foot, having lost its shoe, landed on a stone.

The sharp pain in her sole made her tear up instantly, and she fell to the ground.

The large knife landed not far from where Jiang Yanyi had fallen.

Realizing she had narrowly escaped being sliced in half by that knife, she stared at its gleaming blade, and although she didn’t want to cry, tears streamed down her face even more. “Help—”

Never before had she felt so close to death.

The pedestrians on the street couldn’t even hide, let alone dare to step forward.

This was precisely at a crossroads; the left turn would lead to Duhu government street after another block, while the right turn was the main route in and out of the city.

Seeing that Jiang Yanyi was unable to run any further, the assassins slowed their chase, casually approaching her with their knives. “We’re just taking money from people; when the girl reaches the underworld, don’t blame us.”

As the large knife swung down toward her, Jiang Yanyi closed her eyes, thinking that this knife technique looked quite precise.

She should die instantly, unlike the long-lasting pain from the wound on her back left by Feng Shuo.

But the knife never struck her; an arrow instantly pierced through the assassin’s chest, and at the same time, a kick sent him flying far away.

“Dare to harm my niece? I’ll take care of you first!”

A rough voice came from above her.

Jiang Yanyi opened her tear-filled eyes and looked up to see a rugged and dignified face.

Although he had a short beard, his sword-like brows and starry eyes still made him handsome.

It was the appearance of her uncle from her memories, but the stubble on his chin had grown longer.

She had wondered why there had been no reply to her letters for so long, but it turned out her uncle had personally come to Xizhou to find her!

In an instant, the relief of surviving and the joy of seeing a relative made Jiang Yanyi’s nose tingle, and tears rolled down like beads.

But before she could call out “Uncle,” another tall figure appeared in her line of sight.

Feng Shuo was wearing a python robe, draped with a heavy fox fur cloak, his ink-black hair neatly tied with a gold crown.

His expression was cold as frost, maintaining his usual demeanor that kept people at bay.

In his hand, he held a dark iron bow, standing three steps away.

His voice, emotionless, called out, “Master Chu San.”

Hearing the voice, Chu Changping quickly cupped his fists towards Feng Shuo, saying, “My lord.”

Jiang Yanyi’s excitement and joy were stuck in her throat; she only felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.

Why was Feng Shuo here?

Did he know her uncle?

If Feng Shuo found out that she had been deceiving him for so long…

Jiang Yanyi felt that the life she had just managed to save might be lost again.

“My lord, all the remnants have been dealt with!” Xing Yao rode over from the southern part of the city and dismounted to report to Feng Shuo.

Jiang Yanyi glanced towards the old alley in the south and saw that Aunt Guo and Lu Linyuan were slowly approaching from that direction.

They were both safe, and Jiang Yanyi let out a sigh of relief, but the real crisis in front of her was the one that could truly cost her life!

After careful consideration, when Chu Changping once again directed his exceptionally loving gaze towards her, she half-limped to her feet, and before he could speak, pretended not to recognize him.

As she bowed to him, she desperately blinked her eyes, saying, “Thank you, brave warrior, for your rescue.”

Her uncle was on her side, and she could explain everything to him later.

Feng Shuo’s temper was unpredictable; it wouldn’t be easy to explain to him.

She had to conceal this from Feng Shuo first.

Chu Changping and his confidants were left stunned by Jiang Yanyi’s words, unable to react for a long time.

Brave… warrior?

Chu Changping looked Jiang Yanyi up and down, not understanding what message she was trying to convey by blinking at him.

Did she suffer such a huge shock that she lost her memory?

The expression of pity on his face became more pronounced, and he spoke sorrowfully, “A Yi, uncle is sorry for being late…”

Jiang Yanyi: “…”

Was she not blinking hard enough?

Her heart felt like dead ashes as she glanced at Feng Shuo, only to find him gazing at her with a complex expression that was hard to describe.

Jiang Yanyi sat in the medical hall, having had the stone that had been pressed into her foot removed and wrapped with gauze.

She thought about the embarrassing incident on the street earlier and wished she could find a hole to hide in.

Chu Changping sat across from her, with his trusted aides guarding the door.

There were no other patients in the medical hall, and the doctor and a boy were busy preparing medicine in the back kitchen.

Jiang Yanyi hung her head like a quail and recounted her experiences from the military camp to opening a medical hall in Xizhou, “At that time, I didn’t dare trust anyone, afraid of provoking danger, so I randomly fabricated an identity. After leaving the military camp and being all alone, I worried about unexpected incidents along the way and didn’t dare to go elsewhere. I had no choice but to open a medical hall in Xizhou to settle down temporarily and send a letter back to the capital for safety.”

“Although the prince is benevolent, I’ve always been afraid to let him know my true identity due to the previous deception… When I met my uncle earlier, I was afraid he would expose me, so I had to pretend not to recognize him.”

She briefly summarized her experiences in Xizhou, and Chu Changping knew she was downplaying her troubles.

He slammed his hand on the table and turned away to wipe his eyes. “It’s all Uncle’s fault. The last time I came to Xizhou, if I had asked more carefully, I could have had someone check the body before it was transported back to the capital, and we wouldn’t have gone through such a long detour to find you.”

That time, it was a misunderstanding; Feng Shuo thought Jiang Yanyi was dead and had someone collect her body for burial.

Chu Changping’s people had worked hard to discover only that Jiang Yanyi had been reported dead.

After digging up the grave, they found that the camp prostitute had died in a tragic manner, without even a complete set of clothing, and he couldn’t bear to look closely.

He had left the stationed camp in Yongzhou without permission, and in a rush to return to the capital, he couldn’t find a proper maid to prepare Jiang Yanyi’s remains, so he decided to transport the coffin back to the capital.

After all, he couldn’t let a bunch of rough men handle his “niece’s” appearance.

Jiang Yanyi was unaware of this and asked in confusion, “Uncle has been to Xizhou?”

Chu Changping nodded and explained the mix-up with the coffin.

Jiang Yanyi felt a strange mix of emotions; it could be said that all this confusion stemmed from that coffin.

So her fate with Feng Shuo began with a coffin?

However, what Chu Changping said next made her uneasy.

“The reason I was able to come to Xizhou to see you this time was also thanks to the Prince of Liaonan. Otherwise, the entire Chu family would have been wiped out by that foolish emperor! The letter you sent arrived in the capital after being rushed by the King of Liaonan, and Uncle thought you had already revealed your identity to him.”

Why else would Feng Shuo help the Chu family?

Having navigated the bureaucratic world for many years, Chu Changping didn’t believe that the King of Liaonan helped the Chu family simply because he disapproved of the emperor’s actions.

He had originally suspected that the King of Liaonan wanted to use Jiang Yanyi’s situation as a weapon to attack the aristocratic families.

The emperor had lost the support of the people, and when the Prince of Liaonan made his move, he would be able to rally support.

Jiang Yanyi would become the most advantageous weapon to win people’s hearts, but if the world knew she had been sent to the military camp as a camp prostitute by the emperor, what reputation would she have left?

The Prince of Liaonan saved the Chu family, and Chu Changping felt obligated to repay this kindness.

But if that kindness required sacrificing his niece’s reputation, he would rather not have received it at all.

He had come to Xizhou partly to see his niece and partly to persuade the Prince of Liaonan to abandon any thoughts of using his niece’s reputation as a tool for public opinion.

He was willing to serve the Prince of Liaonan to repay his great favor.

In Chu Changping’s eyes, his niece had already suffered enough, and even if it was to deal with that foolish emperor, he didn’t want to harm her further.

Jiang Yanyi remained in a daze for a long while before coming back to her senses.

The letter she sent to the capital was delivered by Feng Shuo.

After learning that her uncle had come to Xizhou to collect her body, the emperor intended to deal with the Chu family.

It was Feng Shuo who protected the Chu family…

Did he already know her true identity?!

Jiang Yanyi felt a rush of confusion, and after a long moment, she managed to ask, “How are my mother and Yan Gui?”

Thinking of the pitiful state his sister and niece returned to the Chu family in, Chu Changping felt a pang of distress.

He was afraid to say too much and make Jiang Yanyi worry unnecessarily, so he said, “They’re fine. Once the situation stabilizes, I’ll find a way to get them out of the capital.”

Although the emperor didn’t dare to act against the Chu family because of his leverage over Feng Shuo, the capital was ultimately not safe.

For now, Feng Shuo restrained the emperor, but when true chaos erupted, the Chu family would likely become hostages in the emperor’s hands once more.

Jiang Yanyi wanted to ask more, but a voice from the door interrupted her. It was Chu Changping’s aide: “Third Master, the prince requests your presence.”

Chu Changping responded, “I’ll be there right away.”

He turned to Jiang Yanyi and asked, “Where are you staying now? Let me send someone to take you back.”