The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

As the weather grew colder, Madam Ruan fell ill, so Ruan Xianrong stayed in the main courtyard to take care of her mother.

After breakfast, she brought the medicine into the room. Madam Ruan was pale and said weakly, "You've been tired these past two days. Go back and rest. I'm fine; I'll recover with some rest."

"It's alright. Mother has loved her daughter for so many years. At times like this, please let your daughter take care of you and show her filial piety."

After Madam Ruan took her medicine, she brought out some candied fruit.

When Prime Minister Ruan returned from court, he saw that his wife had already gone to bed, so he did not go into the room to disturb her. Instead, he sat on the veranda with his daughter, helping to watch the fire and chatting.

Her mother was sick and had no appetite, but she couldn't just not eat anything, so she got a prescription from the doctor and made medicinal food.

Madam Ruan's illness lasted for half a month before she began to recover. Once she felt stronger, she couldn't stay in bed any longer and wanted to get up.

"Mother is still sick, so you should rest well. We can talk about it later."

Madam Ruan shook her head. "No, your maternal grandparents' birthdays are in a few days, and I must handle this matter personally."

"In previous years, I would go to Huguo Temple to offer incense, but I'm afraid I won't be able to this year. However, I can't neglect the preparations that need to be made."

"You're so sick, your maternal grandmother and maternal grandmother won't blame you."

Madam Ruan was worried, and Ruan Xianrong couldn't dissuade her, so she had no choice but to go in her mother's place.

"Don't worry, even if you can't go, I'm here. My daughter will go to Huguo Temple to offer incense."

"Can......"

"Don't worry, Mother. It's not like we haven't been there before. Nothing will happen."

That was settled, and then Madam Ruan was properly settled.

Granny Kong gave her a list of things to prepare, which wasn't too complicated and wasn't much different from modern tomb sweeping.

Qixia Mountain is located on the outskirts of Kyoto, not far at all; it only takes an hour to get there.

Huguo Temple is a royal temple with a large scale and no shortage of worshippers. The temple's magnificence can be seen from the foot of the mountain.

It's late autumn now, and the mountains are covered in red leaves—a truly beautiful sight.

The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, and we had to walk up. We had only gone up two steps when we heard a noise behind us.

"Ah Rong!"

Shen Qinghe jumped off the carriage and ran towards her, "Arong, I'll go up with you."

"Did the doctor send you out again?"

Shen Qinghe was honest and shook his head, "No, I came because I heard you were coming to Huguo Temple today."

The weather was nice and warm today, so she didn't send the person back.

"Did your older brother know you went out today?"

Shen Qinghe didn't say anything, but he knew that this kid had sneaked out again.

He was not in good health, so the group walked a little slower. As soon as they entered the temple gate, they were greeted by its solemn and majestic atmosphere, quiet and dignified.

Ruan Xianrong entered the hall and knelt down to kowtow devoutly.

She didn't have many wishes; she just hoped that the people she cared about would be safe and well, and that everyone could live a peaceful and stable life.

And her older brother in the modern world is a soldier. He doesn't get many holidays to begin with, and he used to come back to her guesthouse to help out every time he came back on vacation. Now that she's gone, he probably won't have anywhere to go on vacation.

Then hurry up and find a girlfriend, settle down and start a family, and live a good life.

Shen Qinghe also knelt down and kowtowed, turning his head to look at the person beside him.

I hope he gets better so he can protect Ah Rong.

I hope... that all of Ah Rong's wishes will come true.

After leaving the main hall, Ruan Xianrong offered incense and burned paper money for her maternal grandparents, kneeling in front of their memorial tablets and reciting Buddhist scriptures for an hour.

The scenery of Qixia Mountain is beautiful, and Huguo Temple is even more so, making it hard to leave.

The two wandered around the temple for a while. Halfway there, Shen Qinghe suddenly had an urgent matter to attend to and asked her to wait there. He would return soon and then disappear without a trace.

A sharp sound suddenly pierced the air, and a sword was thrust straight at her. Before she could even see it clearly, the guard beside her had already parried it with his blade.

In the blink of an eye, five or six dark figures landed in the courtyard, their blades flashing coldly, each move ruthless, heading straight for her.

The silver sparrow cried out in alarm and shoved her behind a tree, "Be careful, young lady!"

Ruan Xianrong's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. What was going on? In broad daylight, in a royal temple, someone was attempting an assassination?

Although the guards fought back with all their might, the assassins were agile, highly skilled, and well-coordinated, so they were at a disadvantage.

Ruan Xianrong leaned against the tree trunk, a chill creeping up her spine. Who dared to try to kill her at Huguo Temple?

This place was dangerous. While the guards were desperately holding onto the man in black, she grabbed Silver Sparrow and staggered away through a side path.

Suppressing his fear, he instructed Yinque, "There are Golden Guards patrolling down the mountain. Go and report this quickly."

"Where is the girl?"

"Shen Qinghe will be back soon, I'll go find him first."

Yinque nodded, not daring to delay, and quickly ran out to fetch reinforcements.

Ruan Xianrong headed in the direction Shen Qinghe had left, intending to find the monks in the temple to help her.

But along the way, there wasn't a single person in any temple, not even any other worshippers.

Just as she was hesitating, a man in brocade robes suddenly emerged from behind the moon gate in front of her. His gaze swept over her, and he revealed a malicious smile.

"Why are you here alone, young lady? Have you lost your way? I'll take you there." He spoke in a flippant tone, approaching her step by step.

Ruan Xianrong's heart skipped a beat, and she took two steps back.

"No need, I know the way."

"You're just a young woman, what if you get into danger? Let me take you there."

As he spoke, he stepped forward to tug at her sleeve.

If Ruan Xianrong still didn't understand what had happened at this moment, how stupid would she be?

Those assassins were just using a diversionary tactic, waiting for her to escape.

"presumptuous!"

"Do you know that I am the daughter of the Prime Minister? If you dare to touch me today, you will not have a good end."

The man appeared to be a son of a wealthy family, yet his face was filled with lewdness.

Hearing her words, he was not afraid at all, but his smile deepened. "It doesn't matter. No matter whose daughter you are, after today, you can only be my woman."

Knowing her identity yet showing no fear sent chills down my spine.

She slowly backed away, her eyes secretly scanning her surroundings, trying to find something she could use for self-defense.

"Who sent you?"

"With such stunning beauty, does this young lady need orders?"

Ruan Xianrong gritted her teeth, thinking about where she could run to where she would have a better chance of survival. Even if she couldn't escape, she couldn't just sit and wait to die.

Just as he was about to lift his leg, he saw Shen Qinghe appear from the other end, holding two red ribbons in his hand.

The gentle smile vanished the moment she sensed something was wrong.

Who are you?

The man's face instantly contorted into a ferocious expression. "Kid, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. Get out of my way!"

Ruan Xianrong shook her head and kept winking at him, urging him to hurry up and leave!

His frail body couldn't withstand the strain of even a young child, let alone a strong man.

Shen Qinghe wanted to protect her, but as soon as he stepped forward, he was kicked to the ground. He groaned in pain, but still clung tightly to the man's sleeve, trying to stop him.

"A sickly guy like him dares to ruin my plans? He's asking for it!"

The man grabbed his neck with his other hand and slammed him against a pillar.

"Shen Qinghe!"

At this moment, Ruan Xianrong had no time to be afraid. Unable to find anything to defend herself, she pulled out the hairpin from her hair and rushed over to stab the man in the back with all her might.

The man winced in pain and loosened his grip.

Shen Qinghe seized the opportunity, gritted his teeth, picked up a stone used to build flower pots from the ground, and smashed it hard against the back of the other person's head.

With a muffled thud, the man collapsed to the ground.

"Let's go!" Shen Qinghe said, coughing violently as he grabbed Ruan Xianrong's hand, his face ashen.

The boy's hands were not particularly large, and they trembled slightly, but he gripped them very tightly.

Before they had run far, footsteps sounded behind them, and another dark figure stood on the wall, bowstring taut, arrow gleaming as it was aimed at Ruan Xianrong.

Shen Qinghe instinctively stepped in front of her, "Watch out!"

A force suddenly shoved her aside, and she heard the sound of an arrow piercing flesh.

Blood splattered across Shen Qinghe's chest. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but collapsed helplessly.