She refused to marry.

The muscular man wiped away his tears, pulled the nobleman straight to the door, opened it, and shoved the servant aside.

Ignoring the obstruction behind him, he rushed downstairs and pulled her to the bottom of the ship.

A foul odor wafted over, and Su Wanwan covered her mouth and nose tightly.

"Young master! Look, who has come to see you!"

Su Wanwan leaned out.

A tall, thin man bent over and stood up. He had gentle features, a delicate nose, and skin as white as snow.

His body exuded frailty, perhaps due to prolonged hunger, and he had become skin and bones.

Is this person Lu Huai'an?

Wow.....

A stunning beauty!

This was her first impression of Lu Huai'an.

Lu Huai'an stared at her with a puzzled look in his eyes for a long time.

"Young master, she is your benefactor? Don't you recognize her?" The muscular man pointed at Su Wanwan.

Lu Huai'an looked suspicious and gently shook his head.

At this time.

Hearing the commotion, the innkeeper also came over, speaking cautiously, "Honored guest, this is not a place for you."

Su Wanwan bowed to Lu Huai'an, then pretended to take out a handkerchief and squeezed out two tears to wipe them away.

"If my benefactor doesn't want to acknowledge me, so be it. When we first met, you were riding high, but now you're a prisoner, so naturally you won't want to recognize me. Just pretend I was never here."

The shopkeeper's eyes were shrewd. "Ah, young lady, you don't recognize this person."

Why?

"His family was sold off by the government, so naturally they can't be transferred."

Su Wanwan put away the handkerchief. "Really?"

"Oh dear, you're not the only one here to ransom him. The higher-ups have said it can't be done."

Su Wanwan took out a token and a letter from her bosom: "This is the Princess's order. Regardless of what the Shen family told the manager, this person must be taken to see Her Highness today."

"Oh dear, don't scare me." The shopkeeper took the token and examined it carefully. "What high rank does the Princess hold? Why would she send a woman like you?"

"Shopkeeper, you're in business. If you bring people from the Princess's residence to arrest them, will you still be able to do business?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the letter again: "Young man, after all these years in business, do you think I can't see through your tricks?"

Su Wanwan pointed to the soldiers in the distance: "Shopkeeper, let's take another look."

Everyone looked through the window.

Sure enough, they saw soldiers from some unknown city's military command standing on the riverbank, looking in their direction.

The shopkeeper glanced at Lu Huai'an, sighed, and handed the token back: "Oh dear, distinguished guest, you'd better take him away quickly."

"And there's a contract of servitude." Su Wanwan took out some silver. "Don't worry, the Princess won't mistreat you."

The Xuanjia Army soldiers on the riverbank have begun boarding the ships.

The shopkeeper glanced at it again: "Oh dear, what kind of mess has this made..."

"Shopkeeper, you'd better go and greet them first. If the military commanders board the ship, you won't be able to do any business recently."

"Oh dear, this is terrible..." The shopkeeper hurriedly walked onto the deck.

While everyone was going up to the deck, Su Wanwan whispered to Lu Huai'an, "Can you swim?"

Lu Huai'an nodded.

"Young Master Lu, run for your life!"

Su Wanwan grinned, grabbed Lu Huai'an's wrist, and they jumped into the river together.

Half an hour later, the four of them sat in the carriage, soaking wet.

Qiu Shi rode ahead on horseback, heading towards the west of the city.

"Miss, how did you know that soldiers were boarding the ship?"

Su Wanwan squeezed the water droplets from her hair. "I had Qiushi report to the authorities that there were people from the Prince of Changxin on the ship who were treasonous and colluding with the enemy, and then they came."

"cough......"

After hearing this, Lu Huai'an's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly choked out.

After making eye contact with the muscular man, the two men stared warily at the two women.

The car fell silent instantly, with only the sound of dripping water remaining.

"Why are you glaring at my young lady?" Chunhua turned her head and saw that the man's hand was clenched into a fist.

The muscular man cupped his hands in a fist and palm salute, saying, "Young lady, you are very righteous. I am your page, Yuan Zijin."

"Yuan Zijin?" Chunhua burst out laughing. "With your warrior's physique, how could you choose a scholar's name..."

"I am not very talented, but I was once the top scorer in the provincial examination," Yuan Zijin said.

"How did the top scorer in the provincial examination end up in a pleasure boat?" Chunhua persisted.

"That's naturally for my young master!" Yuan Zijin said righteously.

Su Wanwan wrung out the water stains, took out a handkerchief to wipe her forehead, "If it weren't for you protecting Young Master Lu, with his delicate skin, he would probably have been violated long ago..."

"Why did you take this risk, young lady?" Lu Huai'an placed his hands on his knees, his gaze never leaving Su Wanwan since he got into the car.

"Of course I'll lend you a hand, young master." Su Wanwan put down her handkerchief and put her hair up.

"I am guilty and I am afraid I am powerless to do anything." Lu Huai'an's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gripped his sleeve.

"Where does Young Master Lu wish to go after he leaves?"

"Of course, I'll kill my enemy first!" Yuan Zijin slapped her thigh, her eyes practically spitting fire.

"Zijin," Lu Huai'an warned in a low voice, turning to the girl in front of him and asking, "Why do you say that Prince Changxin is a traitor and colludes with the enemy?"

"It's all made up," Su Wanwan said.

Lu Huai'an paused slightly, his eyes filled with suspicion.

Su Wanwan pulled a bundle from under her seat. "There's silver and a travel permit inside," she said, handing it to Lu Huai'an.

Lu Huai'an didn't answer, and continued to stare at her intently.

"Isn't it necessary?" Su Wanwan stretched out her arms.

"Thank you, young lady." Yuan Zijing accepted the gift. "Young master, what are you hesitating for? Now is the perfect time. If you don't leave now, when will you?"

Lu Huai'an hesitated and remained silent.

"Young Master Lu, there's no need to worry. What's done today will be repaid in the future. The place where merchants from the Western Regions stay is just ahead; you can hide there." After saying this, Su Wanwan said to Qiu Shi, "Stop the car."

The carriage slowly came to a stop.

"May I ask your name, young lady?" Lu Huai'an asked as he watched the two get out of the car.

"A nobody." Su Wanwan dared not reveal her name.

She had a notorious reputation in the capital.

"Since it's a favor, I should naturally repay it. If I didn't know where you came from, how could I repay your kindness?" Lu Huai'an lifted the curtain.

"Entrusted by someone."

After saying that, the three of them turned into the alley and disappeared into the twilight.

Yuan Zijing slapped her forehead: "Your Highness, what's going on here? You really don't recognize this?"

"I don't recognize it. Perhaps the pleasure boat was already being watched, and the manager was notified to abandon ship and leave."

Nighttime, Su residence.

After washing and dressing, the mistress and servant fussed over their hair in the room. Chunhua, who had been holding back, finally blurted out, "Miss, why are we saving a salt merchant?"

"Don't let his scholarly appearance fool you; he commands a bandit army. His salt is destined for the Western Regions, so he would never submit to anyone."

"He took such a big risk, and he still couldn't help us. It cost us a full ten gold coins!" Chunhua said with heartache. "He didn't even give us his name after he left. It's a losing proposition no matter how you look at it."

"As long as he's willing to deal with the Shen family, it won't be a wasted effort."

In the original story, the Shen family was tricked by a salt merchant surnamed Lu, and the account books fell into the hands of the Prince of Changxin.

Desperate for a solution, the Shen family resorted to using Shen Yan as a honey trap, offering her to the Crown Prince of Changxin, thus beginning the story of the male and female protagonists.

Perhaps the salt merchants acted a little too early; it only benefits the Su family, so it doesn't matter.