Denghuangtai

After searching for two days and two nights, just when everyone thought Pei Qingyan was in grave danger, things took a turn for the better.

On the third day after Pei Qingyan disappeared, a farmer knocked on the gate of the Grand Marshal's mansion, holding a letter written in Pei Qingyan's blood.

Upon hearing the news, Yun Zheng immediately rushed to the Grand Marshal's residence. It seemed the Princess had anticipated his arrival. As soon as he entered the Grand Marshal's flower hall, the Princess ordered someone to hand the blood-written letter to Yun Zheng.

Perhaps fearing that the blood letter might be intercepted by others, its contents were extremely brief: "The usual place, Yun Zheng."

The handwriting on the letter is shaky, and it's easy to see that Pei Qingyan was injured and weak when he wrote it.

Yun Zheng's hand, clutching the blood-written letter, trembled slightly. He was eager to bid farewell to the Princess and go find Pei Qingyan. But before he could leave, the Princess called him back.

The eldest princess's expression was calm, but her eyes revealed an unconcealable worry.

"Yun Zheng, I've watched you grow up, so I won't bother with formalities. Please make sure you bring A Yan back safe and sound."

Yun Zheng clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes resolute. "Your Highness, rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I will bring her back safely."

After saying that, Yun Zheng turned and left.

This old spot is a natural cave in the mountains outside the city. Many years ago, the two were playing here when they rescued a wolf cub that was on the verge of death. A year later, the cub grew up, and the two returned it to the mountains. Since then, they have returned every year at the same time to see if they can find any trace of the wolf.

However, the wolf was nowhere to be seen, and unexpectedly, that place has now become Pei Qingyan's hiding place.

But why would she go to such lengths to have a farmer deliver the message instead of seeking out the Imperial Guards in the outskirts of Beijing?

Why is she hiding and not showing herself?

Full of questions, Yun Zheng hurriedly led his men to the cave.

Eager to earn merit, the Imperial Guards, once Yun Zheng confirmed that this was the location Pei Qingyan had indicated in his letter, had their leader, a captain, hurriedly head into the cave.

However, as soon as he stepped in, he heard a "whoosh" and was lifted upside down.

Yun Zheng remained calm, as if he had expected this. "Don't move."

Having said that, he, who wouldn't let anyone else touch him, stepped forward and walked towards the cave entrance. Another captain tried to stop him, but Yun Zheng shook his head and refused.

Yun Zheng walked to the cave entrance, but didn't go inside. Standing at the entrance, he called out, "Ayan, it's me. It's safe outside now."

The cave was empty, and Yun Zheng's voice echoed continuously.

After waiting for a long time without hearing any movement, the captain who was hanging upside down began to struggle violently, pleading, "There might not be the person we're looking for in here at all. Put me down first."

Another captain, equally suspicious, heard his colleague's request and immediately stepped forward to untie him.

Just as he stepped towards his colleague, two voices suddenly rang out, "Don't move!"

The two voices were different; one was cold and harsh, the other faint.

A rustling sound came from inside the cave, growing closer and closer. Pei Qingyan, hunched over, slowly walked in.

"Yun Zheng".

Upon seeing Yun Zheng, Pei Qingyan strode towards him, but after only two steps, everything went black and she collapsed to the ground.

At that time, Yun Zheng had no experience. After watching Pei Qingyan fall to the ground, he felt as if the blood in his body had frozen, and his heart ached as if it were being torn apart, but he could not move an inch.

Later, after an examination by the physicians of the Grand Marshal's mansion, dozens of wounds were found on Pei Qingyan's body. One of the wounds was only a few inches from his heart. If it had been slightly off, Pei Qingyan would have been a cold corpse.

Pei Qingyan lost too much blood and remained unconscious for a day and a night before waking up.

Yun Zheng, however, stubbornly stayed outside the courtyard.

Later, Pei Qingyan regained consciousness and told Princess Yunzheng and others what had happened after she and Yunzheng separated.

It turned out that not long after Yun Zheng left, an inconspicuous, dilapidated donkey cart slowly drove up and stopped at the gate of the mansion.

The person inside the carriage slowly got out. The person was wearing a veil, so his appearance could not be seen. Judging from his figure, he looked like an old man.

Remembering Yun Zheng's instructions, Pei Qingyan did not act impulsively and continued to obediently guard outside the door.

About an hour later, not only did Yun Zheng not return, but an uninvited guest arrived. It was Wang Hong, the Minister of Justice.

Wang Hong arrived in a panic, his voice trembling as he knocked on the door. "This place has been exposed. Someone is lying in ambush nearby."

The sharp voice shattered the surrounding tranquility. As soon as the words were spoken, the door opened, and four or five burly men rushed out and began to search around.

From the bushes, Pei Qingyan saw Wang Hong riding alone and felt a sense of foreboding. He immediately drew a short knife from behind him and held it in his hand.

When one of the burly men found the bushes where she was hiding, Pei Qingyan leaped up and stabbed him in the heart with a knife, killing him instantly.

This was her first time killing someone. Watching a living person fall in front of her, blood gushing out, she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine. Her hands and feet were ice-cold, and she trembled so much that she couldn't pull the dagger out of the person's body.

But the commotion had already alerted the other three, who exchanged glances and walked over at the same time.

Left with no other choice, Pei Qingyan could only "snatch" the long knife from the burly man on the ground, use the tree trunk to conceal herself, and when the three men came, she did the same thing, sending them one by one to meet the King of Hell.

Wang Hong, who was hiding at the door, heard that something was wrong and immediately blew his whistle. The sound was sharp and loud, like the mournful cry of birds and beasts.

The people inside need to escape!

At this point, Pei Qingyan disregarded everything else, immediately grabbed her knife, and stormed into the courtyard. Wang Hong tried to stop her, but she preemptively struck him down and knocked him unconscious.

She chased after him all the way to the back gate and saw the old man who had been wearing a veiled hat hurriedly climbing onto the carriage. He looked flustered and disheveled, and the veil of his hat had already been lifted up, revealing the old man's appearance.

This man's name was Wang Fang. Although he was from a collateral branch of the Langya Wang clan, his daughter was the late emperor's wife, second only to Empress Yun in the imperial harem.

Thanks to their daughter, their branch of the family has become quite successful in Chang'an. Wang Hong, who just rode up to deliver the message, is Wang Fang's nephew.

Seeing that Pei Qingyan had seen his appearance, Wang Fang knew that if Pei Qingyan reported it to the late emperor, not only would he be in deep trouble, but it might also implicate his daughter in the palace. Therefore, Wang Fang decided to kill Pei Qingyan at all costs.

Pei Qingyan was outnumbered and could only fight her way out. Fearing Yun Zheng wouldn't be able to find her, she left marks along the way. Unexpectedly, those items were eventually discovered by the Wang family's nephews and nieces in the Imperial Guard, who then set up a maze to keep Yun Zheng completely bewildered.

Pei Qingyan evaded her pursuers until Yun Zheng arrived with the Imperial Guards. Thinking she had reinforcements, she immediately revealed herself and asked the guards to capture the person. Unexpectedly, the guards, upon seeing her, raised their swords and struck.