"If discovered, they'll merely be walking to their deaths," Li Chenxi said to her calmly.
"How can that be? Isn't the Empress fond of the Prince..."
"Perhaps she was once, but now the rumor outside is that the Prince is plotting to usurp the throne. Would you still remember your old affections?"
"Then the Prince is still returning?" Isn't that foolish?
Ming Yu couldn't understand. Knowing it was a suicide mission, why wouldn't he run?
Li Chenxi, perhaps seeing through her thoughts, sighed and said, "The entire realm belongs to the King. Where could he possibly flee? Moreover, if the Prince flees, what about the people of Hua City?"
"I heard the Empress is benevolent and kind; she will surely treat the people of Hua City well."
"Ming Yu, you don't understand. Benevolence also depends on whom it is directed towards!"
"Do you have a plan?" Ming Yu asked, looking at Li Chenxi.
If there were no plan, she wouldn't believe Li Chenxi would tell her these things.
Li Chenxi heard her and said, "Whether to help or not, it's all in your decision?"
Ming Yu looked at Li Chenxi and slowly said, "What if I say I won't help?"
Li Chenxi heard this and smiled, "Then you can just pretend I never came."
Ming Yu was startled. "You don't blame me?"
Li Chenxi shook her head. "No, because I don't want to force you."
"Alright, let me think about it." After speaking, Ming Yu returned to her room.
Watching Ming Yu's retreating back, Chang Yu, who had been hiding in the shadows, emerged. "Li Chenxi, why are you letting her think? Every day she delays, the master faces one more day of danger."
Li Chenxi looked at Chang Yu and said, "Then why don't you go and talk to her?"
"You..." Chang Yu gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw.
In the evening, Ming Yu walked out of her room. Seeing Chang Yu's expectant face, she said, "I'll go."
Chang Yu finally let out a sigh of relief.
The next day.
The carriage traveled for a full day, finally entering a county not far from the capital before dusk.
"We'll rest here tonight!" Li Chenxi said.
"Yes, Master, please wait!" The coachman, Ming Dong, reined in the horses to make them stand steady, then dismounted. He led the horse pulling Ming Yu's carriage and walked slowly forward, searching for an inn.
The sky had been filled with the lingering glow of sunset just moments ago, but now, as they entered Jingcheng, it was already getting dark. Arriving at the checkpoint, Ming Yu also got off the carriage, as the city gates were heavily guarded and brightly lit.
Ming Yu and Li Chenxi, along with a few others, walked through the city gate. The soldiers at the gate stopped them, and one asked, "Where are you from? Where are you going?"
Li Chenxi replied, "My sister and I are from out of town. We're here to do some business!"
The soldier checked Ming Yu's luggage, found nothing unusual, and let them pass. Stepping onto the land of Jingming City, they found an inn ahead, and Ming Yu and Li Chenxi walked in.
"Innkeeper, two rooms, please!" Li Chenxi called out loudly.
The innkeeper, who was nearby, quickly came over, his face etched with apology. "I'm very sorry, guests, but we only have one room left!"
"Only one left?" Ming Yu asked again.
The innkeeper nodded. Ming Yu turned around and said, "Perhaps we should..."
"Innkeeper, then we'll take this one!" Li Chenxi said.
"You..."
Li Chenxi looked at Ming Yu, as if to say, "You have to listen to my instructions." Ming Yu shrugged. After all, whoever paid called the shots. She had no money, so she had to obey.
"Innkeeper, three rooms!" A spoiled female voice called from behind.
"My apologies, guests, the inn is fully occupied. Please..." Before the innkeeper could finish, a whip lashed out from the air towards him. Li Chenxi, standing beside Ming Yu, his eyes sharpened, waved his large hand, and the whip landed steadily in his palm.
"Who is it? How dare you snatch my whip?" The spoiled female voice faded as a woman in red appeared before everyone.
The woman had a delicate face, her phoenix eyes narrowed, and she spoke coldly, "Is it you, you blind fool, who dared to catch my whip?"
Ming Yu's eyes widened. This woman was truly arrogant, but seeing Li Chenxi's cold gaze, he spoke with chilling indifference, "I wondered which young lady it was. So it's a lunatic. Let's go upstairs!"
Ming Yu smiled, her eyes filled with the pleasure of watching a good show. "Alright!"
"You... you stop right there! Who are you calling a lunatic?" The red-clothed girl said furiously.
Li Chenxi snorted, "Whoever is biting people here without cause is!"
Ming Yu smiled faintly, never having expected Li Chenxi to have such a way of provoking people. This was the first time she had seen it.
"You, stop me..." The red-clothed woman's face flushed with shame. To be insulted in front of everyone by a mere brute, how could she not be angry? She drew the sword at her waist and was about to stab Li Chenxi.
"Qian Shimin, do not be disrespectful!" A faint yet irresistibly commanding voice called out. The red-clothed woman quickly retracted her sword, her anger dissipating. Instead, as the owner of the voice entered, her face broke into a smile.
"Brother, I wasn't being disrespectful. It was this big brute who bullied me first!" Qian Shimin said aggrievedly, as if she had truly been bullied.
Clad in a red-purple robe, her black hair casually draped down, her skin as white as snow emitted a dazzling radiance under the dim candlelight. Holding a fan, her every move exuded grace and nobility.
For a moment, the inn was filled with light, for everyone looked at the newcomer with pity. Qian Shimin was furious. She hated it the most when people looked at her brother with such ill intentions.
"Qian Shimin, I've told you what? No disrespect," the man said slowly, with two maids supporting him.
While everyone gasped at the man's beauty, they also couldn't help but lament. What a handsome young man, yet he was blind!
"What are you looking at? Are you thinking about how my brother is blind?" Qian Shimin angrily grabbed a nearby seated guest and roared.
"I... I didn't!" After experiencing Qian Shimin's whip, everyone knew that this crazy woman was not to be provoked.
"Qian Shimin, what did I say? No disrespect," the man said faintly, yet his demeanor exuded an unyielding authority.
"But..."
"Qian Shimin, if there are no rooms, we'll go to the next inn. Let's not disturb others here!" Although the man's tone was gentle, it was unquestionable.
"Brother..."
"Qian Shimin, you're not listening to me anymore, are you?" the man said coldly.
"Fine!" Qian Shimin had no choice but to compromise. As she passed Li Chenxi, he heard her threatening words, "You wait for me, you savage!"
Li Chenxi's eyes emitted a dangerous glint. He looked coldly at Qian Shimin and said indifferently, "I'll wait. I'm just afraid you won't be able to do anything to me!"
"Hmph, in my eyes, you are nothing," Qian Shimin said and left!
Ming Yu stifled her laughter, seeing Li Chenxi at a disadvantage for the first time, which she found quite amusing. "If you want to laugh, just laugh. Why hold back?" Li Chenxi also saw Ming Yu's expression and said angrily.