Chapter 17 The Wind at Night

  She thought there would be a trap set outside, but it was an empty street at night, with cold winds blowing.

  It's only been half a time, and the bustling flower street has become as quiet as a village that has just been looted.

  Long Xilan stepped out quietly, and behind her came Mo Gongyi's voice. "Jin Hua!"

  She turned her head and thought about what she had just said, it seemed to have worked, as the other person wasn't there to stop her.

  Mo Gongyi held his own black fox-fur cloak in his hand and personally put it on her. "It's very windy at night!"

  She didn't say a word, but neither did she refuse. It was indeed quite cold outside, and her fingers that stretched out were numb in no time, yet she still persisted in walking into the cold wind.

  Mo Gongyi did not follow her, but instead gazed deeply at her figure merging into the night, with Qiangui humbly waiting behind him. He asked calmly, "Young Master, are you really willing to let her leave alone?"

  He didn't answer, standing at the gate, staring blankly into the dark night sky. After a long time, the horse carriage from the mansion finally came to pick him up.

  Long Yilan ran wildly on the deserted street, the surroundings were eerily quiet, but she could feel a surge of undercurrents rushing around her. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, yet her heart was beating at an unusually rapid pace. She slowed down her steps, and the streetlights stretched out her shadow on the bluestone road.

  Before long, something blocked her way ahead and her footsteps came to a complete halt!

  A lonely carriage stood in front, and the hot air from the horse's nostrils dispersed in the dim night light.

  Long Xilan recognized the horse and the groom with a face as stern as a knife, her heart tightened, those hidden forces in the dark were all dispatched by the master of the carriage, and the probability of her breaking out of the siege empty-handed was indeed slim.

  The car door curtain was pulled open, but the light was too dim, and she could only see a vague figure inside.

  "That man said in a low voice: 'It's late at night, Miss Ji.'"

  She took a deep breath and declared: "I am not Ji Jin Hua, I am not the second miss of the General's Manor, I am..."

  "You are the princess of the Xi Wang Fu!" Li Hua's voice was soft, but full of penetration, making Long Xilan stunned for a moment.

  She immediately reacted, "I'm really not Ji Jin Hua, I'm called..."

  The sound of horseshoes came from behind, covering her voice. She turned back in a flurry and saw Ji Jinjiang arriving with a group of cavalry guards.

  She knew she couldn't escape.

  "Brocade painting, I've finally found you!" Ji Jinjiang dismounted his horse and walked over with a tense face.

  Long Xilan retreated to the back, and the other party's big hand had already grasped her wrist, with a strong grip. She winced in pain, and her eyebrows tightened. To say nothing of killing her way out, even if she resisted slightly, Ji Jinjiang could knock her unconscious with one punch. Then, he would take her back to the Ji manor, where she didn't know how she would be mistreated.

  "Do you think what you say can change anything?"

  Ji Jinjiang warned her in a voice that only two people could hear, and she also gritted her teeth due to the pain in her wrist.

  "Qiao Wan of Jinxiu Hall in Yuningfang, Beijing!"

  Long Xilan was stunned, looking up at the other's determined face, that was her mother's name.

  "What did you say?"

  "You should believe me, I have enough ability to make a person disappear in the capital city without leaving any trace!"

  Ji Jinjiang threatened her! But undoubtedly, this is Long Xilan's weakness. She had no choice but to give in, though she was reluctant, and couldn't bear the thought of personally sending her beloved mother down a path of no return.

  "Get on the carriage!" The distant stopped horse-drawn vehicle transmitted such a commanding-like sentence, instantly changing Ji Jinjiang's complexion.

  Is King Xi letting Long Yilan get on the carriage? Where are they going?

  "Your Highness, my sister has been found, thank you for your trouble. It's getting late, please return to the mansion and rest!"

  Li Hua said: "Tonight so many things have happened, and the rumors in the streets are still endless. I'm still not at ease, it's better to let the royal guards protect Jin Hua's safety!"

  Ji Jinjiang also had his concerns and immediately pushed back: "But before the grand wedding, this is not in line with etiquette."

  Li Hua had made up his mind and simply said two words.

  "Get on the bus!"

  Ji Jinjiang looked over with a raised eyebrow and let go of Long Yilan's hand, softly warning: "For your sake, for that person's sake, you should know how to behave."

  Long Xilan glared at him fiercely, turned around, lowered her head, and carefully walked to the horse-drawn carriage, got on.

  The carriage moved on, and Xuwang Li Hua, who was sitting in the same carriage, casually said, "For that person, is it really worth it?"

  Her face was shocked, could it be that Li Hua also knew about her mother's affair?

  She didn't answer, but in her heart she thought it was worth it. Every night, she dreamed of that kind face, just to see her with her own eyes and call out "Mother", how could it not be worth it?

  "But he never thought of really taking you away!" Li Hua turned his head to one side, his hand unconsciously stroking the jade pendant at his waist.

  Long Xilan only then realized that the person the other party was talking about was not her mother, but Mo Gongyi.

  King Xi must have thought she jumped into the moat and escaped in order to elope with Crown Prince Xian of Qi.

  It is also the king's temperament and endurance that are very good, and now he can still say these words so calmly. If it were someone else, they would have been furious long ago!

  And because of this, Long Xilan, who was sitting next to Li Hua, became even more anxious.

  The horse-drawn carriage passed through several alleys and finally arrived at its destination. When Long Xilan followed Li Huan down from the carriage, she saw that the sign above the gate read "Liyuan", which was not the Xi Wangfu.

  Under the red lanterns of the gate, a round-faced and plump woman stood with a smile, waiting for their arrival.

  "The king has returned!" The woman came forward and Li Hua smiled slightly and nodded at her.

  A group of people entered the pear garden, and Li Hua instructed the woman: "Chen Niang, please take care of Miss Ji's life in the other courtyard."

  Madam Chen looked at Long Xilan's outfit with a gentle smile and said softly: "Please come this way, miss!"

  He led her through the garden with artificial hills to a quiet courtyard, introducing her along the way. This mansion was a branch of the Wang Mansion, where Li Huai occasionally came to stay for a short while, and this Mrs. Chen was Li Huai's wet nurse.

  No wonder he would entrust this person with the responsibility of taking care of Long Xilan's daily life.

  "It's getting late, miss. You must be very tired today. Why don't you take a bath and change your clothes first?" Chen's mother led her into the main room of the small courtyard, where everything was already prepared, including the clothes she wanted to change into and a bucket of hot water.

  Originally, Chen Niang was supposed to attend her bath, but she had been raised as a boy since childhood and was not used to such treatment. Fortunately, Chen Niang didn't bother and took several maids out with her. Before closing the door, she specifically instructed: "Lao Sheng will wait outside the door, if Miss has something, just call me!"

  Long Xilan could only hold the attitude of coming and going, wearing loose clothes to enter the bathtub. The icy water in the moat had been washed away, and she had even been pulled by a ghost, feeling uncomfortable for a long time. As soon as her body entered the hot water, she felt much more comfortable. However, after soaking in the hot water for too long, she quickly became dizzy in the bathtub!

  In the blur, she felt a shadow approaching. When she wanted to open her eyes to look, she felt a pair of icy big hands pressing her head into the water with force!