0p0 Chapter 236 First Snow at the Cliff
Chapter 236 First Snow at the Cliff
Meanwhile, Mu Ping quietly went up the back mountain. By the time she finished checking everything, it was already broad daylight, but she still couldn't find any trace of Jing Anle.
Suddenly, a reprimanding voice rang out behind her, "Who goes there?"
Mu Ping felt a stiffness in her back. Luckily, she had changed out of her night clothes earlier, otherwise she would have been finished.
She turned around timidly, her head bowed low. "This servant is Princess Anle's personal maid, named Mu Ping. I came to check on her because I was really worried about her."
Mu Ping finished speaking with tears streaming down her face. She was an excellent actress, and her skill in feigning weakness and crying was second nature to her.
"A maid?" the speaker asked suspiciously.
"Commander Xue, General Qin sent someone to say that the terrain down the mountain is treacherous, and he requests that you send reinforcements." Just then, a guard came to report.
"What?" Xue Han immediately turned his horse around, but halfway there he looked back and gave Mu Ping a meaningful look before instructing the guards to take her back.
……
The Imperial Palace, Cixi Palace.
"So, it seems Jing Anle is in grave danger?" The speaker asked casually, his expression unreadable.
"Your Majesty, that's right. This morning, Prince Qing sent someone to deliver a message that the legitimate princess is missing and the crown prince of Dongyuan Kingdom has been assassinated. I'm afraid the situation is unstable!" Su Rong said while massaging the Empress Dowager's back.
The Empress Dowager, however, seemed to have expected this, showing little expression, and asked calmly, "Is everyone in the court aware of this?"
"His Majesty did not attend court today, and I'm afraid this cannot be kept secret for long."
The Empress Dowager's phoenix eyes flickered, "In that case, it's even better."
"Better?" Su Rong looked puzzled.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and Su Rong immediately understood, stopping what she was doing and helping the Empress Dowager up from the couch.
"If Prince Qing deliberately makes the whole court aware of this, people will think it's intentional. Now, let things develop naturally. As long as there's the slightest disturbance, the envoy from Dongyuan Kingdom will probably be unable to hold back and send someone to Dongyuan Kingdom to report the news."
Su Rong's heart skipped a beat. Even though she knew that the Empress Dowager was going to help Prince Qing seize the throne, she was still uneasy when it came to actually carrying it out.
"The Empress Dowager means that since Crown Prince Yelü was frightened in our Jing Kingdom, the Dongyuan Kingdom will naturally cause us trouble. So, Your Majesty..."
The current situation is a trap set by the Empress Dowager and Prince Qing for Emperor Jing. If this happens, it's a minor issue if Dongyuan Kingdom doesn't ally with Jing Kingdom; a major issue is if they become enemies. In that case, Emperor Jing will be overwhelmed, while Prince Qing will have more opportunities…
A sudden gust of wind swept in from outside the window, making the window rattle loudly.
"The wind is picking up." The Empress Dowager glanced out the window.
"It's just a pity that things would be even more interesting if the Crown Prince of Dongyuan Kingdom were to die."
……
"Unknown Cliff"
Jing Anle and Xiao Heng helped each other walk through the weeds. They walked for an unknown amount of time, and when they parted one patch of weeds, they found themselves in even deeper weeds.
After a night of commotion, both of them looked disheveled, their faces covered in mud and their hair loose. Although they were exhausted, their disheveled beauty was still pleasing to the eye.
"Why can't we see the end yet?" Jing Anle was a little discouraged. They had been walking for who knows how long since they came out of the cave. It was sunny a moment ago, but now it was dark with clouds.
Xiao Heng frowned slightly. He could clearly hear the sound of splashing water, but he couldn't find a way out. However, he calmly said to Jing Anle, "Why don't we rest for a while and then find a way out? I have already left marks along the way. If someone comes looking for us, they will see them."
Jing Anle nodded. She was already tired from walking, but she had kept quiet so as not to delay her journey. She breathed a sigh of relief when Xiao Heng spoke and sat down on the ground.
Her feet were in terrible pain, sore and swollen, but she endured it. Xiao Heng noticed Jing Anle's unusual condition and squatted down to check on her injuries.
"Let me see?"
Jing Anle was a little reserved, "No need..."
"If you don't take it off, I'll help you take it off." Seeing Xiao Heng's forceful attitude, Jing Anle had no choice but to obey.
When Jing Anle took off her shoes and socks, her toes and heels were already red, with several large blisters, some of which had even broken and were bleeding.
"Why aren't you saying anything when you're in pain?" Xiao Heng's tone was filled with concern and reproach.
Jing Anle winced in pain. She hadn't expected it to be so serious. She didn't dare look at her wound and glanced sideways, saying, "I don't want to hold you back."
A breeze blew by, and Xiao Heng felt his heart sway violently. He tore a strip of cloth from his clothes and carefully bandaged Jing Anle's wound, saying, "You will never be a burden to me."
Jing Anle was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say, and just quietly watched Xiao Heng bandage her wound.
Looking at his profile and earnest eyes, Jing Anle felt as if her heart had been struck by something, rippling outwards and then receding in circles, repeating this cycle.
"You can't walk now, come up."
Before Jing Anle could react, Xiao Heng squatted down in front of her, and the man's broad back and shoulders made Jing Anle feel at ease.
"But you're still not better?" Jing Anle hesitated.
“I’m in good health, this little cold is nothing to me. But you, if you don’t come up soon, it’ll probably get dark again.”
Jing Anle knew that Xiao Heng was pretending to be relaxed, but at this moment there was no other way; she really couldn't walk anymore. So she leaned on Xiao Heng's back.
Xiao Heng hadn't expected Jing Anle, who wasn't short, to be so light. Their shoulders and necks intertwined, and despite the biting wind, there was a unique warmth between them.
"Peace and happiness," Xiao Heng said as he walked.
"Ok?"
"Go to sleep if you are tired."
Jing Anle leaned against Xiao Heng's back, a smile spreading across her face. "Okay."
She probably didn't even realize how intimate her voice sounded at the time.
Suddenly, Jing Anle felt a wetness on the tip of her nose. She thought it was raining, but slowly, white flakes fell one by one and landed on Xiao Heng's hair. Only then did she realize that it was not rain.
"Xiao Heng?"
"Hmm? I'm here."
"Snowing."