Prince Yan drew his sword, his face dark with fury. The plan to send Shen Wei to the hot spring villa was known only to a select few—how had word spread so quickly? There must be a traitor in Prince Yan's residence, colluding with Prince Heng and leaking their whereabouts.
The clashing of blades echoed from outside, and the thick scent of blood seeped into the carriage. Shen Wei's head buzzed with confusion. Had the capital become so unstable lately? Even a simple outing could lead to an ambush.
Curious, she lifted the carriage curtain slightly.
The sight that greeted her was terrifying—a black tide of assassins swarming like a flood, while Prince Yan and his Tiger Guards fought desperately against them. The scene was gruesome.
Shen Wei's heart pounded violently as she watched the brutal battle in horror. Prince Yan's combat prowess astonished her—he moved like a god of war amidst the sea of assassins—yet even so, vicious cuts marred his body.
Silently, she prayed that nothing would happen to him.
If Prince Yan died, all her carefully laid plans would crumble. Of course, she couldn’t afford to die either. Death meant losing everything.
"Your Highness, go first!" A Tiger Guard carved a bloody path through the attackers.
Shen Wei’s eyes dimmed.
The Tiger Guards couldn’t hold off the assassins forever. To survive, Prince Yan would have to flee alone. In a life-or-death situation like this, any rational man would abandon dead weight like her without hesitation.
She wasn’t disheartened. Self-preservation was human nature. If she were in his place, she’d do the same.
Her fingers closed around a dagger hidden in her luggage, slipping it into her sleeve for protection. If Prince Yan left her behind, she’d have to save herself—
Before she could finish plotting, the carriage was split apart by a blade. Harsh sunlight flooded in, and in the next moment, Shen Wei felt a sharp pain in her waist as the world spun around her.
Thud—
Her head collided with Prince Yan’s unyielding chest, the metallic tang of blood filling her nose. The world jolted violently as she struggled to regain her bearings.
In that critical moment, Prince Yan had swept her up, shielding her in his arms as he spurred his horse to escape.
Shen Wei blinked in surprise. Huh… he’s actually kind of nice.
The horse galloped at breakneck speed. Shen Wei clung obediently to Prince Yan’s chest, peeking over his sleeve to see assassins still in pursuit. Arrows whistled past, grazing Prince Yan’s robes, and she immediately ducked back into his embrace.
Even if a stray arrow struck, having Prince Yan as a meat shield would lessen the damage.
Though she treated him as protection in her mind, her voice trembled with feigned emotion as she whispered, "Your Highness… don’t worry about me. Your life is what matters."
Prince Yan replied quietly, "I won’t abandon you."
Shen Wei had borne him three children, and the toll of childbirth still lingered in her body. As a man, as her husband, he could never leave her behind.
Shen Wei lowered her head, nestling obediently against his chest as if deeply moved.
The journey was rough.
The horse’s relentless pace churned Shen Wei’s stomach, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. She drifted in and out of consciousness, barely aware of time passing until the sky had darkened completely.
Exhausted, the horse finally collapsed.
Shen Wei tumbled onto the grass, scrambling up in the eerie moonlight. The wilderness stretched around her, and not far away, Prince Yan and the horse lay motionless.
Panicked, she rushed over. Under the cold glow of the moon, she saw the horse’s body riddled with wounds, its breathing growing weaker until its legs twitched one last time and stilled.
It was dead.
Prince Yan lay nearby, pale as a corpse in the moonlight. Shen Wei approached cautiously, praying silently: Don’t die, don’t die—if you must die, do it later.
Up close, she saw a bloody hole near his shoulder. His right hand clutched an arrow slick with blood—likely pulled out after the fall to prevent deeper injury.
"When did he get shot…?" Shen Wei murmured.
She’d been too dazed to notice, yet Prince Yan hadn’t made a sound, nor had he abandoned her. A true man indeed.
She pressed her fingers beneath his nose—warm breath brushed her skin. Relief washed over her. He was alive, just unconscious.
But they were stranded in the wilderness, with assassins possibly still hunting them. How could she save Prince Yan in this state?
Just as she fretted, rustling footsteps approached. Arrows whizzed past, startling her—but a closer look revealed crude hunting arrows, not the assassins’ deadly steel-tipped ones.
"Brother, that’s no deer up ahead—let’s check it out," a rough, country-accented voice called.
Two hunter brothers, out for a nighttime hunt, cautiously approached what they thought was game. Instead, they found a man and woman on the ground.
The younger hunter scratched his head, baffled. "Miss, what’re you doin’ out here so late?"
Shen Wei brandished the bloodied arrow, eyes red with indignation. "Was this yours?!"
The hunters exchanged confused glances. "Uh… yeah?"
Shen Wei’s voice trembled with accusation. "You shot my husband!"
The two hunters froze.
...
...
Birdsong roused Prince Yan from unconsciousness. His eyes fluttered open to a thatched roof, sunlight streaming through a broken window onto his face.
Where was he?
He bolted upright—only to gasp as searing pain lanced through his back. His fine black robes were gone, replaced by rough gray hemp.
Memories flooded back: the ambush on the way to the hot spring villa.
He tried to rise, but the arrow wound burned fiercely, flesh threatening to tear. Just then, the wooden door creaked open, and Shen Wei’s surprised voice rang out: "My—husband! You’re awake!"
Prince Yan stared.
Shen Wei wore a simple peasant woman’s dress, her dark hair wrapped in a gray cloth. She hurried inside, frowning at his reopened wound. "Don’t move yet—it hasn’t healed. I’ll fetch Granny Liu for some herbs to stop the bleeding."
Her presence eased his mind.
She darted out, returning moments later with a bowl of medicinal paste. Gently peeling back his clothes, she applied the herbs with careful hands.
She summarized their ordeal: after the ambush, they’d stumbled into the wilderness. While Prince Yan was unconscious, she’d encountered the two hunters—brothers from nearby Liu Family Village, over a hundred li from the capital.
The two brothers were named Liu Daniu and Liu Erniu. Liu Erniu carried Prince Yan back to their home and fetched the village physician to treat him through the night. Fortunately, the arrow wound wasn’t deep, and thanks to Prince Yan’s robust physique, he stubbornly clung to life and survived.
"When traveling far from home, we can’t let others know Your Highness’s true identity," Shen Wei said sheepishly, scratching her head and stealing a glance at Prince Yan. "So I came up with an excuse—I told them we’re a young couple who eloped... When Granny Liu asks later, Your Highness mustn’t slip up."
Prince Yan: "..."
His Weiwei was truly clever.
