The Slender Waist-Chapter 181 - 130 Effortlessly Bagged

Feng Yun did not struggle, her face pressed against Wen Xingsu’s chest. She listened to his strong heartbeat, inhaled the scent of osmanthus cake emanating from him, and with heavy eyelids that drooped softly, she asked him:

"What’s wrong?"

Wen Xingsu spoke softly, "Don’t look back."

Behind Feng Yun on the river surface, a boat painted with tung oil and green lacquer appeared and disappeared in the thin mist. Its passengers, like them, wore no armor but were dressed like ordinary servants from scholar families.

A handsome young man in blue robes sat amid the servants.

Spotting their boat, the young master peeked out curiously...

In broad daylight, the man and woman on the rowboat clung tightly to each other. The petite girl lay prostrate before the tall man, who bowed his head and used his large sleeve to cover them, as if he were kissing her...

The handsome young master’s face turned red, and he quickly withdrew.

Feng Yun heard the noise and instinctively raised her head.

Wen Xingsu pressed the back of her head, "Don’t move."

Feng Yun calmed down, "Who is it?"

Wen Xingsu: "Xiao Rong."

Feng Yun paused, then let out a low laugh.

"Seeking high and low I could not find; unexpectedly, it required no effort at all."

In this life, fortune truly favored her.

Her luck was just too good.

"Ye Chuang!"

She glanced to the side from within Wen Xingsu’s embrace and spoke softly.

"I wish to keep the people on that boat, no matter the cost."

Ye Chuang caught the flick of his eyelid as he watched her nestled in Wen Xingsu’s arms, then turned to look at the departing boat.

"Understood!"

This was the first time the young lady had directly given him an order. Ye Chuang felt a surge of adrenaline not because of the General’s instructions, nor because of Ao Qi’s trust, but simply because he wanted to show her, to let the young lady know that they were far stronger than her troops.

Feng Yun was completely unaware of the boys’ competitive desires.

To avoid startling their quarry, she let Wen Xingsu hold her gently until the other boat was far away before loosening her embrace.

The two of them did not speak for a long while.

Feng Yun tidied her disheveled hair.

Wen Xingsu watched her silently for a moment, then said, "Xiao Rong is still young and lacks the ability to distinguish right from wrong. You don’t need to make things difficult for her..."

Feng Yun smiled at him, speaking slowly but seriously.

"Isn’t this a way of teaching her? If she can’t distinguish right from wrong, then she has to learn."

-

Dressed in men’s clothing, Xiao Rong lay in the cabin of the boat. As they lost sight of the other vessels, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought we encountered the enemy forces, huh, it turns out to be just a pair of wild mandarin ducks..."

She had two maidservants, one named Mingzhu and the other named Ruixue, currently attending to her on either side.

Hearing her, Ruixue said, "Judging by their appearance, they seem like nobles escaping disaster, with a boat full of their belongings..."

Xiao Rong nodded, feeling lazy and a bit listless, but also a little excited, "I wonder if my imperial brother will go crazy once he finds out I’m gone?"

Mingzhu pursed her lips, dissatisfied with the cramped boat.

"Your Highness shouldn’t have left the capital on your own to endure hardship in such a place."

"Indeed, Baoyun Palace is much more comfortable. Here, we eat pig feed, sleep in a dog’s den. If this keeps up, the Princess’s stature will go from tall to short."

Both maids had grown up by Xiao Rong’s side and were spoiled by her. Their frequent unruly behavior blurred the lines between servant and sister. Xiao Rong was tolerant towards them, letting their mouths run wild without restraint.

"His Majesty sent guards to escort you back to the capital, yet you sneak away halfway there. When we return to the palace, the maids will suffer the consequences again..."

"Lady Feng always uses Your Highness as a shield, making you speak the harsh words and do the tough tasks while she plays the good person in front of His Majesty. The blame always falls on you, hmph..."

"Don’t talk nonsense." Xiao Rong waved her hand indifferently, "Aying is timid and gentle by nature. Given imperial brother’s coldness towards her, if I don’t protect her, wouldn’t she be pitiable?"

She added, "This matter has nothing to do with Aying. It is my own doing..."

"Your Highness!" Mingzhu’s nose wrinkled with frustration, "His Majesty clearly doesn’t like Lady Feng, yet you insist on matchmaking..."

"But I don’t like Feng Shi Er Niang either."

Xiao Rong rolled her eyes and viciously bit into a piece of fruit.

"The thought of imperial brother taking her back to the palace and having to frequently interact with her and address her as Empress Sister-in-law makes me very uncomfortable..."

Mingzhu scoffed, "And addressing Lady Feng as Empress Sister-in-law wouldn’t make you uncomfortable?"

"That’s different. Aying is my best friend."

Ruixue saw Mingzhu about to retort and gave her a look before soothing Xiao Rong with a smile.

"Then speak well with His Majesty upon your return, why run away..."

Xiao Rong sighed, shaking her head with her eyes rolling, "You don’t understand. His Majesty is set on having Feng Shi Er Niang and won’t listen to me... With the army encircling Bingzhou this time, he will surely force Pei Jue to hand her over. I must do this to make him give up that hope..."

While speaking, she called out to the guard outside.

"Miao Jing, how much longer till we arrive?"

The muscular man outside looked in at her.

"Replying to Your Highness, this river is quite strange, with both banks looking identical, and it’s hard to find our way with the waterway twisting and turning. I’m a bit dizzy... Please wait a moment, I’ll have Xiaowei check again..."

Xiao Rong grew impatient.

"When you can’t even handle such a small task, first find a place to dock. I need to relieve myself..."

If she’s gone the wrong way, so be it. As long as she deals with the matter at hand.

After all, with Bingzhou under siege and the Qi Army everywhere, it made no difference which way she went...

As Xiao Rong thought this, she straightened up again.

"Ruixue, fetch paper and ink." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ruixue was startled, "Your Highness, what are you going to do?"

Xiao Rong smiled with curving eyes, "I am going to give my imperial brother a surprise."

Mingzhu set up a desk for Princess Hanzhang, Ruixue prepared the paper and brush, and knelt down to grind the ink.

Xiao Rong knelt down, picked up the brush, and started to write.

Although she was spoiled and willful, she had received a good education in the Xiao Family since childhood. Though her reading was not very good, she could write beautifully with a lot of character.

"To my esteemed imperial brother: In a moment of recklessness, I strayed from the group and was captured due to Feng Twelve’s cunning plot... This woman, shameless as she is, dared to blackmail with the position of Daqi’s Empress, demanding a proper wedding and the title of Empress in return for sparing my life... Imperial brother, my death would be of little consequence, but you must not yield to her manipulation..."

She wrote a great deal.

Then feeling that something was not quite appropriate, she crossed out the latter part and replaced it with,

"Imperial brother, I swear to never coexist with Feng Twelve; in this life, if she exists, I do not, and if I exist, she does not."

After reading it through one more time, she nodded in satisfaction and handed the letter to Ruixue.

"Keep this safe, and once we reach our hiding place, have someone send it to Hengqu Pass. I want to see whether imperial brother wants me or that Feng Twelve..."

Ruixue sighed, feeling that Her Highness was truly foolish.

Even if Lady Feng was wronged, was there a need for her to step in?

Whom the Emperor wishes to marry, how could a sister interfere?

Now Lady Feng was enjoying her luxuries, waiting to live the good life, while her own mistress insisted on hiding in some godforsaken place, waiting for His Majesty and Feng Twelve to fall out...

What exactly was she contending for?

No matter who becomes the Empress, it cannot shake her position in His Majesty’s heart, can it?

The two maidens sighed in unison, "Yes."

-

Before long, the canopy boat pulled up to the bank.

Xiao Rong stepped ashore with the help of her two maidens.

There were no inhabitants here, the untamed mountain paths were overgrown with wild grass and trees, and as night approached, fog from the river began to spread...

The crows cried out at dusk, and Xiao Rong felt somewhat nervous.

As a princess, she found it utterly intolerable to relieve herself in such a place.

"None of you are to turn around."

She gave the order to the guards, unconvinced, before walking behind a thick patch of grass. The sight of the damp, decaying ground nearly made her vomit on the spot. She wished she could return to her Baoyun Palace immediately...

No...

She vehemently rejected the thought.

If she could just persevere for three to five days, at most another ten, she could extinguish her imperial brother’s hopes.

It was worth it!

Xiao Rong held her nose and let the maidens help her with her clothes...

As she was about to squat down, the sound of rustling reached her ears.

Then suddenly, several figures leapt out from the bushes, their blades flashing towards her before she could react...

"Don’t move."

Those people were too quick, and before she knew it, blades were at their throats.

The two maidens, realizing too late, screamed out loud.

"Help!"

Only then did Xiao Rong’s guards turn in confusion...

But it was too late.

They had kept their distance to avoid offending the princess.

But those few people were now eyeing their noble princess with her disheveled dress, showing not a shred of respect, their eyes cold and audacious.

"Are you done urinating? If you’re done, stand up and come with us."

Xiao Rong’s face flushed to her ears.

She had never experienced such humiliation in her entire life.

The faces before her were unfamiliar, strong and robust, armed with weapons. They were not dressed like the Jin Army, but were instead from the boats they had seen earlier...

One could imagine that while she was undressing to relieve herself just now, they watched her with unblinking eyes...

Xiao Rong felt a desire to die.

"Who are you, whose private soldiers?"

No one answered.

"What do you want? Robbing people in broad daylight, don’t you see who I am?"

Xiao Rong tried to embolden herself, but her words came out weaker and weaker...

The other party didn’t respond to her.

Suddenly, Mingzhu grabbed her arm.

"Your Highness, look quickly..."

Mingzhu’s voice carried fear.

Following her gaze, Xiao Rong turned her head and her eyes widened in shock.

"Feng, Feng Shi Er Niang?"

Feng Yun stood amidst the mountain breeze, her skirt fluttering, her smile ambiguous.

"Princess Hanzhang... oh no, you are the Princess now."

Feng Yun bowed gracefully, giving her a respectful salute.

"Princess, it has been a long time."