Originally it was a cloudy day, and by dusk, the sky had completely darkened. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Even though they had been guarding all day with nothing happening, the guards around the county government still dared not relax. Each of them stood upright, with solemn expressions, avoiding eye contact.

Until the light dimmed to the point where they could barely see each other, someone finally suggested going to get a lantern.

At this moment, a slender figure emerged from the quiet courtyard.

Though her head was lowered, making her face unclear, her clothing and hair accessories indicated that she was the maid Wo Xue who had just gone in carrying a food box to attend to Princess Qin. She was seen carrying the now-empty food box in one hand and wiping her eyes with a handkerchief in the other, as if she had been crying.

A few people exchanged glances but said nothing, instinctively making way for her.

Wo Xue thanked them and hurried off.

They watched her slender figure disappear at the end of the long corridor before turning back. One younger guard quietly remarked, "She was fine when she went in, why did she come out crying?"

Another guard, slightly older, glanced back at the quiet courtyard and the house with the tightly closed doors and windows, which exuded a suffocating feeling under the darkening sky. He sighed lightly and said, "Our Princess Qin is not an ordinary character."

The young guard widened his eyes, "What do you mean?"

The older guard said, "Ordinary Imperial Concubines and Princesses of the Heavenly Family are all delicate and only know how to enjoy themselves—even Empress Du, who sat in the court, only did so in the court. But this Princess Qin is different; she can go to the battlefield."

"Battlefield?"

"Yes, like the recent Battle of Fufeng—"

The older guard had personally experienced the Battle of Fufeng and had seen Shang Ruyi’s amazing feats of "shooting arrows into the golden clouds, deciding the fate of the Nine Provinces." He recounted the earth-shattering battle in detail, leaving the young guard stunned and speechless for a long time.

"So,"

The older guard finally said, "This time, Prince Qin didn’t let the Princess accompany him and locked her here, asking us to guard her. Can the Princess bear this?"

"..."

"That girl just went in, probably got scolded too."

"..."

The young guard was speechless for quite a while, then turned back and looked again at the courtyard obscured by the dim light, and the dark, tightly shut house. After a long pause, he took a deep breath and whispered, "We’d better serve cautiously."

"Naturally."

As they spoke, the person fetching the lantern returned.

But just as he carried the lantern to them, a sudden wind blew, causing everyone to stagger. Suddenly, they heard a "clang" from the courtyard behind them.

The wind had blown the door open.

They hesitated for a moment before exchanging bewildered glances.

Could it be that Wo Xue didn’t lock the door when she left?

With this thought, they panicked, quickly carrying the lantern over. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw the door wide open, the wind relentlessly banging it against the wall, making a "clang clang" sound. The room inside was pitch black, not even a speck of light.

There was no human sound either.

This made them increasingly uneasy as they cautiously approached, the flickering candlelight barely illuminating inside the open door, revealing a slender figure lying on the ground, wearing the casual clothes that Princess Qin usually wore. Several of them were so terrified their legs gave way, rushing inside.

But as they approached, the candlelight fell on the face of the person on the ground.

It was clearly Wo Xue who had just left!

Meanwhile, the soldiers guarding the city gate of Qi County had also raised their torches high. Seeing the hour approaching, they all walked to the city gate, about to close it when a very light voice suddenly sounded behind them—

"Wait a moment."

The crowd immediately stopped and looked back, seeing a slender woman coming out from inside the city under the dim light. Her clothes were not thick, yet she wore a curtain hat, the draped veil blown by the wind clinging to her face, outlining a clear and beautiful contour.

They saw her come forward, give a simple salute to everyone, and said, "I want to leave the city."

After saying that, she turned and walked out.