C9 There Was Nowhere to Escape

"The wind's strong up here. Let me fetch a cloak for you," Lvyu said, turning her head, only to see—

Nan Yanwu's dark hair was slightly disheveled, gently lifted by the breeze. Her thin green dress billowed, and her pale face made one fear she might just drift away with the wind. Her expression was calm, eyes gazing into the distance with a mix of anticipation and an unexplainable melancholy. Hearing Lvyu's words, she nodded slightly, but her eyes remained fixed on the vast plains, as if waiting for something to appear.

Lvyu paused, taken aback. In just a few days, the princess seemed like a completely different person, both in demeanor and impression. The once arrogant and capricious Nan Yanwu now exuded an inescapable sorrow... She even doubted whether the person before her was truly Nan Yanwu and wondered why she had changed so drastically. Seeing this version of Nan Yanwu, she hesitated... But if things continued this way, what would happen to her family? Perhaps she had no choice but to abandon the woman before her.

Lvyu turned and left.

Nan Yanwu caught a glimpse of Lvyu's expression from the corner of her eye and slightly curled her lips.

At the edge of the imperial city.

"Ruyan, what do you think my father means by sending me to the frontier?" asked the man in the embroidered robe, riding alongside a stern-faced man in a blue outfit, with a slight smile.

The man in blue glanced at him and replied calmly, "I wouldn't presume to guess, but... since His Majesty has decided so, he must have his reasons and be quite confident. If Your Highness is unwilling and plans to defy the order, do you intend to turn back?"

The man in the embroidered robe was momentarily speechless, then fell silent.

He wore a faint smile, while the man in blue said nothing more, his eyes fixed ahead.

The man in the embroidered robe carried an air of nobility, yet there was a gentle scholarly aura about him. In contrast, the man in blue exuded a striking charisma.

The man in the elegant robe was Xiao Zhen, the Crown Prince, and the man in the blue attire was his guard, Mo Ruyan. Xiao Zhen glanced at Mo Ruyan, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips. Mo Ruyan, his most trusted subordinate, was also the most aloof, always maintaining a cool demeanor. He was adept at understanding others' thoughts without revealing his own. Though Mo Ruyan was not indispensable to him, Xiao Zhen considered him a confidant, even a brother, for reasons he couldn't quite explain. Perhaps it was because Mo Ruyan had once risked his life to save him, the only one who truly cared for him.

While others praised Xiao Zhen for his loyalty and righteousness, they were unaware of his more ruthless side. In the palace, among brothers, he had grown accustomed to schemes and strategies. Without his own ruthless tactics, he wouldn't have secured his position as Crown Prince. Such was the fate of being born into a royal family.

On the city wall, Nan Yanwu stood in the wind for a long time, unable to suppress a soft cough. A chill crept over her, and the peony pendant at her chest suddenly felt cold, causing her heart to tighten and her body to tremble slightly. As she looked out again, she saw a large group approaching the palace. The flags of Qi Country, red as blood, fluttered in the breeze.

Nan Yanwu smiled sadly. What was destined to come had finally arrived, and she had no choice but to face it all, with nowhere to escape.

"Princess, the wind is strong up here. Please come back with me," came a gentle voice. It was Suxiang, not Lvyu. Suxiang noticed Nan Yanwu's forlorn expression and felt a pang of curiosity, but she knew better than to ask. Instead, she carefully fastened Nan Yanwu's cloak, noticing her pale face. "Princess, you must take care of your health. We are here to serve you, and it pains us to see you neglect yourself. If you were to fall ill, it would break our hearts."

"Where's Jade? Where did she go?" Nan Yanwu's eyes were cold.