Yu Yi was slightly startled. She had originally planned to stop nearby, let Luo Ye dismount, and then return herself to meet Meng Qing at Yumen Alley. Unexpectedly, Luo Ye rolled off the horse’s back by himself. She instinctively reached out to grab him but only caught a side of his clothing. Pulled by Luo Ye’s weight, the clothing tore, and Luo Ye tumbled to the ground.
Yu Yi hurriedly pulled the reins to stop the horse, but it was galloping, and by the time it stopped, it was dozens of steps away from where Luo Ye had fallen. She quickly turned her horse back, worried that Luo Ye might be injured. If he was seriously hurt and unable to ascend the throne, their mission would fail.
After being pulled by Yu Yi, Luo Ye first landed on his buttocks, then fell backward onto the ground.
His body had a protective system, so he wasn’t hurt, but he was dusty and disheveled. His clothes were torn, with his entire right shoulder exposed, looking quite miserable.
Seeing Yu Yi turn her horse back, Luo Ye was extremely nervous, desperately trying to crawl up and escape. But with his hands bound behind his back, these movements were quite difficult. By the time he managed to get up, Yu Yi’s horse was already beside him.
At this moment, Yu Yi noticed a familiar black shoulder strap on Luo Ye’s shoulder, recognizing it as the strap from her own women’s protective system. She chuckled softly, realizing Luo Ye was still wearing the protective system and knowing he wasn’t injured, she rode away.
Luo Ye’s heart was pounding. Only after seeing her and the horse disappear into the night did he feel relieved. He then turned and quickly headed toward his own mansion. Walking a short distance, he saw a patrol of soldiers approaching and hurriedly hid in a small alley.
In this state, he certainly didn’t want the patrol soldiers to see him. Fortunately, it wasn’t wartime, and there were no fugitives to capture, so the patrol soldiers were not very alert and passed by the alley without noticing.
After they had gone, Luo Ye emerged from the alley and continued walking. Soon, he saw another group of mounted soldiers hurrying in his direction.
Just as he was about to find a place to hide, he recognized the soldiers were wearing the uniform leather armor from his mansion, and the leading horse carried two people – a guard in front and Pan Xian, who couldn’t ride, behind.
Luo Ye’s heart completely relaxed. He straightened his back, assuming the dignity of a prince, and strode toward them.
Meng Qing suddenly realized why Luo Ye had been walking as if he was holding back urine all day. He let out a light laugh, then suppressed his smile and asked in a low voice, “Did he… did he harm you?”
Yu Yi turned back and smiled at him, shaking her head, “I heard what those old women said to Luo Ye. Before he could do anything, I had already taken him hostage.”
“That bastard, I’ll make sure he suffers,” Meng Qing gritted his teeth.
“I’ve already dealt with him,” Yu Yi told Meng Qing about forcing Luo Ye to bite her boot and walking out of the prince’s residence in front of everyone.
For someone like him, public humiliation is worse than being stabbed twice,” Meng Qing said, hugging her from behind and sighing, “I’ve always said you shouldn’t take on this mission.
Yu Yi disagreed, “If we were always afraid and hesitant, when would you ever save enough money to buy the orphanage?”
Meng Qing said, “I don’t want to buy an orphanage anymore. I just want you to be safe.”
Yu Yi said passionately, “Every mission has dangers. Even sitting at home, you could encounter a natural disaster, just like my father… who would have expected a imperial decree would suddenly lead to the execution of the entire Yu family?”
Meng Qing shook his head, “That’s different. The probability of encountering danger in such a mission is much higher than being framed while sitting at home.”
Yu Yi spoke softly, “Once you’re in this line of work, it’s impossible to avoid risks.”
Meng Qing fell silent and said, “I’m a bit worried about Lin Bai.”
Yu Yi was stunned, “What’s wrong with him?”
Meng Qing frowned, “I found that after you were in trouble, I tried to contact him urgently, but couldn’t reach him at all. Until now, he hasn’t responded to me.”
Yu Yi was surprised and opened the terminal to send an emergency call to Lin Bai, wondering, “Didn’t he say he would know whenever we were in danger or extremely emotional?”
Meng Qing said, “That should be the case, but I’ve tried to contact him many times since the afternoon, and he hasn’t responded. Moreover, I’ve found that many terminal functions aren’t working. These functions require Lin Bai’s terminal to access the Spacetime Management Bureau’s server. His terminal has a higher permission level than ours.”
Yu Yi waited for a while but received no response from Lin Bai.
Yu Yi shook her head, “No, I mean go back to Luo Zhan’s residence. The horse I rode when leaving with Luo Ye was likely drugged by Pan Xian. If Pan Xian finds Luo Ye, he might search for me in the city. You have too few people with you now, so we should go back to the residence.”
“
She had been thinking about this earlier, but when she saw Meng Qing, he hugged and kissed her, making her forget about it momentarily. Then they talked about Lin Bai, and her worry for him distracted her from thinking about other matters.
Meng Qing said, “Don’t underestimate these people. They are all elite from Luo Zhan’s side. Why else would I only bring them to rescue you?” He urged the horse to gallop towards Luo Zhan’s residence.
When they returned, Yu Wenxin had just brought people back. Seeing Yu Yi, he was surprised, “Miss Yi, how could you…”
Meng Qing stated, “Miss Yi has broken up with the second brother. From now on, she’ll be following this prince.”
Yu Yi nodded and bowed to Yu Wenxin.
Yu Wenxin was somewhat doubtful about Yi Yao’s break-up with Luo Ye. He was curious about what had happened when Luo Zhan went to Luo Ye’s residence. He returned Yu Yi’s bow and turned to Meng Qing, “Your Highness, it’s late. Perhaps we should let Miss Yi rest.”
Meng Qing nodded to Yu Yi, “As the master said, Miss Yi must be exhausted after all these events. It’s best to rest early. Miss Yi can temporarily stay in the Shengxue Courtyard.”
Yu Yi agreed.
“
Then Meng Qing instructed the servants, “Miss Yi is this prince’s honored guest. You must serve her well. Whatever Miss Yi asks, you must do.”
Yu Wenxin waited until Yu Yi and the servants left before asking softly, “Your Highness, I’m not sure if Miss Yi can be trusted. Perhaps we shouldn’t arrange her too close to the main courtyard.” Shengxue Courtyard was an independent courtyard adjacent to the main courtyard, which should have been for a concubine, but since Luo Zhan had no concubine, it had remained empty until now.
“Master need not worry about Miss Yi’s loyalty. She broke up with the second brother because she refused his proposal and could no longer stay in his residence.”
Yu Wenxin was startled again, but quickly understood: “Your Highness is about to discuss Yi Ya’s son?”
“Naturally.”
“Your Highness, are you also interested in Yi Ya’s son?”
Meng Qing shook his head and smiled lightly: “Yi Ya’s son is not someone who can be easily summoned. Zhan is not the type to forget kindness. Please be assured, sir, Zhan still relies on you.”
Yu Wenxin hurriedly said: “This subordinate means no such thing. Your Highness, if Yi Ya’s son can assist, then the entire world would be yours…”
“That’s an exaggeration. No matter how clever a person is, they cannot compare to collective wisdom.”
Even if Zhan is fortunate to have Yi Ya’s son’s help, he still needs your continued assistance.”
