At dusk, the sky had turned dark.
A carriage stood outside General Zhenbei’s manor. Soon, a young woman in a red martial outfit stepped out and boarded the carriage.
Earlier that day, the Crown Prince had visited.
After he left, her father gathered everyone in the household and told them plainly: tonight, they were leaving the capital. If not, disaster would surely fall.
At that moment, Yu Shuning was both shocked and furious.
She understood—it must be because of the battle her father recently won. It had offended His Majesty.
How absurd. Her father had risked his life to fight for the nation, yet in the emperor’s eyes, this made him a threat that had to be removed.
And for some reason, her thoughts turned to Yongning Marquis’s household.
If the emperor was targeting her family now, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Quan family were next.
After all, Yongning Marquis had once sheltered the Crown Prince and still held military power. If they were seen as forming a faction, the emperor would surely take offense.
Ever since she saved Quan Heng in the palace that day, the two had grown closer, and there was some friendship between them. Shuning decided to warn her—it was the least she could do for their fate-bound connection.
Rain had begun to fall. On the street, townspeople were hurriedly closing their stalls and heading home. Yu Shuning’s heart was filled with grief and indignation.
After tonight, she would leave the capital forever—and likely never return.
***
Quan Heng changed into a warmer outfit and left with Ziyun, boarding a carriage at the gate.
So much had happened that day—her hands still ached, and her heart was heavy with worry over her brother’s condition. Distracted, she didn’t notice anything strange about the coachman.
“Let’s go, to Zhaixing Tower.”
“Yes, miss,” the coachman replied and set off.
Ziyun, sensing something off about the coachman’s voice, asked nervously, “What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve seen you around the marquis’s manor before.”
The coachman chuckled. “Miss, the marquis’s manor is so grand—how could you know every servant? I’m just a lowly driver. There are ten or more like me.”
Ziyun relaxed a little.
“Alright then, just be sure to drive steadily. Don’t startle my lady.”
“No problem, rest assured!”
All the while, Quan Heng rested with her eyes closed. But for some reason, the journey felt unusually long.
By right, the Marquis’s residence wasn’t far from Zhaixing Tower. Why weren’t they there yet?
She lifted the curtain and saw familiar streets—they were indeed on the usual route.
“Coachman, can you hurry? I don’t want Miss Yu to be angry if we’re too late.”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry!” he replied.
Quan Heng frowned and let the curtain fall. Suddenly feeling drowsy, she leaned back to nap. Before she drifted off, she murmured, “Ziyun, wake me when we arrive.”
Ziyun was also struggling to stay awake. She shook her head, trying to keep alert, but in the next moment, she slumped over, asleep.
Hearing the silence inside, the coachman sneered, finally unrestrained. He whipped the reins and sped the carriage toward the outskirts of the city.
On the way, the carriage struck a large rock. The heavy jolt woke Quan Heng and Ziyun.
Quan Heng lifted the curtain. Though it was dark, the moonlight allowed her to make out the surroundings.
At some point, they had left the city—they were now in a remote, deserted area!
She scowled and shouted, “Coachman, what is the meaning of this? Is this the road to Zhaixing Tower?”
Ziyun, terrified, cried out, “Who are you?! Return my lady to the city at once! She is the legitimate daughter of Yongning Marquis—if anything happens to her, your whole family wouldn’t be enough to pay the price!”
The coachman laughed coldly. “Oh, I know Miss Quan’s identity very well. But someone even more noble than her wants her dead. You’re just unlucky.”
Hearing that, Ziyun scrambled to the window and shouted for help, “Help! Someone’s trying to kill the marquis’s daughter! Help!”
The coachman sighed. “You’re wasting your breath. You’re both about to die—save your energy. At least you’ll have each other for company on the road to the underworld.”
With that, he pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into the horse’s flank. Startled and in pain, the horse neighed wildly and began to bolt. The carriage rocked violently, then overturned with a crash.
Quan Heng and Ziyun were thrown out.
Immediately after, a group of men in black appeared, surrounding the two of them in a tight circle.
Overwhelmed by fear, Ziyun’s strength drained completely; she didn’t even dare to cry aloud, trembling violently.
Quan Heng forced herself to suppress her rising panic, shielding Ziyun behind her as she spoke with feigned calm, “Who paid you to take my life? I’m not short on money—I can offer double. Just please, let me go!”
Among the black-clad men, the leader spoke coldly, “Miss Qu, that’s not something you’re allowed to know. Be good and accept death. The sooner you’re on your way, the sooner you’ll be reincarnated.”
With that, he raised the dagger in his hand and lunged toward Quan Heng.
In desperation, Quan Heng pulled Ziyun and rolled across the ground, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Seeing that they were still trying to escape, the leader sneered, “Stop struggling—just die already!”
Watching the dagger come straight for her heart, Quan Heng’s heart was filled with sorrow.
All her life, she had tread carefully, just wanting to live peacefully. Who would have thought it would be this difficult?
It was as if no matter how hard she struggled, an early death was her destined fate.
So be it. So be it.
In that moment, she closed her eyes, ready to face the death that was fast approaching.
Suddenly, a hidden weapon came shooting from an unknown direction, striking the leader squarely between the brows.
In the next second, his eyes widened in terror before his body collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The sudden turn of events shocked not only Quan Heng, but all the assassins around them.
“Who’s there?!”
Right after, Wen Zheng burst in, wielding a longsword, engaging the assassins in a fierce battle.
Among the group, someone recognized him. “The Crown Prince?! Why are you here?!”
Wen Zheng said nothing. His eyes were bloodshot, and with each wave of his hand, he struck down all the assassins surrounding Quan Heng. “Go hide in the bushes behind. Unless I call for you, don’t come out no matter what.”
In that life-or-death moment, Quan Heng couldn’t say a word of protest. She nodded and hurried toward the spot he pointed out.
Truthfully, she wanted to say be careful, but the words wouldn’t come.
Once she was safely hidden, Wen Zheng had no more concerns and fought with ruthless efficiency. Before long, the assassins who had just been shouting so arrogantly were all silenced.
Wen Zheng stood tall, dressed in black, holding a longsword dripping blood from its tip.
The moonlight shone down on him, making him look like a grim reaper.
In that instant, a chill of fear inexplicably crept into Quan Heng’s heart.
Before, the rumors of the Crown Prince’s cruelty and bloodlust had only existed in others’ mouths. But now, witnessing him kill with her own eyes, the realization hit her—
This man… was no longer the “Ah Zheng” she had once known.
After killing everyone, Wen Zheng wiped the blood off his sword and walked toward Quan Heng.
But the closer he got, the more he noticed that she was backing away.
In her eyes—there was fear.
Wen Zheng let out a silent sigh.
He had already tried so hard to restrain himself, not wanting to scare her, yet things still ended up this way.
Standing before her, he extended a hand toward the ground. “It’s over, Ah Heng. Come, get up.”
Quan Heng forced her pounding heart to settle and took his hand to stand up.
She didn’t want to ask him for help, but out here in the wild, if left alone, there would be no one to call, nowhere to turn.
“Ah Zheng, I want to go home. Can you take me back to the Marquis Manor?”
She mustered all her courage to ask this, but after waiting a long while, there was no reply.
Puzzled, she bit her lip and grabbed his sleeve. “Please, take me home, will you? It’s so late. If I don’t return, Father and Mother will be worried sick.”
Looking into her pleading eyes, Wen Zheng felt both pain and heartache.
Those black-clad men had recognized him. They must have been his father’s Shadow Guards. That meant the attack on Ah Heng was orchestrated by his father.
In the past, he had been cruel and merciless—but it was his father who had taught him to be that way.
That man—was far more tyrannical than he appeared.
His father knew well that Ah Heng was his weakness. This assassination was a warning.
If, in three days, he didn’t deliver the head of General Zhenbei, then the one to die next… could be Ah Heng.
Just the thought of that possibility made his heart ache unbearably.
If he sent her back now, who knew what further danger she might face?
Wen Zheng closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had made up his mind. Rather than letting her face unpredictable dangers on her own, it was better to lock her away—put her somewhere absolutely safe.
The next moment, he looked at her and said decisively, “I can’t take you back.”
Hearing that, Quan Heng was struck as if by lightning.
“What… do you mean by that?”
Wen Zheng stared down at her, voice cold. “You should know, I’ve never been a good man. Since you dared not to love me—since you tried to escape—you’ll have to pay the price.”
With those words, he lifted her in his arms and placed her on the horse. Then, with a whip of the reins, the two of them galloped away.
Quan Heng was stunned by the sudden turn and struggled frantically.
“Wen Zheng! Let me go! Where are you taking me?!”
Terrified and desperate, she bit and hit him repeatedly. Even when her bite drew blood from his arm, she didn’t stop.
Wen Zheng endured the pain, holding her tightly in his arms. “If you keep struggling and fall from the horse, hurt yourself, then I’ll make sure you never see your parents again!”
At those words, Quan Heng finally loosened her resistance.
At that moment, she felt utterly helpless. She lowered her head and sobbed, soon crying so hard her face was a mess.
Seeing her finally quiet, Wen Zheng urged the horse forward and rode to an manor in the outskirts of the capital.
As soon as they entered the house, he threw her hard onto the bed.
Then he removed his outer robe and climbed atop her, pinning her down completely.
Staring into her eyes—already red from crying—Wen Zheng gritted his teeth. “Ah Heng, you’re mine. You’re not allowed to run.”
