Whether Xiao Yunting was targeting Chunlin, Chunlin couldn’t be sure.
But whether Liujin and Old Zhao from Beize were targeting him, that, Chunsheng was absolutely sure of.
When they blocked his way, Chunsheng frowned deeply. “What are you two trying to do?”
Liujin eyed him warily, extremely unfriendly, gave a cold snort and turned his face away arrogantly.
At the moment, they were all crouched in a tree, using the cover of darkness and thick branches to spy on Qi Yuan’s door, which had just been pushed open.
But even after watching for a while, there was still no movement.
Irritated, Liujin glared at Chunsheng: “That’s what we should be asking you! We’re under orders to protect Miss Qi. What are you doing here?”
What, does this tree look big enough for this many people to squat on?!
Chunsheng rolled his eyes, refusing to back down: “You guard yours, I’ll guard mine. We don’t interfere with each other. Aren’t you the Imperial Grandson’s guards? Why are you meddling in Embroidered Uniform Guard business?”
Hmph, who doesn’t have a boss?
Sure, the Imperial Grandson was exalted. But his boss was Lai Chenglong!
And Lai Chenglong liked Miss Qi a lot.
He had given Chunsheng a strict order: Don’t leave her side.
What could he do?
While things were getting tense up in the tree, back at the Qi family’s courtyard, both Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen looked deeply troubled.
Qi Zhen was pacing nervously around the room: “I still think Yuan Jie’er’s plan is too risky! She already lured Jinbao out and killed him, great. She could’ve just done the same with Gao Qing and the others, taken them out one by one!”
“Why fake unconsciousness and let Gao Qing take her to Hongdu?! It’s too dangerous!”
Old Marquis Qi was dizzy just watching him pace. He barked: “Sit down!”
Utterly shameful. After all this time, how was Qi Zhen still so panicky whenever it involved Qi Yuan?
Just look at Lai Chenglong sitting calmly beside them, how composed was he?
And he was much younger!
Lai Chenglong pushed open the window, glancing out at the sky.
Even though he knew Qi Yuan was extremely capable, and even though Liujin and the others were always watching over her…
He still couldn’t shake a vague sense of unease.
Perhaps it was because she was heading to Jiangxi this time. She’d be gone for a while, and he wouldn’t see her.
When he went to Japan, he was gone for a long time too, but back then, he hadn’t yet realized his feelings for her.
So it hadn’t been that hard to bear.
But now?
Just thinking about it made it hard to breathe.
Was she really going to Jiangxi just to kill Qi Wang?
Or was it… because Xiao Yunting was also there?
These thoughts came to him all the time.
Which was why he didn’t hear a word Old Marquis Qi said.
Until Qi Zhen called him: “Lord Lai?!”
He finally came back to himself, nodded, and said: “Once Miss Qi has made a decision, no one can change her mind.”
True enough.
Qi Zhen also knew he couldn’t control his daughter. He sighed, then suddenly heard a knock at the door.
He immediately tensed.
Lai Chenglong stepped quickly over and opened it. A person whispered something into his ear.
Lai Chenglong turned back to Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen: “They’ve already left. Gao Qing and the others disguised themselves as tea merchants and claimed Miss Qi was gravely ill and unconscious. They’ve taken her down the mountain.”
As for travel permits and documentation, that kind of thing was no trouble for Gao Qing’s crew.
Old Marquis Qi let out a sigh and stroked his beard: “Let her be, then. Hopefully she’ll get what she wants.”
By now, he thoroughly understood his granddaughter.
She was the kind of person who meant what she said and said what she meant.
If she said she was going to kill someone, then she would kill them.
She’d had her sights set on killing Qi Wang for a long time now. If she couldn’t kill him, she’d never let it go.
So better to just let Qi Wang die.
Once he was dead, there’d finally be peace.
As for whether Qi Yuan might fail?
Old Marquis Qi didn’t even consider it a possibility.
He had full confidence in his granddaughter.
And Qi Yuan herself had just as much confidence in herself.
As for Gao Qing, he was indeed a highly skilled elite bodyguard. His vigilance far surpassed the average man’s.
For example, when he snuck into Qi Yuan’s room, he deliberately made noise, just to see if she would react.
He did suspect she was faking unconsciousness.
But Qi Yuan showed no reaction whatsoever.
Only then did he feel assured, and had her moved into a carriage.
Still, he remained cautious.
When they reached a roadside inn after leaving the city, he intentionally discussed Jiangxi with his subordinates in the middle of the night: “I heard the Imperial Grandson was swept away by floodwaters trying to save a child. When they found him, his whole body was swollen and bloated…”
It was all to observe Qi Yuan’s reaction.
Even the slightest flicker of emotion would tell him she was faking.
But Qi Yuan didn’t so much as flinch. Her expression remained as still as ever.
For six or seven days, he tried again and again,
Sometimes saying Shen Jialang was dead, sometimes saying Qi Yunzheng had died, even claiming the entire Qi family had been wiped out…
But Qi Yuan never once reacted.
Only then did Gao Qing truly believe that she had contracted some strange illness and fallen into a coma.
He smiled and muttered: “Heaven’s really given me a good opportunity. If she were awake, I wouldn’t be confident in carrying out His Highness’s orders.”
He then instructed a subordinate: “You go ahead, fast as you can, take the water route. Inform His Highness that the target has been secured. Also let him know Miss Qi seems to be suffering from a strange illness, completely unconscious all day long.”
After that, he had a maid go in to wash and dress Qi Yuan.
The maid sighed as she gently cleaned and dressed her, shaking her head in pity: “Such a beautiful young lady… what a shame she’s fallen ill with such a strange sickness.”
In the darkness, Qi Yuan opened her eyes.
She smiled coldly, crushing the pill in her palm.
Gao Qing was cunning and suspicious, there was no way she could act like a lifeless puppet with no response.
So whenever he got close, she made herself take a sedative.
This way, no matter what Gao Qing said, she wouldn’t hear a word of it.
She tapped the maid’s pressure point, sat up and stretched a little, then lay back down in exactly the same position.
Gao Qing was indeed formidable.
But she was even more formidable.
She’d let him see for himself what exactly he was bringing back to Qi Wang.
A blessing… or a disaster?
Late into the night, Gao Qing returned to the room after making all his arrangements. He suddenly sneezed.
Startled, he hurried over and closed the window.
Taking a deep breath, he felt satisfied.
He will soon succeed in bringing Miss Qi back to Jiangxi. His Highness would definitely be pleased.
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