Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I spun around abruptly. A moment later, the door was pushed open from the outside.

A tall man came into view. He wore a filthy cotton robe, and his shoes were so worn that the stuffing was visible. His head and face were completely wrapped in cloth.

My heart hammered against my ribs in terror. What was going on?

Who was he?

Werent there two servant women guarding the door?

I stood on my tiptoes to peer outside and saw that the courtyard gate was now tightly shut. The two servant women had been knocked unconscious and propped up against the base of the wall.

“Who are you!”

The beggar raised a hand to unwind the cloth covering his head, revealing a face as refined and handsome as jade.

It was Meng Huaiqing!

I was stunned. “You? Why are you here?”

Meng Huaiqing gave a gentle smile. “To save you.”

His gaze fell upon the unconscious Hongyu. He rushed over immediately, crouching down to check her injuries.

“Madam, this…”

Meng Huaiqing looked back at me in disbelief. “You did this?”

I couldn’t tell what this man’s purpose was in appearing so suddenly or whether he was dangerous. All I knew was that he had thrown my entire plan into chaos.

At that moment, I truly began to panic. I thrust the paper in my hand toward the charcoal brazier to ignite it, then threw it toward Hongyu.

“What are you doing!” Meng Huaiqing slapped the burning paper out of my hand, stomped out the flames, and grabbed my arm. “You’re trying to destroy the evidence?”

I struggled with all my might to break free. “Mr. Meng, this has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it.”

Meng Huaiqing simply grabbed both of my arms and leaned down to stare at me. “Listen to me, Ye Qingqiu. Someone wants to kill you. If you want to live, you’d better listen to me.”

I froze.

Back at the Marquis Manor, I had sensed that Meng Huaiqing felt some pity for me, and today he had actually come to my rescue.

Was he trustworthy?

No, I didn’t trust anyone. I only trusted myself.

Time was of the essence. I had no time to argue with him and bolted for the back window.

I had just pushed the window open when he grabbed me again.

“Miss Ye, are you planning to escape through the Back Mountain Bamboo Forest?”

Meng Huaiqing frowned and pulled me away from the window. “You won’t get far before they start searching. You’re a weak, pregnant woman; you’ll never outrun those able-bodied men. Not to mention that Lord Cheng is an expert at tracking and capture. Even if you hide in the deepest mountains, the hyenas he keeps will be able to sniff you out. Don’t make a sound. Follow me!”