Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I stared at the living, breathing Zhao Pingyan before me.

She was urging me to leave on my own so that I might survive.

“Leave the Capital City by the waterways and head toward the Southwest. Seek refuge with the self-proclaimed Southwest King.”

Though the Southwest King was a rebel, he was, at the very least, Han Chinese.

I did not abandon her.

“No, I’ll let you take these male attendants with you as well,” she said, offering a heavy price.

“No, Zhao Pingyan. Both of us are going to survive,” I said firmly.

Speaking of male attendants, however, there was one person I intended to take.

I walked straight into the hall.

Passing through rows of kneeling attendants with their hair pinned up, I saw that beautiful man with ruby lips, pearly teeth, and an arrogant expression.

I drew a sharp blade and pressed it against his throat.

“I wonder if the life of the Fifth Prince of the Yan State is enough to trade for my Princess’s life?”

The man froze for a moment.

“You… you want to kill me?”

The blade in my hand nearly wavered.

Could it be that he had also been reborn?

“You’re saying he is Yuwen Chen? Wasn’t that Yan State Hostage Prince killed by Imperial Father three years ago to vent his rage?”

Indeed, the nominal Yan State Hostage Prince had died long ago.

I only knew this because Yuwen Chen had told me in my past life.

Ten years ago, the Yan State had sent a real prince, but he had been swapped for an impostor as soon as he entered the Southern Dynasty’s borders.

The real Yuwen Chen had instead taken on the role of a mere follower.

Five years ago, when the Yan State and the Southern Dynasty went to war, the Emperor was so enraged that he had the hostage prince dragged out and executed.

Yuwen Chen, hidden among the crowd, was thrown into prison. He should have been rescued by the Yan people then, but he was far too attractive for his own good; Zhao Pingyan had spotted him and casually brought him into the palace.

With my blade against his throat, Yuwen Chen slightly tilted his chin up.

“I am the Prince of the Yan State. What do you intend to do?”

Hearing this, Zhao Pingyan couldn’t even hide the smile on her face.

She produced several long silver chains and wound them around Yuwen Chen’s wrists, binding them behind his back over and over again.

The chains were adorned with tiny bells at regular intervals.

One look was enough to know what they were originally intended for.

“What are you doing? A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated!” Yuwen Chen’s face flushed red.

Behind him, Zhao Pingyan was enthusiastically winding the chains. “Killing you is out of the question, little beauty.”

I inadvertently met a pair of resentful eyes.

Yuwen Chen pressed his lips into a thin line. “Are you just going to stand there and watch?”

He sounded strangely aggrieved.

I was now even more certain that he had been reborn.

In our past life, I suppose I was a bit of a flirtatious heartbreaker.

I gave Zhao Pingyan a tug. “It’s a crisis, Sister. Don’t start playing games now.”

She threw on a long robe and picked up a sharp sword.

She gripped the excess length of the chain like she was holding Yuwen Chen’s leash.

“We’ll use him as a hostage and head south.”

That was exactly what I had in mind.

If we simply used Yuwen Chen to trade for our lives now, I feared the Yan State would take their prince back and immediately turn their backs on us.

Only by keeping Yuwen Chen by our side could we ensure they would always be wary of harming us.

At the very least, if they wanted to deal a fatal blow, they would have to consider the safety of this prince who had been a hostage in the Southern Dynasty for ten years.

However, Yuwen Chen refused to cooperate.

No matter how Zhao Pingyan tugged at him, he remained rooted to the spot, refusing to move an inch.

“You’re leading me like a dog. I will never accept such humiliation.”

I still understood Yuwen Chen well enough.

He had some backbone, but not much.

I took the chain from Zhao Pingyan. “I’ll lead you, Your Highness. Is that acceptable?”

His face remained cold; he didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either.

I gave a tentative, gentle tug, and he slowly moved forward two steps.

I didn’t have time to break in this ‘dog’ any further.

I quickly pulled him and the Princess along, and we boarded a carriage heading out of the palace.

Zhao Pingyan looked at the disgruntled Yuwen Chen.

“When did you two get involved?”

I tilted my head and whispered, “It’s a long story, but we are indeed involved.”

The silent Yuwen Chen suddenly spoke up. “To keep it short: she tricked me first, saying she adored me.”

He sounded like he was lodging a complaint.

But complaining about me to Zhao Pingyan was clearly a mistake.

“Well now, Song Yu. You’re taking my people without even giving me a heads-up?”

I hurriedly covered Zhao Pingyan’s big mouth.

Yuwen Chen definitely heard that.

His gaze turned dark. “Liar.”

Just then, the moving carriage jolted violently.

I pitched forward and landed headfirst-right between Yuwen Chen’s legs.

The posture was a bit unseemly.

However, a triangular structure is the most stable.

Mom never has to worry about me being jolted in a carriage again.

With his hands tied, Yuwen Chen couldn’t avoid me. He could only look down at me.

“Even if you act like this, I won’t forgive you.”

After a long while, the carriage came to a steady halt.

Embarrassed, I pressed against his legs to push myself up.

I might have accidentally touched him *there*, as he turned his head away, his earlobes turning bright red while he let out a sharp hiss of breath.

Zhao Pingyan was about to ask what was happening when the carriage curtain was flicked open.

The driver was slumped against the frame, his eyes wide, blood pouring incessantly from his mouth.

Looking down-

A feathered arrow had pierced through his chest.

But it wasn’t the driver who had pulled back the curtain; it was a heavy sword.

The newcomer sat atop a horse, clad in heavy armor and holding a long sword.

He leaned forward, lifting the curtain high.

“Hand Yuwen Chen over to me.”