kvmb Chapter 458 He is not her only choice
Chapter 458 He is not her only choice
Princess Guangning was so frightened she almost screamed. The intense feeling of weightlessness made her cling tightly to Prince Yu, too scared to open her eyes.
Everyone says that Prince Yu is exceptionally intelligent and skilled in strategy.
She originally thought that Prince Yu must have made thorough preparations for this trip out of the city.
Who would have thought that Prince Yu would take her and jump off a cliff?
Prince Yu watched as her face grew paler and paler, her whole body trembling uncontrollably: "Regret it?"
Princess Guangning wanted to ask: Is it useful to regret it?
Regret is useless.
Because she had no choice from the beginning.
Only by reaching the Great Zhou Dynasty could she survive.
If she wants to return to the Great Zhou safely, she still has to rely on Prince Yu.
"My mother once taught the princes and princesses that once a choice is made, one should not regret it if the outcome is not what one desires. After all, the matter is already settled, and there is no worse outcome than this. Rather than regretting it, it is better to seek another opportunity." Princess Guangning was terrified of death, but she could not show it. She forced herself to remain calm and said, "I believe that Your Highness can get me out of here unscathed."
Prince Yu scoffed, not believing she wouldn't regret it.
She was the most cowardly person he had ever met.
She was an unfavored princess, merely a tool for those in power to pursue their own interests. In the deep palace, she lived a life less respectable than a powerful eunuch.
Now that she is being married off to the Great Zhou, she carries the mission of maintaining good relations between the two countries, which puts him in a difficult position, preventing him from killing her arbitrarily.
She knew this very well. Rather than waiting for an unpredictable fate in Northern Qi, she would rather please him and find a way to survive in his hands.
Therefore, she covered his escape from the city, thus placing herself on the opposite side of the Northern Qi emperor.
If she stayed in Northern Qi, only death awaited her.
Princess Guangning had no other choice but to place all her bets on him. That's why she rushed to him without hesitation when he was assassinated.
Prince Yu ignored Princess Guangning and focused intently on a cliff cypress growing on the mountainside. Its trunk, as thick as a bowl, stretched outwards at an angle, capable of supporting the weight of the two of them.
He landed on the tree trunk with Princess Guangning in one arm and grabbed the rope hanging beside him with the other to steady himself.
This tree is only ten feet tall above the mountain path.
He leaped down, and as soon as he landed, he pushed Princess Guangning away.
Princess Guangning cried out "Ah!" and her legs went weak, causing her to fall to the ground. Sharp stones cut her palms, making her gasp in pain. But she paid no attention to the pain and instead carefully looked around, discovering that they were on a narrow mountain path.
She looked up and saw that the mountain path was only a few feet above the summit.
As expected, Prince Yu had made preparations.
They are safe for now.
Princess Guangning breathed a sigh of relief and was about to ask Prince Yu about his next plans when she saw that he had been shot in the shoulder blade with an arrow, and blood stained his clothes.
"Your Majesty——"
Princess Guangning hurriedly got up, wanting to check his wound.
Prince Yu avoided her hand, plucked a leaf and blew a secret signal, but no one appeared to meet him.
He said coldly, "Go."
In his letter, Zhao Yi said that the royal guards had sealed off the city gates in order to capture the two of them in one fell swoop.
Although Zhao Yi made an example of them yesterday, it doesn't mean they're safe.
He doesn't like to sit idly by and wait for death; he prefers to take the initiative.
So when he learned that Princess Guangning was going to the mountain god temple to worship the mountain god today, he arranged for his subordinates to scout the way to the mountain god temple and draw up a map for him.
He devised an escape route and ordered his men to ambush the mountain god's temple, shooting arrows at the sedan chair halfway through the ceremony. To make the act more convincing, he instructed his men not to show him any mercy.
Only by using himself as bait could he lure out the secret guards who were lying in ambush.
He never dared to underestimate the power of the Royal Guard.
His men who were supposed to meet him weren't here; they'd probably been discovered by the royal guards.
Did they lure the guards away?
With that thought in mind, Prince Yu didn't linger any longer: "Follow me."
Princess Guangning was worried about Prince Yu's injury, and seeing his solemn expression, she dared not provoke him. She hurriedly followed him down the mountain and arrived at an abandoned mine.
This mine is quite old, and it is surrounded by lush vegetation, which hides it well.
The mine was pitch black, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. As Princess Guangning walked in, she felt a chilling atmosphere.
Suddenly, she heard a faint squeaking sound coming from inside the cave, as if something was flapping its wings and flying over her head.
Princess Guangning felt her hair stand on end and fearfully grabbed Prince Yu's sleeve.
Prince Yu paid no attention to her. He found an open space to sit down, took out a luminous pearl from his sleeve, and casually placed it on a stone. The faint glow illuminated the cave.
"Help me pull the arrow out."
Princess Guangning was stunned, staring blankly at his wound, where blood was still flowing out, a shocking sight.
She was timid and had never seen a bloody scene before.
At this moment, she was at a loss as to how to help Prince Yu remove the arrow and bandage his wound.
Prince Yu, having waited a long time without hearing from Princess Guangning, pulled out a dagger from his boot, intending to cut open his clothes so she could treat his wound: "You can't even do this little thing right, what use is there for me to keep you by my side... um..."
Princess Guangning, caught off guard, hurriedly pulled out the arrow.
Blood splattered on Princess Guangning's face, causing her to change color. She hurriedly threw the arrow to the ground, frantically pulled out a handkerchief, pressed it to Prince Yu's wound, and said in a trembling voice, "Medicine."
More than the bloody scene, she feared that Prince Yu would abandon her.
The veins on Prince Yu's forehead throbbed. After a moment of silence, he withdrew the dagger he had offered and took out a porcelain bottle, handing it to her instead.
Princess Guangning quickly applied the wound medicine, and the bleeding gradually stopped.
She looked up at Prince Yu. Even in the dim light, his face was as pale as paper, and large beads of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
Such a deep wound must have been very painful, but he didn't even flinch, let alone utter a sound of pain.
He was not only cruel to others, but also extremely ruthless to himself.
Princess Guangning hesitated for a moment, then placed her hands on his belt.
Prince Yu suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her with a deep, dark gaze.
Princess Guangning's heart skipped a beat. She lowered her eyes, avoiding Prince Yu's gaze, and with trembling fingers, she untied his belt and peeled off his clothes layer by layer, revealing his strong chest.
She had never seen a man's body before, and despite her fear of Prince Yu, her ears still burned uncontrollably.
Princess Guangning pursed her lips slightly, suppressing the shyness surging in her heart, and with her back to Prince Yu, she took off her outer robe to bandage him.
Prince Yu stared at her red, almost bleeding earlobes for a long time. His gaze shifted slightly, and he noticed that her slender eyebrows were tightly furrowed. He couldn't tell if she found treating his wounds too troublesome or if she felt embarrassed by his exposed chest.
Her hand movements were extremely light.
Princess Guangning finished bandaging him and prepared to tidy his clothes.
Prince Yu said, "I'll do it myself."
Princess Guangning had been living in fear all day and had followed Prince Yu on a long mountain road. She was exhausted, not to mention that bandaging his wounds had drained her of what little energy she had left.
She sat down on the spot, raising her hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead, only to find her hands covered in sticky blood. She stared intently at her fingers and said softly, "Your Highness, my brother can protect me and help me escape the city, or I can fake my death and live a peaceful life under an assumed name."
Prince Yu paused, then looked up at her.
She happened to turn her head and look over at that moment.
Their eyes met, and he immediately understood what she meant—he wasn't her only choice.
But she chose him without hesitation.
And I don't regret it.
*
Meanwhile, Zhao Yi was hiding in the caravan after leaving the city, riding at full speed towards the capital.