Zuo Baixuan hopes that, at least now that her mother has passed away and she has left the palace, she can be freed.
Seeing the sorrow and determination in Zuo Baixuan's eyes, Luan Yenan couldn't help but hug her tightly: "Xuan'er, your mother was very good to me when she was alive, and she entrusted you to me. I will definitely avenge her and take good care of you."
Zuo Baixuan gripped Luan Yenan's clothes tighter, looked up at him, and her eyes were still filled with disbelief.
She never expected that Luan Yenan's plan was not just to kill Prince Dan and elope with her, but that he had a much bigger plan.
"You want to fight your way back to the palace?" Zuo Baixuan's hands trembled slightly. She could even imagine what the people would suffer when the rebel army stormed into the capital, and what the palace maids, nannies, and eunuchs in the inner palace would experience.
Although she hated Emperor Li to the extreme, years of being bound by Confucian ethics and even her mother's death had prevented her from living in hatred, making it impossible for her to face the matter of "patricide" or the devastation brought about by the cruel war.
Fortunately, Luan Yenan cupped her face and shook his head: "I am only responsible for coordinating from within and without, leading Prince Dan towards the border of Nan Gao Kingdom. At the appropriate time, we will assassinate Prince Dan. The rebel army will make it look like what Nan Gao Kingdom did, and Bei Gao Kingdom will definitely retaliate against the two countries. At that time, the balance of the three countries will be broken, and the rebel army will take advantage of the chaos to attack the capital."
A look of worry appeared in Zuo Baixuan's eyes.
She always felt that things weren't as simple as Luan Yennan had described.
The guards around Prince Dan were not mere decorations; an assassination attempt was no simple matter. And the rebel army, wanting to fabricate the incident as being carried out by the Southern Gao Kingdom, would undoubtedly pursue and exterminate them all. Every step Luan Ye Nan took so casually terrified her.
But she chose to trust Luan Yenan. Now, Luan Yenan is her source of security, and she hopes to be Luan Yenan's emotional support, backing all her decisions.
Luan Yenan noticed the worry in Zuo Baixuan's eyes.
She naturally knew that what she was talking about wasn't so easy, which is why she had been proceeding cautiously step by step during this period.
The palace maids she arranged to accompany her on the marriage alliance may seem insignificant, but they were all members of the rebel army who had been arranged to enter the palace in advance. A few clever ones were also selected to come along, just to provide support.
Moreover, the spies around him are all trusted confidants cultivated over many years, making all preparations to deal with any unforeseen events.
The appearance of Zuo Baixuan was an accident for Luan Yenan, whether it was because she had entered her heart when she was a child or because her secret was suddenly revealed yesterday.
Luan Yenan should be grateful that, from the time she could remember, she was adopted by her master when she was on the verge of starvation, and that she had many fellow disciples to learn martial arts with. Yet, she still felt lonely, standing alone between heaven and earth. She thought this was the norm in life.
She met Zuo Baixuan after being unexpectedly injured and assigned the task of entering the palace.
She was someone she never expected, and she will be someone she spends the rest of her life with.
Luan Yenan curled his lips into a smile and lowered his head to kiss Zuo Baixuan.
The tongue conveyed gentleness and warmth, attempting to bring her a sense of security.
Outside the imperial carriage, the noise continued, but inside, only the breathing of the two people inside grew heavier.
Zuo Baixuan, in a daze, tugged at Luan Yenan's clothes, but with her last shred of clarity, she grabbed Luan Yenan's hand, which was about to wreak havoc on her waist again: "Sister Nan, how can you be like this? It's broad daylight."
"Alright, let's talk about it tonight," Luan Yenan replied softly, keeping her company.
Zuo Baixuan blushed and hurriedly straightened her clothes. She didn't know when, but Luan Yenan had ripped open her collar, although Luan Yenan wasn't in much better shape either.
"Who, who said it could be done tonight?"
"Could it be that I wasn't feeling well last night?" Luan Yenan pondered seriously, wondering if he was still lacking in experience despite being a self-taught expert.
"Sister Nan, if you keep doing this, I won't talk to you anymore!" Zuo Baixuan hurriedly covered Luan Yenan's mouth with her hand, not allowing her to speak anymore.
Although Zuo Baixuan didn't admit it in her words, Luan Yenan still got the answer from her expression.
...
The marriage procession changed its route and was still some distance from Qingquan Prefecture. It took several days to finally reach a small village in the surrounding area, called Qing County.
Soldiers sent by Governor Hollin came to meet them.
Taking advantage of Zuo Baixuan's fatigue from the past few days of travel, she fell asleep in the carriage before it got dark, and Luan Yenan got off the carriage.
A soldier from the prefecture came to pay his respects: "May I ask how to address this female official?"
“The princess’s personal attendant is surnamed Luan, and he serves as a Shanggong in the palace,” Luan Yenan replied.
The soldier bowed and said, "Lady Luan, we have arrived in Qing County, but the accommodations there are not good enough to accommodate everyone. Prince Dan has only arranged for ten people to enter the county. What do you think we should do for the princess?"
Luan Yenan looked up at the sky; it was a clear, cloudless day. "Arranging only ten people is too dangerous. I've heard that Qing County has a unique feature."
...
Splash—
Zuo Baixuan rubbed her eyes and woke up from Luan Yennan's arms. Listening to the sounds outside the car, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "What, is it raining?"
Luan Yenan smiled and took Zuo Baixuan's hand: "Princess, you woke up at just the right time."
Zuo Baixuan was still dizzy and not fully awake when Luan Yenan took her hand and led her out of the car.
She discovered that the imperial carriage had been stopped on the gravel beach.
Even the five horses were unloaded and led away. It was pitch black all around, with no one in sight, only the continuous sound of rushing water.
Zuo Baixuan got out of the car, squinted her eyes, and saw the magnificent waterfall in the moonlight.
Mist swirled around, and the flowing water seemed to have fallen from a fairyland.
Luan Yenan pulled Zuo Baixuan toward the waterfall pool.
Zuo Baixuan hesitated and tugged at Luan Yenan: "If we go any further in, our skirts and stockings will get wet."
“I’ve prepared a change of clothes in the car.” Luan Yennan turned back, still holding Zuo Baixuan’s hand, his bright eyes reflecting the moonlight. “These past few days, conditions have been limited, so we haven’t been able to bathe, only wipe ourselves down. Hasn’t the princess been saying she wanted to take a bath?”
"I want to take a hot shower," Zuo Baixuan said, looking at the waterfall with a strange expression.
Luan Yenan didn't force her, let go of Zuo Baixuan's hand, and walked towards the pool on her own.
"Hey, Sister Nan!" Zuo Baixuan tried to pull her but couldn't.
"Does the princess know what kind of place this is?"
"Yes, we should have reached Qingquan Prefecture today, so why are we here?"
“There is a place called Qing County within the jurisdiction of Qingquan Prefecture. Legend has it that the people who first settled here saw that there were many water sources, and named it Qingquan (Clear Spring) because it was the main one. Then someone discovered a magical substance, where the spring water floated in the air, and called it Qingdi (Light Land). But in fact, the spring water does not float in the air; it is just an illusion caused by too much mist.” Luan Yenan said as he stepped into the pool.
In this late autumn, walking into the pool so carelessly, even Sister Nan would surely catch a cold.
Zuo Baixuan ran forward in a hurry, but failed to catch Luan Yenan. Instead, she was stunned by the warmth coming from her feet.
Luan Yenan then squatted down in the pool and said with a smile, "Xuan'er, are you scared? This place is a hot spring, as the name suggests. The water bubbling up from the ground is hot, and the water falling from the sky is cool, making it a perfect natural bath."
In the blink of an eye, Luan Yenan stood up and extended his hand to Zuo Baixuan.
But she kept her eyes glued to Luan Yenan.
Sister Nan is soaked.
When they disembarked from the phoenix carriage, the two of them did not wear cloaks, but rather gauze skirts, which clung to their bodies completely after being soaked in water.
Taking advantage of Zuo Baixuan's distraction, Luan Yenan grabbed her hand and pulled her into the pool.
"Xuan'er, what are you looking at?" Luan Yenan's expression was teasing.
Zuo Baixuan blushed, but retorted forcefully, "It's always Sister Nan who looks at me and bullies me. What's wrong with me looking at her this time?"
“It’s alright.” Luan Yennan stood generously in front of Zuo Baixuan and pulled her directly into the water.
When the warm water submerges the body, the warmth and the slightly cool touch on the skin are exceptionally noticeable.
"Sister Nan, no!" Zuo Baixuan suddenly fell into the water, and was a little scared. She tried to get up and run away.
But as soon as she stood up, she saw that she was soaked to the bone, just like Luan Yenan had been, and the autumn wind made her feel cold.
Only Luan Ye Nan's hands, still clinging to his body, were burning hot.
That hand mischievously traced clearly across the muscle lines: "Xuan'er, it won't do if you're not clean."
"Sister Nan is bullying me!" Zuo Baixuan cried out as Luan Ye Nan carried her back to the pool and submerged her in the water.
Splash—
The sounds were all drowned out by the roar of the waterfall.
Zuo Baixuan submerged half her body in the hot spring, looked at Luan Yenan, and angrily struck out: "Sister Nan, you've been serving me for so many days, why don't you let me serve you too?"
"Alright, let's see who's better." Luan Yenan laughed and spun around in the water with Zuo Baixuan.
The little rabbit tried to fight back.
The little rabbit was instantly caught by the fox.
Zuo Baixuan couldn't help but cry out, then bit her lip.
But Luan Yenan attacked from behind, biting her neck in the process.
"Sister, you're cheating. This isn't washing." Zuo Baixuan floated in the water, swaying weakly, having lost her support and could only lean on Luan Yenan.
Luan Yenan's tongue traced across the veins on Zuo Baixuan's neck, feeling the pounding of her heartbeat, and he washed his hands even more carefully.
"Isn't this considered cleaning?" Luan Yenan asked in a low voice.
Zuo Baixuan felt the hot spring water warming her body, while a cool sensation clearly traveled through her.
Like a fish in a panic, it frantically burrowed into the clothes, searching for an exit.
Is it really looking for an exit?
No.
Splash—
The spring water was surging.
Luan Yenan swayed with the waves of the spring water, carrying Zuo Baixuan with him.
Zuo Baixuan hovered halfway in the water, still somewhat lucid, and pleaded softly, "Sister Nan, stop fooling around. What if someone comes?"
"Yes, what should we do?" As soon as Luan Yenan finished speaking, he felt his fingertips being tightened.
The little rabbit is nervous.
However, she had already cleared the area. Anyone who tried to force their way in would be stopped by the soldiers of Qingquan Prefecture on the outer perimeter, and if they tried to break in, they would be assassinated by the sentries.
But the little rabbit didn't know that this was precisely the perfect opportunity for a stab.
Falling into the fox's trap, gently torn by harmless thorns, a slight pain and pleasure coexist, but mostly a gentle caress envelops the whole body.
It is a gentle trap from which there is no escape.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-08-10 20:36:53 and 2022-08-11 21:42:57!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the rocket: 77 Not Grumpy Y1;