Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 420

Chapter 420: Rescued

An Zhi and Binglu stared intently outside the door, hoping it was a false alarm.

But the sound of weapons clashing in the courtyard soon alerted An Zhi to the presence of an uninvited guest.

She drew her dagger and carefully moved to the window. Just as she was about to peek out, the door was slammed open by a masked figure. Fortunately, the secret guard protecting An Zhi intervened and stopped the masked figure.

The secret guard shouted at An Zhi, “Young Master, please leave first!”

There was a secret passage in the courtyard, which An Zhi had prepared earlier as a precaution.

She hadn’t expected that while she was watching someone else, she, too, would be watched.

An Zhi hurriedly retreated to the inner room with Binglu. Once inside the secret passage, the two of them didn’t dare to pause for a moment.

The entrance to the secret passage led to a separate courtyard of the Pei family. It was usually deserted, with only someone coming every few days to clean it. So when An Zhi emerged from the secret passage, the courtyard was deserted.

Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Binglu suddenly spotted two masked men leaping from the courtyard wall. She hurriedly grabbed her and ran outside.

The villa was built for hiding, so its location was remote and uninhabited nearby, giving the masked men a perfect opportunity for an assassination.

An Zhi and Binglu ran furiously, but they were women after all and could no longer outrun the assassins.

“Madam, I’ll distract them!” Binglu said.

“No, there’s more than one of them, and it’s useless for us to separate.” An Zhi looked around, hoping to see any nearby civilians, but all she saw were a few stray dogs. It was likely that the civilians had taken cover.

“Puff!”

Binglu was knocked down by a rock, and An Zhi quickly bent down to help her.

“Madam, go!” Binglu shouted.

But it was too late. The two masked men had already caught up, their knives raised.

“Tsang!” came a sharp, ear-piercing sound.

One of the masked men’s knives was knocked away by a flying arrow. Two more arrows flew out, one piercing the masked man’s eye.

With a scream of “Ah!” the masked man fell backward.

An Zhi hurriedly helped Binglu to her feet and looked behind her, only to see the disguised Prince of Yongning and several of his followers.

An Zhi saw hope and took Binglu’s hand as she ran towards Li Ji.

The two masked men were quickly apprehended by Li Ji’s followers.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Li Ji looked An Zhi and Binglu up and down with disdain. “You’re so ugly.”

An Zhi, having just been rescued by Li Ji, didn’t have the energy to argue with him. She took several deep breaths. She wanted to go over and interrogate the two masked men, but they had both committed suicide by taking poison.

Li Ji ordered his attendants to find a deserted place to abandon the masked men. “Since they could think of committing suicide by poisoning themselves, they certainly wouldn’t leave any clues on their bodies.” He turned his gaze to An Zhi. “You look so disheveled, and I’m sure your guards aren’t with you. Come with me.”

An Zhi had no choice but to board Li Ji’s carriage. “Thank you, Your Highness! I’ll definitely repay you for what happened today. Please keep this a secret.”

“I’m not a gossip. Why would I go around spreading your affairs?” Li Ji glanced at An Zhi, frowning. “Why are you running around dressed like this instead of staying home and being Madam of Pei?”

Although An Zhi had saved Li Ji before, and Li Ji had saved An Zhi now, they didn’t interact much on a daily basis, and it wasn’t to the point where they could talk about everything.

An Zhi smiled at Li Ji. “Your Highness is in disguise today, too. I imagine you have a secret you can’t share.”

Li Ji choked, staring at An Zhi for a long moment, his fair face slowly flushing. “Forget it, I won’t talk to you anymore.”

After saying this, Li Ji turned to look out the window, but his peripheral vision was still on An Zhi and her servant.

After a while, Li Ji couldn’t help himself and turned back to say, “I’ll pretend to visit the Pei Mansion later. You can change into my servant’s clothes and come in with me. Those who are chasing you are sure to still be around the Pei Mansion. If you go back on your own, they might recognize you on the street.”

Although Li Ji was young, he was not young either. He understood the importance of a woman’s reputation.

When they had been on the run together, An Zhi had known that Li Ji was a tough-mouthed child. Hearing Li Ji’s words, she smiled and said thank you.

“Besides, you’re not the same person anymore. Why are you sneaking out?” Li Ji said, his grandfatherly tone lecturing her. “Or are you having an affair, meeting other men without telling the Pei family?”

“Your Highness, don’t say that!” Binglu said hurriedly.

Li Ji pouted and turned to look out the window again. “I was just saying it casually. It’s for your own good. Two girls who can’t even lift a finger are running around. Be careful not to get sold like last time.”

An Zhi saw Li Ji’s ears blushing like peach blossoms and thought he was quite interesting. She was now afraid of what had just happened. She had thought Pei Que’s secret guards would be enough, but it turned out they even knew the secret passage of her villa. Those two courtyards would be unusable from now on.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” An Zhi said with a smile. “But sometimes, we have reasons to go out. Your Highness should understand that.”

Li Ji knew his face was burning, so he stopped looking at An Zhi and the others. He hummed a nod. Although his mind was wandering, he kept looking out the window.

They went to Li Ji’s villa to change clothes and find a new carriage before heading to the Pei Mansion.

After returning to the Pei Mansion, Chunlan had just emerged to pour tea when An Zhi asked her to go get some clothes.

This time, they had a narrow escape.

After changing, An Zhi walked around the courtyard before returning to find Li Ji.

Li Ji drank three cups of tea before An Zhi arrived. He asked impatiently, “Why are you so slow?”

An Zhi apologized. Pei Que wasn’t home, so she couldn’t invite Li Ji to dinner. She figured Li Ji’s return was just a formality, so after a few words with Li Ji, she asked Binglu to bring the gift she’d prepared for him.

“You’re trying to silence me with these childish toys, but you can’t.” Li Ji stared at the gifts An Zhi had given him, his eyes fixed on them, his tone full of disdain. “Since you just said you wanted to repay me, that’s perfect. Do me a favor.”

“What is it?” An Zhi asked.

Li Ji’s brows furrowed slightly. “Ever since I settled in the capital, so many matchmakers have come to my house with marriage proposals. It’s so annoying! Can you help me find a way to keep those matchmakers away and stop bothering me?”

Although Li Ji was only sixteen, he was the heir of Yongning and enjoyed the privilege of inheriting the title. Therefore, many ambitious families in the capital were willing to arrange a marriage with Li Ji sooner rather than later. Some families with lower official positions also wanted to marry their daughters to Li Ji as concubines, gaining his favor while his principal wife was still undecided.