Xie Jingchen followed the carriage for an hour, and the carriage stopped at a tea stall.

The driver went to buy food, and Xie Jingchen took the opportunity to lift the curtain and take a look.

The carriage only let in a bit of light when it swayed, and suddenly lifting the curtains was a bit dazzling.

Princess Jing Mountain saw someone and struggled to move, pleading for help from Xie Jingchen.

However, Xie Jingchen only glanced, confirmed it was indeed Princess Jing Mountain, and then left.

Accompanied by Brother Dong and Young Master Shi, it was indeed inconvenient for him to rescue Princess Jing Mountain.

Moreover, Princess Jing Mountain once had the idea of marrying him and became good sisters with Su Jin.

He barely had time to hide, how dared he approach?

Moreover, rescuing her would not only expose him, but he would also have to escort her back to Beimo.

He had a more suitable person for the task.

After putting down the curtain, Xie Jingchen entered the tea stall, drank a cup of tea, and ordered a bowl of beef noodles.

Princess Jing Mountain was furious to the point she wished she could crash the carriage and die.

She thought someone would come to rescue her, only to find he glanced at her and went to eat noodles!

Was he planning to rescue her after eating his fill?

Couldn’t he rescue her first?

Princess Jing Mountain patiently waited, and the servant finished eating and resumed the journey while Xie Jingchen was still waiting for his noodles...

Princess Jing Mountain, "...."

She incessantly kicked the carriage, but no one responded, and it annoyed the driver, "Make more noise, and you won’t have lunch!"

Princess Jing Mountain was so angry she could bite the driver.

After eating, Xie Jingchen mounted his horse and headed to the town ahead.

When he arrived, Young Master Shi was resting at the inn, but Dong Chenglang was not there.

Young Master Shi asked Xie Jingchen, "Brother Li, did you finish your task?"

"Just a minor matter, it’s done," replied Xie Jingchen.

"Brother Dong isn’t here?"

"He went out, said he’d be back soon," responded Young Master Shi.

Not only was Brother Li curious, his own cousin was acting strangely.

He went to handle matters, and his cousin wanted to accompany him, but he refused, acting all secretive.

Indeed, he went to meet Zhao Xu...

Xie Jingchen returned to his room, and asked the young attendant for paper and ink, then wrote a letter.

The town was small, finding someone was not difficult, and Xie Jingchen could recognize Zhao Xu’s horse at a glance.

Approaching the horse, Xie Jingchen casually slipped the letter into the saddle, leaving just the corner sticking out.

Afterward, Xie Jingchen left.

Shortly after, Zhao Xu came out with his hidden guards.

He mounted his horse and discovered the letter wedged in the saddle.

He took out the letter and looked around.

The hidden guard asked, "Young Master, what are you looking at?"

"Someone slipped me a letter," Zhao Xu replied.

He opened the letter, and the familiar handwriting startled him.

Wasn’t this his cousin’s handwriting?!

Seeing Zhao Xu’s stunned face, the hidden guard asked, "Young Master, nothing happened, right?"

Zhao Xu shook his head, "Nothing happened."

His voice trembled slightly.

His cousin was alive, not dead.

The story of Prince Zhenbei of Daqi leading troops to raid Nan Liang at night, only to encounter an avalanche and perish, had spread throughout Nan Liang Capital. How could Zhao Xu not have heard?

Xie Jingchen’s presumed death was one of the reasons driving Zhao Xu to overthrow the court.

For Xie Jingchen to pass him a letter in such a manner meant he wasn’t planning to show himself.

Though handwriting can be imitated, the words spoken between him and Xie Jingchen during their farewell were known only to them, others wouldn’t know.

Indeed, to make Zhao Xu believe it was him, Xie Jingchen wrote a few unimportant yet identifying lines.

Zhao Xu folded the letter and said, "Let’s go, save the person."

The hidden guard was a bit confused.

Who was the Young Master planning to save?

But Zhao Xu rode off, and the hidden guard had no choice but to follow.

Watching Zhao Xu ride away, Xie Jingchen felt assured enough to leave.

There was only one driver with the carriage, and rescuing Princess Jing Mountain was easy for Zhao Xu, especially since he had hidden guards with him.

Xie Jingchen assumed the driver was to keep appearances by having only one person escort the kidnapped Princess Jing Mountain to Nanliang Capital, but he never considered someone recognized the Heir of Marquis Changning and Young Master Shi and evaded to avoid alerting them.

Zhao Xu went to rescue, nearly getting himself killed in the process.

Princess Jing Mountain only had one maid, and Zhao Xu just managed to save the princess while the maid remained in the hands of the assassins.

Zhao Xu was injured, holding Princess Jing Mountain while fleeing for life, his frustration was palpable.

Why did he offend his cousin to have him set him up like this?

Besides, the relation between this person and his cousin wasn’t clarified in the letter, only stating to rescue and ensure her safety.

After shaking off the assassins, Zhao Xu looked at Princess Jing Mountain attending to his wounds, realizing though he didn’t know her identity, her clumsy hands and delicate fingers indicated she was raised in a prestigious household.

But what was her relation to his cousin?

Zhao Xu couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, "Who are you?"

Princess Jing Mountain was startled, "You saved me without knowing who I am?"

Zhao Xu, "...."

The atmosphere suddenly grew awkward.

Clearing his throat, Zhao Xu said, "I came across an injustice, so I lent a hand."

Princess Jing Mountain glanced at his wounds, considering how rescuing someone could leave him injured like this showed how kind-hearted he was.

Though the person before her was her savior, now she was in Nanliang, caution was paramount, so Princess Jing Mountain lied, "My name is Zhao Qingqing."

This name was blurted out by her.

With Zhao being a common surname, and his brocade robe being green.

Since she spoke the name so quickly, Zhao Xu didn’t suspect it was a lie.

Even if she was deceiving him, he had to protect her, as he couldn’t ignore his cousin’s words.

"It’s surprising that we have the same surname," Zhao Xu said.

"...."

Zhao Xu pondered.

His cousin asked him to rescue this girl, and by mere coincidence, she shared his surname. Was there a subtle relation?

Princess Jing Mountain’s ears turned slightly red, feeling it was too coincidental, fearing exposure, she said, "That’s why it’s especially fateful."

The hidden guard returned with water.

Princess Jing Mountain immediately stepped aside.

She silently repeated the newly picked name in her mind over a dozen times, needing to remember it well, otherwise she might not react when others called her.

Zhao Xu looked at her and said, "Where is your residence? I’ll escort you back."

Could Princess Jing Mountain dare to claim she was Princess Beimo?

She shook her head repeatedly and continued lying, "I was sold by my stepmother, and I can’t return home until my father returns."

The guard looked at Princess Jing Mountain, then turned to Zhao Xu and said, "What do we do with her? Should she travel with us?"

The person rescued by Prince Zhenbei’s heir couldn’t be left unattended after rescue.

In this remote wilderness, a pampered girl couldn’t survive alone.

Zhao Xu felt troubled.

Behind an isolated spot, Zhao Xu retrieved the letter from his bosom.

He scrutinized it intensely, against the sunlight, without finding anything on what to do after rescuing her...

Cousin.

You can’t set me up like this.

Some princely heir who dug a pit without filling it rode towards the border, sneezing constantly along the way.

He feared the letter falling into wrong hands, hence avoiding mention of Princess Jing Mountain.

After saving Princess Jing Mountain, she naturally would reveal her true identity to Zhao Xu, and Zhao Xu would know what to do.

Who anticipated the kidnapped Princess Jing Mountain coming to Nanliang, gaining wisdom from experience, setting herself and Zhao Xu up.