Baili Fengge's lips curved slightly. Grabbing his father's robe, he asked, "Was Auntie rescued?"
Seeing the son's elation, his eyes shining, Baili Kaien grew even more furious. He kicked the boy away with considerable force.
Baili Fengge, sent flying, landed on the ground and coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood. Glaring at his father's enraged face, he shook his head and pleaded, "Father, if you forcefully detain Auntie, it is immoral. What's the difference between you and a beast? You are the emperor, you can have any woman you wish. Why break up a couple? Why take another man's wife?"
"The hatred of a father's murder, the resentment of a stolen wife, these are all wicked deeds. Father, please let go!"
Baili Kaien sneered, astonished that his son would show such kindness, even lecturing him and comparing him to an animal.
"Wicked? Sitting on this throne, what wicked deeds haven't I done!"
He straightened up and looked at Baili Fengge with great disappointment. "Anyone who sits on this dragon throne, whose hands aren't stained with the blood of the wronged? I wish to be a saint, but do those people allow it?"
"If you are not ruthless, your position will not be stable. How many people covet this dragon throne? If I am not ruthless, what chance would you have?"
His own bones might have long been ground to dust by his brothers, let alone his sons.
He looked deeply at the helpless Baili Fengge, once a fine child, but after spending time with Yu Meng and Helian Jinli, his past ferocity and ruthlessness had been completely assimilated.
He sighed to the heavens, lamenting the loss of his good son, and a tear rolled down his cheek.
"The Crown Prince has insulted me, publicly cursing me. He shall be beheaded at the execution ground tomorrow at noon!"
With that, Baili Kaien turned and left.
With his trump card lost, if Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi were to escape safely, his country would cease to exist.
Therefore, he had to find them by any means necessary, regardless of the cost.
Baili Fengge was dragged away. Midway, he was intercepted. Upon looking, he saw that the person who came to save him was the Chief Executive.
"Crown Prince, now is not the time for explanations. I am here on my master's orders to rescue you. Hurry, come with me!"
Baili Fengge hesitated. This was his country, the land where he was born and raised. Though his father wanted to kill him, it would at least be in his own land.
If he went with his uncle, it would undoubtedly be a betrayal of his country. He did not want to be a traitor. He firmly refused the Chief Executive. "Thank you for your kindness, uncle, but I cannot go. I want to be a man of integrity, just like you!"
The Chief Executive looked at the grown man, still so stubborn. Being a righteous person and leaving were two entirely different matters!
Disregarding his words, the Chief Executive swung his arm, knocked him unconscious, and carried him away, soon disappearing into the night.
The group left the capital overnight. The city gates were already shut. They evaded multiple checks and found a secret passage to exit the city.
Outside the city, Zhao Jiaqi's injuries were too severe, forcing them to stop at a small town for treatment.
The Chief Executive, accustomed to fighting, had no fine wound medicine. However, the wound on her arm was not just a puncture from a jade hairpin, but the hairpin had also torn open a piece of flesh, with the tissue flaring outwards. Even "mutilated" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
As Fan Zehao was applying medicine to Zhao Jiaqi, the Chief Executive gasped upon seeing the Princess's wound.
"This wound, Princess, will likely leave a scar!"
"As long as she lives, I don't care about scars!" Fan Zehao said, cradling the unconscious woman, his voice filled with worry.
Now, his only hope was that the old master wouldn't take his wife's life. He would do anything.
They had only paused to tend to the wounds when the pursuers caught up.
"Your Highness, you first take the Princess and retreat!"
Fan Zehao directly refused the Chief Executive's words. "No, we leave together!"
"Your appearance now will expose our location. You absolutely cannot charge head-on. This is their territory. No matter how good your martial arts, you are afraid of their swords, and they are many. We cannot win. We must remain hidden and act according to the situation!"
This was a battle of endurance. As long as they could remain hidden and undetected, they would eventually return to the inner city.
They cleaned up the bloodstains and dealt with their belongings, then found a place to hide.
The sky outside gradually brightened, and the soldiers searching the mountains began to leave with their heads down. They were merely going through the motions.
However, the ones who came later were much smarter. Baili Fengge saw a group of black-clad men and recognized one of them as his fifth brother.
At this point, even a fool would know that his fifth brother had sent people not to genuinely search for him, but to silence him.
Baili Fengge was filled with grief and regret. Watching those people searching with swords in the shadows, he could only sigh.
As dawn broke, the person in Fan Zehao's arms began to develop a high fever, her body burning hot.
Seeing this, he knew he couldn't leave. He had to settle his wife first, and only after she recovered could they move.
The search party on the mountain withdrew. Fan Zehao discussed with the Chief Executive. They decided to find a village nearby to settle down, preferably one with few people, or build a small wooden cabin in the nearby mountains.
They would pose as deaf-mutes and make a living here.
The Chief Executive agreed with the Prince and led the men to search for a place. Although there were no villages in the mountains, there were abandoned hunter's huts, which were ready-made.
"Your Highness, this place can be lived in after a bit of tidying up, though it is very dilapidated!"
Fan Zehao looked at the roof that was exposed to the sky and shook his head at the crowd. "The more dilapidated, the better. You all hide yourselves. I don't need your help for now. The most important thing is to protect Baili Fengge and prevent him from seeking death. A bright future awaits him!"
The Chief Executive was not worried about the Crown Prince doing anything foolish. However, he was genuinely concerned about the Prince being here without food, water, or medicine, and simply abandoning him.
"I was a hunter in the past, and I am quite familiar with these mountains. I know which herbs stop bleeding and which reduce fever. My wife will be fine with me here, and we won't starve!"
It was merely returning to his life from over a decade ago, just after he got married. Back then, they had nothing either, and things gradually improved.
Upon hearing this, the Chief Executive sighed, amazed by the Prince's adaptability. He was utterly impressed.
The Chief Executive led his men away, dispersing them to hide nearby, not too far from the Prince, in case of any sudden developments.
He placed the unconscious woman on the bed and covered her with his long robe. He then went to gather nearby medicinal herbs. Soon, he returned with herbs to stop bleeding and reduce fever.
He busied himself alone, both inside and outside the hut. The person on the bed woke up and saw her husband's back as he worked. A smile played on her lips.
Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the old furniture: tables, stools, and many hunting tools hanging on the wall. She understood then; this was a place where an old hunter had lived before.
She was too sensitive to such houses. Her husband used to hang his hunting gear on the outer walls in a similar fashion.
"Awake? Come and drink this medicine. You'll feel much better after sweating it out!"