'Maybe I should just run away from here.'

She had thought of this countless times, but she couldn't just leave Xiao Qing and Xiao Yu behind. Xiao Qing could follow her just fine, but Xiao Yu was younger and a bit more naïve. If she left them here, it wouldn't take long before their body turned into a corpse.

She didn't want that to happen.

Besides, she didn't know the world outside Han Shi Kingdom's Capital City.

If she truly wanted to run away, she needed to start making her preparation thoroughly. Her little money that she had alone was simply not enough. With so many soldiers in the capital city and eyes everywhere, she would only get caught not long after she left the residence.

If only Wei Hong's influence was not that strong, it would have been possible.

'How about faking death?'

Heh.

Wei Liuying laughed in her mind. If only it was that easy for her to fake her death, she would have done that. However, there were many people watching over her movements all the time. There was never any chance for her to find a body double for herself.

Even if she found someone similar to her, how could she possibly sneak that person to the residence?

It was impossible.

She needed another plan. A plan that could allow her to leave without leaving any suspiciousness behind. With that in thought, Wei Liuying closed her eyes.

…

Prince Ji Shu stayed in Wei Xiao Hua's residence much longer than usual. Aside from settling some matters, he also stayed for lunch and then took a walk together with Wei Xiao Hua. There were still some servants nearby as it was still inappropriate for the two of them to stay together. Though, the servants were lowering their head to not disturb the couple.

After the visit, Ji Shu departed back with his carriage. "What's the schedule for today?"

"Your Highness, you have a promise to visit His Highness the Third Prince."

"Oh?" Ji Shu recalled the face of his brother as his face darkened. He never liked his older brother, and thankfully, the Emperor also didn't favor Ji Sheng. If not for that, there would be no way that Ji Sheng was sent to the border for years and forced to become the general there.

When the other princes were staying in luxury in the capital city while building their connection, Prince Ji Sheng was busy commanding soldiers to defend the border. The other three already could see that the Emperor didn't favor him, so they knew that it was impossible for Ji Sheng to become the Emperor even if the crown prince fell out of favor.

"Your Highness, would you like to make a detour?"

"I'll visit him."

The servant acknowledged and the carriage headed to Prince Ji Sheng's palace. The four princes all lived in different areas. After all, the palace was huge even if there were only a few Imperial Family members who stayed there.

Prince Ji Sheng was in his office, so Ji Shu simply headed there to greet his brother. Ji Sheng was wearing a light purple robe and currently busy reading. There was also Yang Xian who sat on the corner, working on some documents.

"Imperial Third Brother."

"Imperial Fourth Brother," Ji Sheng greeted back. His expression was placid. "It's rare to see you forget the promise to have lunch together."

Ji Shu's expression didn't change. "My apologies, Imperial Third Brother. As punishment, I'll willingly drink the cup."

"No need for that." It was normal for men to punish themselves by drinking when they were late, but Ji Sheng didn't really wish to care about such formality. "I'm more curious about the reason why you're late, Fourth Brother. Is there any problem in Wei Household?"

"Just some lower ranked concubine daughter creating problems," Ji Shu said simply. However, there was a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. Clearly, he regarded that person to be a threat.

From the corner of the room, Yang Xian noticed the glint. He rubbed his chin. Other than Wei Liuying, he didn't think that the second sister whose name was Wei… Ziulin? Oh, Zilin, would be seen as a threat. He had seen her by acting as a lost servant and her acting was really bad.

In short, that girl was quite stupid.

Ji Sheng nodded. "To be able to make the Fourth Prince to be so busy, she must be remarkable."

"They're annoying," Ji Shu replied. "I have already punished them."

"I see."

"I'm sure that you didn't make me come here only to talk about my matters? Are there any problems regarding the border?"

"Fortunately, there's none. However, I'm sure that you have heard about the agreement that Xiong Tribe proposed," Ji Sheng responded calmly. He motioned the servant who came to prepare the tea as he put away the books.

Ji Shu frowned. "Imperial Father hadn't given his response, but it looks like he's going to agree."

"Imperial Sister Ji Xiaoli wouldn't be happy to have her marriage determined like this," Ji Sheng added.

"Even if she disliked it, women were only useful for tying up power," Ji Shu said with a sneer. It was perfectly normal for them to regard women as nothing more than tools because that was the only reason they existed. In this era where there were no women's rights, they were only seen as other people's properties.