Chapter 113 "Miss!" ...

Chapter 113 "Miss!" ...

"Miss!"

"Ah, help me!"

Following the short scream, Xiao Yan and the others looked over and saw a protruding rock about five or six meters above the market. There was a small viewing platform there, but for some reason, one side of the railing was broken, and the other side, although not completely broken, was almost broken.

A figure in moon-white robes was hanging precariously on the side that was about to break off. She had been thrown off the observation deck, clinging to the railing with one hand and teetering on the brink of collapse. The maids around her were helpless, their faces filled with terror as they cried for help. They didn't want to stop their mistress, but they were afraid that any rash action would cause her to fall completely off the observation deck.

Faced with such a dangerous scene, the people in the market below seemed frozen in place, unsure of how to react.

The pale-faced figure above was barely managing to hold onto the overturned wooden fence with her own strength. However, as a weak woman, she obviously couldn't hold on for long. Moreover, the wooden fence was already on the verge of breaking. If it broke completely, she would immediately fall straight down from this height of five or six meters.

The worst-case scenario would be death on the spot, and even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would most likely be seriously injured or break their arms and legs.

Xiao Yan was also stunned for a moment, but after her heart pounded, she reacted immediately.

"Four corners, hurry and save the person!" Seeing the person hanging high like a butterfly that might fall at any moment, Xiao Yan hurriedly gave the order while running towards the viewing platform herself.

"This, isn't this the eldest daughter of the Xie family?" Zhu Yue, who was a step behind in reacting, covered her mouth and exclaimed softly. Then, she was pulled along by the cat beside her and stumbled after her princess.

As Xiao Yanhui moved, the area that seemed to have frozen suddenly came back to life.

"Good heavens, that's Miss Xie!" Someone else recognized Xie Miaoyi.

"Quick, quick, save them! Help them!" Several officials' wives below looked up and shouted at the dumbfounded maids above. But the maids could only cry and cry for help, completely bewildered.

"Young lady, please save our young lady!" Not far away, Xie Miaoyi's head maid was slumped on the ground, her face ashen. There wasn't a single person among them who could do anything.

"Thank you, Miss Xie!"

"Wonderful Art!"

At that moment, two voices, different in tone but equally filled with anxiety, rang out almost simultaneously.

The change happened so fast that Xiao Yan, panting, ran down to the bottom of the viewing platform and realized that there were two other groups of people who had arrived at the same time as her.

On one side was the Second Prince Li Fang, dressed in dark green casual clothes, and on the other side was a figure in blue. Although it was unknown who this person was, judging from his clothes and his gentle and refined temperament, he was obviously a noble young master from some family in the capital.

"Miaoyi, I'll catch you."

The two people who rushed over at the same time spoke almost in unison, except this time the Second Prince no longer addressed her as Miss Xie, but as Miaoyi.

"Young Master Wang, quick... quick, save my young lady!" Just then, Xie Miaoyi's personal maid, who was slumped on the ground, cried out.

"Ah!" Xie Miaoyi cried out again, she was about to collapse.

Seeing their beloved in such danger, the two below changed their expressions drastically. Almost simultaneously, they rushed forward without thinking, urgently calling out, "Miaoyi!"

Wang Chen had come to the poetry gathering today at the invitation of a friend, but then he ran into Prince Ning, and the group was invited by Prince Ning to attend the spring banquet held by the Princess.

Of course, Wang Chen knew that Xie Miaoyi would also be attending the Spring Banquet today. His quick acceptance of Prince Ning's invitation might not have been without the secret desire to see his beloved. However, he did not expect that he would see such a dangerous scene instead.

Seeing Xie Miaoyi fall and drain the color from his warm face, he could barely think straight. Only his instincts drove him to rush towards Xie Miaoyi like an arrow released from a bow, his eyes filled with undisguised fear and panic.

Upon hearing the maid call him "Wang Langjun," Xiao Yan Hui knew that the person she didn't recognize was Wang Chen, the eldest son of the Wang family, who was rumored to be childhood sweethearts with Xie Miao Yi and had a deep affection for her.

The Second Prince and Wang Chen were both present, but Xie Miaoyi's personal maid called for "Wang Langjun" at this dangerous moment, which suggests that the claim that they had a close relationship is true.

Regardless of any romantic entanglements between them, now that two protectors have arrived, Xiao Yan felt that she, as an outsider, should not meddle in their affairs.

At a glance, the four corners that had originally followed Xiao Yan's orders to rescue people obediently retreated back behind their princess.

Prince Huai and Wang Chen rushed towards Xie Miaoyi from different directions almost simultaneously.

As the second prince, Prince Huai naturally had to cultivate both literary and martial skills from a young age. In this moment of urgency, he moved swiftly and spread his arms wide, clearly intending to catch the person directly.

From the moment he appeared, he stared intently at Xie Miaoyi above him, his eyes filled with a certain eagerness to win her over.

Wang Chen also knew martial arts, but he was raised as a scholar and a nobleman, so his martial arts skills were a notch below Li Fang's, and he was a step behind Li Fang at this moment.

It's a long story, but in reality, only two or three minutes passed. However, two or three minutes was about the limit of Xie Miaoyi's physical strength.

Whether it was a coincidence or she sensed Wang Chen's arrival below and relaxed, Xie Miaoyi plummeted straight down almost the instant Wang Chen opened his arms.

But in the blink of an eye, Li Fang suddenly stepped forward with a flick of his sleeve, and whether it was unintentional or intentional, his shoulders collided heavily with Wang Chen's.

"Hiss!" The onlookers, who were already on tenterhooks because of Xie Miaoyi's dangerous situation, gasped in unison.

Because of the impact, Wang Chen was knocked back by Li Fang and stumbled several steps before falling heavily to the ground. The sound alone showed that the impact was quite strong, and naturally, Wang Chen could not stand up to catch Xie Miaoyi as she fell.

However, this impact caused Li Fang's outstretched hand to be positioned one body length away from Xie Miaoyi's falling position.

Although two people stepped forward to help, due to this twist of fate, it seemed that neither of them could catch Xie Miaoyi who was about to fall to the ground.

Fortunately, Li Fang's martial arts skills were not for nothing. He turned around and shifted his position, then reached out his left hand to support and pull Xie Miaoyi into his arms just before she landed.

"Ugh." Both of them let out a muffled groan of pain at the same time.

This action was clearly forced upon him. After catching Xie Miaoyi, his face suddenly turned pale and cold sweat appeared. It is likely that his left hand, which he used to catch her, was injured due to the sudden impact.

However, Xiao Yan, who was watching from the sidelines, just wanted to curse him harshly, saying he deserved it.

She was standing quite close, so she could clearly see that Li Fang's actions were intentional.

She deliberately bumped into Wang Chen so that he couldn't catch Xie Miaoyi, even though Xie Miaoyi was about to fall to the ground.

Perhaps in Li Fang's view, even if Xie Miaoyi had died from the fall, it would have been better than her being saved by Wang Chen.

Although Xiao Yan had long harbored doubts about the character of the male protagonist in the original novel, seeing him in person now, she still felt that he was truly despicable.

But even more despicable things continue.

Although they survived, the enormous impact not only threw Xie Miaoyi and Li Fang into a heap, but also seemed to have caused some internal injuries. At this moment, they were not only in a disheveled and terrified state, but also pale-faced and breathing rapidly.

At this moment, Li Fang extended his uninjured right hand, trying to check Xie Miaoyi's injuries. Even though he looked anxious, Xiao Yan Hui only saw him as someone who was taking advantage of others' misfortunes.

If the hug and embrace just now could be excused by the crisis and the need to save lives, then if Xie Miaoyi were to have her injuries examined by him now, this young lady of the Xie family would probably only have one path left: to marry Li Fang.

Although she and Miss Xie had no prior relationship, and in fact, if you really think about it, their Prince Cheng's Mansion and the Xie family could be said to have some friction, she still couldn't bear to watch a young woman being coerced by such despicable means.

Moreover, from a purely economic standpoint, allowing the Second Prince to marry Miss Xie would only bring harm and no benefit to the Prince Cheng's mansion. Therefore, Xiao Yan Hui naturally took on this good deed without hesitation.

With a soft sound, Li Fang's hand, which was reaching for Xie Miaoyi's shoulder, suddenly felt a sharp pain. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a gold nugget in his hand. Immediately afterward, a female voice sounded from the side: "Excuse me, Second Prince, but it is more appropriate for us women to examine Miss Xie's injuries. What do you say?"

Despite the pain in his body, disgust and ruthlessness filled Li Fang's eyes. Li Fang was not a very good-tempered person, and today's plans had repeatedly gone wrong. His displeasure had almost reached its peak. At this moment, he felt that there were so many people who didn't know what was good for them.

He had naturally already seen who was speaking at this moment—that bastard Li Hui, that wretched woman he had brought back from who-knows-where.

Does this woman really think that just because she's been made a princess, she has the right to speak to me?

The evil thought arose, and Li Fang pretended that he had not yet recovered from the extreme situation of saving people just now. When he felt Xiao Yan Hui approaching, he suddenly swung out a palm. This palm even contained some internal force. Although it was not fatal, if it really hit, it would still make people suffer a lot.

"Master, be careful." Fortunately, once they were out, Sijiao was always focused on the safety of the Princess. He was standing behind the Princess, and when the Prince Huai suddenly struck out with his palm, Sijiao stepped forward to the side and pushed out with his right hand, meeting the Prince Huai's palm head-on.

When Xiao Yan was struck by the palm strikes of the two men, she felt an invisible, sharp current rushing towards her, causing her to instinctively dodge to the side.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Granny Wang, Zhu Yue, and Mao'er rushed forward to help Xiao Yan Hui.

"How dare you! Who are you, you ignorant servant, to lay a hand on me? Guards..." Li Fang's anger naturally shifted to the person who had blocked his way, as he swung his palm but didn't strike the person who deserved it.

As a prince who grew up in the palace, he could immediately tell that the person who blocked his palm was a eunuch. Having been pampered since childhood, he could not tolerate a eunuch being so presumptuous in front of him. He immediately ordered his men to drag the eunuch away and deal with him.

Before King Huai finished speaking, two guards with swords stepped out from the surrounding area. The two men stared at Sijiao with eyes like hawks, but Sijiao showed no fear whatsoever.

Moreover, it wasn't just the two guards of Prince Huai who emerged from the crowd; there were also five people in plain clothes—three men and two women—who quietly slipped out from the crowd. It was unclear where these five people had been hiding before, but judging from their current protective posture towards Princess Cheng, it was clear that they were all secret guards from Prince Cheng's residence.

“Your Highness, please forgive me. My servant only blocked the palm strike because he saw how dangerous it was and wanted to save my life. But he was still disrespectful to Your Highness. Please allow me to take him back to the Prince Cheng’s residence for further punishment.”

Although Xiao Yan Hui said she would take people back to the manor for punishment, her words clearly showed her intention to protect them. She was also openly pointing out that Prince Huai was ruthless and rashly wanted to take the life of her, the Princess Consort of Cheng.

Immediately, many surprised and uncertain gazes fell on Prince Huai, Li Fang.

Was His Highness Prince Huai's palm strike just now really that ruthless? Did he actually intend to seriously injure or even kill Princess Cheng?

Those who were unaware of the situation were exchanging knowing glances, trying to uncover more of the secrets between these royal brothers; those who knew some of the inside story had even deeper, thoughtful expressions.

Upon hearing these sharp and insightful words, Prince Huai turned his gaze to Princess Cheng, whom he had never taken seriously before, for the first time.

Then, the next second his gaze suddenly froze, and at that moment, Li Fang felt his arms suddenly empty.

Before he noticed, Xie Miaoyi, who had been held in his arms, had recovered from the shock and shock of the fall. With a sudden effort, she went from being half-held to rolling to the ground.

Xie Miaoyi would rather roll around covered in dust than stay in Li Fang's arms for even half a second longer.

"Cough cough, quickly help your young lady up." At this moment, Wang Chen, who had been knocked to the ground by Prince Huai, also stood up with difficulty. While clutching his shoulder, he walked quickly toward Xie Miaoyi, while calling on the Xie family maid who was stumbling over to help her up.

"Miss Xie, are you alright?" Wang Chen asked cautiously as he approached Xie Miaoyi. Seeing the bloodstains on Xie Miaoyi's hands, he quickly offered her his handkerchief.

Although he was very nervous and anxious, he simply stayed by Xie Miaoyi's side and did not overstep any boundaries.

"You're injured too?" When Wang Chen stood beside her, Xie Miaoyi's paleness and fear subsided considerably. She even noticed the bloodstains at the corner of Wang Chen's mouth.

The trace of blood was clearly from the injury sustained when he collided with Prince Huai earlier, which undoubtedly corroborated Xiao Yan's earlier accusation that Prince Huai was ruthless.

However, at this moment, the thanks were secondary. The main point was that although Xie Miaoyi and Wang Chen were both in a sorry state, when they stood together, one with a pure and elegant face and the other with a gentle and refined demeanor, they maintained a proper distance from each other. However, at this moment, their auras and the occasional eye contact conveyed a tender affection that no third party could intrude upon.

As the rumors proved true, the two had long harbored feelings for each other. However, it's unlikely they had shown it so openly before. Otherwise, the rumors in the capital wouldn't have been so subtle as to suggest that the two were in love.

Their current behavior suggests that their recent brush with danger has solidified their resolve.

But it was precisely this restrained yet affectionate gaze between the young couple in public that made Prince Huai appear like a despicable clown.

King Huai gritted his teeth, his face turning pale and then red, his eyes fixed on the two men. If his gaze had any power, King Xie and the other man would probably have been torn to pieces by now.

At this moment, taking advantage of the fact that Prince Huai's attention had once again turned back to Wang and Xie, Xiao Yanhui had her maid help her quickly leave this place of trouble.

Just now, she felt that the look in Prince Huai's eyes was terrifying. It wasn't the contemptuous, malicious, and disdainful look she had seen before, but a look of greed that seemed to want to devour her whole. In that instant, she felt that she was just a feast in Prince Huai's eyes.

Although she didn't know the reason for his terrifying gaze, it didn't stop Xiao Yan from immediately raising her vigilance towards Prince Huai to the highest level.

She wasn't someone who was reckless; in fact, she regretted her life. Sensing danger, Xiao Yan hurriedly urged her attendants to return to the manor. She needed to go back and discuss with Qin Ji why Prince Huai had suddenly set his sights on her.

That's right, she felt like she was being targeted by Prince Huai.