Vengeance Must Be Served

"Please, Princess Ling Consort, don't be angry! That's not what we meant!" The officer, seeing the delicate Princess Ling Consort so upset she was in tears, hurried to explain.

"It looks to me like that's exactly what you meant!" Princess May snapped back, her voice full of righteous indignation, tears streaking down her face. "I want to return to Chu—General Alexander Hayes personally approved it. You wanted to search my luggage, and I let you! But now you're getting bolder and bolder! You're humiliating me on purpose! If you keep this up, I'll go straight to Princess Lily Hayes and ask her to set things right!"

The officer, seeing Princess May's fiery anger, grew even more uneasy and couldn't decide what to do.

A junior officer whispered, "Boss, we've already turned Princess Ling Consort's luggage upside down and found nothing. She was personally approved by General Alexander Hayes to return to Chu, and she hasn't acted high and mighty—she's cooperated with us. We shouldn't go too far, right? After all, she's a princess from Chu and the General's wife's sworn sister. We ought to show the General's wife some respect."

The officer nodded, realizing the subordinate had a point. Princess Ling Consort had cooperated with the inspection all along—they couldn't be too harsh.

Sitting in the carriage, Princess May put on a brave front, but inside she was terrified. If she couldn't intimidate these soldiers and they insisted on searching the carriage, her secret would be exposed.

Now, seeing the soldiers whispering among themselves, Princess May felt even more uneasy. But for the sake of her wealth and status, she forced herself to keep up appearances.

After a while, the officer approached. Princess May's anxiety peaked; she clutched the carriage curtain tightly as she watched him come closer.

The officer saluted Princess Ling Consort and said, "Princess, we were out of line before. Please forgive us. We've finished checking your luggage—there's no problem. You may go. Men, clear the way! Let Princess Ling Consort's carriage pass!"

In that moment, Princess May finally breathed a sigh of relief. She let the curtain drop, settled back into the carriage, and felt the rumble as it started moving. Silent and tense, she didn't relax until they'd left the capital behind. Only then did she slump, wiping away the cold sweat that had soaked her back.

Princess May slumped in the carriage, as if all strength had left her.

She tapped the carriage floor weakly and said, "We've already left the capital and traveled ten miles."

"Is anyone still checking outside?" someone beneath the carriage asked.

Princess May shook her head. "No, we passed some on the road, but there aren't any here now."

Just as she finished speaking, a panel in the carriage floor slid open and a man crawled out from the cramped compartment below. He sat beside Princess May, grinning at her limp figure. "Congratulations, Princess, you’ve escaped. From now on, a life of wealth awaits you."

"Is that so... I hope you're right." Princess May touched her stomach, uncertainty clouding her face. She looked up at the man. "Grand Tutor Gu, I risked my life to get you out of the capital. Don’t you forget what you owe me. You promised to help my son reclaim the throne of Jin—don’t you dare go back on your word."

The man in hiding was Gu Liangzhe. A shadow flickered in his eyes as he instinctively placed a hand over his empty lap, his gaze venomous. "Rest assured, Princess. Helping you is helping myself. I will never forgive Alexander Hayes and the others for what they've done to me. My grandfather is dead, and I couldn’t even return home for his funeral. If I don't avenge this, I swear I am no true man!"