Pushing back the time a few days, on the day when the fire broke out in Wangjian Tower, Yongle and Shangluo left the Sword-making Villa first, while Qi Li, who had been secretly paying attention to this side, had no idea what his thoughts were.
, also followed.
The carriage was driving on a slightly green avenue, and Yongle was clinging to the window, chatting and laughing with Shangluo, who was riding a white horse beside him.
Since owning this white horse, Shangluo no longer rides in a carriage. Riding a horse seems to make her feel like she is in the world, which makes the little girl want to stop.
The surrounding guards were all battle-experienced imperial guards. As the group walked, apart from the sound of silent footsteps, only the laughter and laughter of the two girls echoed on the road.
The person riding at the end frowned slightly, slowed down slightly, and glanced at the person next to him, who shook his head slightly at him.
The Jin Yiwei said rather puzzledly: "This person has been following us for most of the day. What is his purpose?"
Another person shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it. Your Majesty has told us not to hurt his life. We just pretend we can't see him."
The escorts accompanying the princess were all carefully selected elite guards. Qi Li's modest skills exposed himself from the very beginning.
However, the imperial guards did not take action to capture him, because he was the only person in the Sword Making Villa who Lu Hanjiang had specifically told not to harm.
A few sharp-eyed people had already recognized Qi Li's identity. Thinking of his identity as a descendant of the Qi family, everyone was even more afraid to say anything. They all followed Lu Hanjiang's orders silently.
Finally, after half a day, a fast horse caught up with the convoy from behind. Everyone reined up their horses and looked back. It was Mr. Lu who was coming. They immediately stopped and greeted him respectfully.
Lu Hanjiang naturally noticed Qi Li's presence. He glanced at the sky, calculated the time, and then stopped the convoy and asked everyone to rest where they were.
Shangluo felt strange, so she turned back on her horse and asked, "Xiao Lu, why do you want to stop here?"
Lu Hanjiang smiled and said, "Your 'friend' is here."
After saying that, he suddenly slapped the white horse on the butt. The frightened white horse neighed and immediately ran, taking Shangluo, who was constantly screaming, in the direction behind everyone.
Thanks to Shangluo not cheating when she was learning to ride a horse, Shangluo finally comforted the frightened white horse after running a certain distance. She breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go back to find Lu Hanjiang to settle the score, but she saw her here.
An unexpected person arrived.
Huashan outer disciple, Qi Li.
"You..." When she saw Qi Li, Shangluo's expression changed obviously. She subconsciously put her hand on the sword at her waist, but soon realized something and hurriedly put it down.
open.
"Miss Shang."
Qi Li looked at her and said in a dull tone: "Long time no see."
"...Well, Qi Shaoxia, it's been a long time indeed."
Shangluo dismounted from her horse to meet him. She seemed to feel that it was meaningless. She held the horse's rope and was about to leave. There was an extremely strange sense of alienation on her face, which was completely different from her usual liveliness.
"Wait a minute, Miss Shang, have you really taken refuge in Jin Yiwei?"
Qi Li couldn't help but stop her. After being stimulated by Ah Lan that day, he had been trying to find out about Shangluo these days, but with little success.
But as the daughter of Li Guishou and a person under the care of Jin Yiwei, she appeared in the world so easily without attracting any attention from the court. Obviously she did not escape by herself, so this seems to be the only possibility left.
Although Qi Li's words were not subjectively reprehensible, his tone seemed to condemn such "complicit" practices.
That kind of accusation coming from the moral high ground made Shangluo's already unstable state of mind change slightly. Her expression became colder and her tone became more aggressive: "This has nothing to do with you, Qi Shaoxia, goodbye!"
"Miss Shangluo! I, I didn't mean that..."
Qi Li's expression was a bit complicated. He was indignant at Shangluo's departure from the righteous world, he was also saddened by her defection to Jinyiwei, and there was also a deeper level of...anger stemming from the tragic experience of his Qi family.
Shangluo didn't want to stop and say anything to him, so she walked quickly and decisively. Qi Li's mind was in chaos, and he said without thinking: "Miss Shangluo, have you forgotten that it was Jin Yiwei who forced Li Guishou to death?"
....”
As soon as these words came out, Shangluo stopped slowly and immediately. She turned sideways and cast a pair of eyes, cold and cold, with a faint sarcasm at the corner of her mouth. The lively and lovely outline gradually began to fade and turned into ambiguity.
At a certain moment, she seemed to have become another person.
"The people who forced my father to death were the Huangfu family and you." This is what she said.
Qi Li was speechless for a while, and his voice became much lower: "Li Guishou is the master of the Demonic Way's Ten Thousand Sword Sect. In the battle that year, many righteous knights were killed by his sword. As people of the right path, we are here to eliminate demons and defend the way.
.... Duty.”
Shangluo smiled silently and said in a sarcastic tone: "In that case, I, the daughter of a big devil, am also a little witch after all, so why are you trying to persuade me here."
"...You are still young, I just don't want you to go astray."
Qi Li said something that he didn't even know was credible. He took a deep breath, looked at Shangluo and said seriously: "Jinyiwei is good at deceiving people. I'm just worried that you will be used by them."
"What do you think they want to use me for?" Shangluo asked, staring straight at Qi Li.
Qi Li's tone became more serious, and he whispered: "I don't know, but you are Li Guishou's daughter. Since he has the reputation to be able to help Jin Yiwei, there must be a lot of involvement behind it...
"
"That's what you said."
Shang Luoting stood tall, with a smile on his face: "My father can use the Earth-moving Jin Yiwei, so the person behind him must be very powerful. In other words, I am of great use value."
Qi Li was startled, and his mind was suddenly confused. Shangluo looked a little strange, her expression, and even the tone of her voice seemed to be a completely different person, completely different from the lively girl he had seen in Jiangnan.
They are two extremes.
If I have to say it, it seems to be somewhat similar to Huangfu Xiaoyuan, but compared to the frosty third lady, Shangluo in front of her still keeps smiling, but behind that smile, there is endless chill.
Qi Li was slightly at a loss, but he still tried his best to follow the other person's words and said, "That's right, Miss Shangluo, you have to be careful, Jin Yiwei is interested in these things in you, so..."
"Isn't that great?" Shangluo lowered her eyes slightly, her eyes becoming a little unclear.
"What?" Qi Li was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't hear what the other party was saying.
"I said, isn't this great? Since I have such great value, wouldn't it be in line with everyone's ideas to stay here and be more arbitrary?"
Shangluo's originally indifferent expression instantly became full of happiness. The corners of her eyes drooped, revealing a sweet and humble smile: "That's fine, I'll just be a fool who doesn't know anything and continue to stay here..."
..."
Muttering to themselves, or a little hope, behind the big tree not far away, Lu Hanjiang and Yongle just watched all of this quietly.