Wen Mohan's heart leaped with joy when Wei Feng called out to Princess Yongning. He quickly pushed open the carriage door, "Man'er."
Xiao Man extended her hand towards Wen Mohan, signaling him to get on her horse. Wen Mohan's gaze swept over the people behind her, then fell upon Xiao Man's outstretched hand. The jade bracelet he had given her was still on her wrist. However, on her left hand, where a gold-inlaid phoenix bracelet should have been, Xiao Man's left hand was bare, adorned with nothing.
Wen Mohan, with his sharp mind, instantly understood the reason. He immediately grasped Xiao Man's hand and mounted her horse, joy bubbling up from his heart.
"Didn't you suspect there were assassins in the carriage?" Xiao Man looked at the patrolling guards. "Drag the carriage back to the Shen Du Battalion and search it thoroughly, inside and out. If there's the slightest thing amiss, I won't let him off!"
"Commander..." the leading man was on the verge of tears. "Your subordinate did not. Your subordinate merely said it was unsafe for Lord Wen to return home alone, and asked you to see him off."
"Am I not listening to you by bringing him here?" Xiao Man flicked her horsewhip in the air. "I'll escort Lord Wen home first. If you don't catch the assassin tonight, tomorrow, you will all carry water and climb mountains!"
Xiao Man galloped away, leaving behind a chorus of wails. Wei Feng scratched his head in confusion, looking at the miserable Shen Du Battalion guards. Were these truly the arrogant Shen Du Battalion? They were trembling at the words of Princess Yongning.
"It's just climbing a mountain, is it that terrifying?" Wei Feng asked curiously.
The leading man glared at Wei Feng, then drooped his head. He shouldn't have come to watch the fun. Now, he hadn't seen any fun and had gotten himself into trouble.
"Ignorance breeds fearlessness!" another soldier said with a sigh. "To this day, the only ones who can carry water to the mountaintop are the commander's personal guards and the deputy commander. We can only reach halfway up the mountain before we're exhausted."
Wei Feng looked disgusted. "Useless. And you call yourselves Shen Du Battalion guards, said to be worth ten men. With you like this, you can't even be worth one!"
The leading man, hearing this, was instantly indignant. "Come on, bring the carriage and everyone back to the Shen Du Battalion. The commander said it needs to be thoroughly searched inside and out!"
"Hey, wait, I shouldn't have to go with you."
"You're no exception. Perhaps you hid the assassin and framed Lord Wen!" Without further ado, they seized people, led horses, and quickly escorted Wei Feng, along with his horse and carriage, back to the Shen Du Battalion!
Wei Feng tried to escape several times along the way, but the leading man didn't stop him. "Run, go ahead and run. If you dare to run, tomorrow we'll report to the commander that you colluded with assassins to assassinate the Prince of Chu. After the plot was exposed, you fled to avoid punishment, making your master, Lord Wen, the prime suspect!"
"Despicable and shameless!"
The man grinned. "Thank you for the compliment."
"I wasn't complimenting you, I was cursing you!"
"I'll take it as a compliment!" the man said with a smile. "Our commander said that for compliments, we should accept them humbly. If the other party insists on cursing us, then beat them. Were you just complimenting me?"
Wei Feng choked for a moment, then said weakly after a long pause, "Yes."
Xiao Man did not escort Wen Mohan back to his residence but took him to the Viewing Platform in the city, from where they could see the entire Imperial Capital at a glance.
Xiao Man sat on the rooftop of the Viewing Platform. Wen Mohan looked down. The candlelight on the streets was like fireflies, faint yet still emitting light, bringing specks of brightness to the dark night.
"I never knew the Imperial Capital was like this at night."
Xiao Man placed her hands on the ground and looked at the sparse stars in the sky. "In the past, when I was unhappy, I would go to a high place and watch the city I protected. From the hustle and bustle of the night market to the tranquility of midnight, and then to the liveliness of the morning market. Seeing the common people living and working in peace and contentment, I felt it was all worthwhile."
Wen Mohan held Xiao Man's hand. He understood that Xiao Man was talking about her past. "From now on, I will accompany you and protect everything you care about."
Xiao Man turned her head to look at Wen Mohan. "Mohan, there are so many outstanding women in the world, why did you choose me?"
"There are countless women in the world, but only one of you," Wen Mohan's voice was deep and gentle. "Fiery like a flame, yet as gentle as water. Moreover, feelings are not something one can control. By the time I realized I was falling for you, I was already lost."
Xiao Man sighed. "That's truly tragic. What if you fell in love with a murderer? Wouldn't that be miserable?"
Wen Mohan immediately smiled. "Man'er, the human heart is unfathomable. But as human beings, we have our own principles and bottom lines. Loving someone is not wrong, and loving a murderer is not wrong. However, if because you love a murderer, you condone their murderous actions, or if you become a murderer yourself, then that is wrong."
"If one day I decide to do bad things, will you stop me?"
"You won't," Wen Mohan said with certainty. "You won't do bad things. I still believe that."
"Who said I wouldn't do bad things? The bad things I've done are countless!" Xiao Man said indignantly. "If you don't believe me, go to the street and ask anyone. They can list a whole basketful of bad things I've done!"
"I know. Aren't you talking about how you beat up Young Master Zhang, who bullied the weak and preyed on the vulnerable, and then beat up Young Master Li, who extorted protection fees? Or perhaps you thrashed an official who was merely holding a position without doing any work... A whole list like this, which one of these is a bad deed?" Wen Mohan leaned closer to Xiao Man and asked with a smile.
Xiao Man bit her lip. "I am a bad person!"
"Mmm, you are a bad person, and I am the fiancé of a bad person, so I'm also a bad person, I suppose," a muffled laugh came from Wen Mohan's chest. "Next time you go to do bad things, remember to take me with you."
Xiao Man was both exasperated and amused. "What's so good about being a bad person?"
"If I get to be a bad person like you, I am honored," Wen Mohan's smile was gentle. "To be able to be a bad person like you is probably the dream of many."
"Shouldn't their dream be success, fame, and a beautiful woman in their arms?"
Wen Mohan glanced at Xiao Man. "No, in the hearts of many, there is a dream of being a hero, traveling the world with a sword, drawing it to help the wronged when encountering injustice, helping the weak and supporting the virtuous along the way, robbing the rich to help the poor, and becoming a renowned chivalrous hero."
"Do you have one?"
"What I have is a beautiful dream, a dream about a beautiful woman."
Xiao Man didn't react at first. When she realized Wen Mohan was staring at her intently, she immediately understood that Wen Mohan was talking about her. Just as she was about to tease him, she felt a surge of killing intent rapidly approaching them. Xiao Man grabbed Wen Mohan's collar and darted away. A volley of crossbow bolts then lodged into the spot where they had been standing!