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At the restaurant, Sikong Ling seemed to have anticipated that Su Wenyue would be moved by compassion to save someone, so he did not leave. Consequently, he witnessed everything that transpired below with his own eyes, as clearly as Su Wenyue had previously watched that man dealing with the government soldiers. From his vantage point, everything was plainly visible.

At this moment, Su Wenyue was trapped by Ba Lang’s men, and Sikong Ling saw it all. Even though he knew Han Yu had secretly dispatched men to protect Su Wenyue, Sikong Ling still felt uneasy. For instance, when the man earlier took Su Wenyue hostage, the clandestine protectors failed to intervene promptly. Although the situation had evolved quite suddenly, from Sikong Ling’s standpoint, it was an unacceptable dereliction of duty.

What Sikong Ling did not know was that the men sent by Han Yu were indeed somewhat inexperienced, but their skills were not lacking. The reason they were responsible for the earlier situation was that they vaguely sensed someone lurking in the shadows, oblivious to the fact that it was Sikong Ling’s men. They only knew that someone seemed to have followed them all the way, and Madam seemed to have noticed it as well. Although they did not discover the trace, they dared not be careless. Guarding against both sides, their reaction was consequently a bit delayed.

After Su Wenyue escaped danger, the man remained hidden, protecting her from the shadows without making an appearance. His primary concern was those lurking in the shadows; if they still had not revealed themselves by now, without being discovered by him, it attested to their extraordinary abilities. He feared that making a move would blow his cover, leaving them without any trump cards, leading to Madam being thoroughly plunged into danger. His heart was filled with anxiety, hoping that his own men would see his call for help and hurry over.

“Go ahead. If Han Yu’s men in the shadows are not effective, then make a move in time. Prioritize Miss Su’s safety above all else!” Sikong Ling could no longer afford to worry about exposure at this moment, and being exposed to Han Yu was not of great concern anyway. Although his relationship with Han Yu was difficult to define, precisely because of this complexity and ambiguity, he believed Han Yu would not disclose his whereabouts. Besides, at this stage, his goals aligned with some of Han Yu’s.

Su Wenyue was anxious, worried both that Ba Lang might catch up with Qi Luo and that Ba Lang might not find them and quickly return. With such a muddled man, it was hard to predict how bold he might be. Moreover, since she was alone right now, without witnesses, who could say what Ba Lang might do? She had not failed to see the lecherous look on Ba Lang’s face when he saw her, but that person she could not ignore—should something happen to him, who knew what complications might arise, and whom would Han Yu follow then?

Su Wenyue never harbored ambition for Han Yu to strive for that position on his own, although such ambition was common in her previous life, amid troubled times where might made right. Anyone with a bit of military power and capability aspired to contest for it, and with some luck, it could come to fruition. However, with only one such position available, it was not easily contested, often resulting in a battered and bloody struggle without necessarily a good outcome.

If Han Yu really did compete for it, he might have some chances of success. After all, he had managed to attain the position of Prime Minister in his previous life, and in this life, with the support of the Su Family and her help, he possessed even more advantages than before. Emperor Wu, at the beginning, was merely a scholar with some depth of thought and cunning, burdened by such a surname.

Despite this, Su Wenyue still did not want Han Yu to compete. She was now seeing more clearly. What was so good about that position? Even if one managed to fight and win it with much effort, aside from the hard work and fatigue, one had to contend with many involuntarily burdens. Even as an emperor, it was all the more true, having to suppress one’s happiness, anger, grief, and pleasure, unable to express them publicly for the sake of balancing various powers, stabilizing the court, and holding onto authority. More importantly, which emperor didn’t have countless beauties in his harem? Su Wenyue, who was extremely jealous, just wanted to monopolize Han Yu alone, not wanting to share her man with anyone else. The thought alone was unbearable.

As the affection between the husband and wife deepened, Su Wenyue now fully understood Han Yu’s pettiness and possessiveness in certain matters. Just as she was well aware that ‘Noble Consort Li’ ultimately followed Emperor Wu, she still minded the past interactions and some ambiguously scandalous rumors concerning her and Han Yu.

All of Su Wenyue’s thoughts at this time focused on how to extricate herself; otherwise, all would be mere idle talk. Not to mention Ba Lang’s lascivious thoughts about her, the harshness of this era towards women meant that if she were taken away by Ba Lang, even if nothing happened, her reputation would certainly be ruined. Recalling the days she experienced in her previous life, she would rather die than give Ba Lang any chance to lay hands on her.

As time slowly ticked away, Su Wenyue suddenly feigned a painful demeanor, her complexion turning deathly pale, which truly frightened the two soldiers. They quickly inquired about her condition.

“Madam, what’s the matter with you?”

“Hurry, take me to the medical clinic! I suffer from a heart disease, which isn’t too serious if I take my medicine regularly. It must have been because the thief’s hostage-taking earlier was too alarming, and now it’s acting up again. Quickly, take me to the medical clinic; I feel as if I can hardly breathe.”

At this point, Su Wenyue could hardly speak, gasping for breath with such convincing agony that the soldiers, initially skeptical, were relieved of their doubts. They only thought now about how to deal with the situation: if they did not take her to the clinic, the young lady could be in danger. Heart disease was no ordinary ailment; if they weren’t careful, it could be life-threatening. But if they took her there, the clinic would be crowded and the plan of their master could go awry, leaving them unfortunate.

“Hurry, take me… take me…” By now, Su Wenyue was breathing far more faintly, her voice barely louder than a mosquito’s whine, her complexion ashen, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, obviously on the verge of collapse. She looked at the two soldiers with pleading eyes, but in her heart, she was cursively berating them.

Damn it! She had gone to such lengths to fake her condition, her fingers continuously and inconspicuously pressing a particular spot, struggling to keep up the act even though it was feigned and quite painful. This ruse was something she had once seen Sikong Ling’s concubine employ, which startled her at the time and left a lasting impression. Even though it was later exposed, she still remembered it.

“Madam, hold on! We’ll take you to the medical clinic this instant.” The two soldiers were finally deceived by Su Wenyue and decided to take her to the clinic. They knew that they could not escape responsibility for anything that happened to her, especially since this young lady was reportedly a member of an official’s family. They did not know which master’s wife she was, but judging by her demeanor and dress, her status did not seem low. Moreover, the young lady had mentioned the prefecture governor’s name, raising concerns about potential connections. If it came to an investigation, they would be the unlucky ones.

In the shadows, the two men who had been ready to intervene, feeling somewhat impatient, now halted their actions, quietly admiring Su Wenyue’s cunning. They were all aware of Su Wenyue’s background.