Ying Lili turned to see and saw the fast moving arrow that was going to hit her but, at the right time, she was pulled towards her left. Inspector Hong was mad seeing this and he told the specially trained soldiers to surround the region. "There is one more with her. Catch them at any cost," Inspector Hong shouted and started running to the path on which Ying Lili had run earlier.
"Sheng Li," Ying Lili murmured, who gestured to her to be quiet. He tightly held her hand and took her from there. Sheng Li had come many times to the Prime Minister's residence so he knew the routes well. Sheng Li and Ying Lili reached the Southern pavilion. Sheng Li stepped ahead, holding Ying Lili's hand when a soldier in blue robes appeared in front of them with a sword in his hand.
Sheng Li too took out the sword swiftly and in a flash of a second, slit that soldier's neck. "Come," Sheng Li told Ying Lili as she ran to him. They were close to the South-Western side of the residence when Sheng Li heard the sound of footsteps. He looked around and found a store room there. "Hiding would be better than going ahead," Sheng Li decided and took Ying Lili to the storage room.
Sheng Li had already sent Xiao Zhan and Wang Hao out of the residence so he was not worried about them getting caught. "Follow me," Sheng Li in a low voice said as he slid into the tiny space along Ying Lili, which was at the end of the room. There were some wooden planks on one side of the wall. Ying Lili was panting and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
They could hear the voices of the soldiers. Ying Lili was slightly terrified because if they got caught then it would be an end for them. Sheng Li noticed how tense Ying Lili was so he gripped her right hand. Ying Lili turned her gaze at him. "I am here so do not be scared," Sheng Li whispered. Those words gave security to Ying Lili and now she was relaxed.
Suddenly the wooden planks fell towards Ying Lili when Sheng Li came in front of her, his face facing Ying Lili. The planks hit his back and the left arm that he had extended out at that time, as he could not let them fall. Meanwhile, the fabric, which was tied around his face, fell while he towered over Ying Lili.
Ying Lili thought to help him but then she heard him say, "Do not move." Ying Lili lifted her eyes and met the stony gaze of Sheng Li. Both had stopped blinking as their gazes turned to an intense eye lock.
Their eye lock broke when Sheng Li winced in pain as the wedge on the plank pierced inside Sheng Li's arm. He puckered his lips, not to let himself groan from pain. Ying Lili was worried but then she heard soldiers retreating from there. "Someone suspicious is found at the northern gate," they both heard. After a while, Sheng Li turned left and pushed the plank back and took out the wedge from his arm.
"Your arm is bleeding," Ying Lili anxiously said.
"It is fine. Let's get out of here," Sheng Li stated. Ying Lili tore her skirt from the bottom and quickly wrapped it around that injured arm. "If blood drops will pour down then they might check this area later so better be cautious," Ying Lili asserted as she tied the knot around Sheng Li's arm. Sheng Li picked the fabric from the floor, hid it inside the waistband and went out from there with Ying Lili.
They negotiated the same wall from where they had come and after walking for a few meters they both met Xiao Zhan and Wang Hao. "Your highness, our spy distracted the security there," Wang Hao informed Sheng Li who hummed. Ying Lili opened the fabric tied around her face and looked at Sheng Li.
"Forgive me. You took so much pain because of me," Ying Lili lowered her eyes.
"It is fine. What did you find there?" Sheng Li asked Ying Lili.
"I took a ledger account book from there. It has mentioned every fraud that the Prime Minister is doing in the regions that are far from Han. Basically, he has created his own system of getting taxes from them but to the revenue department it appears something else. The rebellions in the Southern province might be linked with this," Ying Lili explained to Sheng Li.
"It is enough to remove him from his position. Anything else?" Sheng Li asked.
Ying Lili refused and did not tell him about his mother's diary. "So, where is the ledger book?" Sheng Li forwarded his hand.
"I-I have put it inside my upper jacket," Ying Lili replied. Sheng Li pulled his hand back and told them that they should leave for the palace. As they started walking, Ying Lili told Sheng Li about the treasure that she saw inside the secret chamber.
"What kind of treasure does he have?" Sheng Li asked.
"The secret room is full of gold and many other precious valuables. But, Sheng Li, if you show the ledger then the Prime Minister will find out that we sneaked in there and I even attracted their attention so he might use it against us. Don't you think so?" Ying Lili asked him.
Wang Hao and Xiao Zhan agreed with the Crown Princess. "You do not need to know. Your work is to bring the evidence here which you did. The rest, I will take care of," Sheng Li pronounced.
The cold wind was blowing which made Ying Lili shiver. Sheng Li found Ying Lili was putting more pressure on her left foot while dragging the right one. "What happened to your foot?" Sheng Li asked Ying Lili as he halted at his place. Xiao Zhan and Wang Hao too stopped.
"I injured my foot when I was running from there," Ying Lili replied.
Sheng Li bent on his knees and brought his hand closer to Ying Lili's right foot when she moved it back. "It is fine. You do not need to check," Ying Lili softly said but Sheng Li did not stop and grasped her foot gently. Removing the shoe and the white sock from her foot, he found the foot was swollen and he even saw a red blood mark on the skirt near the knee.
Sheng Li lifted his eyes to look at Ying Lili. "Did you fall down while running?" Sheng Li asked her.
"Yes," Ying Lili replied.
Sheng Li put the sock back on Ying Lili's foot. As soon as he stood up, he carried Ying Lili in his arms which startled her. Xiao Zhan picked the shoe up and they all started walking. "I can walk," Ying Lili said in a low voice. Her hands were wrapped around Sheng Li's neck.
"We have to reach the palace soon," Sheng Li replied. Ying Lili found that Sheng Li was disturbed but she did not ask him. She noticed that they did not climb on the slope. With skepticism Ying Lili asked him the reason for not using the sloppy path. "You are heavy so I cannot climb on the slope carrying you," Sheng Li snapped at her.
Xiao Zhan and Wang Hao suppressed their smiles as they looked at each other.
"It means you know that there was another path as well but you..." Ying Lili stopped speaking as Sheng Li gave her a menacing look. Soon enough they reached near the tunnel and walked in. After a while, Sheng Li turned to the route which was attached to Ying Lili's chamber while General Xiao and General Wang took a different path. They soon reached the chamber and Sheng Li put Ying Lili on the bed.
To check the wound on Ying Lili's left knee, Sheng Li moved the skirt up when Ying Lili shouted at him and pushed it down. "Let me see. There is nothing special about your knee," Sheng Li stated as he moved the skirt up again.
"This is your first time working with me and you ended up in such a mess." He touched the wound which was still bleeding. "I think I made a mistake by asking for such a wish," Sheng Li deduced as he met her eyes.