Fan Zehao placed the chipped medicine bowl aside and helped the person on the bed to lean against him, personally feeding her the medicine.
A mouthful of bitter medicine made her almost spit it out. She whined, "This is even more bitter than Huang Lian!"
Seeing her pitiful state, Fan Zehao felt a pang of heartache. A smile played on his lips, but his heart bled. He forced back his tears and gently comforted her, "Drink it. When we get back to the inner city, I'll buy you candy, roast meat for you, and make all your favorite dishes. Whatever you want to eat, I'll make for you, okay?"
Zhao Jiaqi wasn't sure if he was her husband. His gentle words were so natural, and it was the first time he had said so many nice things to her!
Knowing he cared about her, she took the medicine bowl from him and downed it in one gulp. The bitter taste filled her mouth and churned in her stomach, but she forced down the nausea.
Smiling, she handed the bowl back to him, "I've finished it!"
Fan Zehao pulled her into his embrace, cradling her head. Silent tears fell, his heart feeling as if it had been cut countless times.
Zhao Jiaqi felt him crying. She wrapped her arms around his waist and said softly, "Don't cry, I'm fine. When we get back to the inner city, I want to eat your roasted meat!"
"Oh, no need to go back to the inner city. I'll go out and catch a wild rabbit in a moment and roast it for you!"
He secretly wiped the tears from his face, his voice choked with emotion, yet he refused to let go of the person in his arms.
His emotions slightly calmed, Fan Zehao settled her back down and, taking his tools from the wall, quickly left the room, afraid he might break down and cry again.
Outside, the special envoy guarded the door. Only when the King returned did he hide again. The person on the bed drifted in and out of sleep. When she woke up and ate the simple roasted rabbit, she couldn't help but smile happily.
"Husband's cooking hasn't changed, it's still as unappetizing!"
She ate the rabbit leg, teasing him. The meat was merely cooked, without salt, let alone any other seasonings.
Fan Zehao saw that his wife's spirits had improved and she was even in the mood to joke. The tension that had gripped him all day finally eased.
He gently pinched her cheek, "When we go back, I must master cooking. I'll make sure you get plump and fair."
"So mean! I don't want to become fat!"
They chatted and laughed, gazing at the moon in the sky, as if they had returned to those days of the past.
The next day, Zhao Jiaqi no longer had a fever, but the wound still needed dressing. Although it had stopped bleeding, it was far from healed.
Fan Zehao decided to stay there for a few days until the wound scabbed over before they left.
Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, more soldiers were searching the mountains. This time, they encountered the couple.
Fan Zehao gestured to his mouth and ears, indicating what the soldiers were saying. Zhao Jiaqi, like a demure wife, hid behind her husband.
"Why do I feel like this old man is deaf? And he can't speak either!"
"Deaf-mutes are like this, they can only gesture!"
The soldiers searched the house but found nothing. Seeing the two people who appeared to be in their fifties, they paid them no further mind and left.
Halfway through their departure, they realized something was amiss. A deaf person couldn't hear, so how did they hunt?
The soldiers' faces paled in alarm: "Damn it, we might have been tricked!"
Another soldier hadn't caught on yet: "What's with the fuss?"
"Brother, it's no problem for a mute to hunt, but how can a deaf person hunt? He can't even hear any sounds. If he goes hunting like that, he'll starve to death or be eaten by wolves!"
The one called "Brother" pondered for a moment and frowned, "What if they set traps to catch prey?"
That wasn't an impossible scenario.
Seeing how honest the two seemed, he felt they couldn't be bad people. More importantly, they hadn't found the Crown Prince in this area.
Suspicious, the soldiers turned back, determined to verify if they were truly deaf-mutes. By the time they returned to the house, the couple was gone, leaving behind only some herbs for staunching blood.
"They are indeed the ones we are looking for. Chase!"
The men behind followed the leader forward, though they had no clear direction. After all, they weren't imperial guards and had no experience solving cases. They only knew to chase towards the city.
Meanwhile, Fan Zehao, carrying his wife on his back, had already fled far away.
There was still a long way to the border. With just their two legs, how long would it take to get out?
There was no other way; they had to disguise themselves as merchants and leave.
This way, they had horses and goods, and could travel normally. If they encountered soldiers, they would allow them to inspect freely, as their goods were genuine gold and silver, and they had nothing to fear.
They navigated through checkpoints and finally reached the border after half a month.
Baili Fengge, seeing that he was about to escape, knew he could no longer return to the Xuanyuan Kingdom. He had come to understand much along the way.
His father was using the guise of capturing him to investigate his uncle and aunt. His aunt was to be captured alive, while his own fate was uncertain!
Such a father had truly broken his heart.
As they were leaving the border, they encountered Baili Kaine at the city gate. Looking at the merchant caravan below, he sneered, "Brother, no matter how you disguise yourself, your gait and your aura will never change. That's why I saw through the disguise of the person who was with you at the Farewell Pavilion in the capital!"
"It's a pity, though, that you still managed to succeed!"
If the Crown Prince hadn't obstructed him, delaying him, he would have absolutely been able to prevent the escape. He was confident of that.
Hearing his resolute words, Fan Zehao knew that no matter how he altered his appearance, it would be futile.
Just as he had said, outside the Farewell Pavilion, he had seen through the special envoy at a glance, which was why he had rushed back so urgently.
He tore off the paper-thin mask from his face, revealing his true appearance, and coldly stared at the man blocking his path. "Today, I will leave through this city gate, and no one can stop me!"
Baili Kaine was generous with him, "You may leave. However, the person in the carriage must be left with me. Otherwise, none of you will leave this gate!"
Today, he was determined to intercept Zhao Jiaqi.
Fan Zehao's reply was even more direct, "Absolutely impossible. Either we, a couple, die here today, or you die here!"
His wife had finally returned. This time, he would never let him succeed, even if it cost him his life!
Seeing that persuasion was futile, Baili Kaine didn't waste words and attacked swiftly.
The Death Guards were all deployed at once. The special envoy, seeing this, led his men to meet them. A fierce and inseparable battle ensued.
Zhao Jiaqi, inside the carriage, knew their side was outnumbered. She immediately fired a signal flare out of the carriage window into the sky.
Since they had reached the border, her own people guarding it would surely understand what was happening when they saw it.