Chapter 169: Luck

Lin Hao's footsteps visibly lagged a beat behind. Her hand, which was being held, twitched, instinctively trying to pull away.

Qi Shuo continued walking straight ahead without looking sideways, but his grip tightened.

The hand that had failed to break free grew still.

Lin Hao pursed her lips, her peripheral vision darting a quick glance at the person beside her before drifting back to the path ahead.

The mouth of the alley was drawing closer.

Qi Shuo suddenly stopped.

Lin Hao looked up with confusion. "What is it?"

"A-Hao—" In the hazy night, the young man, who stood more than half a head taller than the girl, was visibly nervous, to the point that his voice was much tighter than usual.

Lin Hao raised her eyes, quietly waiting for him to continue.

A young child ran past the mouth of the alley, casting a curious glance into the lane before running off laughing and playing.

Qi Shuo clenched his fist forcefully, only to feel the girl's soft, slender fingers.

The words swirling in his heart were finally spoken without further hesitation: "A-Hao, may I send an ice messenger to your home to propose marriage?"

Lin Hao froze. The hand being held instinctively tried to shrink back, but it was firmly grasped by that large hand.

She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but absolute sincerity and expectation.

Her heart suddenly softened. Before she could even process her thoughts, she nodded: "Okay."

The young man, who had been holding his breath while waiting for an answer, felt the corners of his mouth lift, his mood instantly soaring. "Then let's head home quickly."

Lin Hao fell silent for a moment.

He spoke as if they were returning to a shared home.

"That Du Qing... where did your subordinates take him?"

At the mouth of the alley, both Du Qing and Qi Shuo's guards had vanished.

"He was taken back to the Prince's Mansion first." Qi Shuo's tone was calm, but his gaze was as deep as the night. "A-Hao, how do you intend to deal with that man?"

Lin Hao's brow furrowed. "I haven't decided yet."

Meeting Qi Shuo's puzzled gaze, she rubbed her temples. "My head hurts."

"Does it truly make things that difficult for you?" The young man's eyes, washed by the night, filled with a smile, as if they were filled with tiny, scattered starlight.

Even though he didn't particularly enjoy the topic they were discussing, the sight of A-Hao complaining brought him an inexplicable joy.

Lin Hao didn't know what Qi Shuo was so happy about. She casually kicked a tuft of wild grass poking out from the ground with her green embroidered shoe. "In my past life, I was able to escape from that place with Du Qing's help. So, my feelings are quite conflicted right now; I don't want anything to happen to him, but I also don't want to see him causing trouble."

Having spent three years in that place, she had become increasingly certain that Emperor Pingle was not a qualified monarch.

If he were to reclaim that position, it would be the state and its people who would suffer.

"Then it's easy to handle. Just keep him locked up for now; that way, he won't be able to get into trouble or cause any."

Lin Hao shook her head. "Du Qing surely has many subordinates. If you lock him in the Prince's Mansion, you'll have no shortage of trouble ahead. Besides, once people find out in the future that the Prince of Jing's Mansion is long-term detaining Emperor Pingle's people, it will be very easy for others to use it against you."

Qi Shuo smiled. "You certainly think things through."

"Then how should he be handled?"

Killing him would weigh on her conscience, but keeping him locked up made him a hot potato.

Qi Shuo remained composed. "Then let's just change the place where he is held."

"Held where?"

"How about the Jinlin Guard?"

Lin Hao's expression became somewhat complex.

The way he spoke to her, as if consulting her, made it seem as though he had opened the Jinlin Guard himself.

"We can detain him there under a different pretext. If those people truly try to cause trouble, the Jinlin Guard will handle it. By the way, are there any others you are concerned about?"

"No one else, only Perfected Master Mingxin and Du Qing." Lin Hao couldn't help but ask, "Does the Jinlin Guard have anyone you are close to?"

"I wouldn't say 'close,' but the Commander of the Jinlin Guard, Cheng Maoming, owes me a favor."

With the arrangements for Du Qing temporarily settled, the two walked out of the alley.

The lights of a thousand homes brought the prosperous and bustling night view of the capital. Lin Hao couldn't help but look back at the deep alleyway.

Just now, she had been hunted in this alley, recognized that person, and accepted the marriage proposal of the Prince of Jing's Heir—

Lin Hao blinked, feeling a sense of unreality.

Her hand was held again, and she felt the warmth of the other person.

"A-Hao, we're home."

Lin Hao's eyes regained their clarity.

Qi Shuo breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Looking at A-Hao's expression just now, he had suspected she might want to go back on her word!

At that moment, a figure rushed toward them like a whirlwind, accompanied by crying: "Miss!"

Lin Hao was nearly knocked off balance by Baozhu's collision.

Baozhu steadied Lin Hao by her shoulders, looking her up and down. "Miss, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Thank goodness, you scared me to death!" Baozhu's eyes were red from crying as she sobbed out what had happened after she left. "I followed your instructions to find the Prince of Jing's Heir. Halfway there, I ran into his manservant, Changning, who said the Heir was nearby. Changning led me back to search for a while, and we finally found you..."

Lin Hao shot a glance at Qi Shuo.

Qi Shuo, in turn, gave a slight nod to the manservant following behind Baozhu.

Receiving his master's acknowledgment, Changning's face instantly lit up with joy.

He knew doing this wouldn't go wrong.

Such a narrow and long alley—it was the perfect setting for the Heir to express his feelings. If luck was on their side, he might even win the beauty's hand. He couldn't let this little maid ruin things.

Having finished speaking, Baozhu flashed a smile at Changning, her eyelashes clinging with tears. "Thank you so much."

"No need for thanks. As servants, we naturally worry when our masters are in trouble. I can understand Sister's feelings perfectly," Changning said, waving his hand.

"What happened with the spooked horse?" Qi Shuo asked.

Changning hurriedly replied, "It has been controlled. There was a sharp stone shard stuck in its hindquarters; I don't know which wicked soul did that!"

Lin Hao and Qi Shuo exchanged a look, knowing full well that Du Qing had manufactured the chaos to find her.

"No one was hurt, right?" Lin Hao asked.

"No one was injured, though one young lady was frightened. Money has already been paid to appease her."

Only then did Lin Hao truly feel at ease.

An uncontrolled, spooked horse could truly cause a death, and that wasn't something that could be settled just by paying money.

Perhaps if enough money was paid, it could appease the victim's family, but one's own conscience could not be so easily appeased.

Such a result was already a stroke of luck.

Thinking this, Lin Hao turned her gaze toward Qi Shuo.

Her heart, which had been drifting slightly because she had agreed to the proposal so quickly, settled down.

Meeting him today was even more of a blessing.

In her past life, she had been a tragic figure who could never forget the stranger who died alongside her, and that person happened to be the Prince of Jing's Heir who was stirring the waters of her heart in this life.

Thinking of a future vastly different from her past life, she felt a sense of anticipation.

"We're home," Lin Hao said to Qi Shuo with a smile.

Qi Shuo curved his lips. "Okay."

Changning looked at this one, then that one, before suddenly covering his mouth.

Progress! There was definitely progress between the Heir and the Second Miss Lin!

Baozhu glanced at him and asked with concern, "What's wrong with you? Are you out of breath?"

Changning's mouth twitched.

He knew this girl was a simpleton; who covers their mouth when they're out of breath?

The simple girl in Changning's eyes didn't forget to praise him when they returned to the General's Mansion: "Miss, the manservant Changning by the Prince of Jing's Heir's side is much better than that previous one, Changshun. Every time Changshun saw us, he acted like he was guarding against thieves, as if you were going to snatch the Heir away. Bah, who would ever take an interest in his master?"

Lin Hao: "..."