They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Chapter 61 I cried.

After the meal, Wu Ziyan pulled Sima Lingchuan aside and told the people in the mansion that they were going out to digest their food, leaving everyone in the mansion behind before running out.

"Master, what kind of behavior is this? You should at least consider your husband's feelings!" Mo Baiyun said helplessly. The situation was so dangerous, yet he still dared to run outside.

But Wu Ziyan wouldn't listen to him at all; she wanted to spend some quality time alone with Sima Lingchuan.

After walking for quite a while, Wu Ziyan finally let go of Sima Lingchuan's hand. As they walked through the market, Sima Lingchuan reached out and grabbed Wu Ziyan's hand again, his eyes filled with longing. Wu Ziyan held onto him, and only then did she realize that Sima Lingchuan was actually taller than her.

Some vendors called out: "Candied hawthorns, lanterns, sachets, fresh flowers!"

Anyway, the hawkers' cries were constant, and this was the first time Wu Ziyan had a proper shopping trip. In the past few days, she had rushed through the market in a carriage, and then she had so many things to do that she had no time to enjoy the market.

They strolled around two streets in the morning and didn't go back at noon. Instead, they found a restaurant and had a big meal.

Sima Lingchuan was also very curious about the outside world. Ever since she married into the family, she had never left the house and had always stayed in the inner quarters. Even when she went out, she would only catch a glimpse of the outside world from inside the carriage. She had no time to stroll through the market like an ordinary person.

In the afternoon, they went to the market again. Even as the lights came on, Sima Lingchuan did not complain once, even though his walking pace was gradually falling behind Wu Ziyan's.

"A hairpin, a hairpin! My esteemed guest, please buy a hairpin for the beauty beside you."

An old woman was talking to Wu Ziyan. Wu Ziyan looked closely at the hairpins on her stall. Several of them were not ordinary. Wu Ziyan picked up one of the simpler silver hairpins, which was inlaid with blue jade, looked at it, and then put it back.

She saw that Sima Lingchuan's eyes were completely unmoved, so she probably didn't like it. But how could the old woman miss such a money-making opportunity? "Buy one, this beauty will definitely look gorgeous in it."

Everyone likes to hear flattery. Even if they don't buy the hairpin, they'll buy the words.

They slowed their pace and walked for a while until they reached the riverbank. Wu Ziyan stopped and looked at Sima Lingchuan, asking, "You didn't buy anything today. Do you not like anything?"

Sima Lingchuan shook his head: "Being able to walk with you on the street is already a great honor and comfort."

So humble, yet speaking with such self-righteousness. He wasn't someone who couldn't act coquettishly; it was just that worldly matters weighed him down, and he had gradually become accustomed to this way of life. He didn't ask for anything indiscriminately, and all his food, clothing, and daily necessities were only up to standard, never exceeding them.

Wu Ziyan shook her head, touched Sima Lingchuan's face with her hand, and then put the blue jade hairpin in his hair: "You must have had a hard time. You must have been too tired to walk for a long time, but you just kept quiet."

"I was just thinking, isn't this good enough? Look at the lights of the market, this is what life is like for ordinary people." Sima Lingchuan stopped and looked at Wu Ziyan, tears welling up in his eyes.

Wu Ziyan reached out and wiped the corner of his eye. At this moment, she couldn't say anything sweet, so she walked quietly for a while. When they reached a bridge, they leaned against the railing. The light shone on their faces, making them look hazy.

At that moment, a noise came from the shadows. Several heads peeked out from the window of the teahouse by the bridge, watching the two of them and talking in hushed tones.

"These two must be the ones."

"Which one is the fourth princess?"

"These are all men, the one who's taller is probably the one who looks the tallest!"

This is a conversation between those people. Their Mandarin is not very fluent, but they are dressed in the clothing of the Wu Dynasty. They are just a bit dark-skinned and rugged.

The leader turned out to be Lu Aza, a member of the Xiao Rong tribe. He waved his hand, and the others, seeing his signal, revealed crossbows from their sleeves, which they then mounted at the window and aimed at them.

Wu Ziyan suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She subconsciously looked around, frowning. She didn't find anything unusual, but she just felt something was wrong. She was quite sensitive to danger.

She smiled at Sima Lingchuan: "Lingchuan, you must be tired after a day of sightseeing. Why don't we find a carriage to go back?"

"What's wrong, Ziyan? Are you tired?"

"No." His tone was quite serious. Although Sima Lingchuan didn't understand the ways of the world, he could still figure it out. After all, he was born into a political family and could understand some of the ways of the world. Besides, they hadn't brought any guards with them today, and Wu Ziyan didn't know anything.

Sima Lingchuan nodded and reached out to take Wu Ziyan's hand, when the sound of crossbow bolts whistling through the air came straight toward Sima Lingchuan.

Upon hearing the sound, Wu Ziyan reacted quickly, pulling him aside to dodge two arrows. However, she couldn't dodge the third arrow no matter what she did. She wondered why all these people's attacks were aimed at Sima Lingchuan, who was just a person from the inner quarters. How could he have provoked these villains?

Without time to think, Wu Ziyan forcefully pushed Sima Lingchuan away, causing him to fall to the ground. The crossbow bolt magnified in Wu Ziyan's eyes, and as she leaned to one side, the arrow pierced above her collarbone.

Grandma's legs hurt so much!

Immediately after Wu Ziyan was shot, a commotion broke out. People started running around and shouting. Wu Ziyan clutched his shoulder and hissed in pain, then took a deep breath. Tears welled up in his eyes, not from weakness, but from the pain itself.

Her mind raced. Who sent these people? The Wu Dynasty rarely used hidden weapons like crossbows. How did they know they were here? Had someone been following them? Could it be Wu Chengye? No way!

The only certainty was that they were unsure who Wu Ziyan was; they could only determine it based on appearance. Sima Lingchuan stood up with surprising composure.

After observing the situation for a moment, she immediately found the patrolling guards and explained the situation. When the guards heard that the Fourth Princess was injured, they were all flustered. She was a member of the royal family. If she died, their entire family would be ruined.

They quickly found a carriage and a doctor to stop the bleeding. The arrow had to be removed back at the mansion for further treatment.

After the bumpy ride, Wu Ziyan's lips should have turned pale from blood loss, but strangely, they were actually bluish-purple.

She still had a sliver of consciousness. She looked at Sima Lingchuan weakly and said, "The arrow was poisoned. Go back and make the rest of the arrangements unchanged; find Doctor Han and keep my injury a secret as much as possible."

After saying that, he fainted.