Chapter 44: Traitors

Xie Chen was walking in the woods with big strides. When he heard some noise, he suddenly turned around.

After seeing the person coming, he remained silent for a long time.

Tears welled up in the woman's eyes. Due to the pursuit and the fever, her face was abnormally flushed, and she looked fragile and broken.

But her clear eyes were filled with determination. She bit her lower lip unconsciously and trembled as she said, "I want to be with the emperor."

Xie Chen's throat rolled, and his fingertips curled slightly, "Aren't you afraid?"

Pei Tingyue walked to his side with great effort and stretched out her hand stubbornly, "I am afraid, but I want to live and die with the emperor even more."

Xie Chen looked at her steadily for a while, then held her hand tightly and went deeper.

Both of them were in poor health, one had a fever and the other was injured, and they were not walking very fast.

The assassin behind him was searching faster and faster.

After struggling for half an hour, they were finally discovered.

“The person is there!”

Xie Chen made a quick decision: "Go up the mountain."

But the dark shadow behind him pressed forward at an extremely fast speed.

The two were forced to a cliff.

Pei Tingyue looked down. It was a hundred feet high. If he fell down, he would be smashed to pieces.

Xie Chen noticed that she was trembling and protected her behind him.

Even when he was chased to a dead end, there was no trace of fear on his face, but instead he looked even more imposing.

The black-clad assassins surrounded the cliff, and soon a thin figure walked out from it.

He seemed extremely pleased with the scene before him, and said sarcastically, "My dear brother, how have you been all these years?"

Xie Chen narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Xie Lin."

The man pulled off the mask and smiled foolishly: "It's me."

Xie Chen said nothing, the murderous intent in his body pressing down like a substance.

Xie Lin laughed exaggeratedly for a while, "These past few years, I've been hiding here and there, running around like a rat in a gutter, all thanks to my royal brother!"

"I miss my royal brother all the time. Does he miss me too? No, no, no, you probably don't miss me. You've become a powerful monarch, ruling the world and holding immense power. How could you think of a useless person like me?"

"You didn't expect, my Royal Brother, that a useless person like me could force you to this point. Your Royal Brother is too careless. He has only been on the throne for four years, yet he dared to take such a small number of personal guards to the Spring Hunt. He is simply courting death!"

"Look at him, he's fallen to this point. He's obviously covered in wounds, but he's still trying to act like a hero and protect the beauty. It's really hilarious, hahahaha!"

Xie Lin slowly drew the bowstring. "Brother, I've never been a good archer. Can you tell me where I should shoot to kill you? The heart? The neck? The forehead?"

He chattered on and on, but Xie Chen didn't say a word in response.

It was Pei Tingyue who broke free from Xie Chen's big hand.

Xie Lin teased with interest: "Hey, is this beautiful lady scared? Do you want to beg for mercy? If you crawl over here on your knees now, I can spare your life."

Pei Tingyue looked at Xie Chen deeply and stood in front of him.

"You're courting death!" Seeing her like this, Xie Lin's face instantly darkened. Perhaps he felt that a winner shouldn't be acting like this, so he calmed down a bit. "Royal brother, you're lucky. You have such a beauty to accompany you on your journey to the underworld. It's not a big deal!"

"Royal brother, I will send this beauty down first, and then send you down. Don't rush, take your time one by one!"

Pei Tingyue looked at the arrow aimed at his heart, and his whole body tensed up instantly.

This is a gamble with your life, it would be a lie to say I'm not afraid.

But she doesn't regret making the decision.

Despite being humiliated many times, Xie Chen's eyes did not change, but when his gaze fell on the woman in front of him, ripples suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Her shoulders were thin and trembling.

Even from a distance he could sense that she was afraid.

I don't know where she got the courage from to stand in front of him, even though she is usually so pampered.

Xie Lin on the opposite side no longer hesitated, snorted coldly, raised his hand and shot an arrow.

“Swish!”

The moment the cold arrow came straight at him, Pei Tingyue's pupils suddenly shrank.

In just a moment, I broke out in a cold sweat and my mind went blank.

Just when she thought she was going to die.

With a "bang".

An arrow flew over at an angle and knocked the arrow that was about to pierce Pei Tingyue's heart to the ground.

Pei Tingyue stared at the person who shot the arrow.

She fought her way out.

This was her only thought before she fell into a coma.

Xie Chen's strong arms caught the woman's falling body. He looked at the person who came and said calmly, "You scared her."

Song Lingyun rode on a red-maned horse, with a large group of people following behind him.

She was not wearing a palace dress, but the outfit she usually wore for martial arts practice. She looked very heroic. She replied playfully, "I know I was wrong."

Xie Chen continued to look at her.

Song Lingyun laughed and changed his address back to: "I was just thinking, how cool it is to be a hero saving a beautiful girl!"

Xie Chen was speechless: "Deal with it."

"yes!"

The situation is reversed at this moment.

Dozens of men in black were pierced through the hearts by crossbows, and Xie Lin was also subdued.

Xie Chen lifted the person in his arms and carried him horizontally. He walked calmly across the blood, threw down the word "finish" and left decisively.

Song Lingyun dismounted and said with emotion, "Your Highness, Third Prince, if I remember correctly, you almost died at the hands of my red tassel spear back then, didn't you? I never thought you'd dare to return to Kyoto. You're truly courageous!"

Xie Lin looked at the corpses scattered on the ground and said with gritted teeth: "From the Royal Garden to this cliff, is this your trap?!"

"How else could I have lured you out?" Song Lingyun stretched his neck and complained, "I removed your arrangements in Kyoto overnight. It took a lot of effort!"

Xie Lin's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted at Xie Chen's back, "Do you think you've won?! Second Brother will avenge me! Xie Chen! You killed your father and your king! You are destined to die a miserable death!"

It’s a pity that the figure didn’t stop for a moment.

“Bang!”

Song Lingyun slapped him, "How can you talk like that?"

Xie Lintou was knocked aside. He raised his head fiercely and said, "Song Lingyun, you traitor and traitor will not die a good death!"

Song Lingyun didn't slap him this time. He just raised his eyebrows and said, "Is that all you can say?"

Xie Lin said in an excited tone, "The Song family's century-long loyalty has all been destroyed by a vicious woman like you! Back then, the late emperor's dying will deposed Crown Prince Shen as a commoner and replaced him with my second brother as the new emperor. Yet, you aided and abetted the tyrant and supported a traitor as emperor. This is truly intolerable!"

"I want to see how you can face the Song ancestors a hundred years from now!"

"The Song family's century-long loyalty pales in comparison to the countless people of the world who have found a wise ruler!" Song Lingyun answered this question seriously. "Our lord secured the northern border, annexed the western regions, and quelled rebellions in the Central Plains. He expanded our territory and established lasting achievements! Not only that, he also promoted trade, reduced corvée labor, promoted the imperial examination system, and dealt with corrupt officials. He brought Daqi, which was devastated during the previous emperor's reign, back to prosperity. He is an unprecedented ruler who has revived the country!"

"The Song family has always been loyal to the Xie family bloodline! Not to such licentious and immoral wastes as you and His Highness the Second Prince!"

"I have a clear conscience! The Song family has a clear conscience!"