Chapter 83: Another Battle for Supremacy - Many Points of Contention: Xiao Xie and Prince Yong Clash + Xiao Xie...

Prince Yong was furious, but he didn't act recklessly for long.

Ying Dang had just gotten up from the couch when the gust of wind he created made Ying Xi frown. She then lowered her head and coughed a few times, covering her mouth with her sleeve. The emperor's eyes clearly showed displeasure, revealing his worry that his younger brother's nature was hard to change.

"Cough, cough cough..."

Angering his elder brother goes against Prince Yong's strategy.

Prince Yong immediately withdrew his attack.

Ying Dang said, "Understood, I will leave!"

The word "down" was pronounced with such force, as if it could bite Xie Qianli to death.

Prince Yong opened the car door with a displeased expression.

Xie Qianli had already waved, signaling the soldiers to bring him a straw hat and raincoat: "Put on your rain gear, Your Highness is injured."

"..." That's inhuman.

Prince Yong didn't even have a chance to play the victim before he was forced to wear a straw hat and raincoat. He was practically grinding his teeth to powder, but there was something even more infuriating.

Xie Qianli lowered his eyes on horseback and stretched out his hand, leaving no room for doubt: "Your Highness, surrender."

In plain terms, it means I want your knife.

Prince Yong blurted out, "You son of a bitch, you're making a big deal out of nothing! My sword was a gift from my elder brother, what right do you, an outsider, have to take it!"

Xie Qianli was not angry. He restrained all his arrogance and temper: "I am ordered to restrain Your Highness from disrespecting His Majesty's orders. Hand over your sword."

"Brother!" Prince Yong looked into the carriage for help.

In truth, Ying Xi was worried that his younger brother would cause trouble and had long wanted to put away his knife. He was more than happy to have someone willing to play the good cop for him.

Ying Xi remained silent.

Prince Yong's anger was building up, but he couldn't find anyone to back him up, and he couldn't break the trust he had just built with his brother.

He drew a short knife from his waist. The pigeon blood on the hilt gleamed.

Prince Yong handed over the knife, deliberately playing a trick: if Xie Qianli pulled the knife forcefully, the scabbard would spring open, and the hilt would still be in his hand, causing Xie and his horse to stumble and fall.

Upon imagining this scene, Prince Yong let out a cold laugh.

Cool!

But the smile froze on his face, and Prince Yong's lips twitched.

So this bastard didn't move an inch, didn't take anything, just spread his palms out and waited for me to put it in my hand.

Prince Yong's expression grew increasingly grim: Where did this arrogance come from?

But after a brief stalemate, he had no choice but to comply.

Suppressing his anger, Ying Dang placed the short sword in Xie Qianli's right hand. When the scabbard touched his palm, he still felt a competitive urge!

Ying Dang attempted to draw his short sword from its sheath.

The blade suddenly turned, and the hilt was firmly gripped in Xie Qianli's hand, while Ying Dang only held onto the scabbard.

He couldn't steal it anymore.

Because if he exerts force again, Xie Qianli will press the hilt of the sword, causing the scabbard to spring open and fall out, making him the one who would lose face.

Prince Yong released his grip, and the short sword was already tucked into Xie Qianli's waist. Ying Dang had his men completely disarmed.

No words can describe the furious expression on Prince Yong's face at this moment.

This—vicious—dog!!!

Ying Dang angrily mounted his horse and returned to the entourage, cursing as he went. He had no nice words, calling the so-called number one expert in Chang'an City a piece of crap... Bah, he's a real vicious dog.

A vicious dog with boundless lust...

Just you wait, I'll pull out your dog teeth sooner or later!

However, Ying Dang's silent curses went unnoticed by anyone, and the sound of hooves gradually faded into the distance.

The sound of rain became more noticeable.

Inside the car, Ying Xi coughed a few times, covering her lips, and shook her head with a wry smile at Ying Dang's behavior.

Xie Qianli, watching from outside the car window, was startled by the cough and became even more certain of Ying Xi's condition: "Is His Majesty unwell?"

"A sore throat is nothing serious; I should feel better after taking some pills."

But Xie Qianli did not overlook what he considered a trivial matter.

Xie Qianli looked around from outside the car and said gently, "Tea can counteract the effects of medicine, so you can't drink tea while taking medicine."

"The snacks are too dry, and the longan is too heaty, so they are not suitable to eat."

Emperors always concealed their physical condition when traveling with the army. The soldiers were careless and only prepared local specialties in the carriage. They had no idea whether the emperor could eat them.

"I will have someone replace him," Xie Qianli said.

He didn't have a jade mirror with him on this trip. Compared to the soldiers, he was certainly meticulous. Now that Xie Qianli pointed it out, Ying Xi realized that he had indeed been living a bit rough.

Ying Xi felt a soft, tingling sensation in his heart, as if he were hugging a dog that was nuzzling him.

Ying Xi smiled faintly: "There's no need to change it; it would only attract attention. I can tolerate it."

But a hand was passed through the window, holding a water bag that was wet with rainwater.

Xie Qianli said, "It's warm water; I haven't drunk it yet."

The Xie family was frugal, and Xie Qianli cherished his belongings, keeping the water bag spotless.

If you have a sore throat, drink more water.

When Ying Xi took the water pouch, the raindrops were slightly cool, but a warm feeling flowed through his heart. He opened the pouch and took a sip. The water temperature was just right.

Ying Xi couldn't see the smile already playing on her lips.

He has spent most of his life scheming, including the man outside the car, who is also one of his targets. He had just warned Xie Qianli a few days ago.

But when she was occasionally taken care of, Ying Xi felt as if she had returned to the past.

Returning to childhood, returning to the time when he was trapped in Fanglan Palace, returning to the even earlier time when he was still the heir apparent of the Prince, when he was pampered and spoiled.

Ying Xi sipped her drink and softly said, "Bitter."

The water pouch was made of leather, so the water would definitely taste bitter. He was so used to drinking from it that he couldn't tell. Xie Qianli was caught off guard and accidentally did something wrong, causing Xiao Xi to suffer.

Xie Qianli: "Your subject..."

"Stop, you're going to say he deserves to die again," Ying Xi said with a smile.

Xie Qianli remained silent, the words caught in his throat.

He urged his horse forward while keeping an eye on the carriage out of the corner of his eye.

Inside the carriage, Ying Xi held the water bottle, sipping it quietly and earnestly. The emperor, who reigned supreme over the world, showed an unusual gentleness at this moment.

Xie Qianli was completely overwhelmed.

Ying Xi wore his own clothes. They had shared water pouches, warhorses, falcons, grapes... Every fragment carrying a memory pieced together Ying Xi into the image he could never part with in his life.

Xie Qianli closed his eyes. Rainwater slid down his cheeks.

Yingxi called to him, "Have you finished drinking?"

Xie Qianli reached out and took the water bag, which then stopped in mid-air.

His arm was hanging in the air when he saw Ying Xi leaning towards the car window.

Those deep gray eyes were slightly curved into two crescent moons.

His tone was slightly different from when he usually issued decrees; he softly praised, "Good steed."

"..."

Fireworks burst forth in Xie Qianli's heart.

Every spark is twinkling, radiating brilliant light.

He became breathless with excitement, and his eyes shone brighter. Fortunately, the rain and fog made it difficult to see clearly, so he did not attract Ying Xi's attention.

Ying Xi never said that she was in love with herself.

Ying Xi's performance undoubtedly sounded the call to arms for Xie Qianli.

Xie Qianli was shouting at a cliff, never expecting a response, but gradually, voices came from the other side.

If it weren't unrequited love, Xiao Xi would also be in love with him.

Does that lessen his sense of guilt?

Is it truly possible for him to suppress his desire to realize this love between a ruler and his subject that transcends family feuds?

Good steed.

My blood was boiling, I felt like I was about to explode!

Xie Qianli took the water bag, shook the reins, and quickly moved away from the carriage.

"drive!"

"General, bandits are closing in from the front!!!"

***

In the rain-soaked wilderness, Lian Qing let out a loud shout.

Right opposite the emperor's procession, on the other side of the plain, a band of more than a dozen bandits suddenly appeared.

The bandits were on horseback and were chasing a woman who was fleeing in a sorry state. Upon closer inspection, they realized that she was a girl dressed in colorful clothes and dressed in a gentle and graceful manner.

The girl clutched an umbrella and ran off in a panic.

Her hair ornaments fell off as she ran, and her embroidered shoes were covered in mud.

The woman in colorful clothes saw someone ahead and hurriedly called out:

"Help! Help!"

"Someone's robbing me! They're trying to kill me! Help!"

Xie Qianli: "Save her, and don't let anyone get close to the ceremonial procession."

Lian Qing quickly replied, "Fifth squad, follow me!"

The soldiers of the fifth squad rode off to meet the enemy.

Several cavalrymen, led by Lian Qing, engaged the bandits in close combat.

The Longwu Army was well-trained and well-equipped, while the bandits were nothing more than a rabble.

The bandits only fought a few rounds with Longwu Army.

Lian Qing slashed one of the bandits, knocking him off his horse. The bandit rolled several times on the ground.

The bandits cried out in anguish, "The officers...they're government troops!"

With the government troops invoked, several more bandits were no match for them, and the dozen or so bandits were reduced to just a few.

Seeing that they couldn't win, the leader, noticing the long line of soldiers stretching across the fields, immediately made a decision and shouted, "These guys are tough, let's get out of here!"

The surviving bandits had already realized the situation and turned their horses to flee, each one running as fast as the last.

In the wilderness, only the girl in her colorful dress remained, slumped on the ground. Her spread-out skirt made her look like a bright, large flower.

The girl just tripped and fell, and now she's slumped into the mud.

She lowered her head, the mud and water soaking through her skirt, the woman covered in mud, and her embroidered shoes were completely discolored.

The girl had just escaped death, and only then did she dare to lower her head and sob.

Lian Qing and his group came to rescue the girl, and they succeeded, but they didn't expect her to cry.

Even when a woman from Jiangnan cries, her voice is soft, sweet, and shy.

How could the men of the Longwu Army possibly withstand this?

So Lian Qing dismounted, rubbed his hands together, and cleared his throat to control his expression: "Well, miss, everything's alright now. We've chased all the bandits away. Can you get up?"

The woman in colorful clothes cried for a while, and then, as if finally realizing that she was safe, she slowly stopped crying.

She wanted to get out of the mud pit, but she couldn't.

She had just taken a hard fall, and her legs felt very weak.

The woman called out softly, "Sir," in a gentle voice. Lian Qing handed her the hilt of his knife and helped her to her feet.

The girl slightly raised her eyebrows, and in that instant, all was silent.

The woman's beauty caused the Longwu Army to fall silent.

Her face was snow-white, and when she fell, some mud got on her face.

The muddy water didn't tarnish her appearance; instead, it made the girl seem even more pitiful.

She gazed at Lian Qing with her large, bright eyes and softly said, "Thank you, sir."

She stood up with some difficulty, bowed to Lian Qingfu, and seemed to exude a fragrance that emanated from her.

The girl said:

"This young lady comes from Xindu."

"The king suffered a complete defeat in the battle against the Jiangbei army, and the people of the capital are filled with anxiety. The king has punished me, causing the deaths of my family. My only option is to flee south, to escape the king's rule, so that I may be safe..."

"Please, sir, save me! This is my first time away from home. Please find me a way to survive!"

The woman had just gotten up when she knelt down again.

Lian Qing got the gist of it. He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, his palms sweating. Several fluttering hearts pounded in his chest; it seemed that beauty really could make one lose their breath.

With his last shred of rationality, Lian Qing forced his head to turn away from the woman, silently comparing her to a benchmark in his mind.

—Not as beautiful as the imperial procession!!!

But what should we do with this girl?

Lian Qing examined it carefully.

If she were left in the wild like this, it's very likely that within half an hour, what would be chasing her wouldn't be bandits, but wild wolves or wild boars... or she might just fall into another mud pit for no reason.

How can I bear to do this?

If you're unsure about something, you should report it. Lian Qing was speechless.

The group could only take the seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl back to the ceremonial procession.

They were getting closer and closer to General Xie's white horse and His Majesty's imperial carriage.

The woman was beautiful, and as she passed by, she attracted many glances. The women all kept their heads down, obedient and shy.

However, they are strangers after all.

The Dragon Martial Army had a heavy responsibility in protecting the emperor, so Xie Qianli frowned as soon as the woman came into his sight.

The Longwu Army has strict discipline; abducting women is a capital offense.

Although I know that Lian Qing has long wanted to get married and has recently been admiring women from Jiangnan, it is not really necessary for him to break the law for this matter.

"Release them," Xie Qianli said coldly.

Lian Qing knew she was being framed, and said aggrievedly:

"I didn't catch them."

“This girl is the daughter of an official from the Jiangnan rebels. She ran away from the new capital. I noticed that she has a special status and is all alone outside. I brought her back for you and His Majesty to decide.”