Chapter 82 Only Wei Zhang was trapped…

Wei Zhang was injured in both his chest and back. Overwhelmed by pain, he fell down, his knee slamming into the bluestone slab.

At the same time, Xue Lanyi nimbly dodged all the white feathered arrows flying towards her, ran towards Wei Xuan, and embraced him tightly.

How could her Ah Xuan disregard her life and death and shoot arrows?

Earlier, Wei Xuan had told her the route for the hidden weapons.

She kept it in mind; she could get away unscathed on her own. Who cared about Wei Zhang's feigned protection?

Her reckless rush outside, feigning an imminent arrow wound, was intended to distract Wei Zhang and allow her to escape.

Since he had her bound in his arms, she didn't mind stabbing him, thus buying everyone more time to escape.

She did it!

She proudly raised her chin at Wei Xuan, as if seeking praise.

Amidst the rain of arrows, the two exchanged a knowing smile, then took hands and ran away.

She didn't look back.

No one looked back at the bloodshot eyes behind them.

Wave after wave of pain assaulted Wei Zhang.

His trembling hand grasped the hairpin at his chest and pulled it out suddenly.

A jet of blood splattered.

So this is what it feels like to have thorns pulled out of your body.

He gripped the hairpin tightly with his knuckles, blood seeping into the cracks in the hairpin.

His actions remained ruthless, but due to excessive blood loss, his vision was becoming increasingly blurred.

The damp mist gathered before him, growing thicker and thicker, and just as it was about to engulf his vision, the receding red figure suddenly turned around.

The golden tassels of the hairpin gently tapped against the girl's cheekbone, reflecting shimmering light and making her face appear even whiter.

She smiled brightly at him, and as she ran, she raised her arm and beckoned to him.

Wei Zhang's brow furrowed, and his fingers, which were grinding the hairpin, paused slightly.

But from afar, Xue Lanyi's upturned red lips called out, "Ah Hong, Qingyun, Lu Lin, follow me! Do you remember the game of shooting arrows when we were kids?"

Her gaze was actually directed past Wei Zhang, calling out to everyone behind him.

After hearing Xue Lanyi's reminder, the people who were lying on the ground understood and stood up.

They snatched the knives from the guards and fought fiercely towards Xue Lanyi.

The boys were friends who had known each other for over ten years. In their youth, they often played archery and games together.

Therefore, they were no strangers to Wei Xuan's hidden weapons, and the traps could not imprison them.

The six of them charged out of the guards' encirclement amidst the rain of arrows and ran towards the edge of the peach blossom grove.

Beyond the woods stretched a vast grassland, its rolling green waves crashing against the ground. The six of them ran side by side, rushing down the hillside toward the horizon where the sun was just rising.

The red hem of her skirt, like a rosy cloud, floated away from Wei Zhang's sight.

It was just like many years ago, in that bamboo forest, she was making a fuss and he was chasing her, and they followed behind, cheering her on.

The laughter of the young boys and girls fell like pearls onto a jade plate, drifting gently into the breeze.

Only Wei Zhang was trapped.

"My lord, what is the meaning of 'shooting the marquis'?" Qingyang asked Wei Zhang behind him while waving his sword to deflect the rain of arrows.

The arrows raining down all around were too fierce, and nearly half of the hundred or so guards had been killed or wounded.

If we delay any longer, all the brothers we brought will perish in this peach blossom forest.

The eldest son's hidden weapons were unpredictable, and Qingyang was unable to deal with them, so he had to consult Wei Zhang.

After all, Wei Zhang grew up with that group of people. Since they were archery masters he had played with as a child, Wei Zhang must have been involved as well.

He must also know the way arrows travel.

Qingyang struggled to stay upright while waiting.

However, white-feathered arrows crisscrossed around him, brushing past Wei Zhang's temples, but he remained silent.

Given the urgency of the situation, Qingyang had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to help Wei Zhang up by the arm.

"Master, if we don't unlock the mechanism soon, I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."

I'm afraid I won't be able to catch up with the eldest son and his wife.

Qingyang originally wanted to ask Wei Zhang for clarification, but he saw a fleeting blankness in Wei Zhang's eyes.

At this moment, Qingyang realized that his master was not so much in pain that he had no time to think about anything else, but that he truly did not know what a Marquis of Archery was.

Wei Zhang was not among the games that boys and girls played when they were young.

Grandpa, didn't you grow up with them?

Qingyang was filled with doubt.

Wei Zhang also frowned, veins bulging on his temples, as he tried hard to remember something.

But it's not there, it's not there.

He was never in the shared memories of the boys.

Wei Zhang looked at the crimson pool of blood on the ground and smiled.

Qingyang moved his lips, unsure how to comfort him.

Perhaps, while the teenagers were playing games, I was already enduring day and night in that purgatory of Prince Qi's mansion.

Or perhaps they really did forget to invite Wei Zhang when they were playing the game.

Among a group of friends, there is always someone who shines like a pearl, making people instinctively want to follow them.

Some people are relegated to a corner, their presence or absence makes no difference, so being forgotten is quite common.

The will of the people is neither right nor wrong, nor can it be explained by reason.

Qingyang sighed inwardly, "Perhaps Master was just..."

Wei Zhang lowered his hand.

What exactly happened back then, and what does it matter?

Would he care about a few people who are at their wits' end?

He slowly rose, supporting himself on his knees, his eyes turning cold, revealing no trace of joy or sorrow.

His tall figure resembled a majestic mountain range, and his black robes fluttered in the wind.

In the peach grove, a rustling sound suddenly arose.

He squinted at the rain of arrows, locked his gaze on the depths of the peach grove, and gestured to Qingyang, "Give it to me."

Qingyang respectfully handed his sword to Wei Zhang.

The man's well-defined fingers gripped the sword hilt.

Suddenly, a silver light flashed before Qingyang's eyes.

The sword flew out and split the double happiness character in two.

Then, it was deeply embedded in a dead tree in the peach grove.

In an instant, the rain of arrows stopped.

The sounds of cold weapons around them also came to an abrupt halt.

Everything returned to its somber and quiet state.

Although Wei Zhang did not know anything about the Archer, he was familiar with Wei Xuan's troop deployment and, after a little thought, he was able to break the deadlock.

He glanced at his guards and uttered two words indifferently, "Close the net."

The net to capture the former princelings has been in place for three years; it's time to finally close it down.

The cat-and-mouse game should come to a complete end.

On the other side, six people ran recklessly down the hillside.

The vast green grassland stretches to the horizon.

It felt like going back to the days when we were young and went on outings together.

Back then, Zhou Yu would always dart ahead like a monkey, while Wei Xuan would deliberately slow down and wait for Xue Lanyi.

Xie Qingyun, a scholar, was physically weak and lagged behind.

Lu Lin would often scold them for having no class of aristocratic demeanor while vowing to compete with Zhou Yu for first place.

The sky today is very similar to that time; the clouds are white and the wind is gentle.

The warm autumn sun shone on them gently.

The higher you go, the fresher the air becomes, the easier it is to breathe, and even the way you run feels exceptionally relaxed.

"Speaking of which, it's been six or seven years since I did a morning exercise with Brother Xuan."

Xie Qingyun chuckled softly beside him, coughing repeatedly.

"Can you still hold on?" Wei Xuan patted his shoulder.

Xie Qingyun had tuberculosis and couldn't run, but perhaps because of running, his complexion was rosy and he looked much more energetic than usual.

"Hmm!" Lu Lin reached out to Xie Qingyun, his expression mocking.

The implication is clear: If you can't run anymore, I'll help you.

Wei Xuan was holding Xue Lanyi's hand, and Mu Qinghong was holding Yue Niang's hand; they were all in pairs. Would it be alright if Lu Lin held Xie Qingyun's hand as well?

"Who asked you to hold my hand? Back when we had a three-kilometer race, you couldn't even beat me!"

Xie Qingyun scoffed dismissively and sped up.

The boys have matured and become more composed, but their competitive spirit remains undiminished.

"Let's keep up!" Wei Xuan pulled Xue Lanyi along and quickened their pace.

Behind them, Yue Niang, who was running a little slower, was amused by them and shook Mu Qinghong's hand, "Ah Hong's friends are so interesting."

Mu Qinghong noticed that Yue Niang's face was extremely pale, and glanced at her slightly protruding belly. "I'll carry you on my back."

As he spoke, he bent down.

Moon Lady shook her head repeatedly, "I can do it! What didn't I do when I was in the Eastern Palace?"

We're currently fleeing, wouldn't carrying people around make them wait?

"I'm sorry." Mu Qinghong misunderstood.

Back then, Yue Niang was just one of the many palace maids in the Eastern Palace.

Her hands were rough, and there were whip marks on her back; she must have suffered a lot in the Eastern Palace.

Mu Qinghong never protected her.

Now, however, he expects her to suffer alongside him and flee from hardship.

Mu Qinghong felt bad and lowered her eyelashes.

Yue Niang was used to speaking frankly, and only now did she realize that her words had made Mu Qinghong overthink things.

She gripped his hand tighter. "Ah Hong, do you know? When I was serving in the East Palace, I would sometimes sneak a peek into the Red Plum Garden. I was so envious of you all."

Yue Niang was an orphan who was sold into the Eastern Palace when she was a child and had no friends.

From a young age, I was taught by my nanny not to make noise, not to run around, and not to cry or laugh in front of my master.

On one occasion, when she was delivering clothes to Mu Qinghong, she saw Mu Qinghong and Xue Lanyi painting in the courtyard.

Young men and women gathered together, laughing heartily and drinking freely.

Live a carefree and comfortable life.

She was so envious.

"I was thinking then, if I were one of you, I would die content!" Yue Niang raised her voice, then thought for a moment and changed her words, "It should be called dying without regrets, right?"

Moon Lady tilted her head and smiled.

She wanted to tell Mu Qinghong that she was not afraid of death or being hunted down.

She feels happy to be one of them now, with everything going her way and friends by her side.

"Once we escape the Duke of Wei's pursuit, will you take me to play that archery game, the Archery Marquis game, okay?"

The Moon Maiden's voice was full of anticipation.

Mu Qinghong, however, was absent-minded and did not answer for a long time.

Xue Lanyi, who was running ahead, heard Yue Niang's loud voice and turned around to say, "Of course, I'll teach you!"

She held Wei Xuan's hand with one hand and winked at Yue Niang while turning back.

Seeing Mu Qinghong's distracted and absent-minded expression, she advised him, "Ah Hong, don't look so sad. Ah Xuan won't let us die, okay?"

Xue Lanyi didn't know where Wei Xuan was taking them.

But she knew that Wei Xuan must have a backup plan to get them out of their predicament.

Xue Lanyi felt at ease.

Mu Qinghong remained silent.

Yue Niang tugged at his hand, "Ah Hong, your sister is talking to you."

"Huh?" Mu Qinghong snapped out of her daze and said "Oh".

Xue Lanyi sighed helplessly.

How come Mu Qinghong is still as timid as he was when he was in the Eastern Palace after all these years?

Unable to control his emotions for the time being, the group headed into a dense rainforest.

This is a large forest filled with century-old trees, lush and verdant, with winding paths leading to secluded spots.

The dense forest was almost completely dark, with only the sound of dew dripping around them.

Wei Xuan lit a tinderbox and led the way.

The group followed and walked into the path one by one.

Mu Qinghong and Yue Niang walked at the very back.

Just as Yue Niang was about to lift her skirt and follow, she began to follow.

A hand grabbed her wrist.

She turned around, and Mu Qinghong opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

After a long silence, he seemed to have made up his mind and asked, "Moon Maiden, do you really want to?"

What are you thinking about?

It took Yue Niang a moment to realize that he was asking her if she wanted to paint red plum blossoms and learn archery like she did in the Eastern Palace.

"Of course I want to!" Yue Niang took his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen, whispering in a voice only they could hear, "Our child will definitely want to too."

Mu Qinghong's fingertips trembled slightly, curling up as they pressed against her lower abdomen.

"It will happen," he said, his eyes reddening.

"You're being silly again." Yue Niang tapped his forehead. "If we obediently follow Xuan Ge to escape this predicament, anything will be possible!"

She smiled broadly and took Mu Qinghong's hand, leading them into the woods.

This was the first time in many years that she had joined a group of people on a mass exodus.

The dense forest was very dark, and the sound of snakes flicking their tongues could be heard from time to time. There were pursuers coming from behind at any moment.

But Yue Niang's eyes sparkled; her curiosity and excitement outweighed all her fear.

Xie Qingyun and Lu Lin seemed to be the same.

When Xue Lanyi saw them in prison and at the Duke's mansion before, the two of them were hunched over, with lowered eyebrows and eyes, not daring to look people in the eye. Today, everyone was unusually relaxed.

It's probably because Ah Xuan is there.

As long as everyone follows Wei Xuan, they will feel at ease.

Wei Xuan led the way, holding Xue Lanyi's hand with one hand and parting the layers of banana leaves with the other. "There's a secret passage ahead. If we go through it, we won't be so easily discovered."

"After passing through the secret passage, we rode our horses along the mountain shortcut, and my old men were at every checkpoint along the way."

"It is estimated that we will arrive at Gaochang County in three hours, at which point we will be safe."

Wei Xuan spoke in a calm voice, explaining each sentence clearly. When they arrived at a stone gate covered in moss, he turned around and scanned the crowd.

The others were fine, but Xie Qingyun was probably too excited from running. The flush on her face had faded, and her complexion was pale and almost bloodless.

Wei Xuan patted his shoulder with concern, "Can you still hold on? The passageway will be quite narrow and the air will be thin, but don't worry too much, you can last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn at most..."

"cough!"

As soon as Wei Xuan's hand landed on Xie Qingyun's shoulder, his slender body swayed, and he covered his mouth, coughing repeatedly.

Seeing his face growing increasingly pale and stiff, Xue Lanyi wanted to go forward and help him up.

Xie Qingyun pressed his hand down.

"I...I'm fine..."

Xie Qingyun leaned back against the stone gate, a forced smile playing on his lips. "When Xuan-ge was a kid, he loved digging mountains and planting flowers everywhere. I never thought he'd still be into this now, even carving out a path in this deep mountain forest?"

Xie Qingyun said this as a joke, not wanting everyone to worry about him.

Yue Niang didn't understand Xie Qingyun's intentions, but she felt indignant on Wei Xuan's behalf, saying, "This tunnel wasn't dug for fun. It was specially dug out by Brother Xuan three years ago to hide me and Ah Hong."

Wei Xuan doesn't live in Peach Blossom Valley most of the year, and fearing that Mu Qinghong and the other person might encounter bad guys, he specially left them an escape route.

When they were digging the secret passage, Wei Xuan was afraid that someone with ulterior motives would find out, so he didn't hire any workers and the three of them dug it all by hand.

Yue Niang, arm in arm with Ah Hong, proudly raised her chin, "Ah Hong used to think this place was dirty, but I never imagined it would save so many lives today!"

"Then I truly must thank the Crown Prince and Crown Princess for saving my life." Xie Qingyun bowed respectfully, performing the etiquette between a ruler and his subject.

Mu Qinghong stood ten steps away from him, at a loss, and after a while she raised her hands and said, "Get up, get up."

Although he said this, he remained standing at a distance from the crowd and did not approach them.

In a way, Xie Qingyun and the others were close friends with the Crown Prince.

They had been in Peach Blossom Valley for most of the day, and the Crown Prince had not spoken to them at all, even showing signs of avoiding them.

Xie Qingyun didn't know why the Crown Prince was so distant.

Perhaps it's because years have passed and things have changed.

The crown prince was no longer the gentle and warm-hearted person he had imagined.

Xie Qingyun smiled sullenly, lowered his eyes, and glanced at the bloodstains on his palm.

Unfortunately... he wouldn't live to see the day when he could break the ice with the Crown Prince.

There are some things he now has to tell you.

"Your Highness, I have a gift for you." Xie Qingyun secretly wiped the bloodstains into the sleeve of his inner robe, then took out an oiled paper package from his sleeve pocket and presented it to Mu Qinghong with both hands.

Mu Qinghong did not step forward; instead, she looked nervous and subconsciously took a half-step back.

However, at this moment, Xie Qingyun's hands were trembling like a leaf, and he could barely hold the oil paper package.

It was obvious to everyone that Xie Qingyun's health was not quite right.

Xue Lanyi silently tugged at Wei Xuan's sleeve, signaling him to open the door quickly.

If Xie Qingyun continues like this, and Wei Zhang's men catch up with him, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Wei Xuan frowned and shook his head at her.

Strangely, the key to the secret passage that he had always hidden on his waist had disappeared.

Peach Blossom Valley is now surrounded by Wei Zhang.

This passageway was their only escape route, but the door was about three inches thick, and it was impossible to open without a key.

Forcibly breaking down the door would inevitably attract Wei Zhang's men.

He was anxious, his brows furrowed, searching frantically for his keys.

Under the worried gazes of everyone, Xie Qingyun slumped to the ground, still holding the oil paper package in his hand, and looked at Mu Qinghong.

"Ah Hong, hurry up and go!" Yue Niang gave Mu Qinghong a push.

Mu Qinghong stumbled and fell next to Xie Qingyun.

He was closest to Xie Qingyun and could clearly feel the intermittent breathing, which was only going in and not going out.

Something is slipping away.

His legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees beside Xie Qingyun, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

The sound was so faint that no one could hear it, not even Xie Qingyun.

Xie Qingyun forced a smile, unwrapped the oil paper package layer by layer, and presented it to Mu Qinghong as if it were a treasure.

The book was wrapped in five layers of oiled paper, covering it completely. Underneath was a thick book written in regular script, with flowing strokes, titled "The Biography of Prince Jinde".

The wind blows open the cover, still carrying the scent of undried ink.

This is the biography Xie Qingyun wrote for him.

In Xie Qingyun's writing, Crown Prince Mu Qinghong is no longer portrayed as a treacherous and disloyal subject who plotted rebellion and deceived the emperor.

He was the Crown Prince of Jinde, who recited poems and understood their meaning at the age of three, inquired about the suffering of the poor and cared for orphans at the age of ten, treated the virtuous with respect, and was revered as a towering figure.

Historian Xie Qingyun recorded every single detail of his most authentic past.

He kept his innocence in his memory.

Mu Qinghong's hands were trembling as she held the book.

The book was too heavy for him; his back was bent under the weight, and he collapsed weakly to the ground, the book almost above his head.

No one saw Mu Qinghong's face buried deep under the book; her expression began to panic and tense, her eyes darted around, and she muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," in the end, only endless grief and... numbness remained.

At the same time, Xie Qingyun could no longer hold on and spat out a mouthful of blood.

He tried his best to avoid the book, but a drop of blood still splattered on it, covering the character "德" (virtue).

Everyone rushed over to help him.

Xue Lanyi was the fastest and helped Xie Qingyun, who was about to collapse to the ground.

"Whoever took the key, hand it over!"

The gentler her movements were in helping Xie Qingyun, the fiercer her gaze swept around the room.

Wei Xuan is not a forgetful person; he could not possibly have lost such an important key.

Someone must have stolen the key when they weren't looking.

Everyone who could get close to Wei Xuan was present.

Xue Lanyi couldn't believe that among her closest and dearest relatives and friends, someone would turn against her and try to bury everyone's path to survival.

Her wide pupils scanned everyone.

To be honest, she couldn't tell who the ghost was.

They also refused to believe that something sinister was involved.

The others also remained silent.

In the woods, the wind rustled, and the leaves whispered, the sound growing faster and faster.

The high-frequency vibrations rustled and seeped into the very bones of a person.

Xue Lanyi felt a chilling aura approaching, and at the same time, she felt Xie Qingyun's body temperature gradually cooling down.

He vomited blood silently, the blood trickling down onto Xue Lanyi's hands, smearing them all over her.

Xie Qingyun is about to collapse.

If he doesn't enter the passageway soon, he might never be able to leave this peach blossom valley again.

He still has children, a family, and an unfinished century-long history of the Xie family.

"Give me the key!" Xue Lanyi roared, losing her composure.

The people around looked at each other, but no one answered.

Xue Lanyi was somewhat helpless. She gave a bitter smile and almost pleaded, "Take it out. It's not too late to take it out now."

It would have been too late if we had been any later.

She clearly saw a dark figure perched high on a horse in the misty forest, strolling calmly towards her.

The sound of horses' hooves was neither fast nor slow, yet the ground trembled with each step.

Wei Zhang's tall and straight figure became increasingly clear in the thick fog.

Wei Zhang found the secret passage. The fact that he found their whereabouts so quickly means that someone must have informed him.

Who exactly wanted them to be wiped out?

The sight of the blade on her back filled Xue Lanyi with lingering fear, leaving her feeling weak and limp.

Wei Xuan grabbed her wrist, his warm, large hand supporting her.

"The best course of action now is to break through the encirclement on horseback first."

If the person in the shadows is unwilling to step forward when the situation is dire, then they truly will never step forward.

There's no need to test his heart anymore.

Wei Xuan blew his whistle, "Lie Feng and Mu Yun, these two horses can carry up to five people. You two split up and go first, I'll bring up the rear..."

"I have a donkey cart! I can ride a donkey!" Yue Niang proudly raised her chin and whistled like Wei Xuan. "Ah Hong and I will ride in the donkey cart, and you can ride horses."

In fact, donkeys are several times slower than horses.

Lie Feng and his wife Mu Yun were already galloping towards them.

The Moon Goddess's donkey was still hobbling along behind.

Although it was slow, the steps were firm, and Yue Niang taught it very well.

In these extraordinary times, there is not much time for consideration or refusal.

Xue Lanyi suppressed her chaotic thoughts, swallowed, and said, "Ah Xuan, take Qingyun with you. Lu Lin and I will go together, while Yue Niang and Ah Hong will go separately."

Wei Xuan is a good horseman, so at least Xie Qingyun will experience less of a bumpy ride.

Splitting up can also minimize the risk of total annihilation.

Wei Xuan understood her good intentions and said nothing more, stepping forward to greet Lie Feng Mu Yun.

The two white horses trotted side by side, getting closer and closer.

As Lie Feng approached Wei Xuan, he habitually raised his front hooves, seeking praise.

The white, glossy mane moved in the wind and looked beautiful in the bright sunlight.

Perhaps because it was the first time he was fighting alongside his wife, the horse's hooves flew exceptionally high in the fierce wind.

Lie Feng's playful antics eased the atmosphere somewhat, and Xue Lanyi helped Xie Qingyun up and headed towards Lie Feng.

The fierce wind was very obedient; when it saw someone was injured, it came over on its hooves to pick up the wounded.

Just as he took a step, a white-feathered arrow whistled through the air, piercing Lie Feng's neck.