Chapter 108

The crown prince was utterly dejected. As the emperor's only son, he had no competitive pressure and had overlooked the cruelty of the struggle for the throne, letting his guard down.

It's a shame he acted as regent while his father was ill; it turns out he was so incompetent that he was completely unaware that the Imperial Guards had been taken over by others.

He knew it was all over; the world and the beautiful woman he desired would never be his again.

But the crown prince also had his own pride; he was unwilling to bow his head or prolong his life in vain.

He gripped the sword in his hand tighter and tighter, and it even trembled slightly.

Finally, he made up his mind and raised his sword to slit his own throat.

However, the next second, something struck his wrist, and the longsword fell to the ground instantly.

"Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your aid. I beg your forgiveness!" His voice boomed like a bell, echoing in everyone's ears.

Everyone turned around in shock, only to see a general in full armor, exuding a fierce aura, leading a troop of elite soldiers, rapidly approaching.

It's Yang Yan! Yang Yan, who has been guarding the border for twenty years without returning to the capital, has suddenly appeared in the palace!

Xie Tianrui reacted extremely quickly, and in a flash he rushed towards the Crown Prince, intending to kill him.

However, an arrow shot rapidly from behind him, forcing him to dodge to the side.

In that short time, the crown prince quickly retreated.

"Kill!" Qingfeng roared first, leading his men to attack the Crown Prince.

They must kill the crown prince before Yang Yan enters the palace.

The guards risked their lives to protect him, and the crown prince struggled to hold them off, but he was outnumbered and soon covered in blood.

At the same time, Xie Tianrui's soldiers outside the hall roared as they met Yang Yan's elite troops, trying to stop them.

Unfortunately, they were just inexperienced private soldiers from the Jiangyang Marquis's mansion, no match for Yang Yan's elite troops who had fought their way through the battlefield.

In just one encounter, Xie Tianrui's private soldiers suffered heavy casualties.

Yang Yan rushed into the Hall of Supreme Harmony without encountering any resistance.

The ministers who were originally outside the palace had been driven to a corner when Xie Tianrui rebelled. They were all quiet and obedient, just waiting for the rebellion to end.

Xie Tianrui was defeated. He was powerless against Yang Yan. If he had another 10 years, he might not be a match for Yang Yan, but he is too young now.

After subduing Xie Tianrui, Yang Yan strode up to the Crown Prince, knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Your subject has come to rescue you by order of His Majesty. Long live the Crown Prince!"

Then came the resounding clang of armor striking each other, followed by deafening shouts of "Long live the Crown Prince!" echoing from both inside and outside the hall.

It had Yang Yan's elite troops, palace servants and eunuchs, and court officials and relatives.

At this moment, the entire southern border bowed before the crown prince. He should have felt a surge of pride and laughed heartily, filled with his ambitions.

But there was nothing there; he just stared intently at Yang Yan with a livid face.

He lost, utterly lost. It turned out that his father had long foreseen the undercurrents in the court and secretly summoned Yang Yan back.

Moreover, he knew that even if Rong Rong had left now, and if she remained in the palace with Yang Yan present, he could not act rashly.

He and Yang Yan will check and balance each other, and Rong Rong will not be coerced by anyone.

His good father, the emperor, truly deserves to be called the emperor who unified the world for all ages!

The crown prince was devastated. Although the throne eventually returned to him, he felt a tightness in his chest that made him feel suffocated.

After a long while, before the Crown Prince could even wake him, Yang Yan stood up first, his tiger-like eyes blazing, bloodshot with rage. "Where is she?"

Yang Yan stared intently at the Crown Prince, his face, weathered by years of wind and frost on the frontier, showing the weariness of rushing on his journey.

Even so, he still looked radiant with hope and joy, the energy that person had given him.

If Emperor Li Tianyi hadn't sent a letter saying that Rong Rong had been found, Yang Yan would never have left the border for the rest of his life.

The Crown Prince knew who Yang Yan was asking about, and he said calmly, "They've left. They left before Father Emperor passed away, using a secret passage."

A deathly silence filled the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Yang Yan glanced deeply at Li Tianyi on the dragon bed, then turned and strode away.

Damn it, he's fallen for the scholar's trick again!

Before leaving, Yang Yan deliberately stopped and said coldly without turning his head, "With me here, no one in this world can hurt her!"

With what seemed like a warning and a threat, Yang Yan led his elite troops away from the Taihe Hall without waiting for the Crown Prince's response, just as he had come.

The Crown Prince coldly watched Yang Yan's retreating figure, forcing a smile at the corners of his mouth.

Beside him, Xie Tianrui, who was being held down on the ground, chuckled softly.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! The devil may be one foot tall, but the righteous are ten feet tall! Brilliant indeed!" Xie Tianrui exclaimed deeply, his laughter growing louder and more arrogant...

Having completely abandoned the complicated affairs of the palace, Rong Rong, along with Ding Caiwei and Nan Shi, was traveling south in a carriage, enjoying the scenery along the way.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard, formerly under the command of Nan Qi, has been secretly transferred to the hands of Nan Shi. They no longer belong to the royal family or the emperor, but have become Rong Rong's private bodyguards.

With them around, Rong Rong's journey south will no longer be threatened in any way.

Rong Rong relaxed and lay down in the comfortable carriage. Ding Caiwei dutifully fanned Rong Rong, while outside the carriage, Nan Shi acted as the coachman, driving the carriage very steadily.

Only four or five Imperial Guards followed the carriage on horseback; the rest remained hidden in the shadows.

They all wore expressionless, aloof faces, but inside they were incredibly excited. Who could have imagined that they would be the ones to stay by the Empress's side forever!

"Fine, I forgive Li Tianyi for using the spell on me," Rong Rong sighed inwardly.

When she was in the mood, Rong Rong got up and sat down next to Nan Shi, lifting the curtain.

They were walking through the mountains and forests, where lush trees blocked out the sun, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dappling the ground and falling on Rong Rong and Nan Shi.

The clear birdsong sounded like a cheerful song, and a gentle breeze brought coolness.

Rong Rong was in a good mood, swinging her legs and looking up at the treetop, as if searching for a small bird hidden among the trees.

The smile on her face had never been so radiant, warmer and more dazzling than the sunlight on the horizon.

Nan Shi silently watched Rong Rong, his heart gradually racing.

Back then, out of loyalty to his master, he willingly underwent castration to enter the palace.

Some people didn't understand him, some secretly mocked him, some felt sorry for him, and some admired his decisiveness.

But who could have imagined that in the end, his sacrifice, which seemed worthless to outsiders, would earn him the opportunity to stay with Rong Rong forever?

Only with his disability could he be allowed by Emperor Chengyuan to stay by Rongrong's side.

Nan Shi smiled, his face filled with the joy of welcoming a new life.

Rong Rong and her group enjoyed themselves immensely, with no outside interference, no financial worries, and no concerns about safety.

Life was so easy that Rong Rong even forgot she still had tasks to complete.

Then one day, an electronic notification sound suddenly rang out in the system space.

[Ding, hidden quest activated: Stop the demons from conquering the immortal realm. Host is being teleported...]

At the same time, in the capital's imperial prison, Xie Tianrui committed suicide out of fear of punishment, while in the Jiangyang Marquis's mansion dungeon, Mu Fangfang died after enduring endless torture.