Chapter 96: The Lost Princess Bai Yueguang 27: The Young Emperor

"Come here, drag her away and never set foot in the main courtyard again!"

Xie Yunji shouted coldly, and the woman fell to her knees, trembling with fear, as if struck by lightning. But he didn't even glance at her again, waving his sleeve in disgust.

The servant outside the door responded immediately, and two old women came forward and forcibly dragged the crying woman out.

Wen Qianning, who was standing by, took advantage of the chaos when no one noticed her, and quietly reached into her sleeve to take out the poison she had prepared long ago, which was hidden in the small sachet she carried with her.

Just waiting for the right opportunity to swallow it all.

The door was closed again, and only Xie Yunji and Wen Qianning were left in the huge room.

He turned around slowly, his face terribly gloomy. With a long-suppressed greed, he approached Wen Qianning step by step and said urgently:

"Sister Zhaohua, no one can disturb us anymore."

Xie Yunji reached out to grab her wrist, his eyes blazing, his tone filled with a sickly obsession: "You are what I should have had long ago. I have been waiting for this day day and night all these years."

Wen Qianning just looked at him coldly, quietly clenched the thing in his hand, held the poison in his palm, ready to put it into his mouth at any time.

However, just as he was about to fall, a flurry of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, followed by a servant stumbling in and shouting:

"Oh no! Oh no!"

Xie Yunji suddenly turned around, his face livid, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. Driven mad by the repeated interruptions, he had lost his patience and, unable to endure any more, shouted, "Get out!"

The servant had already turned pale with fear, but he still knelt on the ground, his face terrified, his voice trembling, "Young Prime Minister... this is bad... The Dayan cavalry have attacked Xuanping! They've already... they've already stormed into the Prime Minister's residence!"

This news made Xie Yunji stunned, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on his head.

How is that possible?

The desire that he could not suppress just now cooled down in an instant, and his face turned pale in an instant.

Wen Qianning, who also heard the news, widened her eyes slightly and was extremely surprised.

No, why would the Dayan Cavalry come to the Prime Minister's Residence?!

Before they could figure out what was going on, the door was kicked open and slammed heavily against the wall.

Ji Hanlin walked in, with a murderous aura all over his body. He was wearing iron armor, and his eyes showed a murderous and sharp look, like a Shura who walked out of blood and fire.

His eyes swept across the room, landing on the two people in front of the couch. The girl's clothes were disheveled, her hair was tangled, and her face was pale. Xie Yunji was reaching out to grab her.

A hint of cruelty immediately appeared in Ji Hanlin's eyes.

Without giving Xie Yunji a chance to speak, the long sword flashed with a cold light, and with a "puff", the sharp blade pierced through the neck. Xie Yunji's eyes widened, as if in disbelief, and the next moment, blood gushed out.

The head rolled to the ground, splashing a large amount of crimson water that slowly flowed along the floor.

The smell of blood instantly filled the entire room.

Wen Qianning, who witnessed all this, had her pupils shrink with fear. She held her breath and dared not make a sound.

The shock of that scene was too strong. She stared blankly at the pool of blood on the ground, her face as pale as paper, and her whole body trembling.

After coming to her senses, the girl staggered back a step and leaned against the bed, breathing rapidly and gasping for breath.

Ji Hanlin turned around, and when his eyes met hers, they softened for a moment. He slowly put away his knife and called out in a somewhat bewildered voice, "Ningning..."

But as soon as he took a step, the girl was so scared that she subconsciously shrank back like a frightened little animal, her face full of fear, and her eyes filled with panic and anxiety.

"You...you..." The words were unfinished, a lump stuck in her throat. Wen Qianning had never seen Ji Hanlin like this before. The boy who had once stood by her side with his head bowed and his face submissive, now murderous without blinking, cold and ruthless.

The stench of blood grew stronger, and the sounds of slaughter could be heard faintly from outside. Wen Qianning's mind was in a state of confusion, with many regrets she hadn't figured out, as if everything was beyond her control.

Why did Ji Hanlin bring his troops here? Is the plot... different from the original plot?

Looking at the girl's almond-shaped eyes filled with fear and helplessness, Ji Hanlin stood there, with complicated emotions surging in his heart. He wanted to go forward and hold her in his arms, but he was afraid of scaring her and did not dare to go forward.

After a long moment, he took a deep breath and said something that could not be refused.

"Ningning, I'll take you away."

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't give her a chance to retreat. He walked straight forward and picked her up horizontally.

The strong smell of blood hit her face. The fishy smell of the blade that had not yet been wiped clean mixed with the blood tide that filled the room, completely drowning Wen Qianning. Her stomach churned and she almost vomited.

Her fingers could only subconsciously clench the man's chest collar, her mind in a mess. She had not yet recovered from the shock just now, and now she was enveloped by the sudden blood and his hot embrace. She couldn't tell whether she was afraid or tired.

The poison that she had been holding in her hand... had fallen somewhere in the chaos. She had forgotten about it and naturally had no time to look for it.

Her eyelids grew heavier, and the sounds in her ears gradually became blurred. In the man's arms, Wen Qianning fell asleep unknowingly.

*

Wen Qianning slept soundly for the whole day, her frail body curled up under the quilt, her face pale, her brows still furrowed, as if she was still trapped in a nightmare.

And the longer she slept, the longer Ji Hanlin sat beside the bed.

His armor had long since been removed, but he had never truly closed his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, his lips pressed into a straight line, and his palm gently stroked the back of her cold hand over and over, as if trying to use his warmth to wake her from her slumber.

Wen Qianning didn't know that when Wen Yuanzhao was thinking about giving her to Xie Yunji as a plaything, he had already received a secret report. Without a second's hesitation, Ji Hanlin decisively disrupted the original attack plan and forced the offensive against Xuanping to move forward.

It was because he was afraid that if he was a step late, Wen Qianning would be in danger.

Fortunately, the imperial physician took her pulse and said that she was just too frightened and her qi was blocked, so she was reluctant to wake up and there was nothing serious.

The lights in the room were always on. Ji Hanlin had just unified the country and was busy with affairs. All the memorials on the imperial desk were moved to the side of the couch for processing, but he never let go of the girl's hand.

This was the scene Zhuyue witnessed that day. The once cold and aloof young hostage was now the supreme ruler, holding the empire in his hands. Yet, he willingly leaned over the bedside, gazing at the princess with an intoxicatingly gentle expression.

"Your Majesty, you haven't rested for a long time. Please go and rest for a while. I and Zhuiyun are here. We will take good care of your majesty."

Finally, he couldn't help but speak out to persuade the young emperor.

Ji Hanlin did not respond, but just shook his head lightly, his eyes still fixed on the figure on the bed, as if she was the only one he cared about in the whole world.

Zhuiyun stood aside, witnessing the scene before him, feeling mixed emotions.

She couldn't help but recall what happened not long ago...

That day, Princess Zhaohua drank a cup of wine given by the emperor and fell into a coma. She was secretly sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion. She and Zhuyue were also locked up in a dark little room. It was unknown where they were sold to after waiting for several days.

At that time, Zhuiyun thought that his life would end so hastily. But at this darkest moment, the iron cavalry broke through the city gate, and the Dayan flag replaced the original Xuanping flag.

The young man who was once sent to their Xuanping as a hostage has now become the new emperor.

Without slaughter or humiliation, they were brought out and placed in what is now the Yaoguang Palace.

Gazing at the sleeping princess on the bed, then glancing at Ji Hanlin, who stood waiting patiently not far away, Zhuiyun felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. How could she not understand that their lives hadn't been affected at all, and that they were even treated with special care, all because the young emperor before them cared about their princess.

However, Zhuiyun's mood was still complicated.

A native of Xuanping, she had grown up in the Xuanping Palace, where the loyalty she had cultivated had long been ingrained in her bones. Now, with a new dynasty and a new emperor, even though the new Emperor of Dayan treated them with every possible care, she still felt an inexplicable repulsion and resistance.

Wanting her to willingly surrender to the enemy? Zhuiyun couldn't convince himself for a moment.

Zhuyue, however, was completely different. In just a few days, she seemed to have completely accepted her new reality. Whether following the young emperor's instructions, preparing medicine for Wen Qianning or cleaning her body, Zhuyue was extremely attentive. She even began to proactively report Wen Qianning's daily life to the new emperor.

That naturalness and familiarity made Zhuiyun feel that Zhuyue had long been accustomed to explaining all the princess' affairs to this man.

This made Zhuiyun feel an indescribable discomfort. She couldn't help but secretly look at Zhuyue... Zhuyue was clearly a maid who grew up with her in the Xuanping Palace, so how could she change so quickly?

With such doubts, Zhuiyun gradually had an idea in his mind.

I remembered that when I was in the Buddhist temple, Zhuyue often delivered letters in a mysterious manner and never told me the content of the letters.

I had originally thought Zhuyue might have a lover she didn't want to reveal. But now, thinking carefully...could it be that those letters weren't just about a romantic relationship, but were a way of secretly reporting the princess' every move to the newly returned hostage, now the new emperor?

As soon as this guess came out, Zhuiyun suddenly broke out in a cold sweat on his back.

If this is true, then it is no wonder that Dayan's cavalry was able to break into the city at the most critical moment of Xuanping, and also arrived at the prime minister's residence in time to rescue their princess.

I'm afraid there are more than just Zhuyue, there are other spies in the palace, and Zhuyue may just be reporting news related to Wen Qianning.

It turned out that all the information had long been firmly in the hands of this man.

In the past, Zhuiyun had never thought that Master Ji's thoughts were so deep and unfathomable. Now that he discovered the young emperor's fierce methods, he couldn't help but feel panic in his heart.

Can they, the princesses... really be with a man like this?

Now Ji Hanlin still likes their princess, so naturally he does everything for her personally. But if one day, Ji Hanlin gets tired of the princess, how can a princess who has lost her country and has no one to rely on fight against such a sinister man?

However, if Ji Hanlin had not secretly contacted and learned about the deal between Wen Yuanzhao and Xie Yunji in advance, what would have happened to their princess now?

Perhaps he had already suffered humiliation in the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Thinking of this, a certain hardened corner of his heart gradually loosened. Zhuiyun let out a long breath. Although he still resisted, he had to admit it...

At least for now, the only one who can protect their princess is the man in front of them.

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