Chapter 30: Old Ministers (2) [VIP]

The Long Kingdom's military talisman was actually in that person's hands...

The former soldiers of Long State had already gone their separate ways. Even with the military token in hand, they were no match for the powerful military force of Daning. Chu Qingluo pondered for a while and felt that he had to go for it now.

Even though the country was in ruins and she had only a tiny amount of strength left, she still wanted to give it a try. At least if she had the military command in her hands, she would have room to deploy troops in the future.

Her eyes darkened, and she said sternly, "Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll go there. You lead the way."

"I obey your command." Ning Zhu bowed his head and clasped his fists, accepting the order solemnly.

"As time passes, people have almost forgotten the old Long Kingdom..."

The clouds dispersed, and moonlight shone through the gaps. Chu Qingluo looked up at the sky again, a fierce look in her beautiful eyes: "The road ahead is bleak, and I will make them pay for their suffering bit by bit..."

The princess's melancholy utterances rang clear in his ears. Ning Zhu clenched his fists, his anger lingering. He said firmly, "The Empress's spirit in heaven will surely protect our Lord for the rest of his life and see to it that everything goes smoothly for him."

Ningzhu came tonight, but did not see any trace of Feng Yan. She looked around and saw no one. She thought that she had seriously injured that madman last time, so he should not be able to be seen for the time being.

Chu Qingluo raised her eyebrows slightly, and smiled softly. Suddenly, she asked about the man's condition with interest: "Did Feng Yan get hurt by me and can't walk?"

Ning Zhu seemed to recall something, and she felt helpless towards the man. She replied frankly, "A minor injury shouldn't require him to stay bedridden for days. He said the princess ordered us not to see him for the time being."

Feng Yan's body was indeed strong. She had injured him so badly, yet he had recovered so quickly. It was a pity that she had even bothered to show concern for him...

"Sometimes I feel that he is self-willed and disobedient, and sometimes I feel sorry for him..." Chu Qingluo frowned and sighed for a long time, "Sooner or later, I will be pissed off by him."

"Master, please calm down." That guy has been coveting the master all day long. Ning Zhu is really resentful of him and is afraid that the master will be bullied one day. She wants to use this to make Feng Yan restrain his temper.

"Shall I punish him again for a while so that he will remember this lesson?"

"Go ahead. It's good to make him remember it forever." She thought this was a good idea and ordered Ning Zhu to continue the punishment.

The layers of clouds in the night sky seemed to cover the bright moon again, and a few muffled thunders rang out above the mountains and forests.

Ning Zhu, noticing the impending downpour, reminded his master to return to his room quickly, then retreated into the dusk. "My Lord, it is wise. It is about to rain. I will not disturb your sleep."

She had to meet Dong Changding, whom she had finally found. The next morning, she walked quietly to the side hall to ask for leave and planned to stay out of the mansion for a few hours.

Arriving at the elegant hall, she saw Qu Hanjin flipping through the registers as usual. A cup of tea seemed still warm, set on a bare table beside her. It looked as if he had been waiting for her to learn the piano.

A sense of guilt inexplicably flowed through her heart. Chu Qingluo stood still for a while, then bowed to him lightly: "I need to leave the house today, and I need your permission, sir."

"Why are you leaving the house?"

After hearing this, Qingying in the hall stood up and looked, frowned slightly, and asked in a cold voice.

"Students are not allowed to talk about it for now."

She answered without hesitation. Ever since she knew that the gentleman was sincerely protecting her, she felt a little confused. She knew that what she did in secret could not escape his eyes, so she was unwilling to hide it anymore.

Otherwise, I would become a joke in my husband's eyes.

Qu Hanjin nodded in understanding, took off a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and placed it gently on the desk: "Go, I won't ask any more questions from now on."

Giving her personal belongings is to let the guards at the gate let her leave the house, and this move has been agreed by Mr. Jing.

He then looked back at the book, his eyes still calm.

She stepped forward and grasped the jade pendant in her sleeve. She lowered her eyes and pondered for a few more times before suddenly saying, "If you want to know, sir, I will tell you when I return."

The gentleman never participated in the power struggle in the court. She had no grudge against this man. She just borrowed the Ministry of Music as a hiding place. If she needed him in the future, there would be no harm in telling him.

"You want to tell me, but I don't want to hear it."

Unexpectedly, the teacher's reply was indifferent. He could probably guess what was going on with her: "It's nothing more than some deep hatred and revenge. I've heard a lot of it."

"I'll tell you when you want to hear it. But..." Chu Qingluo lowered her eyes slowly, fearing that he would be afraid of disaster and drive her out of the house. "Sir, you can't drive me away. If I leave, I'll have nowhere to go."

The young man beside the desk glanced at her and responded calmly.

"I agree."

When she walked out of the Siyue Mansion, she saw Ningzhu standing under a banyan tree outside the mansion gate. She walked silently into the alley and signaled her to go forward on her own so as not to expose her whereabouts.

Passing through eight streets and nine alleys, Ning Zhu followed him into a remote village outside the city. The surroundings were desolate and uninhabited, as if it had been abandoned for many years.

Ning Zhu stopped lightly and looked around for a long time. It was the house.

Following Ningzhu's gaze, Chu Qingluo looked at the most dilapidated part of the hut, collected her thoughts, and then walked in slowly.

The door was ajar, and there was only a wooden table and a hard couch in the room. There was a pot and a lamp on the table, and nothing else.

Thinking about these years, Dong

She looked at the figure on the couch who was in critical condition with a look of disappointment, and said in a low voice: "Deputy General Dong, I am here to see you..."

"Princess... Princess," the sick body stiffened suddenly when hearing the voice, and hurriedly looked back. The man was stunned for a moment and then tired.

He lay on the couch, his face as pale as paper, and finally knelt down to her.

"This general... pays homage to the princess."

Seeing this bow, she seemed to be back in the days when she was the princess of Long State, and tears could not be stopped from falling.

Dust is like smoke, but it is the most cruel.

Chu Qingluo raised her sleeve and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She helped Dong Chang back to the bed and said in a low and hopeless tone, "Deputy General Dong, please don't be so polite. There's no distinction between noble and humble these days. You and I are just pitiful people who have been stranded outside."

"I originally wanted to die on the battlefield with the general, but the general told me that Concubine Zhao would escort the princess out of the city..."

Dong Chang spoke very weakly, then took out an object and placed it in her palm with trembling hands: "Before leaving, the general handed the military token to me and asked me to..."

"The military token must be handed over to the princess."

Wang Qing silently clenched the object in her hand, knowing full well that it was the military token of the Long State, an object that the person in front of her had risked his life to guard for many years.

Dong Chang slowly raised the corner of his lips, constantly looking at the remaining Long Kingdom bloodline in front of him: "As long as the princess is still here, Long Kingdom can be revived..."

"I understand..." Chu Qingluo raised her fingers and shook the man's hand which was full of old wounds. She was silent for a long time and replied suddenly.

"I will not let down the people of Long."

Dong Chang smiled with relief and remained silent for a moment. A hint of worry crossed his face, and he said cautiously, "I never thought I'd see the princess before I die. I'm delighted... As long as the Long Kingdom still has its descendants, it won't perish."

"But...but this road is too dangerous. Princess, you must...take good care of yourself."

"Cough cough..." Suddenly he coughed up a mouthful of blood and it fell to the ground. The ashes were stained with a deep red, which was shocking, and the blood color gradually seeped into it.

She hurriedly poured him some tea, but there was only half a cup of water left in the pot, and she couldn't find any more tea.

Heartbroken, Chu Qingluo half-helped Dong Chang to sit up and passed the cup to the man's lips: "Deputy General Dong, drink some water quickly."

"How...how can this be possible? Princess is so precious, how can...how can you pour tea for a deputy general." Dong Chang shook his head and sighed in shock. Seeing that she insisted on being informal, he drank the wine reluctantly.

Let's get back to the topic. The assassination of Sun Chong some time ago can be told to the deputy general of Long State, which made him feel that the time of restoring the country is just around the corner, so that he can rest in peace in the nine springs.

She raised her eyes to gaze at the tattered figure that only had a few days left to live, and suddenly smiled.

"A few days ago, Sun Zhong was poisoned at a palace banquet. It was me who did it."

"Princess, this is a risky move..." Hearing this, Dong Chang coughed violently, his eyes widening in surprise, and he hurriedly clasped Shuying's hands beside him. "You need to think more carefully about everything, Princess...you must protect yourself."

Chu Qingluo couldn't help but twitch her lips, a wry smile faintly appearing on her rosy face: "Then what do you think, Deputy General Dong, can I do?"

"As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no fear of running out of firewood... A gentleman's revenge is never too late." Lieutenant General Dong couldn't bear to let the princess risk her life like this. After much thought, he came up with this plan: "The princess can secretly raise troops and wait for the time..."

"When we came, we conquered Daning in one fell swoop..."

How can you conceal the truth from the world even if you raise an army for a thousand days... She sneered sadly in her heart, wanting to avenge this hatred for her family and country as soon as possible.

Unmoved by this advice, Chu Qingluo pursed her lips, her eyes filled with endless hatred: "I can't wait that long. This hatred is deep in my bones. I don't want to wait even one more day..."

"Princess... cough cough..." Dong Chang wanted to say a few more words, but his body wouldn't allow it, and he coughed up more and more blood.

The two had been talking for a while, and if the princess stayed any longer, it would probably bring disaster. Ning Zhu walked steadily into the house and whispered, "Princess, if you stay here for too long, you might be targeted."

She then stood up gracefully and bowed one last time to the deputy general on the couch: "Deputy General Dong, please rest and recuperate. I will come to visit you again when I have free time."

Although she said she would come to visit, the person in the house was dying, and she knew she would never see him again...

Chu Qingluo walked out of the village calmly, looking at the sunlight in the sky that was blocked by clouds. Without moving his eyes, he raised his hand and handed the military token to Ningzhu.

Without stopping, she pondered for a moment, then gave an order in a stern voice: "Find ways to spread this military symbol in inconspicuous places, gather the troops of Long State, and join forces with the people of Fuzhao."

"Yes." Ning Zhu understood and answered, carefully taking the military token and putting it in his lapel.

The image of Dong Chang's frail appearance lingered in Chu Qingluo's mind. He paused, wanting him to spend his final days in peace. "Send two more men to serve Deputy General Dong."

"I understand."

Ningzhu accepted the order respectfully and remained at a distance from the princess, just as she had when she came. She watched her return to the Music Palace before she disappeared.

When she returned to the mansion, the class had not yet ended. The main hall was solemn and dignified, sacred and inviolable. She wanted to wait for the time in the pavilion and go to the dining hall with Meng Yatou to have dinner as if nothing had happened.