Chapter 62 Victory: His lips were pale and he trembled. Gu Huizhou would kill him!

The carriage came to a sudden stop in the jungle, a large rock wedging the wheels, and the momentum of going downhill caused the horse to lose control.

"Whoa!" the coachman cried out in panic, but the horse had already lost its senses and galloped wildly towards the downwind side of the battlefield.

Inside the carriage, everything spun around them, leaving them dizzy and disoriented. Liang Pingxia clutched her lower abdomen tightly, blood trickling from her forehead against the carriage wall, down to her eye socket. "Mother! Mother, are you alright!"

"Xia'er! Xia'er! Mother is alright, come and hold onto Mother!" Wang Shi gripped the window frame with one hand, her fingertips bleeding, a sight that would make anyone's scalp tingle, but the woman didn't care at all.

She reached out and grabbed Liang Pingxia's clothes, and with a strength she didn't know she had, she pulled her close and hugged her tightly. "Xia'er, don't be afraid, Mother is here, Mother is here!"

"mother!"

Bang--

"ah!"

After a loud crash, Liang Pingxia's mind went blank. She stumbled out of the car and swayed as she stood up.

The carriage reached a small town last night, and they were just about to rest when they discovered that the town had been occupied by government troops, and several mountains in between were also under the control of the imperial court. If they tried to force their way through, they would only face certain death.

With no other option, the group had to turn back.

The coachman rushed to retrieve his horse, his breadwinner, yelling, "Come back—!"

Liang Pingxia's makeup was ruined, and her forehead was covered in mud. She knelt on the ground and hurriedly pulled Wang Shi out of the carriage, crying, "Mother!"

"Mother, how are you?"

The carriage crashed into a tree and was deformed. Wang managed to climb out of the window and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

A dull ache throbbed in her forehead, and her slender hands were covered in blood. Wang Shi reached out to touch her forehead and gently comforted Liang Pingxia, "It's alright, Mother is alright."

"Where...where am I?"

Liang Pingxia's panic grew stronger. They could even see the battlefield not far away. The girl's voice trembled, "This is outside the capital. Mother, the battlefield is just ahead."

Wang was taken aback. After looking around, she quickly said, "Let's go, Xia'er, let's go quickly!"

"Okay—" Before she could finish speaking, Liang Pingxia turned her head and glanced at the scene. She froze on the spot, suddenly lost in thought, and hurriedly ran towards the battlefield.

That's...that's my brother!

"Xia'er! Xia'er, come back!"

Wang dared not shout; a sharp pain shot through her leg. But she couldn't care less now. She reached out and grabbed the tree trunk, frantically following the girl, her face a mixture of anxiety and fear. She stumbled as she chased after her, calling out, "Come back! Xia'er!"

That black figure must be my brother!

Liang Pingxia ran forward with all her might, not caring about the mud under her feet or whether the mud would stain her robe. Her originally delicate face was wet with tears, and she hated herself for not being able to run faster.

Someone is pointing a sword at my brother!

Her pupils dilated abruptly as a long arrow pierced the air, almost splitting the girl's pupils in two. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, nearly crying out, "Brother!"

On the battlefield of Huangshan, a sharp arrow adorned with white feathers pierced Liang Chengfeng's chest, and the next instant, he suddenly fell to his knees.

A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth, "Pfft—"

Liang Chengfeng lowered his head in disbelief, staring blankly at the arrow piercing his chest. "I..."

"I……"

His voice trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Even he himself didn't know what he wanted to say; overwhelming hatred and resentment were all frozen in his eyes.

His hand was abruptly flung away. He looked up and saw Gu Huai'an's panicked eyes. The man was in a daze, muttering repeatedly, "I must live! I must live..."

Bang--

Fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Liang Chengfeng collapsed to the ground, his mind blank. The fighting around him was no longer relevant to him, but he was unwilling to accept it—

He was not reconciled! Even if he went to hell, he would fight these people to the very end!

He even wants to drag Gu Huizhou down to hell with him!

etc!

Liang Chengfeng's face, which was gradually losing its warmth, froze. He was facing the mountain. And on the mountain, a pale yellow figure stood... Liang Pingxia!

Why are they back? Didn't they already leave?

Blood stained their lips, which trembled and touched together. "Run!" The voice was weak and feeble, audible even to someone lying right in front of him. He was silently shouting, "Run!"

Liang Pingxia, unable to run any further on the mountain, collapsed to the ground, her nails digging deep into her palms. Her heart ached so much she convulsed, tears streaming down her face. She cried hysterically, "Brother—!"

"elder brother!"

Amidst the fighting and shouts of the battlefield, her voice went unnoticed, yet Wang, who had caught up, covered her mouth, saying, "Xia'er! Keep your voice down!"

Wang felt a chill run down her spine.

They couldn't go to Jiangnan anymore. They originally thought they could come back and stay by Liang Chengfeng's side, but they never expected to be greeted with news of Liang Chengfeng's death.

Liang Pingxia was gradually numbed by the heartache. She reached out and gripped the brocade pouch at her waist, inside which lay the hairpin her brother had given her. "Brother—"

Her coming-of-age ceremony was just around the corner.

"Ugh—" Liang Pingxia's tear-streaked face was covered, and she collapsed into Wang Shi's arms in a daze, "Waaah... Mother!"

The crying and shouting eventually turned into howling. The two embraced each other on the mountain, calmly and sadly accepting their current desperate situation.

A gust of wind blew, and a leaf landed on Liang Pingxia's back. She was so thin that you could see her spine when she bent over. Her frail body couldn't even hold a leaf, which rolled off her and fell to the ground.

Seeing he couldn't escape, Gu Huai'an frantically tried to hide behind Pang Qiying. However, several soldiers surrounded him tightly. A cold sweat broke out on Gu Huai'an's back. He brandished his sword, baring his teeth and claws, "Come on—I'm not afraid of you!"

Come on—

The soldiers ignored his roars, but dared not attack him because of Gu Huai'an's identity.

"kill--"

Pang Qiying, his eyes bloodshot, glanced at Liang Chengfeng, who had frozen in place, and then killed even more recklessly.

They must all die!

Gu Huai'an frantically swung his sword in all directions, the bright silver blade reflecting the solemn faces of those around him. The fear in his eyes was frantically suppressed as he retreated while swinging his sword, but unexpectedly bumped into a corpse. Gu Huai'an's face turned pale, and he lay down on the corpse.

He turned his head and was met with a pale, lifeless face—the very soldier who had taken care of him a few days ago. "Ah!"

Suddenly scrambling to his feet, Gu Huai'an took advantage of the soldiers' slow pursuit and practically crawled away.

He has to live, he absolutely must live!

He got it—"whoosh—"

Just like before, an arrow pierced his back. Gu Huai'an froze, and in the next instant, the soldiers surrounded him. They pointed their longswords at his face, their expressions grim.

Guan Yunshan spurred his horse forward, sneered, and shouted, "Take him down!"

"yes!"

Not far behind him, Pang Qiying was captured at the same moment, his eyes filled with hatred and loathing as he looked at him coldly.

Guan Yunshan ignored him and shouted, "Listen up, you rebels! Your general is dead! The traitors Gu Huai'an and Pang Qiying have been captured by me!"

"Those who don't want to die, surrender now!"

The clanging of metal and shouts almost drowned out any talk about the mountain. His face was ashen, and he said, "Your general is dead! Those who don't want to die, surrender now!"

"Your general is dead!"

"Your general is dead!"

...

Loud shouts echoed from all around Guan Yunshan. He held a flag in his hand, raised it high with one hand, and waved it, shouting, "Surrender and we'll spare your lives!"

Yellow sand settles on the ground.

The iron swords fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"clang--"

"clang--"

"General, is the general dead?"

"Where is His Highness the Crown Prince? His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Young Master Liang is dead?!" Several lieutenants looked around in a panic, and soon saw a black figure lying on the ground.

The longsword fell from their hands, and the faces of the men turned ashen.

They lost, they lost.

A sword wound on Guan Yunshan's face was still dripping blood, but he grinned from ear to ear, "Brothers! We won!"

"Victory!"

"Victory!"

"Victory!"

...

The joys and sorrows of the two groups were completely different.

Guan Yunshan laughed heartily as he watched his brothers cheer. When no one was looking, he quietly took the bow and arrow from his back, drew it fully, and rested it under his chin, his gaze fixed on a pale yellow figure in the mountains.

"Whoosh—"

The sound of the arrow whistling through the air went unnoticed as it pierced through two figures before plunging into the ground.

The arrow was stained red with blood, and so was the land.

"Ugh, ah—"

The little girl's voice was weak and pained, "Mother..."

"Xia, Xia'er..." Madam Wang looked down at the bloody holes in Liang Pingxia's body, a chill running down her spine. She seemed oblivious to her own injuries, her heart aching as she wanted to plug up Liang Pingxia's wounds.

"Don't be afraid, Mother is here."

But before she could finish speaking, her hand went limp and fell to the ground, and Wang Shi breathed her last. "Mother!" Blood trickled from Liang Pingxia's lips. She trembled as she tried to reach for the hairpin in the brocade pouch, but her hands were too weak to pull it out.

I don't know if she cried from anxiety or from pain.

Blood kept gushing from her back. Liang Pingxia finally took out the hairpin. "Mother, look at Xia'er! Mother!"

Tears blurred their vision as Liang Pingxia and Wang Shi rested their heads on each other's shoulders and embraced.

The hairpin never got to be placed on the girl's head. She clutched her stomach with one hand, gripped the hairpin tightly with the other, and stared blankly, no longer breathing.

Guan Yunshan looked up at the mountain for a while, squinting as if he had confirmed something, before finally relaxing and looking away.

The cheers of tens of thousands of people gathered together were earth-shattering, as if the ground beneath their feet was trembling.

Hearing the cheers, the people in the city felt a secret surge of joy. But they still dared not leave their houses, and could only look at each other and speculate.

Yao Ruyi smiled, put down his bow and arrow, and looked up with a gentle curve in his eyes, "How was it?"

Gu Huizhou reached out and patted the person's head, "With the Nineteenth Prince taking action, there will be no mistakes."

Then, changing the subject, he asked, "I just don't know if the Nineteenth Prince deliberately spared his life so that I could torture him severely, or..."

Yao Ruyi reached out and handed the bow and arrows back, shaking his arm with obvious disdain, "So heavy."

"Heh." The man chuckled lightly, then suddenly realized, "That was my fault." He put his large hand on Yao Ruyi's shoulder, "Let's go back to the palace and massage the arms of the Nineteenth Prince."

Yao Ruyi chuckled, "Then I'll trouble Your Majesty."

He followed behind the emperor, secretly taking his hand. He hadn't seen the emperor sleep well for over a month. Yao Ruyi felt sorry for him, but he couldn't poison him just because he felt sorry for him.

He felt he knew Gu Huizhou very well, and he would feel even worse if he wasn't allowed to stay by his side.

Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. As for General Han, he should be fine too.

Upon entering the palace, the remaining matters concerning the rebels would be handled by others. Cui Xiangzhu had instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare dinner early on, and immediately served it upon Gu Huizhou's return. He followed behind Gu Huizhou with a smile, saying, "This old servant congratulates Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

"Um."

"Your Majesty has lost weight these days; you must take good care of yourself."

Yao Ruyi looked at Gu Huizhou's face when she heard this.

The man was naturally thin; although he was strong, the gauntness on his cheeks was still noticeable. The two often spent time together without much conversation, but after the chief eunuch's comment, Yao Ruyi also noticed that he had lost weight.

Gu Huizhou's already deep-set eyes deepened even further, and his already sharp gaze became even more piercing and solemn.

A large chicken leg was placed into the emperor's bowl, and Yao Ruyi said, "Your Majesty, eat it."

Cui Xiangzhu was shocked. This... this can't be done.

How dare you order the Emperor like that? Even if he's favored, he can't be so disrespectful. He hurriedly spoke up, "Ten—"

"Yes, I'll eat it."

Cui Xiangzhu paused, swallowing back the words he was about to say. He turned and quietly left the bedchamber, feeling both shocked and amused.

And so, His Majesty now has someone who can control him.

The moon cast shadows across the ground, illuminating the swaying tree shadows. A hazy night enveloped the earth, the midsummer night seeming to carry a layer of moisture, staining even one's eyebrows and eyes with water droplets.

Yao Ruyi slept soundly, and the man admired the mottled red dew on his body for a while. Finally, Gu Huizhou kindly draped a thin blanket over him, got up, put on his robe, and went out.

Thirteen and Fourteen followed behind in silence. Everyone knew who His Majesty was going to see, and this time he wouldn't let him off so easily.

"squeak--"

The dungeon door was covered with a thick layer of mottled rust, which casually knocked away debris scattered all over the floor. The slight movement of the door startled the people in the cell.

The fear in Gu Huai'an's eyes deepened.

He looked around in terror, as if trying to find a hole to bury himself, but quickly realized he had nowhere to hide. His fingers frantically dug at the ground, and the dusty dungeon was instantly soaked with his blood, leaving patches of black and red on his body.

It makes one frown.

Gu Huizhou glanced at him with disgust, "It's filthy."

One sentence seemed to bring him back to that night, and Gu Huai'an frantically searched his body.

His gold medal! Where is his gold medal?!

My mind went blank for a moment, and I froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

He forgot.

He had given his immunity from death token to Gu Huizhou when he was arrested and brought to the palace last time.

His legs went weak, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his temples.

His lips were pale and he trembled. Gu Huizhou would kill him!