"So that's how it is." Xue Zhongfu and Jiang Lun looked at each other and saw understanding in each other's eyes.
They had also heard of Zhang Xianzhi's past with the young lady from the Liu family. That story of a talented scholar and a beautiful lady was a popular legend in the capital. Unfortunately, the young lady's fate was short-lived, and she and Zhang Xianzhi were ultimately unable to achieve a happy marriage.
"Princess Xianning's move is undoubtedly a stab in Xianzhi's heart." Jiang Lun said angrily, jumping onto the horse with quick movements.
Xue Zhongfu also nodded, his expression solemn: "She has a deep hatred for Xianzhi. If she really does something excessive to the Liu family girl's grave, Xianzhi will probably collapse."
The two men said no more, spurred their horses and headed straight for Jingzhao Yin. The silence of the night in the capital was broken by the sound of their horses' hooves.
In the darkness of night, the gate of the Jingzhao Yin government office was still brightly lit.
The three of them rushed over and asked the prefect Li Zhengxuan to lead troops to Qingshangang to rescue the emperor.
When Li Zhengxuan heard the announcement from the doorman, he hurried out from the back hall and looked at the two people in front of him. He couldn't help but frowned. One was the son of the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion, and the other was the eldest son of the Jiang family. Both of them were not unknown people.
I originally thought that today would be another peaceful day in the capital, but how come something happened to me in the middle of the night?
Li Zhengxuan's face showed suspicion. "Rescue the emperor? Whose emperor should I rescue at this hour of night?"
Jiang Lun approached him, placed a hand on Li Zhengxuan's shoulder, and spoke in a rather mysterious tone, "We've received news that the Marquis of Xianning has left the city with the Princess, and that they had an argument. If the Marquis of Xianning had been violent with the Princess, wouldn't that have been a disaster?"
Li Zhengxuan blinked, a look of helplessness on his face. "Master Jiang, I'm not confused. This county lord is lucky not to be beaten, but he still dares to be rough with the county lord?"
"Just tell me whether you're going or not," Xue Zhongfu urged. "Besides, can the Xingyuan Marquisate harm you?"
These words almost made Li Zhengxuan laugh out loud.
He thought to himself: "Your mansion is also in a mess right now, and it's not necessarily any better than mine." However, he changed his mind and realized that protecting the royal family was his duty, and he also felt sympathy for Zhang Xianzhi's situation.
"Okay, okay," Li Zhengxuan finally nodded and agreed. "I'll go just once. It's my duty to protect the royal family. At most, I'll just get scolded. That's better than something catastrophic and His Majesty blaming me for not fulfilling my duties."
After saying this, he quickly summoned the palace soldiers and prepared them to go. Xue Zhongfu and Jiang Lun also breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this.
At this time, on the steep cliff of Qingshangang, a repaired tomb stood high on the hillside, forming a sharp contrast with the barren cemeteries around it.
Princess Xianning's guards surrounded the tomb like an iron wall, busy digging the lonely grave with shovels in their hands.
Zhang Xianzhi was tied tightly to a nearby dead tree, his clothes were torn and covered in dust, and the scars on his face were like cruel marks.
"Li Yunting, you vicious woman, stop it now!" he roared, his voice full of powerlessness and anger.
Princess Xianning Li Yunting smiled contemptuously, waved her wide sleeves, snatched the whip from the servant, and then whipped Zhang Xianzhi fiercely. Every whipping seemed to vent her jealousy and anger to the extreme.
"She is just a humble commoner. What qualifications does she have to be compared with me? Even though she has been dead for three years, you still miss her so much that you even built a tomb like this for her." Her tone was full of resentment and resentment.
Zhang Xianzhi gritted his teeth and endured the severe pain in his body. His eyes never left the grave, as if he could find a trace of comfort and strength there.
"Your Highness, it has been dug up." The guard came over to report in a deep voice.
Hearing this, Zhang Xianzhi's eyes became bloodshot and he glared at Li Yunting fiercely.
The flames of the torch flickered, illuminating the dark coffin. Li Yunting slowly walked to the coffin and looked inside.
Inside the coffin, a pile of broken bones were scattered around, silently telling the sad story of the past.
"Is this Liu's remains?" she asked herself softly.
Thoughts drifted back to the past, when Li Yunting's father, Prince An, died from the poison in the assassin's hidden weapon, his whole body festering.
According to the customs at that time, King An's body needed to be cremated and buried. As the only orphan, she personally collected the bones and sealed them in the jar. The unforgettable memory made her realize that human bones were not what they looked like.
Li Yunting couldn't help but frown. Zhang Xianzhi's love for Liu was as deep as the ocean, and logically, he should have carefully placed Liu's ashes in a coffin and buried them. However, what she saw was the ashes scattered haphazardly inside the coffin, mixed with dead branches and gravel, which seemed quite strange.
She turned around and met Zhang Xianzhi's eyes filled with grief and anger. The pain and anger in his eyes surged like a storm, yet did not seem fake.
After a moment of contemplation, the captain of the guards replied cautiously, "Your Highness, I once asked the manager of the cemetery, and they said that those with serious illnesses are cremated together. There are no special procedures, and the ashes are also piled together, so..."
"Haha, the world is unfair, and all things are like straw dogs." Li Yunting raised her head and sneered, slowly walking towards Zhang Xianzhi.
"How pitiful! Liu's body might not even be intact in this coffin. You are so infatuated with her that you even found a so-called auspicious location for her." She sighed softly, her tone full of sarcasm.
Zhang Xianzhi laughed miserably, the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth highlighting his desperate and distorted face.
"You might not even have a coffin in the future, and your body will be left exposed in the wilderness for wild animals to eat!"
"How dare you curse me!"
A hint of coldness flashed in Li Yunting's eyes, and she signaled the guards to hang Zhang Xianzhi up high again.
As the rope tightened inch by inch, Zhang Xianzhi's body rose higher and higher from the ground.
"Well, since you're so stubborn, I'll grant you two your unfortunate love today," Li Yunting said coldly. "Let you be together in the underworld, forever."
The guards at the city gate caught a glimpse of the Jingzhao prefect leading a large army out of the city. Although they were puzzled, they did not dare to ask and had to quickly open the city gate to let them pass.
A group of people galloped in the night, and the shadow of the green hills was looming in the hazy moonlight, like a dark giant beast lurking on the horizon.
"Look over there!" Jiang Lun suddenly pointed to the top of a distant hillside, his voice revealing undisguised excitement and nervousness. "There's a flickering fire!"
Everyone looked intently in the direction of his finger, and saw a row of flames swaying among the trees on the top of the green hill. They could also faintly hear the noisy voices of the crowd, which seemed particularly abrupt in the silent night.
Jingzhao Yin Li Zhengxuan looked at the fire from afar with a frown on his face. He also realized that this matter was of great importance and must not be taken lightly.
He turned and gave a solemn order to the palace soldiers behind him: "You must encircle them from the mountain road ahead. Remember, you must ensure the safety of the Princess and the Prince."
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers responded in unison and advanced in an orderly manner towards the mountain road ahead.
Seeing this, Jiang Lun and Xue Zhongfu raised their whips without hesitation, spurred their horses and followed closely behind. The group quickly disappeared into the dark night.
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