Death of Zhaoyang
The boat was tossing and turning in the turbulent river, as if it would be swallowed by the angry waves at any time. Ning Lingyi pursed her lips tightly, staring at the narrow waterway ahead that was being pushed open by the boatmen with great effort.
Su Qingfan commanded with confidence, his low voice could be heard clearly amidst the sound of wind and waves. Every time the ship tilted violently and the dull thud of the bottom scraping against the reef made everyone's heart rise to their throat.
"Hold steady, steer left! Avoid that bright stone!"
Finally, with the boatmen shouting at the top of their lungs, the boat narrowly escaped the most dangerous rapids and entered a relatively flat and wide water area.
The people on the boat breathed a sigh of relief. Their clothes had long been soaked with sweat and splashing river water, sticking to their bodies and feeling icy cold. This journey was really difficult.
Looking back, all that was left on the vast river was muddy waves rolling.
Su Qingfan brought three large ships, four or five small ships, and more than two hundred men. Looking around at this moment, including the boatmen, there were only a dozen frightened faces around him.
There was dead silence on the boat, only the sobbing of the river.
Su Qingfan stood at the bow, with her back to the crowd, and the elite soldiers she brought with her on her shoulders. Of those men who fought bloody battles for her at the dock, only one in ten is left. She was silent, without looking back. Although she had a premonition when she came, the tragedy now really made her heartbroken.
Looking at everyone, Ning Lingyi regretted it for the first time.
Was she being too willful? Had she not chosen this path, would so many people have died? She finally felt a sense of fear.
She forced herself to calm down and looked downstream, where she should have gotten the news after Zhaoyang led the pursuers away.
"Qingfan," her voice sounded unusually calm in the river breeze, "Take the remaining people, protect Yan and Lingyao, and rush to Mingzhou at full speed immediately. Don't delay for a moment. I and a few other boatmen will stay here and await news from Zhaoyang."
"Your Highness!" Su Qingfan turned around, "This place is too dangerous! Pursuits could come at any time..."
"I have to wait." Ning Lingyi interrupted her, "The worst result is that Zhaoyang is captured by them. As long as she is alive, we can always find a way to rescue her. If she escapes by chance and finds this place, but no one is there to help her..."
She didn't say anything else.
Su Qingfan looked at her and knew that it was useless to persuade her any further.
She quickly directed the men to transfer Yan and Lingyao to another boat that was in slightly better condition. The two children ignorantly snuggled in the arms of the loyal servant. When they were taken away, little Lingyao timidly turned back and called out "Sister".
Ning Lingyi watched the boat carrying her younger brother and sister disappear into the misty distance. Only Su Qingfan, a few experienced boatmen, and an even more inconspicuous boat remained by her side.
The wait became long and agonizing.
The river wind was so sharp it chilled the bones. Ning Lingyi, wrapped tightly in her half-damp coarse clothes, huddled at the foot of a slope, her gaze fixed on the river below. Every time a boat passed downstream, her heart rose, then sank as it sailed away.
At first, there were some fishing boats and cargo ships, and later, military ships flying official flags also passed by. The soldiers on the ships had stern expressions, and Ning Lingyi's heart seemed to be gripped by something, making it difficult to breathe.
"Your Highness, drink some hot water."
Su Qingfan handed over a worn ceramic bowl with a faint vapor in it.
Ning Lingyi didn't move.
"Your Highness," Su Qingfan advised in a low voice.
Ning Lingyi finally took the bowl. She took small sips, but the warmth didn't seem to reach her heart.
News came intermittently from the ships downstream.
"A large ship was surrounded and suffered heavy damage..."
"I heard it's on fire..."
"Someone jumped into the river, and the soldiers are trying to rescue him..."
Ning Lingyi listened, and she forced herself not to think about the worst possible scenario. She just told herself stubbornly over and over in her heart: Zhaoyang is a princess, the eldest daughter of her father, the emperor, and her mother, the empress. How could those officers and soldiers, those traitors, dare to really kill her?
At most they arrested her and sent her back to the palace, that must be it.
But as the rumors became more and more numerous, she became restless. When a new ship arrived, Ning Lingyi rushed to the riverside and stopped the cargo ship crew who were resting.
"Brother, have you seen the incident of burning the boat and jumping into the river?"
The boatman was an honest man. He was startled by her and rubbed his hands: "Madam, I was far away and couldn't see clearly. I just heard it from people on the shore..."
The light in Ning Lingyi's eyes dimmed a little, but she remained stubborn: "It's just a rumor..."
Su Qingfan stood behind her without saying a word.
The sun was setting in the west, dyeing the surface of the river a dim yellow.
Another passenger ship approached.
The faces of several boatmen at the bow turned pale, and the sound of discussion drifted over.
"Oh my God, I really saw it. Our ship is not far away!"
"Yes! A young lady stood on the bow, and the fire started! The sails were blown away!"
"She just jumped in like that! The water was so fast..."
"The officers and soldiers rowed their boats around, jumping up and down anxiously, shouting, 'Princess, save the princess!' But as the waves rolled over, they disappeared..."
The boatmen were silent, no one dared to answer.
Only the sound of wind and water remained on the surface of the river. Ning Lingyi's self-deceiving hope was so fragile in the face of the truth.
How could she accept it?
How could she believe it?
The sister who was always gentle and quiet, the sister who grew up with her in the palace and delivered letters for her, the sister who silently cared for her younger siblings on the run and stepped forward at the last moment...
The sister who had just learned to be brave and told her, "There's no point in being afraid"...
Just gone like that?
"It's fake, it must be fake." Ning Lingyi muttered to herself, looking at the vast river with empty eyes, her voice as light as drifting mist.
"Even if he jumped into the river, there's a chance he'd float downstream and be washed ashore. Look for him, yes, look for him, and you'll definitely find him..."
She seemed to have grasped the last straw, and stood up shakily, her eyes anxiously scanning the desolate mudflats on both sides.
"Your Highness..." Su Qingfan looked at Ning Lingyi's distraught look, but did not dare to say a word of advice.
Ning Lingyi seemed not to hear, her eyes looking at the surging river.
Her sister is in this river.
"Would it be better if Zhaoyang didn't come with me and stayed in the palace?" she whispered absentmindedly.
"No matter what the new emperor does, he probably won't harm her. She's a princess after all. Maybe she'll marry well and live a happy and peaceful life..."
She walked towards the side of the boat step by step. The cold river water hit the hull and the splashing water wet her skirt.
"It's me, it's me who hurt her..."
This thought made her curl up in pain. She looked at the swirling whirlpool below her feet. The murky water seemed to be her only destination. Her body leaned forward slightly and fell into the river that swallowed Zhaoyang. She wanted to find Zhaoyang...
Zhaoyang is in this river.
She wants to get Zhaoyang back.
"Your Highness!"
Su Qingfan dived into the icy river water.
Almost at the moment when Ning Lingyi fell into the river, Su Qingfan reached out like a dragon in the water, wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, and pulled her back from the river!
Su Qingfan was also a woman, not much older than Ning Lingyi, so it took a lot of effort for her to save Ning Lingyi.
Ning Lingyi struggled, tears finally bursting out, mixing with the cold river water, "Zhaoyang, Zhaoyang is down there! I want to go find her! It's me who hurt her, I shouldn't have taken her away..."
Ning Lingyi seemed to be hysterical.
Su Qingfan hugged her tightly: "Your Highness, this is not your fault!"
"This is Princess Zhaoyang's own choice!"
"She could have surrendered and followed the soldiers back to the capital, but she didn't! She chose to burn the ship, she chose to jump into the river, she chose to end her life in this way!"
"Your Highness, think about her last words. Her father, the Emperor, is paralyzed, her brother is dead, and her mother, the Empress, is imprisoned. What else could she do when she returned to the palace? Kneel down and beg for mercy to those who had hurt her loved ones?"
How could Su Qingfan not understand Zhaoyang? She understood him too well.
People always think that women are weak and can be tortured by just giving them food and drink, but some people just don't want to do that.
"Princess Zhaoyang also has her own pride. Her life is as hard as her knees that refuse to kneel!"
"Your Highness, it was Princess Zhaoyang who saved us, saved you, saved Little Highness Yanhe! She saved Little Highness Lingyao! She sacrificed her life to give us a chance to survive!"
"We have to avenge her, okay?"
Ning Lingyi's struggle gradually weakened, and tears blurred her vision. It turned out that on the day she left the palace, Zhaoyang understood that she was no longer willing to live a humble life.
The last time Zhao Yang looked at her, his eyes were calm and gentle, with a hint of relief and relief, and the words "take care"...
She was not forced into this; she chose this path herself.
She was unwilling to go back to the cage that had imprisoned her all her life, and unwilling to kneel before her enemy. She chose to defend her last dignity in the most decisive way.
"Sister, I finally understand you today..."
Su Qingfan slowly loosened his grip and protected Ning Lingyi.
The cold river wind blew in Ning Lingyi's face, making her wet clothes stick to her body. The biting cold made her shiver slightly.
She took a last look at the rushing river, and her gaze passed across the vast river and turned towards the distant capital, which was the center of power struggle and the source of their suffering.
She didn't say a word, not a single word.
After a long moment, she turned around and said, "Let's go to Mingzhou."
The boat turned around, carrying endless sorrow, cutting through the gloomy river water, heading towards the only place of hope in the southeast - Mingzhou.
Mingzhou, the prefectural government office.
On the desk in the main hall, a bright yellow silk cloth from the capital, stamped with a bright red jade seal, looked particularly dazzling under the light.
This is the imperial edict of the new emperor.
Shen Qingyan, the prefect of Mingzhou, dressed in a dark green official robe, sat at the head of the table. His face was gaunt and his demeanor refined, but at this moment, his brow furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the silk.
The handwriting on the silk is clear:
"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Shen Qingyan, the prefect of Mingzhou, has been known for his honest administration, effective governance of the people, and outstanding contributions to the local area. He is hereby promoted to Vice Minister of Rites and given the title of Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy. I order you to immediately escort Princess Mingzhu, Princess Zhaoyang, the Fifth Prince Ning Yanhe, the Sixth Princess Ning Lingyao, and their associates back to the capital for an investigation. No mistakes shall be made. I decree this."
Promoted six levels in a row.
From being a local prefect, he jumped to become a prominent official in Beijing, entered the Ministry of Rites, and was given the title of Bachelor of Qing. The price offered by Emperor Guangqi was quite generous.
Emperor Guangqi used this immense wealth to exchange for Shen Qingyan's "loyalty" and to personally send Princess Mingzhu and her entourage back to the cannibalistic capital.
Shen Qingyan shifted his gaze from the imperial edict and looked out the window at the dark night. The night in Mingzhou was not as solemn and murderous as that in the capital, but it also hid invisible undercurrents.
The late emperor has become the retired emperor, the crown prince is dead, and the title of Princess Mingzhu has long been useless.
The candlelight danced in his deep eyes, reflecting his surging thoughts.
He was silent.
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