She is Ning Lingshu
The river wind was strong, blowing against three large ships disguised as cargo ships. The ships had a deep draft and some ordinary cargo piled on the decks, covering up the tense atmosphere in the cabin.
Compared to the cramped small passenger ship before, this fleet carefully prepared by Su Qingfan provided breathing space and allowed the accompanying Mingzhou people to disperse and settle down.
Only Zhaoyang seemed speechless and at a loss as to what to do.
She sat in the corner of the main cabin, but her eyes involuntarily turned to the center of the cabin, where Ning Lingyi and Su Qingfan were talking in low voices over an open water map.
The candlelight illuminated Ning Lingyi's thin but straight back. Her fingertips slid across the winding river, analyzing the possible obstacles ahead. Su Qingfan nodded from time to time, and sometimes added a few words. There was a tacit understanding between the two that did not require many words.
Zhaoyang watched silently. She seemed to be of no use, like an idle person.
She knew that Ning Lingyi would certainly not blame her, and her sister-in-law also relied on her, but she felt even more ashamed to do this.
She is not stupid. On the contrary, she is the legitimate daughter of the emperor and the empress. In terms of educational resources, she probably has more than Mingzhu.
She was just envious, envious of Ning Lingyi's calmness that seemed like she was born to give orders; she was even more ashamed of herself, as she felt that she was no different from Yan and Lingyao, all of whom needed to be protected.
The sense of responsibility between Ning Lingyi's brows made her vaguely see the shadow of her father when he was handling state affairs in the Purple Palace in the past. It was a quality that she had never possessed and had never been taught to possess.
My thoughts drifted back to that magnificent cage.
The queen's voice seemed to ring in her ears again: "Zhaoyang, a woman should be chaste, quiet, and obedient. She should keep to her duty and refrain from making irresponsible comments on state affairs, let alone starting a war. The husband is the leader of his wife, and the father is the leader of his son. This is the natural order."
The maids had corrected her manners countless times: "Princess, lower your head a little, smile without showing your teeth, and walk without shaking your skirt. Your nobility lies in your gentleness and obedience."
She had once taken these precepts as her guiding principle, believing them to be the foundation of her life and a barrier to her safety. Her obedience and virtue earned her mother's approval and the cautious respect of the palace maids, as if this was her entire worth.
Her title was Zhaoyang and her name was Ning Lingshu.
Apart from this title, no one cares about her name.
However, the lesson she learned on the night of Prince Yong's ascension to the throne taught her that nobility was useless, bloodline was useless, and virtue was useless. She couldn't even enter the Purple Palace. Her fate was arranged for her, just like all the women in the harem.
But Ning Lingyi was different. She heard it. She heard that she rebuked the prince and his ministers for their rebellion and fought for her father's last breath in the Purple Palace.
So, when she learned that Ning Lingyi was leaving, she was determined to follow. She didn't know where her sister was going to take her, but she was willing to go wherever her sister was going.
She no longer wanted to be like a lamb to be slaughtered, surrounded by cold blades. She was afraid that she would become the one who passively endured her fate.
"Report!" A quick low cry outside the cabin interrupted Zhaoyang's memories and also interrupted Mingzhu and Su Qingfan's discussion.
A dripping wet man rushed in, his face pale. "Commander Su, Princess! We've spotted an unidentified vessel following us, and it's moving incredibly fast! It looks like a government speedboat!"
"And our brothers up ahead in Eagle's Beak Gorge have sent back news. They've suddenly added a double checkpoint there, and the inspections are incredibly strict. All ships, regardless of size, must dock for strict inspection! Even the bottoms of the boats will be searched!"
Ning Lingyi and Su Qingfan's expressions became extremely solemn. Mingzhu's finger tapped the location of "Eagle's Beak Gorge" on the drawing. It was a dangerous place where the river narrowed. Setting up a checkpoint to intercept them was almost like catching a turtle in a jar.
"They reacted so quickly!" Su Qingfan gritted his teeth. "It must be that our whereabouts were exposed during the battle at the dock, which aroused their vigilance! They are chasing us from behind and blocking us from the front. They are determined to stop us!"
The tense atmosphere was so oppressive that it was almost suffocating.
Zhaoyang felt her heart suddenly shrink, then began to beat wildly, almost bursting out of her chest! It was as if she had returned to that night when the flames shot up into the sky, and she had become the obedient princess in the deep palace, desperately waiting for the judgment of her fate, with nothing but fear.
Ning Lingyi frowned, her eyes swept over the blueprint, and then looked at Su Qingfan: "We can't force our way through Eagle's Beak Gorge, that's a dead end. Change your route, abandon the main channel, and go through the Devil's Sorrow Channel! There are many reefs and turbulent currents there, which makes it difficult for large ships to navigate, but small ships have a chance! We must abandon the large ships and switch to the small ones immediately!"
"Ghost-Seeing Worry?" Su Qingfan gasped, "That place is a dangerous place! And the boat can't carry everyone!"
"We have to take a risk! If we can't carry everyone, then..."
"Divide the forces! I'll take the fastest boat and lead the pursuers away. You take some of the elite troops and escort Zhaoyang Yan Lingyao on another boat. We'll break out separately and reunite in Mingzhou."
"Lead away the pursuers?" Su Qingfan's face changed.
"Princess, this is too dangerous! The main force of the pursuers will surely..."
"I know it's dangerous!" Ning Lingyi interrupted her, her eyes unwavering, "but this is the only chance of survival."
"No!" A slightly trembling voice sounded, interrupting Mingzhu's words.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound in astonishment.
I saw Zhaoyang had stood up at some point. Her face was still pale and her body was still trembling slightly, but her eyes, which were originally filled with fear, now had something different.
She loosened her arms around her brother and sister-in-law and gently pushed them towards Mingzhu.
"Mingzhu," she took a deep breath, "let me go."
Everyone looked at her in disbelief, as if they didn't know this princess who had always been gentle and weak. She was always silent, as if she was in two different worlds from them.
Until she stepped forward at this moment, she seemed to have walked into their world.
"Zhaoyang, you..." Ning Lingyi wanted to stop him.
"Listen to me." Zhao Yang interrupted her, "You are much more useful than me. You can take them to Mingzhou. You can do what none of us can do and make Mingzhou their refuge. And I..."
The corners of her mouth curled up with a bitter yet relieved arc, "I will only be a burden. In Mingzhou, I can't help you with anything. But here, now, this is all I can do."
Her eyes swept over the loyal Mingzhou men around her. Her voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone: "I am Princess Zhaoyang, and I am also the one being pursued. As long as I appear, I can lead the pursuers away and protect Princess Mingzhu's safety. So I will go with you to protect Mingzhu."
She paused, met Ning Lingyi's shocked gaze, and said slowly: "You are right, Mingzhu, there is really no use in being afraid."
She remembered what Ning Lingyi had said to Tuoba Hong, and only now did she truly understand the significance of what she had said.
"Like you, there are things that are more important than fear."
"No! This is too dangerous! I can't let you..." Ning Lingyi's voice was filled with unprecedented panic.
"This is the best way and the only way!" Zhaoyang's voice was filled with unprecedented stubbornness.
"Your ship must be light and fast, and it cannot tolerate even the slightest bit of drag! You have more important things to do and a longer journey to travel! Don't worry."
She looked at Ning Lingyi with an unusually calm expression, "I will try my best to delay."
After she finished speaking, she stopped looking at Ning Lingyi and slowly squatted down to face Yan He and Ling Yao. The two children seemed to have a premonition of something, their little mouths pursed, and their eyes filled with tears.
"Yanhe, Lingyao," Zhaoyang's voice was so gentle that it could drip water. She reached out and gently stroked their soft hair for the last time. "Listen to Sister Mingzhu and be good, okay? Sister Zhaoyang has to go do something very important. We will see each other again soon."
"Sister..." Lingyao's little hands tightly grasped Zhaoyang's clothes, tears rolling down her face. Yanhe also pursed her lips tightly, trying hard not to cry out loud, and just nodded vigorously.
Zhaoyang closed her eyes, forcing back the tears that threatened to burst forth. When she opened them again, she was now lucid. She stood up and faced Mingzhu. A thousand words were choked in her chest, all her complex emotions woven into one glance.
She didn't touch Ning Lingyi again, but just said: "Take care."
Then, she turned around resolutely, lifted the cabin curtain and walked out without looking back.
"Zhaoyang!" Ning Lingyi cried out in pain.
Looking at the figure disappearing outside the cabin, she seemed to be holding back tears, then looked at her younger brother and sister-in-law beside her, finally.
"Change ship as planned and go to Hell!"
The night is as dark as ink and the river wind is howling.
The largest cargo ship that Zhaoyang was on was brightly lit, and even deliberately raised a slightly old brocade flag, making it particularly conspicuous in the night. It broke away from the fleet, adjusted its course, and sped in the opposite direction of the Guijianchou Waterway.
The boat trip took no more than half an hour.
"There! The big ship! With the flag!"
"Surround it! Don't let it escape!"
"I have received your order to capture the criminal! Stop the ship and be tied up!"
Shouts were heard along with the lighting of countless torches, which emerged from both banks and the waters behind. Dozens of government speedboats surrounded the large ship where Zhaoyang was like sharks smelling blood, and iron chains and hooks were thrown onto the side of the ship!
"Protect the princess!" The Mingzhou men on the ship grabbed swords and axes and rushed towards the officers and soldiers who had boarded the ship. A brutal boarding battle broke out on the narrow deck! Swords flashed, blood and flesh flew everywhere!
These loyal men used their flesh and blood to build human walls, desperately blocking the officers and soldiers rushing onto the deck, buying the last time.
Figures fell one after another, their blood dyed the deck red and flowed into the muddy river. Perhaps they were old farmers in the fields yesterday, but today they became innocent souls in the river, just for the beliefs in their hearts.
Protect someone who has done them a favor.
Zhaoyang stood at the highest point of the bow, her clothes rustling in the night wind, the firelight illuminating her pale face, there was no fear in her eyes, only relief. She looked at the figures who fell one after another for her and Mingzhu, and looked at the densely packed enemy ships that surrounded her.
In her hand, she held tightly a torch soaked in kerosene.
When the last man standing in front of her was hacked down by the swords, and when the nearest soldiers wanted to pounce on her.
Zhaoyang threw the torch onto the deck under his feet, which had already been soaked with kerosene!
"boom!"
The flames instantly rose into the sky, and the flames greedily licked the sail ropes, turning the entire bow into a sea of fire in an instant!
The officers and soldiers who rushed over were frightened by the sudden fire and retreated repeatedly.
In the firelight, Zhaoyang took one last look in the direction where Mingzhu had disappeared, her eyes gentle and ethereal. Then, without hesitation, she turned around and jumped into the surging river!
Lingyi, this is the only time in my life that I was brave, and I don't regret it.
You must be well.
"Princess!"
"She jumped into the river! Quick! Get in and rescue her!"
The shouts of the officers and soldiers were in chaos.
Flames engulfed the ship, thick smoke billowed, illuminating half the night sky. The icy river water instantly submerged Zhaoyang. The immense force of the impact caused her to lose consciousness, and her body drifted with the turbulent undercurrent into the unknown dark abyss...
A few days later, in Zichen Palace.
Emperor Guangqi was reviewing memorials at a banquet when a eunuch rushed in, tumbling and falling to the ground. "Your Majesty! Urgent news from the front: Princess Zhaoyang's boat was surrounded by us, and she burned it and jumped into the river to her death!"
"What?" The red pen in Emperor Guangqi's hand fell on the memorial with a "snap", spreading a glaring scarlet stain.
"The princess set her own boat on fire and jumped into the river to her death?"
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